Chapter 510: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (17)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 510: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (17)
Crunch.
Something tore away with violent force. What was that sound?
The First Elder barely had time to wonder.
Tilt!
His vision skewed sideways.
Even then, he couldn't comprehend what was happening.
It took only a moment longer for him to realize the horrifying truth: the scene unfolding before him was the view from his own collapsing body.
Thud!
His body crumpled weakly to the ground.
"What is th—!"
An immense, searing pain erupted from his lower body.
"Ggrrkkkhhh!?"
The First Elder shrieked as agony consumed his entire being.
He instinctively reached for his leg, the source of the torment, but his hand clutched uselessly at empty air. There was nothing there.
"What… what is this…?"
Drooling from the pain, the First Elder looked down.
It was gone. His left leg, which should have been there, had simply vanished.
Where did it go? Where the hell is my leg?
Just as the First Elder struggled to turn his head…
Thump.
Something landed beside him.
It was a leg.
His own left leg, torn savagely from his body. It wasn't a clean cut, like from a blade, but a mangled, ragged mess, as if it had been grabbed and ripped off by brute force.
"Huuuh…"
As the First Elder’s eyes widened in horror…
Ssk.
He felt something grip the raw stump of his thigh, right where the leg had been torn away.
And then.
FWOOSH—!
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
A searing heat spread, instantly cauterizing the grievous wound.
The stench of burning flesh and blood filled the air.
Amidst the vile, nauseating smell, what was even more terrifying…
"Hhha… ghhheeyaaak!"
…was that even as he writhed and screamed in pure agony, his consciousness remained perfectly, painfully clear.
It must have only been a few seconds, but to the First Elder, it felt like an eternity.
Time crawled by.
By the time the smell of burning flesh had thickened the air and he no longer had the strength to scream…
…he finally felt the hand release his thigh.
"Hggk… kkeuu…"
His eyes rolled back in his head.
He saw the dark ceiling above.
And looking down from that vantage point, he saw a crimson glow shining from within a black shadow.
It was looking directly at him.
"I will ask."
A voice emanated from the crimson glow.
"Why did you do it?"
The heavy, low tone pierced his ears.
The First Elder ignored his trembling body and forced his mind to work.
Who is this? Who in the world would do this? Why did I do what?
"What… what are you… what are you asking…?"
As the First Elder managed to stammer out a response…
CRUNCH—!
"…Kgg-geup…!!"
His remaining ankle was crushed into pulp.
"I will ask again."
"Heok… heook…"
The tone was the same, but for some reason, the First Elder felt as if the voice now held a deeper, more resonant power.
Something flickered beyond his blurring vision. Is that death?
For a moment, that thought crossed his mind.
"Why did you do it?"
Even as his mind grew weary, crushed by terror, that voice alone remained piercingly clear.
I see. Is this person a god?
Even the First Elder, who believed gods didn't exist or had long since died, felt it.
An overwhelming, primal sense of dread.
Crushed by it, the First Elder couldn't utter a single word.
The only sound he could make was the incessant, helpless chattering of his teeth.
"..."
Gu Cheolun observed him for a moment, then reached out his hand.
Slowly, his hand neared the First Elder's face, about to grab it.
"That is far enough."
Halt.
Hearing the voice from in front of the First Elder, Gu Cheolun paused.
He raised his head and looked forward. The Heavenly Venerable was there, staring at him with a deep frown.
"Lord Gu…"
At the Heavenly Venerable's call, Gu Cheolun straightened his clothes slightly and offered a respectful nod.
"I greet you, Elder."
"…I never thought I would see you here."
A palpable heat pressed down on the very space itself.
Feeling the immense pressure radiating from Gu Cheolun, the Heavenly Venerable narrowed his eyes.
"…What are you doing right now?"
What is this situation?
The Heavenly Venerable found it difficult to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
From Gu Cheolun appearing out of the ceiling to him attacking the First Elder and leaving him in this state.
Should I have stopped him?
He could have intervened if he had tried, but the Heavenly Venerable had chosen not to.
The aura bursting from Gu Cheolun was far from ordinary.
Such palpable fury.
He figured there must be a grave reason. And besides…
…my reaction was too slow.
It was also a problem that his response had been delayed until after Gu Cheolun had already ripped the leg off.
The Heavenly Venerable grit his teeth inwardly at the thought.
"Lord Gu. Why are you, who should be in Shanxi, here?"
He suppressed his rising emotions and asked. Understanding the situation was the priority.
To the Heavenly Venerable's question, Gu Cheolun answered with a blank expression.
"I heard my child was nearly poisoned to death. I came to confirm it."
"…Poisoned?"
Hearing those words, he recalled what the First Elder had said just before.
He said there was a problem with his work.
And he had definitely mentioned something about the Gu Clan.
The Heavenly Venerable's gaze shifted to the writhing First Elder.
Don't tell me.
Was this what he was talking about?
If so, this was going to be quite troublesome.
"Tsk…"
The Heavenly Venerable's gaze returned to Gu Cheolun.
A massive frame, a blank expression. Yet he didn't forget his manners.
He looked perfectly composed in every way, but…
Even in this situation.
Even amidst such brutality, Gu Cheolun maintained that unnerving appearance and composure.
Despite having unleashed such immense fury just moments before.
It was a truly chilling sensation.
Feeling that inexplicable emotion, the Heavenly Venerable forced himself to speak.
"…The Lord of the Gu Clan does not leave Shanxi."
"..."
"I heard there was such an oath."
At the Heavenly Venerable's mention of the word "oath," Gu Cheolun's expression shifted subtly.
"Has this matter been reported to the Alliance?"
"..."
"If not, then you should return for now. As for this man, I will deal with him appropriately…"
"Hah…"
A low sigh.
That small sound silenced the Heavenly Venerable.
Because despite being a tiny noise, the emotion contained within it was perfectly clear.
Contempt.
Annoyance.
And simmering fury.
Though different, these similar emotions were mixed together, their presence overwhelmingly distinct.
"…You."
"Elder."
As Gu Cheolun spoke, his gaze wasn't on the Heavenly Venerable but was scanning the surroundings.
The piles upon piles of demon corpses.
The blood of those creatures covering the floor.
The altar with something placed on it, and the poison that filled the air, all made it clear this was no ordinary place.
Gu Cheolun's eyes, as he looked around, were ice-cold.
Devoid of emotion. Time had made him this way.
No, it wouldn't be just time.
"A decade or so ago."
He had experienced far too much for it to be just that.
"Back when we had our incident. Even after covering up and burying so many things, the Alliance remained unshaken and firm."
A viscous, threatening quality could be felt in his quiet voice.
Clink.
At that sensation, the Heavenly Venerable unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Long before that, when the Lord of the Peng Clan crossed the line, the Peng Clan did not fall. And when your grandson caused his trouble, the Namgung Clan did not fall."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Do you know the reason why?"
No matter what incident occurred, the Murim Alliance, the central pillar of the Orthodox Faction, would not collapse.
The leadership would just change hands, and the positions of the higher-ups would shift.
To say it would collapse was incorrect.
Furthermore, the Peng and Namgung Clans that Gu Cheolun mentioned were prestigious families known as the Four Noble Clans.
At worst, even if a member of the clan's bloodline caused trouble, a prestigious family wouldn't collapse so easily.
Gu Cheolun must know that, so why was he saying such incomprehensible things?
The moment the Heavenly Venerable thought that…
Step.
"…!"
Gu Cheolun was suddenly standing right in front of him.
His rough, calloused hand was pressing down on the Heavenly Venerable's sword, preventing him from drawing it.
Just as bewilderment filled the Heavenly Venerable for failing to properly perceive the movement…
Gu Cheolun spoke to him.
"It is because I showed them mercy."
"What…"
As he spoke, a dangerous light gleamed in Gu Cheolun's eyes.
The words were cold, yet searing hot.
The emotion in his voice transformed into a sharp blade that pierced the Heavenly Venerable's chest.
His dagger-like tone penetrated deep.
"In this rotten, crumbling land, it is far too late to speak of righteousness and chivalry. As proof, the Alliance has lost the conviction it once held."
"Lord Gu, you, right now…"
"Do you truly believe that an oath made long ago with such an Alliance…"
Krrrrk.
Cracks spread across the ground, unable to withstand the pressure emanating from Gu Cheolun's feet.
"…can still hold fast?"
"…!"
"Elder, do you look upon this place and feel nothing at all?"
The Four Noble Clans of the Orthodox Faction.
The Tang Clan, which was said to have shed its past infamy and established itself as part of the Orthodox Faction.
That's what the world said.
But the reality was this festering rot. Did he feel nothing, seeing this with his own eyes?
At Gu Cheolun's barbed words, the Heavenly Venerable remained silent.
It was far too dangerous a question to answer.
However, the Heavenly Venerable was well aware that his silence was, in itself, an answer.
A brief, heavy silence passed.
Gu Cheolun's gaze also turned to the Heavenly Venerable.
The Heavenly Venerable, who wouldn't answer. The rotten Tang Clan and this entire space.
It was a part of the Orthodox Faction filled with harsh and ugly sights.
But even if that were so.
It didn't matter to Gu Cheolun.
"What the Alliance intended to do, what it desires… I have no interest. So, step aside."
"You."
"Elder, I am doing my absolute best right now."
Wooooong.
The heat transformed.
The energy twisted, gradually turning into visible flames.
"I am enduring with all my might… to not erase the Tang Clan from this land."
"…!"
The Heavenly Venerable's eyes widened.
The transformed flames gathered behind Gu Cheolun's back.
They were coalescing into a single, terrifying form.
That is…
Can that even be called Qi?
Is it possible to create something like that with human energy?
Shudder.
The Heavenly Venerable felt his own sword trembling in its scabbard.
The blade was vibrating, reacting to the changed atmosphere.
"So, step aside."
Should I step aside?
He couldn't. His status and the very principles he stood for were on the line.
Gu Cheolun, who had displayed his arrogance by mentioning the Peng Clan, the Tang Clan, and even the Murim Alliance.
To ignore this and back down was not an option.
To back down here would mean…
…it would be no different from admitting that Gu Cheolun was right.
That he alone possessed the power to annihilate the Alliance and the Four Noble Clans.
That is what it would mean.
Could he really admit that?
He couldn't. He absolutely could not.
And yet, even knowing that…
Why… am I not drawing my sword?
Why wasn't he drawing his sword?
Because Gu Cheolun was stopping him? No.
Gu Cheolun was pressing the sword down with force, but he had left a slight gap.
An intentional opening, so that the Heavenly Venerable could draw it at any time, so that he could point the sword at him.
He had provided such a chance.
Ha…
Seeing that, the Heavenly Venerable let out a hollow laugh.
This is humiliating.
How long has it been since I felt this?
It was similar to what he had felt the day he last crossed blades with the Sword Venerable.
Clack.
At this, the Heavenly Venerable immediately grabbed the hilt, intending to draw his sword…
"If you draw that sword now."
The voice that whispered in his ear coiled around his neck like a serpent.
"The Namgung Clan will be annihilated."
"..."
A cold, absolute voice. A moment's hesitation.
But.
Shhhiing—
The Heavenly Venerable drew his sword.
KWAAAAAAA—!
And a storm of Qi instantly raged through the space.