Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: The Four Evils' Visit
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Above the training grounds of the Divine Spear Yang Clan.
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
Yang Seryeong, who had been diligently practicing the Yang Clan Spear Method that Cheonhwi had refined for her just a few days prior, withdrew her wooden spear and turned her eyes toward the commotion outside.
"What's going on?"
She wiped the sweat dripping from her brow and looked at the servants.
Unlike usual, the servants were moving with perfect discipline, and for some reason, the air was tense.
As she stared at them blankly.
"Miss!"
Seo-yun came rushing over from afar, panting heavily.
So urgent that she didn't even catch her breath, she grabbed Yang Seryeong's shoulders tightly as she approached.
"You need to go inside right now."
"What's the matter?"
Yang Seryeong looked at her in confusion, and Seo-yun bit her lip.
"Men from the Sun-Moon Sect have arrived."
Yet Yang Seryeong's expression remained surprisingly calm.
It was something she had already anticipated.
With the Myeongwol Sword, Chaos, and the three armed forces all meeting their demise, it would have been stranger if they hadn't moved.
However.
"On top of that, they've come with intent—two of the Four Evils, Do-ol and Gung-gi."
At Seo-yun's immediate follow-up, Yang Seryeong's composure crumbled.
"...The Four Evils have come?"
She hadn't expected the Four Evils to show up.
And two of them, no less.
'Are they planning a war? But the justification is on our side...'
The current martial world was an unprecedented era of peace dominated by the Three Supreme Powers of the Nine Provinces.
Thus, in conflicts between great sects, justification was the most crucial element.
'It was the Sun-Moon Sect that struck first in this situation, not us...'
She flinched mid-thought.
To be precise, the Sun-Moon Sect hadn't started it.
The very first move had been...
In that instant, feeling as if lightning struck the crown of her head, she whipped around.
And kicked off the ground, dashing away.
"Miss! Where are you...!"
Seo-yun called out desperately, but Yang Seryeong didn't listen.
'They didn't come to wage war against our clan...'
Anxiety colored her face.
'They're here for the young hero!'
Meanwhile, a chill hung in the air of the clan head's quarters in the Divine Spear Yang Clan.
And at the center of that chill was Yang Jogang.
'A remarkable presence, just as the rumors say.'
Yang Jogang stared at the two men and women.
It was no wonder they were the Four Evils, the four great protectors of the Sun-Moon Sect—their auras were far from ordinary.
Especially the murderous intent emanating from the old man was enough to provoke him.
'With killing intent this intense, that old man must be Do-ol.'
His pitch-black eyes fixed on the elder.
Whether from overconfidence or not, the old man lounged in the chair with his back against it, legs spread wide as if it were his own home.
That demeanor perfectly matched the former supreme master once called the Fighting Ghost before pledging loyalty to the Sun-Moon Sect.
'Then...'
He shifted his gaze to the side.
The woman, with her collar slightly loosened at the chest, smiled with her eyes upon sensing his attention.
'She must be Gung-gi.'
As Yang Jogang glared at her.
Swish—
Exuding a bewitching aura, she unnecessarily crossed and uncrossed her legs, subtly flashing her bare thigh.
'Playing her tricks.'
Yang Jogang averted his eyes.
At the same moment, his gaze turned icy cold, and a glint flashed in Gung-gi's eyes.
'Most would lose their reason after enduring such demonic allure...'
As she watched him.
"Did you pull that nonsense on our gatekeeper martial artists?"
Yang Jogang said in a cold voice.
He had let them into the clan head's quarters, but he had no intention of welcoming them warmly.
Perhaps sensing that intent, Do-ol twisted his lips.
"Hmph. You appoint weaklings who can't withstand this wench's demonic arts as gatekeepers, so of course they'd end up like that..."
As Do-ol's words grew coarser.
"Elder."
Gung-gi cut him off.
Do-ol shot a cold glare at Gung-gi, who had interrupted him for the second time that day, and unleashed a vicious killing intent.
"Who told you to interrupt me?"
Gung-gi stared at the murderous Do-ol and moved her blood-red lips.
"Have you forgotten the sect leader's orders?"
It was almost a threat.
"Ridiculous. Even if it's the sect leader's command, do you think I must obey unconditionally?"
Do-ol snorted.
"My relationship with the sect leader isn't one of superior and subordinate like yours..."
As the two bickered.
"Are you looking down on me right now?"
A chilling voice struck them.
At the same time, a heavy pressure exploded, instantly bearing down on them.
"...!"
"...!"
Do-ol and Gung-gi flinched under the overwhelming force and turned their heads.
Yang Jogang had his eyes half-closed.
His clearly divided black-and-white pupils pierced through them, completely locking them in place.
After a moment, his mouth opened.
"You've forgotten where this is."
A voice devoid of inflection.
The moment his words reached their ears, the hairs on their bodies stood on end.
"Heh heh heh, thrilling. They call you the Falling Sun Divine Spear, and now I'm curious about your skills..."
Vitality sparked in Do-ol's eyes.
As he, who had been leaning back, abruptly straightened his torso.
"Stop."
Gung-gi glared at Do-ol and said.
"You wench again..."
"Our enemy is someone else. If you still want to fight, why don't you tell the sect leader yourself?"
"...Tch."
At Gung-gi's dismissal, Do-ol made a displeased face and sat back down.
Gung-gi glanced at Do-ol briefly before turning to meet Yang Jogang's eyes.
"My apologies, clan head."
"Enough."
Yang Jogang cut her off curtly, as if he had no need to hear more.
"More importantly, what nerve brings you to our clan?"
"Quite a sharp reaction."
"Did you expect a warm welcome?"
"I didn't think so."
She replied slyly.
"Yet you come anyway. Bold."
"With our sect's enemy right here, how could we let it slide?"
"Enemy?"
As a certain young man's image briefly flashed and vanished in Yang Jogang's mind.
"We have one purpose in coming here."
The woman said in a cold tone.
"Hand him over to our sect immediately."
Yang Jogang looked at her impassively.
"Absurd. You tried to massacre our clan's later generation disciples, and now you brazenly demand we hand over a guest?"
He unleashed a ferocious aura.
"Do you take our clan lightly?"
The woman flinched for a moment but quickly regained her smile and spoke calmly.
"Of course not. Who would dare look down on the Divine Spear Yang Clan, one of the Eight Great Clans ruling Gansu?"
She praised him with a smile, but her expression was stiff.
"But you should know one thing. It wasn't our sect that struck first—it was him."
Yang Jogang's eyebrow twitched.
"Are you talking about justification now?"
The woman smiled instead of answering.
"Even so, we have no intention of handing him over. He's the benefactor who saved my daughter—no, our clan."
"Benefactor? That's interesting."
"What's so interesting about it?"
Gung-gi let out a bewitching laugh.
"Does the clan head even know what martial art he practices?"
As Yang Jogang stared at her silently, as if asking what she meant, the woman pressed her index finger to her lips and bloomed a sticky smile.
"He has cultivated the Four Emperors' Annals."
"What nonsense..."
"The true transmission, that is."
For the first time, a faint tremor shook the steadfast Yang Jogang's eyes.
"...How can I believe you?"
"Do we look stupid enough to tell an obvious lie that would be exposed immediately?"
Yang Jogang furrowed his brow.
If claiming he inherited the true transmission of the Four Emperors' Annals was a lie, it would be uncovered in no time.
Meanwhile, watching Yang Jogang's reaction, a demonic light gleamed in the woman's eyes.
'He can't interfere in the affairs of the unorthodox sects.'
Orthodox and unorthodox had been hostile since ancient times.
There was no way he would help.
But then.
"I see. So he's unorthodox."
Yang Jogang returned to his previous impassive expression and lowered his eyes.
"So what?"
The woman's eyes widened.
"Are you saying you'll protect him?"
"Did you think I'd hand him over just because he's unorthodox?"
Her lower lip ground between her teeth at his piercing words.
It was exactly that.
The Divine Spear Yang Clan was a prestigious orthodox clan.
She had unconsciously assumed they wouldn't shelter an unorthodox figure.
"You intend to meddle in unorthodox affairs?"
"Ridiculous. In this era of the Three Supreme Powers of the Nine Provinces, talking about orthodox and unorthodox."
Yang Jogang's eyes narrowed.
"Even the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Clans of the orthodox faction are divided and fighting among themselves. What does it matter if he's unorthodox or orthodox?"
His gaze hardened.
"The only thing that matters now is one thing: he's the benefactor who saved my daughter."
With that, he stood up.
And looking down at them, he issued a cold ultimatum.
"We have no intention of handing our clan's benefactor over to the Sun-Moon Sect, so get out."
* * * Yang Seryeong, who had unleashed even the Ultra Flow Step, arrived at the annex shortly after.
"Young hero!"
She flung the door open.
"What is it?"
There was Cheonhwi, eating tanghulu.
He was lounging about carefree, utterly unaware of the situation outside.
"Two of the Four Evils have come to our clan right now!"
She spoke urgently.
"Ah, the Four Evils? No wonder those two reeking of killing intent showed up."
"Ah, you knew?"
"They're flaunting their auras so blatantly; it'd be weirder if I didn't notice."
Cheonhwi glanced toward the clan head's quarters before popping another tanghulu into his mouth.
"This batch is delicious too."
Yang Seryeong was stunned by his nonchalant behavior but shook her head vigorously to snap out of it.
"This isn't the time, young hero. The reason those bastards came to our clan is to find you."
Thinking Cheonhwi was unaware of the current situation, Yang Seryeong added an explanation, but.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Cheonhwi mumbled with a perfectly innocent face.
"A-Aren't you worried?"
"Worried? About what? You don't mean you're telling me to worry about those guys showing up, do you?"
Seeing Yang Seryeong hesitate, Cheonhwi let out an exasperated laugh.
"That's the kind of worry they should have, not me."
He turned his head.
"Right?"
Yang Seryeong followed Cheonhwi's sudden glance to the side and jumped in surprise.
"Ah, Father?"
"I need to speak with this young man for a moment. Could you step out?"
"Outside? Is it something I shouldn't hear?"
"..."
At the silence, Yang Seryeong pouted, lowered her head, and bit her lip.
"...I understand."
Yang Seryeong withdrew outside.
Now that only the two remained in the hall.
Thud.
Yang Jogang placed a large sake bottle on the table from who-knows-where.
"Sake. Care for a drink?"
"Well, now."
Cheonhwi's lips curved up.
"You know the basics of conversation."