Chapter 56: Identity (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Identity (2)
-Pwahahaha! I’ve never seen that old fogey make such a shocked face before.
He must be beyond surprised.
After all, he surely thought I was dead.
In truth, the trap he had set was so perilous that even a master of the Blood Saint rank would have found it difficult to escape.
However, I possessed mysterious techniques like the Golden Eye and the Transformation Eye, and most crucially, I had allies in the form of the Lesser Conversation Sword and the Namcheon Iron Sword.
-Indeed, indeed.
-Ahem.
Of course, the reason that fake Muchen Sword Emperor is so startled isn't just because I’m alive.
It’s because of the emaciated old man I’m carrying on my back.
The old man’s identity was the true Muchen Sword Emperor, Tian Wuxing, who had been imprisoned in the underground black iron cell.
-Murmur, murmur!
The surroundings were in an uproar.
It seemed those nearby recognized the old man’s face.
“That old man’s face?”
“He looks just like Sect Leader Tian Wuxing.”
“It’s more than just a resemblance. If he put on some weight, he’d be identical.”
He isn't just identical; he is the man himself.
To be honest, I thought the fake Muchen Sword Emperor would have killed him to destroy the evidence.
But contrary to my expectations, he hadn't killed him; instead, he had moved him to a hidden location at the top of the Mucheonjeong Sect’s Star Tower.
Baek Hye-hyang said she found him while searching for something to strike back at the bastard during her escape.
-Why didn't he kill him?
Well.
I don't know either.
He kept him alive even though he could be the ultimate proof of his deception.
Whether that stemmed from overconfidence or some other special reason, only he would know.
Step!
Just then, someone approached me with light, agile movements.
It was an old man with piercing eyes and an impression that suggested a somewhat hasty temperament, but the aura he radiated was extraordinary.
‘At this level, he’s a master of the Venerable rank.’
Even if he wasn't one of the Eight Great Masters, he possessed a formidable presence. He was strong enough to make me wonder if I could win even if I opened my Middle Dantian and gave it my all.
“This old man is called Wang Chuyi.”
Wang Chuyi?
He was the leader of the Sea King Fortress Sect, one of the Four Great Martial Sects of Peerless Fortress.
No wonder he felt so strong. He was a master whose martial prowess ranked within the top five of Peerless Fortress.
Wang Chuyi gestured with his eyes toward the old man on my back and asked.
“Is he the evidence you spoke of?”
I shouted so that everyone could hear.
“This person is the true leader of the Mucheonjeong Sect, the Great Hero Muchen Sword Emperor Tian Wuxing!”
My resounding voice spread across the entire square of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect.
Upon hearing this, the ones who reacted most strongly were the members of the Mucheonjeong Sect.
The ones I had seen at the Mucheonjeong Star Tower were the fake’s direct subordinates, so they hadn't reacted much, but the rest of the Mucheonjeong people looked as if they had been struck by lightning.
“That man is the real Sect Leader?”
“What on earth does this mean?”
“Then is our Sect Leader really a fake?”
Judging by their reactions, it seemed they had been unaware of this fact until now.
Then again, if they had all known, they wouldn't have tried so hard to prevent the truth from being exposed.
At that moment, another person appeared beside Wang Chuyi.
He was a man in his mid-fifties with drooping eyes, a fleshy jaw, and a somewhat portly build, but the aura he emitted was by no means inferior to Wang Chuyi’s.
“To throw Peerless Fortress into chaos with your silver tongue... if those words are lies, you must be prepared for the consequences!”
“Sect Leader Guyang. Calm your excitement first.”
Sect Leader Guyang?
Then is this man Guyang Gyeong of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect, another of the Four Great Martial Sects?
It felt strange to see the four sect leaders who led Peerless Fortress—whom I had only heard of through rumors before my regression—all gathered in one place like this.
“This is not excitement. This situation is not something that can be easily overlooked. The honor of one of the four sect leaders who lead this fortress is at stake.”
“Who doesn't know that? However, if the words of Sect Leader Jin and this young hero are true, it means this fortress has been unaware that an unknown entity has been operating in the shadows until now.”
Haomen’s information was correct.
Peerless Fortress was definitely divided into two opposing factions.
As expected of the faction supporting the Mucheonjeong Sect, Guyang Gyeong, the leader of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect, tried to protect the fake Muchen Sword Emperor until the end.
-Could he know the fake's true identity?
If that’s the case, the situation will get even bigger.
For now, I shouldn't lower my guard against him.
Wang Chuyi looked at the old man on my back and reached out his hand.
“Shouldn't we first determine whether he is real or not?”
Seeing him reach out, it seemed he intended to check if the man was wearing a human skin mask.
At that, I smiled thinly and said.
“Rather than that, why don't you speak with him directly?”
“Directly?”
At that moment, the old man on my back—no, the real Tian Wuxing—opened his mouth.
“Is that you, Chuyi?”
As the raspy voice flowed out, Wang Chuyi’s eyes widened.
He probably thought the man was unconscious because his eyes were closed, but Tian Wuxing was awake.
It was just that he couldn't open his eyes to the light after being trapped in darkness for so long.
“Sect Leader Tian... No, Wuxing, is it really you?”
“...How could I forget the voice of a friend? It has been a very long time.”
Tears welled up in Tian Wuxing’s closed eyes.
His voice was choked with emotion, as if hearing Wang Chuyi’s voice after so long was overwhelming.
Wang Chuyi muttered as if he couldn't believe it.
“And here I thought you had simply changed.”
Guyang Gyeong, the leader of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect, cut in between them.
“You think he’s real after just a few words? This Sect Leader will verify it personally.”
“Sect Leader Guyang!”
Tian Wuxing perked up his ears, then frowned and asked.
“That isn't Guyang Myeong’s voice. Who is it?”
At those words, Guyang Gyeong hesitated before speaking.
“Guyang Myeong was the name of the previous Sect Leader, my father. My father passed away from a chronic illness, and I am now the Sect Leader.”
“Hoo. Time really has passed. To think the second son succeeded as Sect Leader.”
Despite those words, Guyang Gyeong didn't seem to change his mind and stepped closer.
He then touched Tian Wuxing’s face.
His expression stiffened as he felt around from below the ears, checking for a human skin mask.
Since he was the real deal, there was no way it could be a mask.
“What in the world is this...”
“Did you think this old man was a lie? Sect Leader Guyang.”
Perhaps because he had confirmed the skin was real, Guyang Gyeong looked confused.
Seeing that, I began to think that he might not be an accomplice of the fake Muchen Sword Emperor after all.
Just then, the Merciless Wind God Jin Seong-baek, who was confronting the fake Tian Wuxing, shouted.
“Since the two Sect Leaders have verified his face, if you truly wish to claim your innocence, then show your face clearly at once!”
The gazes of everyone in the square turned toward the fake Tian Wuxing.
The fake’s face was twisted hideously.
As if he believed all of this had gone wrong because of me, he glared at me with eyes full of murderous intent.
The fake Tian Wuxing spoke in a voice laced with fury.
“Fine. Anyone who thinks this old man is a fake, come forward and touch my face yourself.”
Everyone frowned at his aggressive stance.
Judging by his aura, it seemed he would kill anyone who dared to touch him on the spot.
The fake Tian Wuxing shouted again.
“Why is no one coming to me? Didn't I tell you to come and check? Why can't you do it? Shall I show you myself?”
With those words, Tian Wuxing grabbed his own skin and pulled.
However, his aged skin stretched out long following his fingers.
‘!?’
-What? The skin stretches?
I hadn't predicted this situation at all.
Usually, human skin masks are made from actual human skin, so they don't stretch like that.
If you messed with them, they would stay stretched, so people were hesitant to touch them.
“Is it not a human skin mask?”
“The skin is stretching?”
Everyone around was thrown into confusion.
Then, the fake Tian Wuxing’s voice reached my ears via sound transmission.
[Did you think you could reveal my identity with such a pathetic method?]
So he had a trick up his sleeve, did he?
In response, I pointed my finger at the fake and shouted.
“There is more evidence that he is a fake!”
“Evidence?”
“In his office, there was a secret letter showing he was communicating with someone!”
-Murmur, murmur!
This time, everyone’s attention shifted to me.
The fake’s sound transmission came again.
[I thought you were clever, but you’re truly a fool. Do you think I would have left something like that behind?]
He mocked me as if it were absurd.
He was right.
The hidden space in his office that Baek Hye-hyang had found.
There was another office there, but there was no evidence left behind.
However, there was one thing he overlooked.
[Evidence can simply be manufactured.]
[What?]
I pulled a rolled-up sheet of paper and a small, charred fragment of paper from my robe and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“This is the decisive proof that he is a fake!”
When I unfurled the paper, nothing was written on it.
On the other hand, the fake Tian Wuxing’s face was hardening.
Wang Chuyi asked, puzzled.
“Is there not nothing there?”
“The letter was written with a special ink, so it cannot be seen normally. It is sensitive to heat, so if you apply a little warmth from a candle, the writing will temporarily appear.”
“There is such an ink?”
“You will see if you check for yourself.”
At those words, Wang Chuyi reached out his hand and asked for the letter.
When I gave it to him, Wang Chuyi generated Scorching Yang Energy in his palm and brought it near the paper.
Then, miraculously, blue characters began to gradually appear on the paper.
“It’s real!”
“Writing is appearing!”
I gave the fake Tian Wuxing a thin smile.
No evidence had been left in his office, but this special ink did exist there.
Since it was a mysterious item I hadn't even seen in the Blood Cult, I figured it wasn't something widely used in Peerless Fortress.
As the writing appeared on the paper, Wang Chuyi read it aloud.
“Kill the leader of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect?”
“That is—!”
The fake Tian Wuxing started to speak in a sudden surge of emotion but couldn't finish his sentence.
He must be furious.
That was something Baek Hye-hyang had written arbitrarily.
Just to make it look plausible, whatever it was.
To seal the deal, I held up the small, charred fragment of paper and said.
“On this piece, there was writing suspected to be written by that fake. If you compare the handwriting, you will see that he was communicating with the person who sent the letter just now.”
“You’re saying I sent that?”
The fake Tian Wuxing’s face turned red and blue with rage.
But it was no use.
The charred scrap of paper was also something Baek Hye-hyang had written.
Of course, she had imitated the handwriting found in the fake’s office for just one character.
To write several sentences, one would have to practice that person’s handwriting for months.
But a single character wasn't that difficult.
-How did you think of this?
The Sodam Sword asked, sounding impressed.
I had spent over eight years as a spy.
Creating fake letters to sow discord was the most basic of basics.
Unless they conducted a deep, thorough investigation, this would play a decisive role since he was already under suspicion.
What was needed was the circumstance that he was communicating with an outsider.
Just like now.
Rumble!
Before long, warriors from the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect and the Sea King Fortress Sect surrounded the fake Tian Wuxing and Jin Seong-baek. Even the warriors of the Mucheonjeong Sect, who had been fighting the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect until now, joined in.
They, too, were doubting the fake Muchen Sword Emperor.
With this, the momentum had shifted to our side.
Jin Seong-baek, taking a stance as if he would lung at him at any moment, said.
“There is nowhere left to retreat. Reveal your true identity!”
The fake Tian Wuxing stood alone.
He had no more loopholes to escape through.
It was a desperate situation, but the fake Tian Wuxing’s body began to tremble, and he suddenly started laughing like a madman.
“Kwahahahaha!”
“Ugh!”
“My—my ears!”
His voice was so infused with internal power that those nearby had to cover their ears.
To stop him, Jin Seong-baek tried to lunge at him.
Then, the fake Tian Wuxing barked out a command.
“Stop!”
“Do you think I will listen to you?”
“You’d better. Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”
Snap!
The fake Tian Wuxing snapped his fingers.
Then, something unexpected happened among the people surrounding him.
Two middle-aged men walked out, each holding a dagger to the throat of a youth wearing the same uniform as them.
They looked ready to stab at the slightest movement.
“Gyeom!”
“San!”
I wondered who they were, but Wang Chuyi, the leader of the Sea King Fortress Sect, and Guyang Gyeong, the leader of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect, each called out a different name.
It seemed they were people they knew.
The fake Tian Wuxing raised a finger and wagged it side to side.
“You’d better stay still. Unless you want to lose your son and grandson.”
The identities of the youths were revealed. They were Wang Chuyi’s grandson and Guyang Gyeong’s son.
“How cowardly!”
At Jin Seong-baek’s shout, the fake Tian Wuxing smiled thinly.
“What is cowardly about this? Planning a retreat strategy is the most basic of basics.”
It seemed he had planted spies in each sect for such a situation.
Perhaps because their flesh and blood were captured, Wang Chuyi and Guyang Gyeong were restless.
“If you harm my grandson even a little, I will never forgive you!”
“Do you think you’ll be safe if you escape like this!”
At their words, the fake Tian Wuxing smirked and said.
“If no one follows me while I leave this place, I’ll consider whether or not to release them. Ah! Before that, there’s one thing to settle. Guyang Gyeong, stab that brat in front of you through the heart. Otherwise, your son dies right here.”
“What?”
Guyang Gyeong looked back and forth between his son and me with distraught eyes.
The man was truly cunning beyond measure.
To take hostages and threaten them like this in this situation.
Guyang Gyeong shouted, his body trembling with rage.
“You wicked bastard!”
“Kwahahaha, calling a villain wicked is nothing but a compliment.”
‘A villain?’
He called himself a villain.
Just what is that man’s identity?
More importantly, I need to get away from Guyang Gyeong for now.
It would be troublesome if he attacked me to save his son.
“Sect Leader Guyang! Do not listen to him! He is trying to cause a rift!”
Jin Seong-baek urgently shouted to Guyang Gyeong.
However, energy was slowly gathering in Guyang Gyeong’s hand.
He looked ready to attack me at any moment.
The fake Tian Wuxing said in a mocking voice.
“Though I am a fake, we have some history together, so I shall make a promise. If you kill him, I will guarantee your son’s life.”
The wavering Guyang Gyeong seemed to have finally made up his mind.
As his energy gathered at his fingertips, I also circulated my internal power.
It was at that very moment.
Thwack! Thwack!
“Gah!”
“Argh!”
Sudden screams erupted.
The fake Tian Wuxing hurriedly looked back.
The two subordinates who were bringing the hostages toward him had holes through their heads.
Roll, roll!
A small object, like a steel bead, fell from the forehead of one of the men whose head had been pierced.
“Th-this?”
I looked in the direction the steel beads had flown from.
There, standing among the crowd, was someone draped in a black robe.
That mysterious person turned their head and looked at me.
The moment our eyes met, I couldn't hide my shock.
‘Sa—Sama Chak!’
It was the Moon Evil Sword, Sama Chak.
He shook his head at me with a dry expression, then walked out from among the crowd and spoke to the fake Tian Wuxing.
“You are too low-class to mention the word 'villain' with that mouth of yours.”