Paradise for Whom? (1)
“What?”
Dang Ho’s brow furrowed.
“The Three Great Families?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll ask again. You’re saying the Three Great Families were wiped out?”
“That is correct.”
“Hah!”
Dang Ho knew better than anyone how formidable the Three Great Families were. Even sending just the First Division—excluding the Second and Third—would reduce most mid-tier sects to ashes in under half an hour. No, mid-tier sects were nothing. A surprise attack could uproot even a major sect outside the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.
And among them were many who had mastered the Tang family’s poison arts and hidden weapons.
“Don’t tell me…”
Dang Ho’s eyes darkened.
“Dang Gwan?”
“Our investigation found no traces of the family head’s martial arts.”
“Then who the hell was it? Don’t tell me the Martial Alliance or the Black Dragon Department made a move?”
“We can’t say for certain. However, one person survived the clash with the enemy while moving alongside Deunghwa Satae.”
“Who?”
“Dang Gak.”
“Dang Gak?!”
Dang Gak was a direct descendant of the Tang family, though his martial prowess wasn’t particularly impressive. Still, he was a direct line member and a Tang. His poison arts and hidden weapons were at a level that could be called first-rate. In an ambush, he could even kill a peak expert.
“Dang Gak claims the enemy was a young man under thirty.”
“……”
“Did I hear that wrong? You’re saying they were taken down by some brat who hasn’t even reached thirty?”
“Yes. They attacked together with the experts from the Qingcheng and Emei sects, but all of them fell to that young man.”
Shock flickered across Dang Ho’s face.
“Was it an ambush?”
“He says it wasn’t. It was a head-on, fair fight.”
“Nonsense! There are only two young experts in the current martial world capable of crushing that level of force. One of them is already over thirty and still in Guangdong.”
“……”
“……”
“Could it be?!”
“We can’t be certain. He didn’t wield an axe. However, his fist techniques and white-palm arts were exceptional, and his combat sense was said to be unmatched.”
“……”
“Unless he’s some hidden expert who never entered the jianghu or an old master who reversed his aging… there’s at least a seventy percent chance it was Yeon Hojeong.”
Dang Ho’s cheeks trembled.
He had heard the rumors about Yeon Hojeong. Beyond his martial arts, Yeon Hojeong’s mission success rate was nearly perfect. His ability to resolve any task the Martial Alliance assigned him was enough to make one’s jaw drop.
It wasn’t just that his martial arts were strong—his mind was sharp as well.
Moreover, the Martial Alliance had chosen the rising star Yeon Hojeong as their representative for the alliance with the Black Dragon Department. And the Black Dragon Department had accepted the young representative without complaint.
In other words, Yeon Hojeong was an expert acknowledged by both the Martial Alliance and the Black Dragon Department.
“Wasn’t he supposed to be with the Black Dragon Department?”
“Yes. We urgently deployed our intelligence network and discovered that a few days ago, a young man matching that description entered eastern Sichuan with several experts.”
“Damn it!”
Crash!
Dang Ho slammed his fist onto the table.
The world only saw Yeon Hojeong as a martial genius with a hot-tempered personality. But those within the Martial Alliance—especially the higher-ups—knew his true nature.
Yeon Hojeong himself was a burden. He was not someone to be underestimated just because of his youth.
In a sense, he was more dangerous than the sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects. Dang Ho knew this well.
“But…”
After catching his breath and suppressing his anger, Dang Ho tilted his head.
“No matter how skilled Yeon Hojeong is, he couldn’t possibly handle the Three Great Families alone. We don’t know how strong the experts who came with him are, but even if they were all on the level of the Nine Sects’ leaders, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the Three Great Families.”
It was a reasonable analysis. Any expert with rich combat experience would have reached the same conclusion.
In the end, Dang Ho’s analysis was nothing more than armchair strategy.
Martial artists generally had little understanding of strategy and tactics. Since individual power was so overwhelming, there had never been a need to consider unit-based tactics, ambushes, urban warfare, or mountain combat.
Yeon Hojeong was different.
He had used every strategy and tactic known throughout the world during the long war, and even then, he had suffered defeats and lost countless allies in several battles.
His experience in combat was on another level. Neither Dang Ho nor anyone else in the world could truly grasp Yeon Hojeong’s real capabilities.
“There must be something more.”
“We’ve reached the same conclusion. No matter how exceptional the experts are, there are only four or five of them. Unless a master from the Heavenly Demon Cult is among them, they couldn’t possibly defeat the Three Great Families on their own.”
Dang Ho let out a sigh.
“Just when we finally secured a stable foundation, a pack of wolves suddenly appears.”
“What should we do?”
“……”
“Whether it’s Yeon Hojeong or not, the fact remains that the enemy’s capabilities are extraordinary. They may have already learned of Nakwonso’s existence by now.”
“……”
“You’re probably right.”
Dang Ho swallowed hard.
He had made several preparations for such a situation. But he had never imagined it would actually happen. For over ten years, no one had known of Nakwonso’s existence.
It was only natural. Nakwonso had been created by the experts of the Sichuan Three Gangs. An organization built by the supreme masters of the strongest forces in Sichuan maintained an ironclad security.
“No matter what, no matter who, no matter the circumstances—Nakwonso’s existence must never be revealed.”
“……”
“Contact the Flying Immortals.”
“……”
“The Nakwon Divine Immortals won’t do. They’re busy, and if even they were to fall, operating Nakwonso would become impossible immediately.”
“The martial prowess of the Nakwon Divine Immortals is enough to handle even a major sect.”
“So you’re suggesting we close Nakwonso for a few days and summon them all to eliminate the enemy?”
“……”
“High-ranking officials from the government have reservations every single day. If one branch is paralyzed, we can send them elsewhere, but if the entire branch is paralyzed, their trust in us will shatter.”
“……”
“Our business collapses without trust. We must instill the certainty that no matter what happens, we will not fall.”
“What if even the Flying Immortals we deploy are defeated…?”
“Then…”
Killing intent flashed in Dang Ho’s eyes.
“The main family, Qingcheng, and Emei will all move.”
“……”
“Understood.”
“Don’t worry too much. The chances of the Flying Immortals failing are extremely low.”
“I think so as well.”
“There’s no time. If there’s nothing more to discuss, move quickly.”
“I’ll see you later.”
The masked figure who had been standing with his hands behind his back in front of Dang Ho vanished in an instant.
It was a movement technique so swift that even seeing it with one’s own eyes made it hard to believe. Even Dang Ho, a peak expert, couldn’t properly read the opponent’s movements.
But there was no surprise on Dang Ho’s face. He was used to it.
Instead, his expression was endlessly grave.
“Yeon Hojeong, huh…”
And soon, Dang Gwan would also enter Sichuan.
Since there had been no report, it seemed he hadn’t entered Sichuan yet. That, at least, was fortunate.
‘No, I still can’t let my guard down. Dang Gwan knows the family’s information network better than anyone. He could slip through or naturally hide his face.’
Of course, he wouldn’t go that far. It was a matter of pride.
Dang Ho bit his lip.
“I just need to endure a little longer. Just a little longer, and everything will fall into my hands. As long as nothing goes wrong until then.”
Was it because he was too shocked? Or because he didn’t think it was that important?
In that moment, Dang Ho made a fatal mistake.
If the enemy was Yeon Hojeong, he should have wondered why Yeon Hojeong had entered Sichuan.
He should have considered why the unparalleled genius who had resolved crises scattered across the world had entered Sichuan at this particular time.
And because Dang Ho hadn’t considered it, dark clouds began to slowly gather over the future.
* * *
“Hmm?”
As Oseon ascended the passage, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.
‘What is this?’
Rumble.
The secret passage closed.
Even though the ground had returned to its original state, Oseon remained standing in place.
‘……This smell?’
It was the scent of blood.
Due to the human flesh processing and the torture occurring in various rooms, he was desensitized to the smell of blood.
But the air above ground was fresh, and the blood scent mixed within that fresh air gave him an unsettling sense of familiarity.
Oseon’s gaze sharpened.
He looked around the building.
‘Nothing.’
There were no signs of people moving busily. No sounds of guards chatting and laughing.
The inside of the building was silent, as if all the guards had vanished.
And within that silent building, a thick scent of blood wafted through.
Shiver!
In that instant, Oseon felt a chill run down his spine.
‘Someone’s here.’
He could feel several pairs of eyes watching him.
Whoosh!
The moment he realized it, Oseon’s feet were already moving.
Bang!
Oseon burst through the building wall in an instant and checked the mechanisms on the floor.
‘They’re not working!’
Without hesitation, Oseon stomped on the floor.
Crack!
The floor shattered, and a translucent smoke spread out with a whoosh.
It resembled smoke billowing from the end of a campfire. The smoke’s movement wasn’t particularly fast.
But the moment the smoke appeared, the Elysium Fragrance had already covered a three-jang radius. Its spread was that rapid.
‘Hah!’
Oseon covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.
He had taken the antidote for the Elysium Fragrance once every fifteen days. Since he had taken the antidote, he wouldn’t die or suffer any abnormalities from the Elysium Fragrance.
Still, one could never be too careful. He had never imagined he would actually trigger a secondary trap.
‘This is an emergency! I need to report this situation immediately…!’
That was when it happened.
Crack!
“Gah!”
Oseon let out an involuntary groan. Someone had broken his left arm.
He hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, nor had he sensed any presence. The moment Oseon felt the sensation on his arm, he executed a kick with his right foot.
Thud!
“Graaah!”
His right foot kicked empty air. His left leg—the pivot—had been twisted and broken in reverse.
The moment his left arm broke, his left leg was also shattered. Unable to maintain his balance, Oseon collapsed to the floor.
But then—
Whoosh!
Someone grabbed Oseon by the collar and lifted him up.
“Hrk!”
Oseon’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
The man who had grabbed him by the collar was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes.
And those eyes were dyed a chilling, deep green that was terrifying just to look at.
Shock filled Oseon’s face.
‘This man is—?!’
The middle-aged man—Dang Gwan—spoke in a cold voice.
“You’re quite fast.”
“……”
“The decisiveness to move without hesitation the moment you sense something amiss is admirable. I’d like to show it to the brats in the main family.”
“……”
“However.”
Crunch!
“Ghk!”
Oseon’s face flushed red. The hand gripping his collar twisted, tightening the fabric around his neck.
He wanted to counterattack somehow, but his unbroken right arm and right leg wouldn’t move.
‘Poison!’
Dang Gwan’s face gradually twisted.
His face, with even the whites of his eyes turned green, and his distorted expression looked nothing short of demonic.
“Who gave you permission? Who said you lowlifes could use the Elysium Fragrance?”