Chapter 312
Chapter 312
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 316
Chapter Title: Encounter with a Sapa Remnant
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Boom!
The inkstone Geon Pilsang hurled grazed past Baek Sang-un’s head and smashed into the wall.
Baek Sang-un, who had just entered the room, looked at Geon Pilsang in surprise.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, wandering around like that!”
Geon Pilsang glared at Baek Sang-un with fierce eyes.
Baek Sang-un glanced at the shattered inkstone, momentarily flustered, then hurriedly spoke up.
“I was conducting an investigation. A necessary one, as expected…”
“How could your investigation spread rumors to my ears before you even got here!”
“I acted according to the alliance’s rules.”
“What were my orders!”
Geon Pilsang’s voice rose, his sharp aura directed straight at Baek Sang-un.
Baek Sang-un’s face stiffened, his pupils trembling.
“Do you know why we went through all that nonsense to come here? Do you really think we came just to show off?”
“That’s…”
“No matter the reason, we’re here representing the alliance officially. Don’t you know that every single action we take could give them ammunition to criticize us!”
Startled by the fierce scolding, Baek Sang-un flinched and shut his mouth.
Geon Pilsang’s eyebrows twisted savagely.
“Arrogant and reckless? Who do you think looks more arrogant and reckless in their eyes? Didn’t it occur to you that your actions would bring shame to our sect and tarnish its name!”
“S-Senior Brother…”
“The scars of war haven’t even healed yet. With the heads of three great families here, didn’t I tell you to be cautious—extra cautious!”
The heads of three of the Five Great Families were present. Along with them, the various sects from three provinces had gathered as well.
All of them belonged to or were connected with the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
They would seize upon the Demon Slaying Squad’s actions today to stir up gossip, which would soon turn into criticism of the Righteous Heaven Alliance itself.
All the efforts to avoid that criticism had been for nothing.
“I-I did it for the sake of our sect…”
“Shut your mouth!”
Geon Pilsang’s voice boomed through the hall.
“Get out! I don’t even want to look at you!”
Baek Sang-un bit his lower lip hard, his shoulders trembling slightly, then turned and left the hall.
Watching Baek Sang-un’s retreating figure as he exited, Geon Pilsang pressed his temples.
“Things have gotten messy. Damn it…”
With Baek Sang-un’s blunder, relations and perceptions with the various sects had soured.
In this situation, freely investigating the Five Great Families and surveilling Nangong Hyuk was out of the question.
Geon Pilsang’s mind grew complicated.
* * *
Baek Sang-un bit his lower lip tightly, seething.
‘I did it for the sect and for Senior Brother!’
He had wanted to show that arrogant bastard Nangong Hyuk just what the Demon Slaying Squad was.
And to avenge the humiliation suffered by the Wudang Sect…
From Baek Sang-un’s perspective, he couldn’t help but feel wronged.
“Squad Vice Leader, calm down.”
“Yes, the Leader will understand.”
“Of course. After all, we carried out our mission, didn’t we? He’ll get it.”
The three Demon Slayers chattered beside Baek Sang-un.
“Since you’re out, why not check out the three great pleasure houses in Hefei?”
“There’s a famous boat ride spot too.”
“I hear there are some fine horses here. Why not pick one up on the way back?”
Flattered by his subordinates’ bootlicking, Baek Sang-un’s mood softened a bit.
He glanced at the ruined main street of Hefei.
“Not a soul in sight. Any places even open for business?”
“There’s a decent inn to the north.”
“The north?”
As if testifying to the ferocity of the war, buildings throughout Hefei were charred black or collapsed.
Reconstruction was still in full swing, and the metallic tang of blood seemed to linger in the air.
Even the once-bustling main street exuded a eerie, desolate vibe.
“Better than here, at least.”
Baek Sang-un nodded and turned.
He entered an alley with his three subordinates.
The lifeless alley felt downright creepy.
As Baek Sang-un walked, he furrowed his brow.
Rustle, rustle!
Hm?
Footsteps suddenly echoed from the alley, which had been dead silent moments before.
“Didn’t you hear that just now?”
“Huh?”
“Sounded like footsteps…”
Swoosh!
Baek Sang-un’s eyes flashed as he looked up at the rooftops.
Nothing.
Not a kitten or a night bird in the night sky.
Baek Sang-un shook his head sharply, his eyes blazing.
“W-What’s wrong, Vice Leader?”
Flustered, his subordinates instinctively formed a formation and drew their weapons from their belts.
Shing.
Baek Sang-un drew his iron sword from his waist and glared ahead.
“Come out.”
“…Vice Leader?”
“If you don’t, I’ll strike you down.”
A moment of silence passed.
Then…
Sss…
“Aaah, looks like we got caught.”
A sigh emerged from the darkness, accompanied by a black shadow stepping out casually.
For someone claiming to be caught, the tone and demeanor were far too nonchalant and brazen.
A masked figure appeared, arms stretched overhead, grinning cheekily.
“Who the hell are you? Judging by the mask…”
“Just a passing Sapa remnant, at your service.”
…What?
Sapa remnant?
Baek Sang-un stared blankly at the figure in the darkness, clad in a pitch-black mask.
Why would a Sapa remnant pop up here?
No, how could a Sapa remnant be so brazen?
One of the scattered fugitives suddenly showing up and declaring themselves a Sapa remnant?
“Are you messing with me right now?”
The masked figure scratched at the cheek area of the mask.
“Not messing, exactly.”
“…Who are you?”
“I said, a passing Sapa.”
Smirking slyly.
Slippery as an oiled pig.
Baek Sang-un’s expression hardened, then his eyes changed.
He let out a smirk and drew his sword.
“Fine, a Sapa remnant, huh.”
“Oh, you’re catching on.”
“Then you know we’re the Demon Slaying Squad?”
“Not really.”
The masked figure chuckled. The twisted laughter reached Baek Sang-un’s ears.
Baek Sang-un’s eyes sharpened.
“The Demon Slaying Squad is the first to cut down evil outsiders.”
“Oh.”
“Everything that happens here falls under the Demon Slaying Squad, external branch of the alliance.”
As if sensing something in Baek Sang-un’s voice, his subordinates spread into the Demon Slaying Formation, sharpening their auras fiercely.
The masked figure grinned.
“You sure talk a lot. You coming to me, or should I come to you?”
“Come-!”
With a thunderous shout, Baek Sang-un lunged toward Nangong Hyuk.
In an instant, the formation spread left and right as the Demon Slayers followed.
Sword lights flashed, slicing through the darkness.
Baek Sang-un’s eyes gleamed.
‘One of the Nangong Family bastards! Yeah, it has to be that guy!’
That brazen, sly attitude and voice—definitely Nangong Hyuk.
‘Stupid fool! Showing up in a mask!’
This tragedy was entirely his own doing.
The justification lay with the Demon Slaying Squad.
He and his squad were simply eliminating a Sapa remnant that had jumped out of nowhere!
‘We’ll nip it in the bud.’
And end that guy here, who was already—or would be—a threat to their sect.
Future best in the world?
Martial prowess surpassing the later generations?
The Demon Slaying Squad had earned merits patrolling the outer branches, taking down evil outsiders and enemies of the Righteous Heaven Alliance first and foremost.
The thought of losing to some greenhorn who’d only been through one war didn’t even cross their minds.
The Six Harmonies Life-Ending Sword, a brutal, killing-focused art passed down to Wudang’s secular disciples, unfolded.
In an instant, six sword energies flew out, occupying all six directions.
The Demon Slayers leaping from both sides supported with the Demon-Slaying Ten Blades.
With no intent to capture, their techniques were a mishmash of deadly strikes.
A situation where the masked figure seemed about to be torn apart any second.
“Die!”
The moment Baek Sang-un’s shout echoed through the alley.
“Sapa martial arts incoming!”
A playful voice paired with unplayful techniques unfolded.
Slash!
“…What?!”
A ferocious blade light shredded the six sword energies and whipped around in eerie trajectories.
Thud!
“Gah!”
“Urk!”
The Demon Slayers charging from the sides were struck by the masked figure’s wooden sword, noses exploding in blood as they spun like windmills and flew back.
The one behind the masked figure had his head smashed by the spinning wooden sword.
Crack!
Time seemed to slow.
Baek Sang-un’s eyes bulged as he stared at the masked figure’s fist piercing through the slowed space toward him.
“Blood Dragon Iron Fist—!”
Unlike the grandiose name shouted with gusto, it flashed not with blood-red but blue light.
But the aura was definitely not orthodox.
‘W-What the…?!’
Too late to react.
In shock, he curled up to block the iron fist.
Boom! Crunch!
“G-Guhk!”
A horrific impact dug into his ribs, drawing an involuntary scream from Baek Sang-un.
His right ribs cracked one by one.
“Nine Yin Eighteen Claws!”
Slash slash slash!
His skin split open, wounds like knife gashes forming.
Baek Sang-un recoiled in horror from the sinister energy and vicious strikes targeting pressure points and deadly spots.
Eccentric, bizarre attacks.
Unmistakably Sapa martial arts.
‘W-What is this?’
Baek Sang-un’s jaw dropped at the brutal techniques emerging from a grand aura.
“This is Sapa martial arts—!”
Clang! Clang!
As if emphasizing his claim of being a Sapa remnant, various Sapa arts unfolded from the masked figure’s hands.
Each one a terrifying, lethal technique packed with destructive power.
Baek Sang-un glanced at his tattered arm, then hurriedly shouted.
“N-Nangong Family warrior, how could you use evil outsider…”
“Sapa!”
Slash!
Crunch!
“G-Guhk!”
With a juicy sound, Baek Sang-un’s head snapped back. One more inch, and his neck would’ve snapped!
“Hnngh…!”
“Sapa! Sapa!”
Smack! Smack!
“Sapa!”
“Y-You, you’re…”
“You’re from Wudang, right? This Sapa remnant will show you hell.”
“What…”
“Wudang doesn’t use this one!”
The masked figure’s wooden sword shot up from the ground and unhesitatingly struck its target on the way up.
“This is the Pitfall Drop!”
Crack!
A shuddering impact splitting his groin made Baek Sang-un’s eyes roll back.
Gurgle.
Foam bubbled from his mouth as he trembled like a puppy needing to pee, then collapsed with his hips in the air.
“I-I’m se-secular…”
“Huh? Secular disciple?”
“Sec…”
“So what!”
The wooden sword smashed into Baek Sang-un’s chin.
Crack!
“Endless fucking mercy, you little shit.”
The masked figure—Nangong Hyuk—glared at the foam-flecked, pathetically mangled Baek Sang-un and grumbled.
“Fucking punk, strutting around. Damn it.”
He considered snapping his neck but turned away instead.
Killing him would just make things bigger.
“Oh, wait.”
Didn’t that punk just say something about Nangong?
“A year or so of recovery?”
Nangong Hyuk whipped back around.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Under Nangong Hyuk’s killing intent, Baek Sang-un’s limbs shook violently as he whimpered.
His rag-like body lay exposed under the moonlight.
Eh… looks like it’s already that bad.
Nangong Hyuk straightened his mask and glanced around.
“Any real Sapa left alive these days?”
Eh, whatever.
Nangong Hyuk recalled Sapa arts he knew and began decorating the area around Baek Sang-un beautifully.
Thud thud thud thud!
In an instant, dozens of traces of Sapa martial arts littered the scene.
“This should do it.”
Grinning, Nangong Hyuk leisurely departed.
The creepy alley.
In that deserted alley, the four foam-mouthed Demon Slayers lay pathetically.
They remained collapsed for a long while until the sun was high the next day, when other Demon Slayers found and “rescued” them.
And that day, the Nangong Family was thrown into an uproar.