Chapter 54: Cooperation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: Cooperation (3)
“How on earth…?”
Seeing his bewildered reaction made me feel significantly better.
He probably never dreamed I’d be hanging from the ceiling using Silver Smoke Threads. No, with his level of martial prowess, it would have been difficult for him to even sense my presence.
Baek Hye-hyang spoke to me.
“That one is mine. You handle the rest.”
It sounded like an order. However, I decided to let her have him. Looking at her murderous expression, it seemed she had quite a lot of pent-up resentment toward Kang Mu-hyeok.
Kang Mu-hyeok drew the sword from the scabbard at his waist. Once his initial shock had subsided to some degree, he spoke with a scowl.
“Do you really think you can leave this place alive?”
“I think you should worry about your eyes and your tongue first.”
Swish!
Baek Hye-hyang lunged forward. She swung her sword in a straight line, clearly intending to take his head in a single stroke. Kang Mu-hyeok hurriedly tried to parry the blow.
However—
Claaaaang!
“Ugh!”
The sword he was holding was knocked upward, and his body was sent flying backward through the air. He managed to stop himself only after being blown back more than ten paces.
Kang Mu-hyeok’s expression stiffened.
“What kind of internal power is this…?”
Blood trickled from the hand gripping his sword. She truly possessed a monstrous level of internal energy.
“You’re using a cheap sword.”
Baek Hye-hyang shook her head as she looked at his slightly cracked blade. Then, she lunged at him once more. Though it was just an ordinary sword from a blacksmith, the sword forms she unleashed were anything but ordinary.
‘Blood Purging Sword Refinement!’
That technique, which targeted only the major pressure points of the body, was the Blood Purging Sword Refinement of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword.
“Urgh!”
Kang Mu-hyeok desperately unleashed his own sword forms to block her offensive.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blue sparks flew every time their blades collided. Meanwhile, the warriors of the Mucheonjeong Sect drew their swords and rushed toward me. They were martial artists of the Supreme Peak realm.
‘I guess these are my share.’
They surrounded me from four directions, attacking in a coordinated formation as if they were well-practiced in combined attacks. Fortunately, I had grown accustomed to dealing with combined attacks while climbing the Star Tower of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect.
‘I can’t afford to drag this out. I’ll go all out.’
I gripped the Namcheon Iron Sword at an angle and twisted my body.
‘Rising Dragon Return Sword.’
The 4th form of the True Life Bright Sword Technique: Rising Dragon Return Sword.
My body spun rapidly, and the sword technique created a whirlwind, slashing in all directions—front, back, left, and right. Those who had targeted me from four sides simultaneously were forced to use changing tides to block the strike.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
However, they and I were on different levels. Since my lower Dantian had also reached the Supreme Peak realm, my internal power was far superior. After blocking two or three exchanges, they couldn't withstand the power behind my sword and were sent reeling back.
‘One down!’
I reached out my left hand toward the warrior directly in front of me. The Silver Smoke Thread wrapped around the arm of the man who had been knocked back.
“W-What is this?”
The panicked man tried to cut the thread, but there was no way it would snap.
Whish!
As I yanked the thread, his body lifted into the air like a fish caught on a line. I swung him directly toward the man on my right.
“Whoa!”
The warrior tried to catch his comrade, but they both ended up tumbling across the floor.
—Behind you!
The voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword echoed in my head.
‘I know.’
I ducked quickly while twisting my body to the left, stabbing the ankle of the warrior who was attempting a sneak attack.
“Aaargh!”
As he screamed, I performed a forward flip in the air and kicked him square in the chest with both feet. The force sent him flying back until he slammed into the wall of the secret chamber.
Thud!
“Gah…!”
Ouch. I must have kicked him pretty hard. As soon as he hit the iron wall, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed face-down on the floor.
Just then, I heard the sound of wind being sliced behind me. I used my footwork to twist away from the direction of the sound.
Slash!
“Dammit!”
The warrior who had aimed for my back looked frustrated and redirected his sword toward my face. I parried his blade upward.
Clang!
As his sword was knocked up, I threw a punch straight into his philtrum. His teeth must have shattered; he stumbled back, dazed and bleeding profusely. I quickly tapped his pressure points.
—You’re not killing them.
Events here couldn't be hidden forever, no matter what. Therefore, I couldn't kill them recklessly.
In the meantime, the two who had been tangled up by the Silver Smoke Thread rushed at me again. If four of them couldn't beat me, how could two of them, using a makeshift combined attack, hope to suppress me?
I lightly dodged their attacks and quickly sealed the pressure points of each man, one by one.
“Whew.”
I could certainly feel how much I had improved. Even using only my lower Dantian, handling four Supreme Peak masters was no longer a difficult task. Compared to my life before the regression, it wasn't just a great leap—it was the difference between heaven and earth.
I thought Baek Hye-hyang might take longer, considering she was facing the disciple of the Muchen Sword Emperor, one of the Eight Great Masters. But then—
“Aaaargh-mmph!”
Hearing a muffled scream, I turned my head. I saw Baek Hye-hyang mounted on top of Kang Mu-hyeok, covering his mouth with one hand while smiling eerily at something she held in the other.
In Baek Hye-hyang’s hand was Kang Mu-hyeok’s right eyeball.
—…Good heavens.
—That is some brutal handiwork.
Even the swords seemed to recoil at the sight. Not only had she suppressed him in such a short time, but she had also plucked out his eye with her bare hands. I thought she would stop at just scaring him, but I never expected her to actually carry out her threat.
Looking at the agonizing Kang Mu-hyeok, Baek Hye-hyang spoke as if soothing a child.
“Shh. You have to be quiet. You still have one eye and a tongue left, don't you?”
At her words, Kang Mu-hyeok’s remaining eye trembled violently. As if enjoying the sight, Baek Hye-hyang’s body shuddered with delight, her face filled with ecstasy.
I felt I had to intervene.
“Lady.”
Baek Hye-hyang looked at me. I gave a slight shake of my head. It was a signal that she had gone beyond what we had originally planned.
Initially, we had agreed to stop at a reasonable level of intimidation. But if I left her be, she looked ready to pluck out his other eye and rip out his tongue.
Baek Hye-hyang gave me a beaming smile and said, “Do you really think this is enough to satisfy me?”
Sigh. She really was a difficult partner to work with.
In response, I pointed upward. The truly dangerous person wasn't this guy, but the Muchen Sword Emperor, one of the Eight Great Masters. As if she understood my meaning, she stood up from where she was pinning Kang Mu-hyeok down.
“You’re too soft.”
Squelch!
The eyeball in Baek Hye-hyang’s hand burst, and a white fluid leaked out. I couldn't help but frown.
Imagine how Kang Mu-hyeok felt. He was staring at her, convulsing as if he had been completely traumatized.
—She certainly gave him enough of a scare.
I think she gave him more than enough. I approached him and whispered.
“As you can see, if I hadn't stopped her, you would have lost both eyes. No, you would have lost that three-inch tongue of yours as well.”
“What…?”
“So, you owe me a debt.”
Kang Mu-hyeok looked at me with an expression of utter disbelief. I was just telling him the truth; there was no need for such a reaction.
Kang Mu-hyeok spoke to me in a trembling voice.
“…Do you really think you can get away with this and leave safely?”
‘Hmm.’
He was terrified of Baek Hye-hyang, but apparently not of me. His mouth was still working fine.
“I think you should worry about your own situation first. You must be feeling quite dizzy from the blood loss from your eye.”
Even with his pressure points sealed, if the bleeding continued, he was the one in danger. At those words, he gritted his teeth and said, “Are you threatening me?”
“It’s not a threat; I’m telling you how to save your life.”
“Save my life? Ha! You’ve turned one of my eyes into this mess, and you think I’ll just cooperate? If you want to save your own lives, you’d better stop here.”
“You’ve still got some spirit left, I see.”
Watching this, Baek Hye-hyang shook her head and spoke.
“Don't bother trying to persuade him. It would be more effective to just use him as a hostage to escape.”
“A hostage? Pwahahahaha!”
The man suddenly burst into manic laughter. Then, his face went cold as he spoke.
“You don't know that person. Do you think he would even blink an eye for a single hostage? The moment you touched me, you already crossed a river you can never return from.”
“He’s your master. Do you really think he’d discard you so easily?”
“You don't know him. You will never leave this place.”
Was the Muchen Sword Emperor really that cold-blooded? Based on his reaction, he was describing his master as someone without a drop of blood or a single tear. This was becoming problematic.
I leaned down, met his eye, and asked, “Don't you want to live?”
“Is there anyone who wants to die?”
“Then you only need to tell me one thing. There’s another passage out of here, isn't there?”
At that, his eyes narrowed. In fact, the other passage was exactly what I was trying to find. While searching the cavern where the prison was located, I had discovered a section of the wall that looked different from the others—like an exit leading to the Mucheonjeong Sect’s Star Tower, separate from the passage we had entered through.
However, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn't figure out how to open it.
“Judging by your reaction, there is one. How do we get in?”
“……Do you think I would tell you that?”
“Didn't you say you didn't want to die?”
“Just kill me instead.”
He was playing tough. It seemed it wasn't just his subordinates who were stubborn. Kang Mu-hyeok sneered.
“You only have two choices. Give up and surrender, or kill me and die at his hands.”
So he was going to keep acting like this. I stared at him for a moment before standing up.
“Then I suppose there’s no other way.”
“You give up quickly.”
“It’s not that. Since you’re so useless, I might as well hand you back over to the Lady.”
“What?”
“Lady.”
At my call, Baek Hye-hyang broke into a bright smile, as if she had just gained the whole world. Setting aside her beauty, that smile was terrifying. As Baek Hye-hyang approached, Kang Mu-hyeok panicked and shouted at me as I stepped back.
“H-Hey!”
I ignored him. Baek Hye-hyang spoke as she closed in on him.
“I told you. There’s no need to be soft. I’m going to start by cutting out that annoying tongue. Then, I’ll cut off your fingers and toes, one by one.”
“!?”
His face turned pale at those gruesome words. He knew that, unlike others, she was someone who would actually do it.
“After I’ve cut off all your fingers and toes, I’ll slice your body from your ankles to your wrists, piece by piece, like I’m butchering meat. Reducing you bit by bit. Hahaha.”
She spoke with such delight that even I was taken aback. Reaching him, she placed a finger near his remaining eye and said, “Once you’ve watched everything being cut away, that eye won't be of any use anymore, so I’ll dig it out last. Oh, don't worry. I won't let you die. Because you have to live like that.”
Baek Hye-hyang laughed as she grabbed his jaw. She moved her hand toward his mouth. At that moment, the man screamed in terror.
“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you, so please just get this crazy bitch away from me!”
Baek Hye-hyang’s method was extremely effective. She had completely broken him.
Thwack!
“Gah!”
Offended by being called a crazy bitch, Baek Hye-hyang landed a punch on his face. She then looked at me and licked her lips regretfully.
“I hoped he’d have a bit more backbone.”
…If he’d had more backbone, there wouldn't have been much of his body left.
Rumble, rumble!
“Ho.”
Baek Hye-hyang stroked her chin and let out an exclamation of admiration as the wall opened. Kang Mu-hyeok, who had opened the entrance to the passage by manipulating a hidden mechanism, spoke to me.
“If you go through here, you can get outside. You won't need me anymore, so just leave me here and go.”
“Don't try any funny business.”
Who did he think he was fooling? How could I be sure this led straight outside?
“I told you the way, why do you have to take me—”
Shring!
“If you chirp one more time, I’m pulling that tongue out.”
At Baek Hye-hyang’s terrifying warning, he shut his mouth tight. I forced him, bound by the Silver Smoke Thread, to lead the way through the passage. Seeing him walk forward without hesitation, it seemed there were no hidden traps.
As we walked through the passage, she sent me a sound transmission.
[Once we get out of here, is our cooperation over?]
She was stating the obvious. When I didn't respond, Baek Hye-hyang chuckled. It seemed she was up to something.
—Be careful. She could stab you in the back at any moment.
I know. I’m well aware that she covets me; do you think I’d be caught off guard so easily? I was keeping a constant eye on her.
We had been walking along the passage for quite a while when a cavern even smaller than the previous prison area appeared.
‘What’s that?’
On the opposite side of the cavern was another passage, and in the very center sat a solitary cage made of black iron, identical to the ones in the other cavern. Seeing it firmly shut, it seemed someone was inside.
Baek Hye-hyang asked Kang Mu-hyeok, “What is that?”
“……It’s just a cell. It’s nothing to worry about. If you go through that passage, you can get out. Aren't you planning to leave?”
His hurried explanation made it clear he was hiding something. Baek Hye-hyang stared at the black iron cage for a moment before heading toward the iron door.
A flustered Kang Mu-hyeok cried out, “Why are you trying to open that?”
“Why? Is there a reason I shouldn't?”
“T-That’s….”
Kang Mu-hyeok stammered, unable to give a proper answer. She grabbed the circular handle of the iron door and turned it without hesitation. As she turned the handle, the iron door creaked open.
“You mustn't!”
Despite his protest, Baek Hye-hyang told him to shut up and threw the door wide open. She brought her torch inside the cage to illuminate the interior. Her fine brows furrowed.
“What is it?” I asked.
Baek Hye-hyang replied, “See for yourself.”
Curious, I stepped inside the black iron cage. In the flickering light of the torch, an emaciated old man, little more than skin and bones, lay there. Looking at his condition, it seemed he was barely clinging to life.
However, his face looked incredibly familiar.
‘Could it be…?’
Right then.
Baek Hye-hyang suddenly spun around and leveled her sword toward the direction we had come from. I also drew my sword at the sound of approaching footsteps.
Someone walked out from the dark passage, and soon their figure was revealed by the torchlight.
It was the Muchen Sword Emperor, Tian Wuxing.
“Master!”
Kang Mu-hyeok called out to him in a panic. Tian Wuxing raised a hand, signaling him to be quiet.
‘How can this be…?’
I looked back and forth between the old man in the cage and the Muchen Sword Emperor, Tian Wuxing. Then, Tian Wuxing opened his mouth, wearing a chilling smile unlike any I had ever seen before.
“So, you’ve seen it.”