Chapter 209: The First Sin (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 209: The First Sin (1)
The floor had collapsed into a heap of rubble, forming a solid wall of debris.
A man stood before it, grinding his teeth in frustration.
“Hah. These little shits.”
Jeon Oh-Jin, Vice-Lord of the Black Palace, spat out a curse as he reflected on recent events.
An absurdly beautiful girl and a boy who hadn’t even fully matured.
It was baffling that either of them was even here.
That girl… she’s from the Namgung Clan.
Her blue uniform, her bluish-white hair, and that sword art that unleashed Lightning Qi—all were unmistakable hallmarks of the Namgung.
Judging by her appearance, she must be a direct descendant.
A blood relative of the Namgung Clan at that age…
Is there another besides the Lightning Dragon?
Moreover, though she looked no older than twenty, she was a martial artist who had already reached the Peak Realm.
The moment their swords clashed, Jeon Oh-Jin realized the girl had broken through her bottleneck.
If he recalled the recent reports…
The Sword Dancer, was it?
The Namgung bloodline who had distinguished herself in the recent tournament. A name he’d only heard in passing.
But the Namgung girl wasn’t the real problem.
His attention was drawn to the boy beside her.
As exceptional as the girl was, the boy was on an entirely different level.
The red uniform he wore, the bright flame conjured in his palm, and that fierce, fearless gaze—all of it was eerily reminiscent of the monster currently outside the formation barrier.
“…Vice-Lord!”
Members of the Black Palace rushed over at the sound of the commotion. They stared in shock at the scene of devastation.
“You said rats snuck in?”
“…Yes, sir. The intruders—”
“Correct yourself,” Jeon Oh-Jin interrupted with a chilling smile. “It wasn’t a rat.”
“Pardon?”
“It was a baby tiger.”
Slam—!
A strike imbued with Sword Force shattered the wall blocking his path instantly. The Palace members recoiled from the falling debris.
“What is the Lord doing?” His voice was cold.
The members behind him flinched. “…He went to confront the Flaming Demon.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll handle this myself.”
Jeon Oh-Jin was confident there would be no issues in the Lord’s absence. At least, that’s what he believed.
As he scanned the area for traces after the wall collapsed, his eyes widened.
“…Well, look at this.”
A massive hole gaped in the floor. Flickering flames still clung to its edges, and the residual Qi in the air was intensely potent.
The True Dragon, they called him?
If my guess is right…
He must be the Gu Clan’s True Dragon.
The one who had outshone all the young prodigies in the tournament to claim the last spot among the Dragons.
They said he was the spitting image of the Flaming Demon. It’s uncanny.
Even their talents seemed to mirror each other.
Jeon Oh-Jin briefly recalled hearing it was the True Dragon who had killed that fool, Ya Hyeoljeok.
If that was the case…
“I need to find him and kill him.”
“Vice-Lord, perhaps we should first inform the Lor—”
Slice.
The speaking member was abruptly silenced, a clean cut to his neck ending his life.
“The only one who gives me orders is the Lord himself.”
Shaking the blood from his blade, Jeon Oh-Jin channeled his Qi. If the Lord was outside dealing with the Flaming Demon, then his task was to capture the Little Tiger.
More importantly, that flame I saw…
The blue flame surrounding the True Dragon felt strangely familiar. It resonated with the energy within his own body. He needed to investigate further.
Leaving the other members behind, Jeon Oh-Jin leaped into the hole the True Dragon had created.
It was obvious where the brat was headed—straight for the Sword Phoenix.
He didn’t know why the Lord had gone to the trouble of bringing the Sword Phoenix here, but he trusted his Lord had a good reason.
One thing was certain: the appearance of both the Flaming Demon and the True Dragon was undoubtedly linked to her.
But how did they even find this place?
That was the real question. The Sword Phoenix hadn’t been here long. How had they discovered the location so quickly?
Imbuing his sword with potent Sword Force, Jeon Oh-Jin muttered to himself, “I’ll just have to ask the brat after I capture him.”
A smile played on his lips as he stepped into the darkness.
* * *
After a long trek through the dark, searching for the right path…
Damn it…
The recoil from using the Blood Qi still hadn’t faded, and the constant movement was draining my energy even faster.
That was too close.
Looking back, it was the right call. Fighting him with everything we had would have been stupid.
Some might call it cowardly to run from an opponent, but if anyone had a problem with that…
[Honor doesn’t save your life.]
Elder Shin’s words said it all.
Though it feels weird hearing that from a hero who saved the world.
[Hmph! How can you achieve your goals if you’re dead?]
Slam!
As I followed the marble’s guiding light, the sound of sword slashes echoed behind me. Namgung Bi-ah was following closely, cutting down everything in our path.
Given our opponent’s strength, he’d catch up quickly by simply smashing through the walls. So she was slicing through pillars, bringing down the ceiling to slow his pursuit.
What impressed me was…
I never even asked her to do that.
She’d acted on her own initiative, as if she’d read my mind and started swinging her sword without a word.
Ideally, I should have been the one doing it, but using Blood Qi followed by that big explosion had taken too heavy a toll. My dantian throbbed as if being stabbed.
I need to find her. Fast.
I had to reach Gu Huibi before it was too late.
Seems like I just need to go straight from here.
If the marble wasn’t misleading me, Gu Huibi should be straight ahead.
But one question nagged at me.
Why is there no one here?
Ever since entering the Black Palace—one of the major powers of the Unorthodox Faction—the lack of people was confusing. With one of the Four Emperors and Five Kings as its Lord, the main palace should have been swarming with members.
There are way too few.
Far fewer enemies than I’d expected. Even down here in the jail, it was stranger still; there were fewer people than upstairs. The few we did run into were low-level martial artists I could dispatch in a single strike.
Did something happen?
A strange tension hung in the air, but the cause eluded me.
—…Front.
At Namgung Bi-ah’s warning, I instinctively thrust out my hand and detonated my Qi without even knowing the exact location.
Boom! Blaze—!
My flames erupted, incinerating the enemies lying in ambush ahead.
She’d alerted me to danger before, but it was surprising every time.
Her Qi senses are sharper than mine.
I was definitely at a higher realm, yet her ability to detect the presence and location of enemies far surpassed my own. Normally, sensory perception was proportional to one’s cultivation level. For her to be sharper than me was unprecedented.
…Is that also because of her talent?
Noticing my stare, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head in confusion.
—What’s… wrong?
—Nothing.
I focused ahead. This wasn’t the time for idle thoughts.
The basement was a maze of jail cells, and we didn’t have time to search each one. Thankfully, the marble’s light showed the way, saving precious seconds.
—We’re almost there.
—…Yeah.
A door loomed in the distance. The light pointed directly at it, so I picked up the pace. As I got closer, I channeled Qi into my hand.
Ugh…
Aside from my dantian screaming in protest, summoning the flame wasn’t a problem.
Blaze.
Wrapping my fist in fire, I slammed it into the iron door.
Slam—!
Fortunately, it was just an ordinary iron door. It crumpled and flew inward, crashing against a wall with a metallic clang, filling the air with dust.
So there really is a jail inside.
Large iron bars, a few torture devices, and a small window letting in a sliver of light. This was definitely the place I’d seen through the marble. Where Gu Huibi was being held.
Where is she?
Scanning the room, I spotted a figure inside one of the cells.
“…!”
It was Gu Huibi, staring at me in utter shock.
“Brother…?”
Her uniform was tattered and she looked disheveled, but…
She doesn’t seem badly hurt.
Thankfully, she didn’t appear to be injured.
However…
Demonic Qi…?
I frowned, sensing the Demonic Qi swirling within her dantian. It was far less than what the Plum Blossom Sword had contained, but it was definitely there. With that much corruption, she probably couldn’t use her Qi, and her physical strength would be severely reduced.
Did the Palace Lord do this?
He was the only one I could think of capable of such a thing.
Gu Huibi’s shock seemed to deepen the longer she stared at me.
“H-How…!”
“What do you mean, ‘how’?” I replied bluntly. “I just came to clean up after my troublemaking sister.”
Suddenly, her shocked expression shifted into a slight frown as she noticed Namgung Bi-ah. Was she surprised to see her here?
Ignoring her reaction, I reached for the cell bars, intending to rip them apart.
Zaaaap—!
“…Huh?”
The moment my hand touched the bars, some kind of barrier repelled it.
Seeing this, Namgung Bi-ah quickly pulled me back.
Shing.
She drew her sword, Lightning Qi crackling around the blade as she prepared to cut the entire cell down.
“Stop.”
I halted her. Such a reckless move could put Gu Huibi in danger.
Searching for an alternative, I examined the cell.
…Qi surrounding the iron bars.
Since Gu Huibi was holding onto them, they couldn’t be impossible to touch.
Maybe…?
Remembering the Demonic Qi inside her, I began to channel the Demonic Qi I had sealed away in a corner of my own body.
“…!”
Strangely, Namgung Bi-ah recoiled in shock as my Demonic Qi surged. Could she sense it?
Setting her reaction aside for now, I reached for the bars again.
“I knew it.”
This time, instead of being repelled, my hand gripped the cold iron without resistance. It reacted to the Demonic Qi.
They were making these even before the Demonic Cult was formed?
I’d let it slide last time, but thinking about it now, I was genuinely curious how they managed to create such things.
Cggccck—!
Putting the thought aside, I ripped the bars away with a sharp tug. The material wasn’t particularly durable; a bit of Qi was all it took.
I called out to the dumbfounded Gu Huibi. “Come out.”
“Brother…”
“Hurry. Let’s go home.”
I wasn’t urging her without reason. We needed to move, fast. There was no telling when more enemies would show up.
But then, strangely…
“Yes! Yes! Let’s hurry home!”
Someone other than Gu Huibi answered.
“…Who’s there?”
It was startling. He was so close, yet I hadn’t sensed his presence at all.
“Elder Mook…” Gu Huibi murmured, seeming to recognize the man.
Elder Mook?
The old man shuffling forward was in rough shape. His body was covered in torture wounds, and his eyes were damaged, hidden behind a bandage wrap.
“Hehe… To think a cub would come instead of the Tiger Warrior. Truly unexpected.”
“Who are you?”
The old man chuckled at my question. “Just call me Elder Mook. Child, you must be the Sword Phoenix’s little sibling.”
He was a strange one. He appeared blind, yet he acted as if he could see everything clearly. A strange aura emanated from him.
Just in case, I decided to ask. “Are you, by any chance, the Lord of the Hao Clan?”
The old man froze. Despite the bandages, I could feel his gaze sharpening as he looked at me.
“…You.”
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
He seemed to be the one I was thinking of. Or at least, that was the feeling I got. I shouldn’t have asked in the first place; it was a mistake.
So he really is here.
I’d wondered why there were only two people in this large jail. It seemed the old man really was the Hao Clan Lord.
“The Lord of the Hao Clan…?” Gu Huibi looked at the old man in surprise. Namgung Bi-ah beside me wore a similar expression.
Clash!
In the midst of this, I grabbed the shackle on Gu Huibi’s ankle and shattered it.
“Save the sightseeing for later. We need to leave. Now.”
“Brother, you seem to have lost some of your manners since we last met.”
“Hmm, can you really say we haven’t seen each other?”
“…Hmm?”
“You’ve been secretly watching me the whole time.”
“…”
The moment her secret was exposed, Gu Huibi looked as if her whole world had collapsed. “H…How?”
“Save that for later, too.”
“Ugh!”
I lifted Gu Huibi and slung her over my shoulder. It would obviously be easier if she could run on her own, but…
I don’t have time to absorb the Demonic Qi inside her right now.
I couldn’t afford to spend time purging the Demonic Qi from her body. Escape was the priority.
As I turned to leave, the old man called out in confusion. “…W-Wait! What about me?” He pointed at his own shackles.
“It’s hard enough carrying one person.”
“H-Hey! Young warrior! Are you serious?!”
“I apologize, but you weren’t part of the plan.”
“You cruel…! What about the Orthodox Faction caring for one another?!”
“What nonsense are you spouting? You’re not even from the Orthodox Faction.”
The Hao Clan belonged to the Unorthodox Faction. Yet here this old man was, shamelessly begging for help from the Orthodox side. The Hao Clan Lord might think I was feigning reluctance, but I genuinely had no intention of saving him.
Even if I left him here, he wouldn’t die. A man like him was more valuable alive than dead. While saving him could bring me significant benefits, I wasn’t in a position to take that gamble.
Furthermore…
Sniff—Sniff—!
“Damn.”
Someone was closing in. Namgung Bi-ah looked toward the hallway, her tone anxious. “…He’s coming.”
As expected, it was impossible to stall a Fusion Realm martial artist for long.
…But still.
He caught up way faster than I expected.
I could feel the man’s Combat Qi emanating from the other side of the collapsed hallway, his determination almost audible.
“Tsk.”
I immediately looked in the opposite direction. Since this wasn’t completely underground, we might be able to break through the walls to the surface.
“Ugh!”
The moment I tried to channel my Qi, a searing pain crippled me. Trying to use more Qi right after employing Demonic Qi, all while enduring the Blood Qi recoil, must have been the final straw. My exhausted dantian had reached its limit.
“What shitty timing…”
Of all the times for this to happen. Fucking hell.
“…Brother!” Gu Huibi cried out as I crumpled.
Namgung Bi-ah, somehow reading my intent, swung her sword at the wall.
Cggck!
But she only managed to leave a deep gash; she couldn’t break through. Gathering more Qi, she prepared to strike again…
Slaaam—!
But the wall protecting us shattered first.
Rustle…
Debris rained down as the Fusion Realm martial artist we’d faced earlier made his dramatic entrance. He looked at us with a chilling smile.
“Finally found you, you little bastards.”
His Combat Qi leaked out aggressively, as if to flaunt his Fusion Realm prowess. As he gathered his energy, he began, “I am the Vice-Lord of the main pa—”
Crack—!
His head exploded. It happened in an instant.
“…Eh?”
A giant fist had materialized behind him, pulverizing his skull. I hadn’t even sensed another presence. Whoever did this was incredibly fast and skilled at concealing their aura.
As the Vice-Lord’s body slumped to the floor, a wave of heat rushed in with the wind, instantly filling the jail.
Step.
Heavy footsteps echoed as a giant of a man walked toward us, stepping through the torn-off iron bars. He wore a deep red uniform. His hand was painted crimson, soaked in blood.
Seeing the giant’s fierce eyes, Gu Huibi gasped in shock. “…Lord?”
The giant was Father.
He seemed utterly indifferent to the man he’d just brutally killed, his attention fixed solely on Gu Huibi. However, noticing me crouched on the floor, his eyes widened in surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected me to be here.
His shock was momentary, and his gaze quickly returned to Gu Huibi.
“Let’s go back.” His voice was calm, as if telling her to come home after a stroll.
Yet, I couldn’t help but feel confused seeing Father. Even if he’d broken through the formation barrier, he’d arrived surprisingly fast.
…But if Father is here…
Where was the Black Palace Lord?