Chapter 361
Chapter 361
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 370
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Sighting
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Whew, perfect, right?”
At Namgung Hyuk’s words, Peng Junghyuk could only nod.
‘...I never imagined he’d twist it that way.’
Sharing techniques among master craftsmen, of all things.
Who could have dreamed that up?
On top of promising full support, he’d naturally created an opportunity to learn the Iron God Sect’s techniques.
The finer details of the plan could be worked out later.
‘It’s incomparable to just getting high-quality standard weapons.’
What mattered was gaining access to the Iron God Sect’s techniques.
Plus, Namgung Hyuk wasn’t content with mere safety assurances for the Namgung family.
He’d pulled in the Peng Clan of Hebei, the Tang Clan of Sichuan, the Moyong family, and even the Hwangbo family—the so-called slave house(?).
He’d formed a real alliance, one aimed at mutual growth, not just empty words.
‘...How far ahead did he see?’
His antics were pure Mad Dragon, but the results always exceeded imagination.
“...By any chance.”
“What? You thought it wouldn’t work, but it did, so now your stomach hurts, huh?”
“...”
“It worked because it was me. You think just anyone could pull this off? Whew, it’s all about experience, experience.”
You’re younger than me, you punk.
Peng Junghyuk trembled with rage.
“Kyahahaha! It’s not like anyone who says they can just does it. Am I not just good with words and strong in martial arts too?”
“...”
“The Peng Clan couldn’t do it, but I did. Heh heh heh!”
Ah, I just want to punch him once.
‘Negotiation my ass—just one good smack. Pow, just once...’
Everyone felt the same, right?
“As expected of Young Master Namgung. So now we can sharpen our swords anytime we want, right?”
Hey, little bro! He just insulted our family.
“How refreshingly impressive today.”
Peng Yeonhwa was rubbing her hands eagerly.
Beside her, So Hye-yeon was flashing a thumbs-up with sparkling eyes.
“Swords, love it. Young master, brilliant. You pulled off something so difficult!”
“Whew, not your average feat!”
“Of course! The Peng Clan couldn’t do it, but you did it in one go. As expected, Young Master is the best!”
...Damn, sucking up now? Even Sword Pavilion’s gone corrupt.
Peng Junghyuk let out a deep sigh.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled as he patted the twin swords at his waist.
“Aigoo, work’s done, so how about a quick drink?”
“...Again?”
“Why not? You said you’d buy ten rounds. Gotta down all ten before I go.”
“In Anhui Province...”
“Anhui booze gets boring after a while. Half here, half there.”
For someone who’s fed up, you sure drink fast.
Peng Junghyuk shook his head.
That was when.
Tang Myeongok, who’d been scribbling notes furiously, suddenly looked up.
“Young master! What about the Wudang Sect?”
Namgung Hyuk tilted his head.
“Huh? Why them? I beat ’em up and let ’em go.”
“Not that. They might come after us over this.”
“Pfft, come after us? I’m not some bandit. Did I kill anyone?”
You did beat them half to death.
“It’s just... yeah, the misunderstanding’s cleared up now.”
“...”
“It’s not cleared?”
When did you clear up the misunderstanding? You just beat them and let them go.
At the sullen, unimpressed faces, Namgung Hyuk scratched his cheek.
“Should I go grab them? Tie ’em up again!”
“They’ve probably arrived by now.”
“...Uh, then let’s bolt.”
“...”
“Ah, whatever. We’ll talk it out.”
Yeah, talk it out with your fists.
Namgung Hyuk hummed and grinned.
“And what big problem could come up?”
“Just in case. They might use this as an excuse to stir trouble.”
“Pfft, I said the misunderstanding’s cleared. Look at this. Who’d call this a demonic sword?”
That’s true.
“But what if they pick a fight anyway?”
Namgung Hyuk rubbed his chin.
He pondered for a moment, then smiled slyly.
“Then we’ll just tie up loose ends properly.”
...Whoa, crap. Did he just sound like a villain?
“Young master saying that gives me chills.”
“Why? What’s wrong with tying up loose ends?”
“...It sounds like you really mean it.”
“Well.”
Namgung Hyuk smirked.
“It depends on how you do it.”
...Scary as hell.
* * *
Wudang Mountain.
Dozens of towering peaks stretched toward the heavens, eternally shrouded in white mist that added an air of mystery.
The majestic range spanned hundreds of li, its grandeur beyond words unless seen with one’s own eyes.
That mystical, imposing landscape felt almost ethereal, as if immortals rode clouds overlooking the mortal world.
Yet what truly made Wudang Mountain renowned surpassed even its stunning peaks.
The Wudang Sect.
Hailed as the pinnacle of Daoist sects and one of the murim’s twin pillars, it resided here.
Someone burst into the Taiqing Palace, the sect’s innermost sanctum.
The serene, tranquil hall, befitting a sacred Daoist ground, erupted in sudden chaos.
The calm atmosphere shattered in an instant as Elder Hyeonwon appeared in a panic.
“What’s all this commotion...”
The assembled elders and first-generation disciples stared at him in shock.
“What in the world happened to you?”
“Did you run into bandits?!”
“Good heavens, what is this?”
His swollen face and tattered clothes made him look exactly like a bandit victim.
But no bandits lurked on the road to the Iron God Sect, no matter how one thought about it.
Hubei was Wudang and the Orthodox Heaven Alliance’s territory—no place for thieves.
Even if bandits had appeared, a second-generation disciple of Wudang getting beaten was absurd.
Hyeonwon cried out in a scream.
“Martial uncles! Hiiik!”
The elders furrowed their brows as he gasped for air, glancing back in terror.
First-generation disciple Jingong sighed and approached Hyeonwon.
He lightly placed a hand on Hyeonwon’s back.
Pure energy flowed through Hyeonwon’s body.
A misty aura rose briefly before vanishing.
Hyeonwon’s eyes, clouded by agitation and fear, cleared.
“Hua, huwaa!”
Jingong eyed the pale-faced Hyeonwon curiously.
‘This kid isn’t usually so reckless.’
The Hyeonwon he knew was calm, adhering strictly to principles and etiquette.
His martial arts lagged behind others, but his composure and manners were well-known.
His disheveled state was odd enough—what had spooked him so?
“Calm down and explain to the elders.”
At Jingong’s steady voice, Hyeonwon finally caught his breath.
He thought for a moment, then burst out.
“Ah, I escaped from a demon!”
“...Calm down.”
“Demon, demon!”
“...Calm down!”
“It’s a demon. The demon swung a demonic sword and made me... like this...”
Wham!
Jingong smacked Hyeonwon’s back hard.
“Keok!”
“I said calm down!”
“A, ah!”
“Slowly now. Explain what this demon is, what the demonic sword is. Tell us how you ended up like that.”
Jingong scolded him sternly.
Hyeonwon’s pupils trembled as he looked at the baffled elders and first-generation disciples.
He swallowed hard, then spoke.
“...I saw a demonic sword.”
“Demonic sword?”
“Yes!”
At Hyeonwon’s cry, Wudang’s sect leader, Heo Jong, who’d been seated impassively, turned his head.
Round face, round build, but his eyes were sharp as swords.
“Why do you call it a demonic sword?”
“Sect leader! I saw it with my own eyes. In all my life, I’ve never seen a sword with such thick demonic energy. The moment I laid eyes on it, my heart nearly stopped...”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes! I stake my position as Jade Form Pavilion Master on it—it’s definitely a demonic sword!”
Heo Jong lightly stroked his immortal-like beard and asked.
“What did the sword look like?”
“The blade was blindingly white, its sharpness engulfing a zhang around it. And a thick, sludge-like black energy enveloped the blade, swirling everywhere... that’s when...”
Heo Jong’s eyes gleamed, and the other elders showed excitement.
“A demonic sword has appeared, no doubt!”
“Sect leader, Hyeonwon has the sharpest eye for swords in the sect. This isn’t hearsay.”
“Since ancient times, demonic swords have heralded bloodbaths. We must retrieve it, senior brother!”
Legendary divine weapons had always stirred bloodshed in murim.
This was a demonic sword, no less.
One that corrupted its wielder with demonic nature, turning them into a murderous fiend and unleashing carnage.
And now it had surfaced.
Heo Jong eyed Hyeonwon with an ambiguous expression.
Hyeonwon swallowed hard.
He fidgeted restlessly, awaiting the sect leader’s response.
Heo Jong asked quietly.
“So.”
“...Yes?”
“Who wielded that demonic sword? They must be the one who did this to you.”
The elders trembled with their white beards, urging him on.
“Yes, tell us!”
“Some evil sect leader? Who was it?”
“There must be a description!”
“Out with it!”
Hyeonwon swallowed again, paused briefly, then declared forcefully.
“Mad Dragon—that crazy bastard Mad Dragon turned me and the third-generation disciples into this state, sect leader!”
People tilted their heads.
“Mad Dragon?”
“Isn’t that the Namgung family’s junior?”
“The one who beat Cheongin in the tournament?”
“He did this to you?!”
Elders and first-generation disciples glared.
How could they forget? Cheongin, Wudang’s prodigy, defeated in one exchange by Mad Dragon at the tournament.
Unprecedented since Wudang joined the Orthodox Heaven Alliance’s events.
The humiliation Wudang suffered then was indescribable.
Especially losing to an unknown Namgung swordsman.
“That punk touched our sect disciples again!”
“Didn’t the Demon Subduing Squad’s lay disciples get humiliated going to the Namgung family too?”
“Whenever the Namgung family’s involved, nothing good happens.”
“They dare lay hands on our mountain’s disciples?!”
The elders’ furious voices echoed through Taiqing Palace.
Overwhelmed by their profound inner energy, Hyeonwon swallowed hard.
“Sect leader! This is the Namgung family insulting our Wudang.”
“Senior brother, we must hold them accountable.”
“And a demonic sword, no less! Unless they’ve gone mad, would they wield something steeped in demonic qi?”
“We must punish the Namgung scum severely. It’s our Wudang duty to uphold the Dao and restore order!”
“Hah, I always knew that Mad Dragon punk would cause trouble one day. Shameless brute who can’t tell heaven from earth!”
Elders erupted in rage, first-generation disciples’ faces grim.
Heo Jong brushed back his white beard.
Unlike the other Daoists, he seemed detached, almost indifferent, as if hearing a stranger’s tale.
Yet at that single gesture, the raging elders quieted, and first-generation disciples bowed their heads.
Silence fell over Taiqing Palace as Heo Jong’s low voice resounded.
“You say the Namgung junior wields the demonic sword.”
“...Yes, sect leader.”
“A demonic sword is evil incarnate. With the peace restored after the Demonic Path Blood Tribulation, shall we let such filth stain the jianghu?”
Elders and disciples’ eyes shone.
“All matters involve action, action stems from righteousness, and righteousness demands responsibility.”
“...”
“I wish to question the boy myself.”
Heo Jong’s sword-sharp gaze turned to Jingong.
Youngest among first-generation disciples, yet his intellect surpassed others.
“Jingong.”
“Yes, sect leader.”
“Bring that boy here.”
“...To the sect headquarters?”
Heo Jong lightly brushed his white beard.
“Yes. I want to hear the truth from him directly.”
“...”
“Even if I can’t, I still want to see him.”
Even if he won’t talk.
Somehow, bring the demonic sword, Mad Dragon, and Namgung Hyuk here.
Dead or alive.
Jingong clasped hands and bowed deeply.
“First-generation disciple Jingong shall carry out the sect leader’s command.”
“Good. I trust you—go with the second-generation disciples.”
“Yes!”
Heo Jong smiled faintly, watching Jingong depart Taiqing Palace.
His mouth smiled, but the fierce light in his sword-sharp eyes flared briefly before slowly fading.