Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 254: The One-Horned Demon Dragon (2)

TL: FoodieMonster007

Frenzied beasts charged, their eyes ablaze, tearing into the bandits with razor-sharp claws.

"GRRRRR…"

"ROOOOOOAR!"

Even at a glance, it was clear these were no ordinary animals. Each was monstrous, many times larger and more ferocious than its kin. Dozens strong, they formed a fearsome pack, so savage that even the seasoned bandits blanched at the sight.

"Don't falter! They're just animals!" Ya Suhyeok yelled as he strode forward, determined to rouse the terrified bandits.

One of the wolves leading the charge kicked off the ground and launched itself into the air, fangs bared. At three times the size of its normal brethren, it looked like it could rip apart a tiger.

However, it chose the wrong opponent.

Ya Suhyeok seized the wolf's snout in both hands and, with monstrous strength, tore it in half.

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Blood rained down, drenching him, but he merely hurled the split carcass aside and roared, "Brothers of the Viridian Forest! Tonight, we feast on spirit beast meat!"

The primal savagery he'd kept suppressed erupted, and Ya Suhyeok radiated a monstrous battle aura, shocking even the White Dragon Manor students who trained with him daily.

Geo Sangwoong grumbled, "That brat… he looks kind of cool today…"

"I can't lose to a junior…" Yeo Min muttered determinedly.

"Let's join the fray!" Wiji Cheon shouted happily.

Hyonwon Kang barked, "What the fuck? I'm the only barbarian the White Dragon Manor needs!"

Following Ya Suhyeok's lead, the students plunged into the thick of battle, taking on the worst of the monstrous beasts.

"Brothers! Let's go too!"

"UWOOOAH!"

Spurred on by the Five Devils of the Viridian Forest Alliance (?), the bandits shook off their fear, readied their weapons, and charged into the melee.

CRASH! SWISH! KABOOM!

The battle quickly degenerated into pandemonium as both humans and beasts became entangled in a maelstrom of violence, fueled by the thrill of combat.

Baek Suryong was the only one who remained calm, deliberately concealing most of his martial arts prowess to give himself more freedom to assess the situation.

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Something's weird…

At first, upon seeing the fearsome beasts charging, he'd intended to take the lead himself, but a sudden bad premonition held him back. Fortunately, his students were fighting well in his stead, giving him time to think.

Why is it commanding the frenzied beasts instead of attacking us itself?

His gaze fell on the One-Horned Demon Dragon hovering over the pond, gazing down disdainfully at the humans from high above. Its reptilian eyes blazed with rage and hatred, and black demonic qi billowed from its half-open maw like the fires of hell.

"GWAAAAAAR!"

"Why is it just watching when it's clearly enraged? If that thing attacked us directly, it could wipe us out in an instant…" Baek Suryong mumbled to himself.

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When the One-Horned Demon Dragon first emerged from the pond, he had felt a flicker of fear, and the arrogance he'd gained from his accomplishments at Namgung Estate instantly melted away.

He had assumed that a demonic beast that wasn't even one of the Ten Supremes would be small fry, but he was sorely mistaken. He stood absolutely no chance of winning against the One-Horned Demon Dragon in a head-on clash. Honestly, if it weren't for his students, he would have seriously considered fleeing.

For what reason would such a powerful demonic beast avoid fighting directly and instead send out a bunch of weaker animals?

Although the ability to control spirit beasts like its own limbs was impressive, it felt like a roundabout way of fighting.

Baek Suryong came to a conclusion. What if it's not avoiding a direct fight… but is unable to fight directly?

He shifted his gaze to the four spirit beasts standing guard in front of the One-Horned Demon Dragon like divine protectors—a massive tiger, a blue-eyed bear, a six-tailed fox, and four-armed monkey.

These spirit beasts, or more accurately, demonic beasts, each radiated a power that surpassed even the greatest human martial artist, yet they didn't join the fray, merely glared at him with animosity.

What if they're… staying put to protect the One-Horned Demon Dragon?

Baek Suryong recalled his brief conversation with the lieutenant of Gu Il Keep.

"Is that the Horned Snake you saw?"

"I-It's similar, but it was much smaller than that. I think it's doubled in size…"

The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

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"…If it hasn't been long since it shed its skin… and it hasn't fully regained its strength yet…"

It was still just a theory, but Baek Suryong was certain he was right.

Looking directly at the One-Horned Demon Dragon, a triumphant smile spread across his face.

"You… Your body must be in pretty bad shape, isn't it?"

Now that he saw a weakness to exploit, there was no reason to hold back any longer. Glancing at his students, who were scattered across the battlefield, he shouted, "Ya Suhyeok, work with the bandits to maintain the defensive line! The rest of you, come with me! We're taking down the One-Horned Demon Dragon!"

"What?!"

"Now?!"

"But how do we get past those spirit beasts?!"

There was no time for a detailed explanation. If the One-Horned Demon Dragon was still recovering after shedding its skin, then every second they wasted was a second in the enemy's favor.

"Just gather around me!" Baek Suryong yelled.

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The students rushed towards their teacher. The bandits would be under more pressure without their help, but Baek Suryong trusted Ya Suhyeok to lead them well.

"See those spirit beasts guarding the dragon? Each of you take on one of them! I'll break through and confront the One-Horned Demon Dragon!"

The students nodded. They too had wondered why those fearsome spirit beasts were hanging back instead of joining the fight.

Baek Suryong's plan was simple. The students would lure the spirit beasts away, and in the chaos, he would unleash his full power and deal a fatal blow to the One-Horned Demon Dragon.

The key now was for him to hide his true strength until the last moment. If the One-Horned Demon Dragon realized how strong he was, it would be on guard.

Fortunately, it hadn't noticed Baek Suryong yet.

"Stay focused! I won't be able to help you this time!"

"Don't worry!"

"We'll show you what we're made of!"

The students nodded, grim determination on their faces.

"KWAAAAAARGH!"

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With another earth-shaking roar, black demonic qi surged from the One-Horned Demon Dragon's body, more powerful than ever.

RUMBLE!

The entire mountain quaked as countless beasts stampeded down from higher ground, summoned by the dragon.

"No way…"

"We're barely holding on as it is!"

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"S-Should we run?!"

The faces of the bandits, already hard-pressed to hold the line, turned ashen.

"Stand your ground!" Ya Suhyeok roared desperately.

Seeing this, Baek Suryong shouted to his students, "There's no time to waste. Let's go!"

With him at its center, the group weaved through the chaotic battlefield using movement arts.

SWISH! SWOOSH!

An unending wave of beasts surged toward them, but they cut down every creature that dared block their path. They had to get Baek Suryong within striking distance of the One-Horned Demon Dragon as quickly as possible.

Moments later, as expected, the four spirit beasts snarled and moved to intercept. Baek Suryong let his students rush ahead, and they scattered, each picking an opponent.

"HAAAAH!"

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"CHAH!"

"UWOOAH!"

"Your opponent is me!"

Hyonwon Kang faced the tiger, Geo Sangwoong the blue-eyed bear, Wiji Cheon the four-armed monkey, and Yeo Min the six-tailed fox.

SWOOSH!

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Baek Suryong sprinted through the path his students had opened. As he dashed past them, he yelled, "Whoever loses to a spirit beast will face hellish training when we get back!"

""YOU DEMON!""

Ignoring the kids' cries of dismay, Baek Suryong charged straight at the One-Horned Demon Dragon.

"GWAAAAAAR!"

The colossal creature glared down at him. At over thirty meters long, it made any human seem small and insignificant.

[Pathetic creature.]

A voice suddenly echoed in Baek Suryong's mind, startling him. This wasn't mere telepathy, but something more profound, like a direct transmission of thought.

"No way…" he muttered, realizing that it was the One-Horned Demon Dragon speaking.

[Why bother coming this far? You can't even scratch my scales.]

"If I want to live, I have to fight. Do you expect me to just lie down and die?"

[Humans destroyed my home and ruined a thousand years of cultivation.]

As expected, the reason the Horned Serpent had become a demonic beast was because the Night Emperor and the Blue Sky Sword King had ravaged Mount Tianzhu.

"Why blame all humans? It wasn't our fault," Baek Suryong retorted.

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[For a thousand years, I've watched humans, but you're all the same. You covet my core, and your greed leads only to bloodshed.]

RUMBLE…

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the One-Horned Demon Dragon ascended even higher.

[You humans are nothing but a blight upon this world.]

The power radiating from the dragon intensified, proving that it had indeed recovered somewhat during the delay.

[I can no longer ascend to the celestial realm, so I will cleanse this world by eradicating humans.]

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The One-Horned Demon Dragon looked down at Baek Suryong from its lofty perch mockingly, as if to say, you can't reach me.

Of course, Baek Suryong had already prepared a retort. "This is perfect then," he said, stopping in front of the pond and unleashing his hidden power.

SSHHH…

For an instant, his hair turned crimson, but it quickly returned to its usual color. The whole transformation happened so fast that no one except the One-Horned Demon Dragon noticed.

The dragon's laughter echoed in Baek Suryong's mind like rolling thunder. [Hahaha! So you were hiding your power! But it changes nothing!]

"You talk too much. Why would it change nothing?" Baek Suryong chuckled, unleashing the White Ice Divine Palm at the pond.

CRACKLE!

A blizzard erupted from his hand, instantly freezing the pond over and creating a road of ice, which Baek Suryong dashed across.

[How dare you?!]

Enraged that its territory had been frozen, the One-Horned Demon Dragon roared. A suffocating demonic pressure descended, powerful enough to suffocate and crush even the strongest martial masters.

However, Baek Suryong wasn't just unaffected, he was invigorated.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Realizing that its opponent wielded a power similar to its own, the One-Horned Demon Dragon exclaimed in shock, [How can a mere human…]

"…Wield the power to defy heaven?" Baek Suryong finished its question.

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BOOM!

Smirking, he kicked off the ground. The ice beneath him shattered, and he shot upwards like lightning, until he was eye-to-eye with the One-Horned Demon Dragon.

"You should've known your place, you overgrown snake," he growled, activating the Blood Demon Eyes.

With these eyes that burned crimson like hellfire and could see through all demonic techniques, he observed the One-Horned Demon Dragon's flow of demonic qi.

"Found it."

A third of the way down its body, there was a stagnation of energy. It was the dragon's reverse scale, its weak point.

Without hesitation, Baek Suryong plunged his sword into the One-Horned Demon Dragon's reverse scale.

Caught off guard, the dragon was slow to react.

"GWAAAAAAR!"

Unable to withstand the searing pain, the One-Horned Demon Dragon plummeted to the ground.

Translator's Note: There will be no update tomorrow as I am going on a family outing. The next update will be on Sunday morning.