Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: The Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink is Not a Club, It's a Sword
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“Those guys must know I’m returning to the Central Plains after ten years.”
Ak Muyoo said with a grin upon spotting Shin Su-gil’s group.
“Why?”
Ara asked.
“They’re preparing a welcome party.”
“Doesn’t look like a welcome. More like they’re waiting to kill you.”
“Who knows? Could be either.”
“Why me then?”
“The person who sent you to the battlefield might have put out a bounty on you.”
“They’re bounty hunters targeting the family head.”
Mok Woo said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Those are wanted poster hunters.”
“Bounty hunters?”
“Yes.”
“Who are they?”
“They’re called the Soul-Chasing Five Wanderers.”
“Still... it’s nice someone came out to greet us, right?”
A bright smile spread across Ak Muyoo’s face.
“Kik! You’ve finally lost it.”
Ara snickered.
“How far are those bastards?”
Ak Muyoo asked.
“About thirty paces.”
“Want to test something?”
Ak Muyoo drew the Heavenly God Sun Bow.
“That must be the Black Wind.”
Shin Su-gil immediately recognized Ak Muyoo. He knew at a glance because of the bow.
“Looks like it.”
Thousand Residual Demon Wanderer Jo Il-we nodded. Even as Ak Muyoo drew the Heavenly God Sun Bow, the five remained calm. They were confident they could easily block arrows.
“But...”
Shin Su-gil tilted his head.
A normal archer aims at the target. But this guy was aiming in a completely different direction.
“What’s he doing?”
Death Life Wanderer Jeon Choong thought the same.
“Crazy bastard.”
Twang! Twang twang! Twang twang twang!
It wasn’t just to the right. Ak Muyoo fired five more shots toward the sky. Having emptied his quiver, Ak Muyoo spurred his camel and leaped forward.
“Should I go kill him?”
Jeon Choong said.
“Let’s watch what trick he’s trying.”
Shin Su-gil said with a grin.
Swoosh!
“Gasp!”
Hak Il, the leftmost Life-Death Shadow Wanderer, paled in terror. A thick killing intent shot toward him from the left out of nowhere. He hurriedly bent his upper body forward.
Thud!
“Gahk!”
A scream burst from Famous Wanderer Gan Pyeong’s mouth.
Thwack thwack!
Two more Dark Current Illusion Arrows slammed into Gan Pyeong’s body.
“Ar, arrows!”
Shin Su-gil bellowed.
Shooo!
This time, a chilling sound came from behind.
The four threw themselves flat on the ground.
The distance between them and Ak Muyoo had narrowed to ten paces.
“The guy’s in front!”
Shin Su-gil bellowed.
“Can’t leap up. Keep our feet on the ground and charge!”
Jeon Choong yelled. He ran toward Ak Muyoo in a deep crouch. The distance shrank to five paces in an instant.
Twang! Twang twang twang!
Ak Muyoo pulled the string four times in succession.
Thwack! Thwack thwack thwack!
“Gahk!”
“Urk!”
“Euk!”
“Krauk!”
The four screamed almost simultaneously and collapsed.
“How can such nonsense...”
Shin Su-gil couldn’t believe it. He’d never dreamed they’d lose. Yet all five were down.
In just two breaths.
Ak Muyoo went behind the four and picked up the fallen Dark Current Arrows. They had pierced their dantians. He’d aimed for the dantian, not the head, because it was harder to dodge.
“I heard you don’t practice martial arts.”
Shin Su-gil said.
“Not that I don’t. I can’t.”
“But how...”
“Got this.”
Ak Muyoo raised the Heavenly God Sun Bow.
“...”
“It wasn’t sent by Joo Jang-cheol, right?”
He asked while meticulously cleaning the Dark Current Arrows and returning them to their place.
“We don’t know who that is.”
That was when Heavenly Central Five Absolutes and Ara approached.
“Unbelievable.”
Mok Woo muttered in awe as he stared at Ak Muyoo. He’d long known Ak Muyoo’s combat prowess. He’d recently captured masters stronger than himself thanks to it. But this time it was five renowned Central Plains experts. And he’d wiped them all out.
“You won by luck, not skill.”
“Lucky too often starts looking like skill, doesn’t it?”
“They lost because they didn’t know me. If they’d studied me seriously, they wouldn’t have gone down so easily.”
“True.”
Thud!
Shin Su-gil, the last one standing, collapsed.
“Tsk! No precautions. That’s why you die.”
With a tongue click, three people emerged from behind the dune. Like the Soul-Chasing Five Wanderers, these three from the Underworld Three Demons were after the bounty.
“You old-timers here for this too?”
Ak Muyoo pointed to his own head with his finger.
“Right.”
“Still two hundred thousand taels?”
“You know well.”
“Well, two hundred thousand taels is a fortune.”
Ak Muyoo nodded.
“...”
Hell Demon Ma-ok of the Underworld Three Demons stared at Ak Muyoo in bewilderment. It was the first time he’d seen someone so nonchalant facing death.
“Roll in a battlefield for ten years like me, and you’ll end up the same. So, who’s coming first? I don’t mind all three at once.”
“Keheke! Fun guy.”
Second Yama Demon Yu-pae snickered.
“Tried provoking you. If you’d bitten, I’d have planted a nice arrow in your skull.”
Ak Muyoo tapped his forehead with his finger.
“Underworld Three Demons.”
Mok Woo called out lowly.
“Didn’t expect anyone to recognize us. Who are you?”
Third Wave Wind Demon Jong Ri-ak asked.
“When we left the Central Plains, they called us the Heavenly Central Five Absolutes.”
“Hea, Heavenly Central Five Absolutes?”
The Underworld Three Demons’ eyes widened.
The Heavenly Central Five Absolutes were martial artists on par with them.
“W-why are you with that guy...”
“We call the one you’re referring to as ‘that guy’ our family head.”
Mok Woo said coldly in familiar speech.
“...You haven’t realized it’s not thirty years ago anymore.”
Hell Demon Ma-ok switched to familiar speech too.
“Time has passed, sure. Let’s see if you qualify to speak to me that way.”
Mok Woo leaped off his camel. The other four followed, landing behind him.
“Want this?”
Ak Muyoo tapped the Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink.
“Please.”
“It’s heavy, so careful.”
Ak Muyoo tossed the Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink.
Mok Woo caught it.
“...It’s heavy.”
“Told you.”
“Didn’t expect this heavy.”
“Don’t drag it out.”
“Yes. Let’s begin.”
Mok Woo shot straight toward Ma-ok.
“Gah!”
Ma-ok flinched. Mok Woo’s speed was too fast.
He hurriedly drew his weapon. His was also a demon sword named Hell.
“Taha!”
Before his sword was fully drawn, Mok Woo shouted.
Flash!
A brilliant blue sword light sliced through the air.
“This is...”
Ma-ok stared blankly at Mok Woo. The Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink in Mok Woo’s hand had returned to its original form.
Plop!
Ma-ok’s head dropped straight down. Shockingly, the cut on his neck was clean, as if sliced by a sword.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from the severed section.
“I’ll kill you!”
“Bastard!”
Yu-pae and Jong Ri-ak leaped at him simultaneously.
“Foolish.”
Mok Woo raised the Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink high and brought it down.
Riiip!
The air tore with a sound.
Splat!
“Kraaa!”
Yu-pae’s torso scattered into powder.
Flash!
A blue glow then swept over Jong Ri-ak.
“Gahk!”
Fwoosh!
A scream escaped as Jong Ri-ak’s torso powdered away.
“Amazing.”
Mok Woo looked at the Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink in astonishment. It was clearly a six-sided club. But when he infused internal energy, sword qi and sword force formed.
It looked like a club, but was truly a sword.
“You taught him?”
Ak Muyoo asked Ara.
The technique Mok Woo had just used was the Illusion Demon Twelve Forms of the Hidden Heaven.
“Been thirty years since they left the Central Plains.”
“Long time.”
“But they only wrote down weird stuff.”
“The martial arts were bad?”
“Not weak, but nothing particularly better than Emei Sect arts. Did I mess up?”
“What?”
“I’m the one who passed down Hidden Heaven arts...”
“You taught them, so they’re yours. What you do with yours is none of my business. But it pisses me off big time.”
“S-sorry...”
“Too cool.”
“...”
“The Phantom Isle, Isle Thunder, Thunderbolt that Elder Mok Woo used.”
“S-so you mean it’s cool?”
“Best.”
Ak Muyoo beamed.
“Thank you, family head.”
Mok Woo bowed with clasped fists toward Ak Muyoo. Truth be told, he’d been nervous. Even if Ara taught it, the original owner was Ak Muyoo. If he’d gotten angry, it would’ve been awkward. He was just relieved.
“You like it?”
“This sword is perfect too.”
Mok Woo said, raising the Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink.
“That’s from Grandma Mil-un, so no way I’m giving it up.”
“Said I liked it, not that I wanted it.”
“But is that thing a sword?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“Poking at other people’s wounds feel good?”
“Aigoo, sorry. I keep forgetting the family head has no internal energy.”
Mok Woo chuckled.
It wasn’t a joke; it was fact. Not frontal fights, but improvised combat—Ak Muyoo always beat foes several times stronger. Just like now. The Soul-Chasing Five Wanderers were top Central Plains experts. He wiped them in two breaths.
Sure, the absolute weapon Dark Current Arrows helped, and they didn’t know about it. But he lived; they died.
He was the victor.
“That any good?”
“It’s a divine sword.”
He declared it a divine sword because of the efficiency with sword qi and force. A sword’s power varies by quality. Like gold’s purity by impurities.
Divine swords take the user’s full internal energy and output over ten-tenths power. Most swords only eight or nine-tenths. Still stronger than hand strikes.
“Want it?”
“I’m a Phoenix Heaven martial artist. Can’t use Hidden Heaven’s supreme treasure.”
“Didn’t really want to give it anyway.”
“Let’s go.”
“Let’s bury them first.”
Ak Muyoo pointed at the bodies.
“Bury them?”
Mok Woo looked puzzled at Ak Muyoo.
“First day back in the Central Plains. Do good, get good.”
“Hmm! Fine.”
Mok Woo nodded.
“Dig a pit. I’ll bring the bodies.”
“Yes.”
The group buried all the bodies and headed for Dunhuang.
After Ak Muyoo’s group left, five more appeared. They were Life-Death Society assassins.
Gong Yeol’s group had watched from hiding as Ak Muyoo’s party eliminated the Soul-Chasing Five Wanderers and Underworld Three Demons. Too far to hear voices, they missed Mok Woo’s introduction.
“What do you think they are?”
Gong Yeol asked the martial artist.
“No clue.”
The martial artist shook his head.
“Unexpected reinforcements.”
“Our targets are the woman and the man—just two. Five more don’t matter, right?”
In-hon said.
“True. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The five flew toward Dunhuang.