The Shadow of the Shadow God (1)
The man's complexion was deathly pale.
It wasn't the pallor of someone merely ill. It was the ashen white of a corpse. The hue was so unnatural that anyone who saw it would feel an instinctive unease.
He was tall and gaunt. His appearance reminded one of a withered old tree battered by snow in the dead of winter.
Aside from that, however, his features were surprisingly ordinary.
People called the continent the Central Plains, yet even here, countless ethnic groups lived side by side.
Remarkably, the man's face was one that could belong to almost any of them. He didn't look like a Westerner, but his appearance was the kind one might have glimpsed once or twice while walking down the street.
He wore no upper garment, but his lower body was dressed in luxurious silk. A golden necklace embedded with countless nameless jewels hung around his neck, and every one of his ten fingers bore a ring. Naturally, each ring was also encrusted with numerous gems.
Despite his plain looks, his clothing and ornaments were extravagantly ornate.
A ghastly pale complexion, utterly ordinary features, and an overwhelmingly flashy wardrobe and jewelry.
This bizarre combination somehow suited the man's mysterious aura perfectly. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone like him anywhere in the world.
After staring out the window for a long time, the man finally spoke.
“Have you still not captured the master of the Double Blade Gate?”
His voice was pleasant to the ear.
In response to his question, a handsome youth who looked not yet twenty bowed his head.
“We are currently tracking him. Since his location has been identified, I believe we can eliminate him before the day is over.”
“Hmm. You've all worked hard.”
The man turned around.
Chiririring.
The golden threads attached to his trousers and the jewels connected to them collided, producing a clear, ringing sound.
“Once the Double Blade Gate is taken care of, only the Silver Clan will remain, correct?”
“That is correct.”
The man—Hong Gwan—smiled faintly.
Though his features were ordinary, his deathly pale complexion made even that small smile appear eerie.
“Once we finish them off, the rest should collapse on their own. You've suffered greatly all this time.”
“Not at all. It is Master Night Lord who has endured far more.”
Night Lord.
The title meant exactly that—the ruler of the night. In the world of assassins, it was the highest praise one could give to the greatest killer.
The strongest assassin in the martial world. Though his name had never been carved into the sunlit lands of the orthodox sects, he was the worst reaper of the Jianghu, known only to a handful of major figures in the underworld.
The title of Shadow God had been passed down through generations, and with it came the honorific Night Lord.
Chiriring! Chiriring!
With light steps, Hong Gwan walked over to a chair and sat down, resting his chin on his hand.
“It’s only been three months since I last saw you, yet your skills have improved even further.”
“Thank you.”
“The balance between the Yin Cold White Current and the Yin Fire Red Current is being maintained well. Once you merge the two arts into one and reach the Yin Emperor Realm, even the sect leaders of the Nine Great Schools will find it difficult to escape your demonic hands.”
The handsome youth silently lowered his head.
Hong Gwan’s smile deepened.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“……No, Master.”
“Do you think I don’t know what’s in your heart? However, your progress is ten years faster than mine at the same age. When I think of how the previous generation called me a once-in-a-generation genius, I can confidently say that you possess the greatest talent in the entire history of the Shadow God.”
“……”
“Therefore, do not rush. Take things slowly, one step at a time. The moment just before reaching the Yin Emperor Realm is when the Fire-Cold energy fluctuates most violently. One wrong move and you will lose everything you have gained.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good. That is enough.”
His voice was incredibly warm. Even a giant who stood at the pinnacle of the assassination world was still human, it seemed.
Yet despite the warmth in his tone, the look in Hong Gwan’s eyes as he gazed at the youth was utterly indifferent. It was cold and mechanical, as if he were looking at an object rather than a person.
“Once you capture the master of the Double Blade Gate, return and focus on your training. You’ve worked hard.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You may leave now.”
“Understood.”
The handsome youth bowed deeply and exited the room.
“……”
“Hmmm.”
Leaning back lazily in his chair, Hong Gwan looked up at the ceiling.
“So he still remembers after all.”
Hong Gwan knew. He knew that his eldest disciple had broken the soul-seizing secret art he had personally cast upon him.
There were many variations of soul-seizing techniques. Some simply turned people into idiots or drove them insane. But higher-level arts allowed the caster to selectively erase only the memories they desired.
The soul-seizing technique Hong Gwan had used on his disciple was exactly that.
What a truly coveted talent he was.
It was Hong Gwan who had killed the eldest disciple’s family.
Originally, he had intended to kill the disciple as well. But upon realizing the boy’s skeletal structure and talent were unprecedented, he had kidnapped him instead, placed him under the soul-seizing technique, and taken him as a disciple.
He had planned to raise him as a reaper of the Central Plains and turn him into one of the Four Evil Kings of the Yin Sect.
“Well, how many things in this world ever go exactly as one wishes? Tsk. It seems the boy simply had no connection to demonic lust.”
Hong Gwan shook his head and clicked his tongue.
It was then—
‘……’
Hong Gwan’s eyes instantly sharpened.
“Show yourself.”
“……”
“Do you wish to play ghost games? And right in front of me, no less?”
“……”
“Hmmm.”
Just where, and how, had she entered?
From the deep, dark shadow behind Hong Gwan, a woman emerged.
Unlike Hong Gwan’s deathly pale skin, she had a healthy tan that stood out. She was tall like him, but her figure was curvaceous, and her attire was extremely simple.
Without even turning to look at her, Hong Gwan spoke.
“It seems you’ve picked up some bad habits while I wasn’t watching.”
“That’s my line.”
Flutter!
Her clothes billowed as she moved to sit across from him, crossing her legs.
“Your skill seems unchanged, but there was a tiny moment of hesitation. Has the water of the Central Plains been that good to you? You’re not as sharp as you used to be.”
“You crossed thousands of li just to spout such nonsense?”
“Nonsense? If you’re dull enough to call my words nonsense, you really have grown blunt. The old you would never have been like this.”
The woman laughed as if amused.
She didn’t seem to be doing it on purpose, but the way her long fingers gently toyed with her hair looked incredibly seductive.
“Have those worthless worms praising you as the Shadow God and Night Lord made you forget your roots?”
Killing intent flickered in the eyes of Hong Gwan—no, Yayul Jeok.
“You’d better watch your mouth, So Bang.”
“How fortunate. You still remember my name.”
So Bang looked around the room.
“Oh my, how incredibly luxurious. They say you wield power that even the emperor of the continent would envy, and you’ve decorated your entire room in gold.”
“……”
“But you know, don’t you? That every ounce of gold in this room, every jewel you wear, every thread of your clothes—even your very life—belongs to the Yin Sect.”
The corners of Yayul Jeok’s mouth curled upward.
“You didn’t travel all this way just to confirm my faith, did you?”
“Of course not. But it is a matter of equal importance. We can’t have you becoming tainted by the filth of the continent and forgetting our holy cult. No one has stayed embedded in the Central Plains as long as you have.”
“It was an order from above. No matter how much you are considered one of the next Evil Kings, do you truly dare to question even the commands issued by the Grand Temple?”
So Bang’s eyes grew sharp.
The Grand Temple was a place only the highest leaders of the Saeum Sect could enter.
Orders issued from there were no different from the commands of a god. And the commands of a god were also the commands of the sect leader.
In other words, Yayul Jeok was asking So Bang whether she was important enough to interfere with the sect leader’s orders.
A slip of the tongue here could result in immediate execution for treason.
So Bang spoke in a subdued voice.
“Let me explain why I came here.”
“You still haven’t answered. I will ask again. Are you such a great being that you can question even the commands handed down from the Grand Temple?”
“Things have taken a rather strange turn.”
“If you do not answer, I will report you to the higher-ups for treason.”
“The Shinwha Sect has been defeated.”
“……?!”
Yayul Jeok’s face hardened.
“……What did you say?”
“The elite warriors of the Shinwha Sect who had seized control of the military administration in Henan Province were swept away by the experts of the Martial Alliance. The Shinwha Sect hasn’t made an official announcement, but it appears that at least five of their Martial Generals were killed. It is suspected that at least two of them were high-ranking generals.”
“……!!”
Yayul Jeok’s face stiffened even further.
The Eighteen Martial Generals of the Shinwha Sect possessed truly formidable martial prowess. To put it bluntly, they were powerhouses who could stand toe-to-toe with the armed forces of the Saeum Sect. In particular, the First Martial General was a true expert on the verge of reaching the realm of a Semi-Divine Apostle.
“……I heard that the Henan infiltration was personally led by the First Martial General, Beon Jak?”
“That’s correct.”
“Correct? Did you hear me properly? I said Beon Jak. The very same Beon Jak whose victory or defeat against either you or me would be difficult to predict. He was there as the leader.”
“I know.”
“And yet they were defeated?”
“Beon Jak survived. His subordinate generals were the ones who died.”
“Isn’t that the same thing? Beon Jak is strong. His command ability is also excellent. How could he possibly be defeated by the trash of the Martial Alliance?”
“The Shinwha Sect is keeping silent on that matter, so I don’t know the details. The important point is that among the generals, only Beon Jak survived.”
“……!”
“However, there is something strange.”
“Strange?”
“Although the Shinwha Sect did not provide all the information… they don’t seem to consider it a very big problem.”
“What?”
“……”
“You said at least five of the Eighteen Martial Generals died. And yet it’s not a big problem?”
“At least on the surface, that’s how it appears. It’s not just me. My master felt the same way.”
Yayul Jeok could not understand it at all.
What kind of situation is this?
So Bang continued.
“Never mind. The Shinwha Sect isn’t what matters. We are.”
“……”
“Recently, you’ve been sowing discord among the white path sects in the south to weaken the power of the righteous factions, correct?”
“It was an order from above.”
“Exactly. The problem is how the Martial Alliance—who just killed the Shinwha Sect’s generals—will view this situation.”
“……!!”
“If the Shinwha Sect had completely established itself in Henan, it might be different. But right now, it’s dangerous. The Martial Alliance will definitely send intelligence operatives. In the worst case, they might even dispatch a true expert.”
“A true expert, you say.”
“Ah! The Shinwha Sect did tell me one more thing.”
A look of tension appeared on So Bang’s face.
“Among those who fought the generals, there was no expert at the Divine Heaven level.”
Yayul Jeok was greatly shocked.
He had assumed without question that a Divine Heaven expert must have been involved in the deaths of the generals. It only made sense. Without someone of that caliber, it would have been impossible to crush the generals under Beon Jak’s command.
But there wasn’t?
“That’s precisely why it’s more dangerous. They were defeated without a single Divine Heaven expert. Which means……”
“That they know a great deal about us?”
“That is how the upper echelons see it.”
“……”
So Bang watched Yayul Jeok, who sat silently with wide eyes, then relaxed her posture.
“I will stay here for about three months. There’s a chance that the remnants of the Martial Alliance might catch the scent and come sniffing around. If an opponent we cannot ignore appears, even you alone might not be enough, right?”
Yayul Jeok could not flatly deny those words. After all, even the Eighteen Martial Generals had been defeated.
However, as the Shadow God and Night Lord of the Central Plains, he could say this.
“Do not worry.”
Crack!
The ten rings on his tightly clenched fist all shattered at once.
“Because the rats I command have already taken control of the entire south.”