Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: Reunion in Four Rock Valley
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“Cult Leader...”
Jeok Mugun’s gaze reached Hyeok Mulin.
“Are you really sure about this? It’s not too late even now. Why not take a detour...”
Jeok Mugun’s tone was filled with worry and concern.
And rightly so. Not only had they entered Guiju City before he knew it, but they had also set foot in Four Rock Mountain.
And it wouldn’t be long before they reached Four Rock Valley itself. Having come this far, Jeok Mugun felt flustered and guilty, as if he had dragged the Cult Leader too deeply into his personal affairs.
Thus, now was the only chance to turn back.
They hadn’t reached Four Rock Valley yet, so the Cult Leader could still turn away and attend to other matters.
However, Hyeok Mulin responded indifferently to his worried voice.
“We’re just passing by on the way, so there’s no reason to avoid it, is there?”
Hyeok Mulin’s words were correct.
The Blood Heaven Divine Palace lay deep within Guiju City, and Four Rock Mountain stood right in their path.
But of course, that wasn’t his true intent.
‘If Jeok Mugun goes alone, he’ll fail without a doubt.’
In his previous life, Jeok Mugun had spent far more time searching before finally locating his brother.
Even then, as a seasoned warrior, he had headed to Four Rock Valley but ultimately failed to achieve his goal.
He didn’t know the exact details of what happened, but Jeok Mugun had returned alone, never retrieving his brother.
‘There’s no reason to stand by and watch a future that’s plain as day. It’s not like we’re pressed for time on other urgent matters.’
The Heavenly Demon Troops offered him unwavering loyalty.
Even if Jeok Mugun hadn’t shown such devotion lately, he had faithfully carried out his duties and followed orders.
Hyeok Mulin was merely repaying that loyalty in kind.
“Cult Leader...”
Jeok Mugun swallowed the churning emotions surging within him.
In truth, he already knew.
The Cult Leader had said it was just on the way, but from start to finish, he intended to handle this personally.
‘Why would the Cult Leader get involved in something so trivial?’
He hadn’t been in the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad long. He was just another ordinary cultist—no one would notice if he quietly vanished.
At first, Jeok Mugun had found the Cult Leader’s attention burdensome. But now, he felt only gratitude.
He might end up clashing with Four Rock Valley, where his brother had been taken—a group of assassins too numerous to predict.
Going there alone, things could go south with no way out.
But now, it was different.
Just one person.
The mere presence of the Cult Leader at his side had completely reversed his thoughts.
No tricks they might pull seemed frightening anymore.
Thus, Jeok Mugun felt deep gratitude toward Hyeok Mulin while staying sharply alert as they pressed on.
No matter that they were heading to find his brother, he was the only one attending the Cult Leader now.
Bringing the Heavenly Demon Troops might make Four Rock Valley go into hiding, so Hyeok Mulin had chosen to move with a small group to avoid detection.
And Hyeok Mulin proved that choice correct.
Even now, right at the entrance to Four Rock Valley, no one had noticed their approach.
Thus, the two of them.
Though they moved together, their demeanors were starkly different.
Hyeok Mulin advanced leisurely at an easy pace, while Jeok Mugun heightened his tension, vigilantly scanning the surroundings like an iron fortress.
Even with no signs of life nearby, he kept his senses razor-sharp.
Watching him, Hyeok Mulin spoke up.
“Relax. Now’s the time to conserve your mental energy for what’s outside.”
Staying alert for unseen enemies was necessary, but that wasn’t his goal right now.
Even the strongest will eventually burns out.
It would be depleted before they even reached Four Rock Valley, so Hyeok Mulin wanted to lighten the burden on Jeok Mugun’s shoulders beforehand.
“Understood.”
At Hyeok Mulin’s words, Jeok Mugun released the tension from his rigid shoulders.
Only then could he move forward with somewhat lighter steps.
About an hour later, Hyeok Mulin’s footsteps halted.
Jeok Mugun’s followed suit.
Gazing steadily at the distant front, Hyeok Mulin slowly parted his lips.
“This is the place.”
Towering cliffs rose on either side, their peaks impossible to see even craning one’s neck.
They resembled a barrier blocking entry to the world itself.
The path between them was so narrow that barely one person could pass, and meeting someone coming the other way would force one to backtrack.
“This must be the only way into Four Rock Valley.”
“Yes. It’s confirmed that this narrow pass is the sole entrance used to come and go.”
“That’s why they guard the entrance so tightly.”
Two men stood at the mountain pass entrance.
The sinister aura they exuded marked them clearly as assassins.
‘We’ve come to the right place.’
Hyeok Mulin observed them briefly, lost in thought.
Then Jeok Mugun stepped forward first.
“Just give the order. I’ll handle them immediately.”
His voice brimmed with resolve.
But Hyeok Mulin quashed it with a cold tone.
“No need.”
After all, they were part of a group.
Eliminating them wouldn’t be hard, but it would complicate things.
So.
“If they never detect our presence, we can just pass through, right?”
Jeok Mugun tilted his head at Hyeok Mulin’s words.
It would be ideal if possible, but how could they slip past those eyes through such a narrow path?
To Jeok Mugun, it seemed impossible.
Yet moments later.
“C-Cult Leader?!”
Jeok Mugun frantically scanned the surroundings in alarm.
The Cult Leader had been right beside him just moments ago, yet now he had vanished in an instant.
Even heightening his senses to the max, he detected no presence beyond the assassins.
‘What the...?’
As he bewilderedly shook his head.
Thud—
The two assassins’ presences cut off abruptly.
Turning toward the entrance, Jeok Mugun doubted his eyes.
Behind the two sprawled face-down assassins stood the Cult Leader, calmly in place.
Rushing to the entrance, Jeok Mugun arrived before Hyeok Mulin and asked.
“Cult Leader, what is this...?”
“I just knocked them out temporarily. They’ll wake in about fifteen minutes.”
Hyeok Mulin had chosen to incapacitate rather than kill them.
When they came to shortly after, they’d think they had simply dozed off.
He hadn’t revealed his presence right up to the moment they blacked out.
Gulp.
Jeok Mugun unconsciously swallowed at the divine feat Hyeok Mulin displayed.
Not just him, but even the presence-sensitive assassins hadn’t noticed the Cult Leader.
Serving him closely, he still felt awe anew each time.
“Let’s move without delay.”
“Yes, understood.”
Jeok Mugun positioned the unconscious men comfortably before swiftly following Hyeok Mulin through the pass.
Soon, the entrance fell silent, leaving only the two fainted assassins behind.
Then.
Step.
Someone approaching the entrance halted.
“...”
He silently stared at the unconscious assassins.
Then, his sharp gaze pierced into the dark path ahead.
Into the shadowy depths, uncertain what had passed through.
Hyeok Mulin and Jeok Mugun broke through the path without much trouble.
Apart from the narrow defile and the assassins guarding the entrance, there were no major obstacles inside.
Thus, they quickly exited the pass and safely entered Four Rock Valley proper.
“This is... really Four Rock Valley...?”
Jeok Mugun voiced his surprise, staring ahead.
Unlike the image of an assassins’ lair, it looked like an ordinary mountain village.
For a moment, he wondered if they had taken a wrong turn.
“This is it.”
Hyeok Mulin drove the wedge home with a confident affirmation.
Their gazes, attire, gaits—all screamed assassin.
At his words, Jeok Mugun felt a bit relieved.
‘We’ve finally made it here.’
He had reached his brother’s location unscathed.
But he couldn’t relax yet.
The greatest hurdle remained.
He had to find his brother without alerting them.
Rummaging through the village would draw suspicion immediately.
The Cult Leader, with his masterful stealth, was no issue, but the problem was himself.
He was a frontal fighter, not versed in assassins’ covert arts.
He couldn’t overhaul his movements overnight.
They’d spot his unusual motions while patrolling the village.
‘Even inside is a problem.’
How to overcome this dilemma?
Jeok Mugun furrowed his brow deeply in thought.
Then.
“The one with the long scar on his left earlobe, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He answered Hyeok Mulin in bewilderment.
Hyeok Mulin slowly curved his lips and raised a finger.
“Looks like we found him.”
At those words, Jeok Mugun startled and whipped his head toward the pointed direction.
A man walking down an alley entered his view.
And in that instant, Jeok Mugun’s feet moved.
He had once worried.
So much time had passed since they parted that both he and his brother had changed greatly.
What if they failed to recognize each other? He had fretted over it in advance.
But it was needless concern.
Time passed, faces altered, heights and builds shifted.
“Igyeom...!”
“...Brother?”
Yet they were brothers.
Blood brothers who would always recognize each other, no matter the moment.
In that narrow alley, Jeok Mugun and Jeok Igyeom embraced after decades apart.
The one and only family in the world.
“Igyeom! You’re alive!”
“Brother, you’re alive too!”
The two clung to each other for a long time, reveling in the joyous reunion.
Once emotions settled a bit, the still-dazed Jeok Igyeom asked about the years apart and voiced confusion at the situation.
“Brother, what’s going on? I never dreamed I’d see you again here of all places.”
Jeok Mugun smiled and recounted his journey step by step.
Escaping the carriage that fateful day and searching for him.
Leaving the village to wander other regions in pursuit.
Struggling to learn martial arts along the way.
Catching eyes at the Martial Demon Tournament.
Entering the Heavenly Demon Troops, encountering the fateful Cult Leader, and finally tracking him down thanks to that.
Jeok Igyeom’s emotions fluctuated at Jeok Mugun’s calm tale.
Having explained everything, Jeok Mugun gripped his brother’s hand tightly.
“Igyeom, it’ll be okay now. I won’t lose you again.”
“Brother...”
“So let’s leave this place together right away.”
Jeok Mugun smiled as he spoke.
It was nearly done.
All that remained was to depart safely the way they came, with him in tow.
But soon, the smile faded from Jeok Mugun’s face.
“...Igyeom?”
His brother gave no reply.
As a bead of sweat trailed down Jeok Mugun’s cheek, Jeok Igyeom’s closed lips slowly parted.
“Brother.”
And the words that emerged were the complete opposite of what Jeok Mugun had hoped.
“I’m not leaving this place.”