Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Dokgo Clan
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Dokgo Clan.
Nicknamed the Reapers of the Night, they were the prestigious house of assassination and guardianship among the Seven Great Demon Clans.
In the Central Plains, assassins tended to flaunt their exploits to build fame and rank among the Three Great Killers.
But in the Divine Province, there was no need—or reason—for such things.
No one existed who could rival the Dokgo Clan.
They simply operated on a different level altogether.
One Strike, Certain Death.
They killed with a single movement, without fail.
Throughout the clan's long history, they had never once failed in any assassination.
And on top of that.
Traceless Secret Kill.
Their assassinations left no trace whatsoever in the world.
This made it impossible to deduce anything from the corpses of the deceased, so they were never pursued or held accountable.
Without evidence, all that remained was suspicion.
Thus, the Dokgo Clan occupied a unique and truly esteemed position even within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, defined by these traits.
…
…
The gazes of Dokgo Wi, standing at the forefront, and Hyeok Mulin met in midair.
His body, along with his entire face except his eyes, was shrouded in a black robe. He stared piercingly at Hyeok Mulin.
Then, Sima Jin, who had emerged from the grand hall, bellowed at him.
"How dare you invade the Heavenly Demon Palace without warning and pressure the Cult Leader! What insolence is this!"
Dokgo Wi glanced at him briefly before shifting his gaze back to Hyeok Mulin and spoke.
"I trust you've been well."
His voice was as stiff as that of a corpse-like jiangshi.
Hyeok Mulin replied indifferently to the greeting.
"I've finally laid eyes on that busy face of yours, absent even from my inauguration as Cult Leader."
"As you know, the clan was in turmoil, forcing my regrettable absence. If you're still holding it against me, I apologize."
"Enough. Seeing you like this is something, at least."
Having thrown out a barbed remark, Hyeok Mulin continued.
"So, what brings you to me in the dead of night?"
"As patriarch of one of the Seven Great Demon Clans, I request a private audience with the Cult Leader."
"For a private audience, you seem to have brought quite a crowd."
As Hyeok Mulin glanced around, Dokgo Wi replied in an even tone.
"The sudden letter left no time to prepare, so my retainers followed unbidden."
He tilted his head slightly in an obvious lie, and the Dokgo Clan's retainers scattered in all directions, vanishing from sight.
"May I now request that private audience?"
…
Hyeok Mulin stared at him intently before raising one hand.
At that signal, the presences of Jang Wi and the others, who had been lurking nearby in hiding, vanished in an instant.
"Deputy Strategist, you may retire for tonight."
"…Understood."
Sima Jin, who had been glaring coldly at Dokgo Wi, bowed and withdrew.
With silence settling around them and only the two remaining, Hyeok Mulin turned.
"Come in."
Dokgo Wi followed Hyeok Mulin into the Pure Heaven Pavilion, glanced around the interior briefly, and sat in the central chair.
Hyeok Mulin took the seat of honor and was about to begin the real conversation.
"Very well. What do you have to say?"
"First, what I requested was a true private audience."
Dokgo Wi fixed his emotionless eyes on Hyeok Mulin's figure and continued.
"That man is to be your new shadow. Are you fine entrusting your life to some Central Plains mongrel?"
"When someone fails to fulfill their duty, you have no choice but to find a replacement. Origin means nothing to me, so long as they swear loyalty."
The Dokgo Clan couldn't help but harbor resentment toward the Black Night.
Why?
Because he had seized the position that rightfully belonged to them.
The role of secretly guarding the Cult Leader's side should have been filled by the Dokgo Clan.
Yet they had shirked their duty under the pretext of searching for the previous Cult Leader and patriarch.
To put it bluntly, they hadn't recognized Hyeok Mulin, which led to their actions.
So while Dokgo Wi disliked someone else filling his rightful place, he had no grounds to complain about it now.
Smoothly.
At Hyeok Mulin's glance, the Black Night faded away silently.
Hyeok Mulin turned his gaze forward once more and spoke.
"Now the setting you desired is truly prepared."
"My thanks for your consideration, Cult Leader."
"So, what urgency drove you to seek me out like this?"
Less than half a day—mere hours—after Hyeok Mulin sent the letter to the Dokgo Clan, Dokgo Wi appeared at the Heavenly Demon Palace.
There was a clear reason for his haste.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"Surely you know better than I."
Thud.
Dokgo Wi slid the letter forward.
The words written on it were simple and direct.
[Even if you find the Divine Physician, you won't save the young lord.]
Setting the letter down, he spoke in a deeply sunken voice.
"Why send such a letter?"
The reason for Dokgo Wi's sharp reaction was obvious.
The letter contained two secrets the Dokgo Clan had kept hidden all this time.
Hyeok Mulin responded leisurely to his question.
"In investigating your clan, I uncovered something intriguing."
The Dokgo Clan's young lord, Dokgo Myeong, who had inherited the patriarch's blood, had shown extraordinary talent from the moment he could stand, mastering the clan's martial arts more easily than anyone.
But perhaps his gifts were too great.
"One day, all news of the young lord suddenly ceased."
In his youth, he had devoured higher-level techniques daily, but during training, he fell into qi deviation in an instant. Years later, he still hadn't awakened.
Only a handful of clan elders knew this, yet somehow Hyeok Mulin had explicitly mentioned it in the letter.
Of course, Hyeok Mulin knew this from memories of his past life.
In the early days after his ascension, mere years in.
Shortly after the Dokgo Clan seemed to abandon their search for the previous patriarch and ceased outward activity, they held the young lord's funeral, revealing the truth.
"But since news of that son cut off years ago, I've confirmed you've been allowing a Demon Physician into the clan and searching for the Divine Physician afterward."
This was half-true, uncovered while the Secret Affairs Hall observed the Dokgo Clan.
Amid their wanderings under the guise of hunting the missing previous Cult Leader and patriarch, signs emerged of them seeking the Divine Physician.
Their covert movements would have evaded anyone but an expert like Cho Sa-hyeon on Central Plains matters.
Thus, inferring from their actions left one conclusion.
"Your son suffers from a grave illness even the Demon Physician can't cure, so you're seeking the missing Divine Physician."
Dokgo Wi barely concealed his surprise.
He'd thought the puppet Cult Leader had built his own intelligence network?
This was known only to a select few in the clan—how had the information leaked?
Everything he said was spot on.
After the young lord collapsed, Dokgo Wi first summoned the Demon Physician.
But upon examination, the physician shook his head sadly.
—It's not impossible to treat, but the success rate is too low. Even if successful, he'll live, but his meridians are severed—he'll never wield martial arts again. What say you?
Stunned by the thunderbolt news, Dokgo Wi agonized for days and nights.
And decided.
If the Demon Physician couldn't heal him, seek the Divine Physician.
For a martial artist, losing the ability to cultivate was as good as death.
No matter what, that could not be allowed.
Staring piercingly into Hyeok Mulin's eyes, Dokgo Wi nodded faintly after a moment, conceding.
"You're right, Cult Leader. Your intelligence is impressive."
But his words weren't finished.
One unresolved question remained.
"Yet I fail to see how that relates to claiming even the Divine Physician can't save him."
"Of course, I can explain that too."
"Then right now—
"However."
Hyeok Mulin cut him off sharply and spoke.
"Before I do, may I see the young lord?"
Dokgo Wi fell silent at that.
After pondering various thoughts, he rose from his seat without a word, his actions serving as answer.
"Follow me."
As Dokgo Wi stepped out, Hyeok Mulin followed.
No footsteps or presence emanated from Dokgo Wi as he moved swiftly, slicing through the wind.
He passed dozens of people leaving the Heavenly Demon Palace and traversing the main road to the Dokgo Clan's compound entrance, yet none noticed him.
Hyeok Mulin followed, admiring the exquisite lightness skill while scanning sharply with keen eyes.
Glance.
Midway, Dokgo Wi, racing ahead, glanced back slightly.
Seeing the Cult Leader keeping pace effortlessly, a glint flashed in his eyes.
'He can follow this.'
Not only that—the surrounding people hadn't detected him either, just as they hadn't sensed Dokgo Wi.
Both movement and presence perfectly erased.
Harboring faint surprise, he faced forward and accelerated further.
Thud.
His swift form halted before the Dokgo Clan's grand residence.
The guards, spotting the patriarch, opened the gates at once. Dokgo Wi murmured some incantation before them.
Then, tilting his head back, he said,
"Enter."
As Hyeok Mulin stepped forward, an abyss of darkness swallowed him whole.