Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: The Bandit King's Descent
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A middle-aged man with a beast-like appearance.
Great Bandit King Im Yangbaek fixed Cheon Igie with a gaze as unyielding as rock.
"The sun must be rising in the west. To think I'd run into you—the man who used to quake at the mere mention of the Murim Alliance—right here in one of their branches."
"Ahem, what's so surprising about that?"
Cheon Igie cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to shake off his tension.
"Isn't it stranger that you barged your way in here?"
Im Yangbaek's lips twisted into a smirk at the retort.
"Can't argue with that."
"What brings you all the way out here? You've been holed up in your bandit stronghold for the past ten years."
"Only one thing it could be."
"You mean..."
"Hang Mountain Stronghold."
"Didn't see that coming. I never pegged you for the type to care so much about your underlings."
Cheon Igie was putting on a casual front, but inside, his mind was a whirlwind of agitation.
This bastard came in person.
No matter how badly Hang Mountain Stronghold had been hit, who could've imagined the stronghold leader himself marching all the way to a Murim Alliance branch?
"So, you're here to take your men back?"
"What kind of question is that?"
Im Yangbaek's eyes darkened ominously.
"Release them. All of them."
Cheon Igie clicked his tongue at the command.
"You've gotten awfully thick-skinned since we last met. You lot are the ones who attacked. You think you can just waltz in and take them... Gah!"
Grab!
Mid-sentence, Im Yangbaek's hand clamped around his throat.
When did he...?
Cheon Igie's eyes widened in shock.
He hadn't even seen the hand move.
One moment, nothing—and the next, a scarred, callused fist had materialized around his neck.
"You've always had a mouth on you."
The Great Bandit King's gaze turned icy.
Cheon Igie thrashed futilely under those emotionless eyes, his lips twitching.
"G-gah... If you k-kill me... the Murim A-Alli... ance won't let the b-bandits..."
"Threatening me, are you?"
Im Yangbaek tightened his grip.
"Gurk!"
"Great Hero!"
Kang In-hyo cried out in alarm.
Veins bulged grotesquely on Cheon Igie's strangled neck—he looked moments from death.
"Hah!"
Kang In-hyo hurriedly circulated his inner energy and thrust out both palms with a shout.
Rumble!
A thunderous roar split the air as a ferocious palm strike hurtled toward Im Yangbaek.
Kang In-hyo had unleashed his Thunderclap Palm, the very technique that had elevated him to branch leader.
"Pathetic."
Im Yangbaek regarded the attack with disdain and spread his left hand wide.
In that instant...
"...!"
Kang In-hyo felt utterly overwhelmed.
The scarred palm seemed to swell enormously, seizing the Thunderclap Palm in its grasp.
Crackle-crunch!
Sparks like lightning flickered within the hand before fading to silence.
Im Yangbaek casually opened his clenched fist and swung it toward Kang In-hyo's head.
A motion so slow it was laughable.
Yet Kang In-hyo couldn't dodge.
The instant their palms met, he couldn't even twitch a finger.
So the Great Bandit King was this strong...?
As the hand closed in, Kang In-hyo squeezed his eyes shut in resignation.
"D-damn you...!"
Cheon Igie ground his teeth and lashed out with a kick.
Thud!
"Guh!"
Kang In-hyo's body launched into the air and flew back.
Caught completely off guard.
He took Cheon Igie's Shattering Jade Kick head-on and passed out cold.
"Good instincts."
Im Yangbaek hoisted Cheon Igie up effortlessly with a low growl.
"Urk!"
Cheon Igie clung desperately to the wrist around his throat, his lips moving.
"A-are you... s-starting a w-war...?"
"War? Sounds fun."
"Y-you mad... bastard!"
"Heh. As expected of a Beggar's Sect man—you know me well."
Im Yangbaek chuckled chillingly and hurled Cheon Igie aside like trash.
Boom!
Cheon Igie's body slammed into the wall and he spat blood.
"Cough!"
He dropped to one knee with effort.
My internals...!
He frantically circulated his Nine Palaces Recovery Art to stabilize his ravaged meridians.
His inner energy surged through his body, soothing the damage and restoring calm.
At this rate, even escaping will be tough.
Once somewhat recovered, Cheon Igie wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
Was this guy always this strong? With skills like these, he could stand toe-to-toe with the Sword Saint...
He bit his lip and glared at Im Yangbaek.
Then the man spoke.
"I'll give you one last chance."
Im Yangbaek clasped his hands behind his back.
"Release my men now, and I'll let you all live. Generous, no?"
Cheon Igie's brow furrowed at Im Yangbaek's condescending mercy.
Infuriating arrogance—but he couldn't refute it.
Im Yangbaek had the power. If he wanted, he could slaughter everyone in this Shanxi branch right now—Cheon Igie included.
Damn it!
Finally, Cheon Igie nodded reluctantly.
"...Fine."
"Glad you see reason. Nearly had to spill needless blood."
Im Yangbaek grinned.
Cheon Igie shot him a dirty look before scanning the room.
"Release the bandits."
The warriors hesitated, unsure whether to obey.
Cheon Igie bellowed.
"You want to die like this?!"
The warriors snapped to attention and dragged the bandits out of the prison cells.
"Stronghold Leader?"
The bandits, freshly released, blinked in confusion before spotting Im Yangbaek and grasping the situation.
He addressed them.
"Return to the stronghold."
"Y-yes, sir!"
With a hearty roar, they bolted out the door.
As Im Yangbaek turned to follow, Cheon Igie spoke up.
"Did it really have to come to this? A letter to the Murim Alliance could've settled it peacefully..."
Im Yangbaek cut him off, chin raised.
"So you're saying bow my head to the Murim Alliance?"
Cheon Igie fell silent.
He hadn't meant it that way, but it rang true upon reflection.
Im Yangbaek stared him down and added softly.
"You underestimate us bandits."
A fierce presence emanated from his narrowed eyes.
"We're an evil faction too. Don't think we'll keep groveling forever."
Im Yangbaek whirled away, his gray robe billowing dramatically.
"Damn it..."
Cheon Igie bit his lip, pondering the fallout.
Step—step—
Outside, Im Yangbaek boarded a waiting carriage.
Passengers were already inside.
Go Hong, whose gender was hard to discern, and Manager Hyo Gwan of the Great Silver Merchant Guild.
"You're here."
"Heh, about time."
They welcomed him aboard.
Hyo Gwan especially gazed at Im Yangbaek with awe and a faint smile.
A big fish. A massive one.
To a merchant, insight was everything.
And insight into people mattered most, in Hyo Gwan's view.
Right now, he sensed a whale of a catch in Im Yangbaek.
With this man... my guild could...
Go Hong spoke cautiously.
"Was such a heavy-handed approach necessary?"
Im Yangbaek's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Evil factions survive the jianghu through fear alone."
A chill killing intent leaked out.
Arms crossed, his eyes gleamed.
"Back down here, and who'll fear us?"
Go Hong was inwardly stunned by the resolve.
I underestimated the bandits.
Truth be told, they'd viewed bandits as mere thugs.
But Im Yangbaek's skill and mindset exceeded expectations.
Even compared to the Five Evil Sect leaders...
As Go Hong revised their assessment, Im Yangbaek continued.
"And I hear you took the surviving Black Shadow Unit members thanks to me."
"...!"
Go Hong's eyes flickered.
They recovered quickly, but not from Im Yangbaek's sharp gaze.
"You knew?"
"Arrogant. You thought you could fool my eyes?"
Sweat beaded on Go Hong's palms.
Those piercing eyes felt like a serpent slithering up their body, fangs and tongue bared before their face.
"My apologies."
Im Yangbaek withdrew his gaze.
"Odd, though. Even with Cheon Igie, that force couldn't have crushed Hang Mountain Stronghold and the Black Shadow Unit."
He raised one eyebrow.
"Who killed the Hang Mountain Stronghold leader?"
His voice sliced like a blade, sending chills down their spines.
Gulp.
Go Hong swallowed dryly and parted their red lips carefully.
"A Mount Hua Sect man named Cheonhwi."
"Cheonhwi...?"
Im Yangbaek's brow furrowed.
The name rang a bell.
But he couldn't place it—until Go Hong steadied their breath and added.
"The one they're calling the Plum Blossom Divine Hero in the jianghu lately."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Huh?"
Cheonhwi scratched his itchy ear and muttered.
"Feels like someone's talking about me."
He shrugged it off and peered out the window.
"Huff... huff..."
"Gonna... die..."
The Hwaryeong Unit members unaccustomed to horses panted as they ran, using their movement techniques.
Even so, their glares were fixed on the ones riding alongside.
Filled with fury.
"Said we'd all ride in the carriage together!"
"And they ditched us like cowards..."
They wheezed out their rage, cheeks trembling with indignation anyone could see.
"Ahem."
The four mounted Hwaryeong members coughed awkwardly at the complaints.
They felt a twinge of guilt.
Originally, the whole unit had conspired to skip Cheonhwi's training.
But the moment he snapped his fingers, they'd bolted first.
The guilt didn't last—smirks crept onto their faces.
Keep walking, suckers.
Nice one.
Who cared about the glares?
This was bliss!
Meanwhile, amid the chaos, Cheonhyang and Dan Mokrin chatted peacefully.
"Nice weather, junior sister."
"Sure is, senior brother."
No one begrudged them.
They hadn't joined the conspiracy and had planned to train anyway.
Overseeing the Hwaryeong Unit like Cheonhwi, Manager Oh muttered.
"Not just any sect, that's Mount Hua for you."
He let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
They'd allied with Mount Hua, but this was his first time seeing their skills up close.
He knew little of martial arts, so he couldn't gauge precisely.
But he could tell their prowess far outstripped their age.
Hang Mountain Stronghold—the terror of merchants—had been pushed back, after all.
Sure, they'd lost to the Evil-Black Alliance's Black Shadow Unit, but that was no blemish.
The Black Shadow Unit was another league.
Holding out against them for so long was impressive enough.
And with that young hero too...
His gaze drifted to Cheonhwi, lips curving into a loose smile.
Having Cheonhwi felt more reassuring than anything in the world.
A happy grin spread across his face as he boomed.
"Won't be long before Mount Hua's name echoes across the jianghu."
Cheonhwi chuckled.
"Obviously."
It was only right.
Why else did I train those guys?
To make Mount Hua's name resound through the heavens and claim the top sect title.
No way they'd fail.
I even formed the Shadow Squad for them, taught them arts. And yet...
Cheonhwi's eyes swept the unit, pity flashing through.
Still at that level. Sigh.
A sigh escaped him.
They'd practically hit the jackpot with opportunities, yet their skills lagged badly. He shook his head.
Well, compared to the start, they've grown a ton. Back then, as Plum Blossom Sword Guards, they couldn't even bloom a proper sword flower.
Recalling their initial meeting, he felt they were decent now.
They'd even seized the advantage against Hang Mountain Stronghold this time and held their own somewhat against the Black Shadow Unit.
Back then? They'd have dropped dead on sight.
Night-and-day difference from the beginning.
And now they've got the right warrior mindset.
Cheonhwi nodded faintly.
Slow growth relative to their gains, but steady progress nonetheless.
If they're slow, just drill 'em harder, right?
As he nodded to himself—thoughts that would devastate the Mount Hua disciples—a cheer erupted from outside the carriage.
"M-Mount Hua!"
"Finally... we're here!"