Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Fall of the Sixth Soul
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Hiding behind the wall of the Northwind Merchant Troupe's compound, the Sword Demon of the Six Souls scowled fiercely.
He belonged to the Killing Soul Squad, one of White Ghost Castle's elite martial units, and he was carrying out the order given by their squad leader, Eunsu Bloodslayer, just before departing for White Ghost Castle a few days ago.
Monitor the Northwind Merchant Troupe and identify any threats.
Of those tasks, he had focused primarily on surveilling the Northwind Merchant Troupe...
To be precise, it was to gauge the strength of the Plum Blossom Sword Guards staying there.
Thanks to his persistent watch, he had gathered quite a bit of information on them.
They had come to protect the Northwind Merchant Troupe from the Overlord Sect's attack, one of them was the troupe's heir, and they were all greenhorns who had only recently become Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
But now, he was plunged into confusion.
'Who the hell is that guy?'
While scanning the Plum Blossom Sword Guards, a mysterious young man had appeared out of nowhere, enough to upend all the intel he had collected.
He knew the Daoist's identity.
When he first began surveilling the Northwind Merchant Troupe, he had focused immediately on that young Daoist punk.
The troupe leader paid him special attention, and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards treated him with utmost respect.
But soon, he had excluded him from his assessment of their combat strength.
And for good reason: the kid was extremely young and not even a Plum Blossom Sword Guard.
Moreover, his presence was incredibly faint.
As if he hadn't even learned martial arts.
So he concluded that Cheonhwi was just a Daoist with high seniority.
There had been several cases in the jianghu where high-ranking old Daoists took in young orphans.
But now, he had to revise that neat little assessment.
'That level of skill...'
Recalling the scene just moments ago where the young man had utterly dominated the Plum Blossom Sword Guards, the bridge of the Six Souls' nose wrinkled in disgust.
'That kid is an elder-level master from Mount Hua Sect leading the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?'
His eyes shook violently as a bolt of realization struck his mind.
Why had he kept watching the Plum Blossom Sword Guards so diligently?
He was certain an elder-level master would be leading them, and he was searching for traces.
But he hadn't found a single clue, making the entire Killing Soul Squad suffer endlessly...
They say the darkest place is under the lamp, right?
The one he dismissed as a mere Daoist was the elder-level expert.
'He must have planned it that way. No one would suspect a young Daoist of leading the Plum Blossom Sword Guards.'
Watching the Daoist act with un-Daoist-like cunning, the Six Souls clicked his tongue in admiration.
'Then is he a practitioner of the Boy Gong? They've said since ancient times that Daoists who cultivate the Boy Gong look boyish even as they age... But why reveal his power so suddenly today?'
A sudden question arose, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the Daoist, Cheonhwi.
Smoothly—
Cheonhwi's head turned.
Before he knew it, those pitch-black eyes were fixed on him, piercing sharply.
'N-No way...'
Stunned, he shook his head.
'No. Coincidence, it's a coincidence.'
The Six Souls swallowed dryly.
He was at the end of the wall, at least fifty zhang away.
A distance where even he would look like an ant without focusing his inner energy.
Forcing himself to calm down, the moment he straightened his trembling head.
He flinched!
His eyes quivered.
The kid was staring straight at him again, just like before.
And now, he had raised his index finger, pointing directly at him!
'H-He spotted me...!'
The moment the Sixth Soul sensed danger and urgently turned to flee.
Flash!
A blinding crimson light swallowed his vision, and his consciousness snapped.
"They sent that as an assassin too?"
Cheonhwi, who had killed him, let out a hollow chuckle.
The man had tried to use stealth movement techniques secretly just now, but to Cheonhwi, it was laughably sloppy.
'Not even worth the dirt under the claws of the assassins sent by the Invisible Witch.'
Back when he had no desire for the cult leader position, the Invisible Witch had sent six assassins after him.
They at least had the unique ability to fool the senses of experts and exceptional intuition.
Comparing this one to them was an insult.
"Sloppy or not, they were gunning for me, huh?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Late in the evening, the Third Soul furrowed his brows as he gathered the Killing Soul Squad members.
Originally, there should have been eighteen in total.
But only seventeen had assembled—one was missing.
"This time..."
The Third Soul's face crumpled as he checked the identity of the absent one.
"...the Sixth Soul got taken out?"
His words sank the mood instantly.
"Those damn bastards...!"
Barely swallowing a curse that rose to his throat, the Third Soul glared at the Northwind Merchant Troupe a hundred zhang away with furrowed eyes.
Now that Eunsu Bloodslayer had left a few days ago, the Killing Soul Squad followed the Third Soul's words as if he were the squad leader.
And he hadn't come here?
It meant he had turned against White Ghost Castle.
'He's not crazy enough to ignore my orders and desert.'
The Third Soul's eyes narrowed.
Clearly, something had happened to the Sixth Soul.
Until now, there had been no issues while he led the Killing Soul Squad on missions.
But something had felt off since assigning surveillance on the Northwind Merchant Troupe.
'This is already the third one to go silent every time we send someone there. And now the Sixth Soul!'
"What the hell is going on?"
The Third Soul spat out a voice thick with irritation, his face twisted.
And understandably so—the order to surveil the Northwind Merchant Troupe and gather intel on threats had come directly from Eunsu Bloodslayer.
Failure to comply?
There was only one outcome.
Death.
And now three had already gone silent.
Moreover, one was the Sixth Soul, one of the top experts in the Killing Soul Squad. His rising fury was only natural.
Biting his nails amid surging anxiety, he rolled his eyes and muttered.
"The Plum Blossom Sword Guards? Or..."
As he pondered who might pull off such a stunt.
"It wasn't the Plum Blossom Sword Guards. With their skills, they couldn't detect the Sixth Soul's presence, let alone take him out so quietly."
The Eleventh Soul interjected.
He was one of the Killing Soul Squad's stealth experts, alongside the Sixth Soul.
"Then did that monster who wiped out the Overlord Sect show up again?"
The Third Soul's voice sharpened.
The Eleventh Soul flinched slightly at the pressure but soon shook his head.
"...I don't know."
Back to square one, creases formed on the Third Soul's forehead.
"Guess we have no choice but to play it safe."
"May I investigate?"
"You?"
"If three squad members assist me, I can infiltrate deep into the Northwind Merchant Troupe with my stealth techniques."
"...Hmm. Is that so."
The Third Soul pondered briefly.
They hadn't entered the interior before because the squad leader ordered them not to get caught until he arrived.
But if he issued the order independently now and got spotted?
He'd have no defense if his head rolled.
After agonizing, he made his decision.
"But absolutely do not get caught."
"Understood."
The Eleventh Soul's eyes burned with resolve.
Moments later, the Eleventh Soul and three squad members headed toward the Northwind Merchant Troupe, while the rest scattered in all directions.
Leading the squad members for a while until they reached the compound wall, the Eleventh Soul calmed his eyes and whispered.
"Erase your presence and hold your breath."
The wall right before them could be scaled easily, but he didn't lower his guard.
Without a word, the three scattered simultaneously.
Watching them vanish into the darkness, the Eleventh Soul deployed his Hidden Shadow Form technique, gradually suppressing his breath.
Soon, his breathing and presence grew faint.
Blending seamlessly with the darkness, he entered the Northwind Merchant Troupe as if it were his own home.
'...The main troupe has grown quite large!'
'The troupe leader gave a hefty sum to the family of that guy Hyang-i...'
'Hey, aren't the Plum Blossom Sword Guard seniors so cool? So noble and...'
A feast of information poured into his ears nonstop.
Collecting it all, he soon noticed things quieting down as dinnertime approached, rolling his eyes.
'No significant intel yet.'
The Eleventh Soul's eyes sank deeply.
He had gathered much, but nothing on who killed the Sixth Soul.
'Has the Forty-Ninth Soul gathered anything?'
Realizing no more could be gained, he turned to link up and share intel.
The moment he moved to sense the Forty-Ninth Soul's presence, he froze.
'G-Gone?!'
The Forty-Ninth Soul's presence had vanished.
As if he never existed.
'When did he disappear? N-No way!'
He whipped his head around, checking the Thirty-Sixth Soul, whose presence still lingered.
Thankfully intact.
'The Thirty-Sixth Soul is still...'
Relief washed over him momentarily.
"...!"
Then the Thirty-Sixth Soul's presence winked out.
'W-What the...'
The Eleventh Soul's eyes shook.
Now, only one remained: the Twenty-Seventh Soul, hiding and holding his breath ten zhang away.
'The one who ambushed the Sixth Soul has appeared...!'
Grasping the situation, he dove into the thick shadows and hurried toward the Twenty-Seventh Soul.
'I need to team up with the Twenty-Seventh Soul first.'
Reaching the hiding spot swiftly, he patted his chest in relief.
'The threat hasn't reached here yet. That means it's over there.'
Gazing toward where the Thirty-Sixth Soul had died.
Step— step—
Footsteps approached.
At the grating sound, the Eleventh Soul's eyes darted.
His vision captured a young man in a Daoist robe of black and white.
'...Plum blossom?'
The plum blossom embroidery on the sleeve jogged a buried memory.
'The Daoist traveling with the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?'
Thud.
The young man, Cheonhwi, halted.
Then, gazing at the small pond beside him, he asked.
"Another bug?"
No answer came from the empty space.
Yet Cheonhwi continued.
"Just how many of you are there?"
With that, he raised his index finger.
Pfsh!
Finger wind pierced the pond.
Soon, red water bubbled up from the bottom, and a corpse floated to the surface.
"...!"
The watching Eleventh Soul swallowed his shock.
The one hiding in the pond was the Twenty-Seventh Soul.
'The Twenty-Seventh Soul, who had the sharpest senses in the Killing Soul Squad...'
Moments later, another corpse surfaced.
Confirming it, cold sweat beaded on the Eleventh Soul's forehead.
The corpse had a hole in its forehead, just like the Cold-Faced Ghost Fiend's.
'T-That guy's the monster!'
The Eleventh Soul felt his breath catch.
Then Cheonhwi looked up and said.
"How long do you plan to hide?"
His gaze turned to the rooftop.
Whoosh!
A shadow burst from the darkness simultaneously.
The Eleventh Soul urgently deployed his Hidden Shadow Form to escape.
"Where do you think you're going?"
But Cheonhwi's finger wind shot out first, piercing his throat.
'I-Impossible...'
The Eleventh Soul's thoughts cut off.
Thud!
Cheonhwi clicked his tongue at the corpse that flew and dropped midway.
"Tch."
"Wherever they're from, they only sent halfwits."
Gazing pitifully at the corpse, Cheonhwi scanned the surroundings and stroked his chin.
"Leaving them like this isn't great, huh?"
It wasn't a pretty sight.
Mangled bodies littered the pond and its vicinity.
"Let's see."
Cheonhwi approached the pond's edge.
After a brief scan.
"This spot looks good."
He went to a patch of soil overgrown with grass nearby and swung his right hand.
Pfsh!
Dirt sprayed everywhere, forming a deep pit.
"This should fit them all."
Satisfied with the hole deep enough for several people, Cheonhwi hefted the corpses.
Whoosh—
Tossing them all in, he swung his hand once more.
The hole filled neatly.
"Perfect."
As he nodded at the undisturbed soil, which showed no sign of change unless inspected closely, and turned to leave.
"Martial Uncle!"
Jeokgeom came running breathlessly.
His swollen eyes and face had subsided, likely from the ointment, and upon seeing Cheonhwi, he exclaimed in surprise.
"That noise just now..."
"Caught some bugs."
"...Bugs?"
"There were a ton today."
Jeokgeom looked around in bewilderment.
Sure enough, with summer approaching, flying insects buzzed about.
"Yeah, lots like you said, but why all of a sudden in the dead of night..."
"It's fine now. I took care of them all."
"Pardon...?"
Jeokgeom blurted out in confusion.
It made no sense.
Flies were still buzzing around even now.
While Jeokgeom floundered.
"What are you doing?"
Cheonhwi strode forward, calling to the still-dazed Jeokgeom.
"Time to eat."