Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Pruning (2)
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An indescribable aura flowed from Cheon Muryang's entire body.
*Why...?*
The Taeheung Sect Leader was a master of the highest caliber.
So, this situation made no sense to him.
*Why can't even I draw my sword?*
He, too, was unable to draw his sword in the face of Cheon Muryang's razor-sharp presence.
Cheon Muryang's gaze turned to the Taeheung Sect Leader once more.
"I'm glad we can communicate."
"Th-there seems to be a misunderstanding. I will go see the Family Head myself and explain."
"Denying it even in the face of solid evidence. How shameless can you be?"
"How dare you speak to your master like that!"
Yi Taemun shouted in a fit of passion, but he couldn't bring himself to draw his sword.
*Swish.*
Cheon Muryang's gaze shifted toward Yi Taemun.
*Flinch.*
At that moment, Yi Taemun's shoulders flinched.
"Listen... when I'm being nice."
*Whoosh!*
The Heavenly Light Sword gleamed.
The Heavenly Light Sword cut through the air, sweeping past Yi Taemun.
*Thud.*
Yi Taemun's right arm fell to the ground.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Don't act like a beast."
"......!"
"Taeheung Sect Leader, it seems you still haven't grasped the situation..."
Cheon Muryang took another document from his robes.
It was a document stamped with Cheon Wigang's seal.
"You're already screwed."
Cheon Muryang threw the document.
It stated that, effective immediately, the Taeheung Sect was no longer an ally of the Cheon Family.
"So, pay for your sins."
"Do you even have the right? Weren't you the one who's been gnawing away at the Cheon Family all this time!"
"There's some truth to that. Which is why I intend to pay for my own sins."
"Wh-what?"
"Did you think I became the Head of the Inspection Corps for nothing? It means I'm going to cut down anyone who gnaws at the family, just like me."
The Taeheung Sect Leader let out a mad laugh.
"With an Inspection Corps of only four people?"
Was it due to anger?
Or perhaps the will to survive, but Cheon Muryang's hold lost its power.
*Shing.*
And so, the Taeheung Sect Leader drew his sword.
"I just need to kill everyone here. You brought this upon yourself, so don't blame me!"
He was a dead man either way.
This was his only option.
Suddenly, he thought of the recently fallen Soheung Faction.
"Yes... I see. Is this how you killed the Soheung Faction Leader too?"
"Well, dying without even leaving a corpse behind wasn't my doing."
*Grit.*
Gritting his teeth, the Taeheung Sect Leader unleashed a menacing killing intent and gave a command.
As the master unleashed his aura, Cheon Muryang's presence vanished without a trace.
"Kill them."
*Shing.*
Swords were drawn in unison.
Their tips pointed not only at Cheon Muryang but also at the three people beside him.
"Ah..."
Only Yi Taemun, standing closest to Cheon Muryang, couldn't draw his sword.
He seemed to want to say something, but his mouth opened and closed as if his words were stuck.
"It's a tr..."
*Pat.*
Cheon Muryang patted Yi Taemun's shoulder and smiled.
"Shut that mouth. Things are just getting interesting, don't spoil it. You've only got one arm left. Want to lose that one too?"
"Hk!"
Yi Taemun couldn't say a word.
Even though the Taeheung Sect Leader was undoubtedly a master, Yi Taemun felt an ominous premonition.
*It's a trap...*
But the words only swirled in his mouth.
They never came out.
The Taeheung Sect Leader stepped forward.
Befitting a master, a distinct sword energy bloomed from his blade.
"Good thing you didn't take any drugs like the Soheung Faction Leader."
"Don't compare me to that fool."
"I didn't even say what it was, but you seem to have an idea, don't you?"
"......"
"Well, if you're scared, feel free to take some. I'll give you time."
"Arrogant bastard. Let's see if you're still smiling after you're dead!"
The enraged Taeheung Sect Leader moved.
His sword was filled with rage—at himself for being overwhelmed by Cheon Muryang's presence, and at this whole situation.
*Crude.*
Thus, only anger could be felt.
There was no will that transcended it.
Befitting a master, his sword was fast and powerful, but that was all.
*Did he think he could face me with such a simple sword?*
That was a grave miscalculation.
A sword without will, no matter how sharp, was limited in what it could cut.
*Disappointing.*
Cheon Muryang was disappointed.
He had been hoping for a more interesting sword.
*This isn't the kind of sword I wanted to see. Tsk. Did I expect too much?*
The Heavenly Light Sword cried out.
With it, he split the Taeheung Sect Leader's sharply advancing sword in two.
*No need to even use the Reverse Scale Slash.*
There was no need to use the opponent's strength against them.
*Kwoong!*
"Huk!"
A single scream.
The Taeheung Sect Leader's sword was thrown back.
A heavy shock traveled up the blade and through his entire body.
*H-how...*
How could he be this strong?
It felt as if he had struck an iron wall.
*That scum...*
*Snap.*
The sword shattered.
It was a futile end for a sword he had cared for just this morning.
*Is this really happening?*
A single strike.
With one clash, the Taeheung Sect Leader realized.
*He's gotten stronger. He's by no means my inferior.*
Perhaps he had known this all along but simply didn't want to admit it.
And so, he regretted it.
He should have swung his sword with more caution.
This was the price for swinging rashly.
"Disappointing, Taeheung Sect Leader."
*Grit!*
He gritted his teeth in anger, but nothing changed.
"What are you all doing! Hurry and strike him down!"
Realizing that his only advantage was numbers, the Taeheung Sect Leader hastily gave the order, but...
"......?"
The surroundings were far too quiet.
"Keok!"
Only a single scream was heard.
When the Taeheung Sect Leader turned his head, everyone was already sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
"My lord, they have all been subdued."
"Good. Well done."
"H-how..."
The numerical advantage was gone.
Over thirty sect members had been subdued by a mere three people.
"Now, it seems there's no one left to protect you. What will you do?"
"H-how dare you...!"
"Well, who told you to commit a crime?"
"......"
*Thud!*
Having lost his will to fight, the Taeheung Sect Leader fell to his knees.
"I've lost."
"Good."
"What are you going to do now?"
"You'll find that out in due time. You can stand and walk, can't you? Let's get going."
"......?"
"After the Taeheung Sect, we have to go to the Munseong Sect, and the Geumhwa Faction. We have a lot of places to go."
The Taeheung Sect Leader's eyes wavered.
All the names Cheon Muryang listed were allies of the Cheon Family who also had connections to the Council of Elders.
"Do you really intend to see blood?"
"Yes. It seems that by staying quiet, the Cheon Family started to look like a pushover."
"Kheheheheh."
The Taeheung Sect Leader suddenly laughed.
It seemed he had more to say.
"You're still young, so you might not understand, but after you cut down all your allies like this..."
"Then what?"
"Do you think the Cheon Family will be unscathed?"
"Is that all? I don't know why you're worried about that, but..."
Cheon Muryang laughed as well.
How could he not know?
"It was more than half."
"......?"
"The number of leeches disguised as Cheon Family allies that need to be cut down, I mean."
More than half of their allies would betray the Cheon Family in the future.
Naturally, Cheon Muryang had no intention of keeping them around.
"Even after cutting down all those leeches, there are actually more allies left than you'd think."
In other words, there were allies who wouldn't betray the Cheon Family, though they were less than half.
They were the factions that even the meddlesome Third Elder couldn't win over.
"The task of separating the gems from the stones... is already done."
Their forces were weak.
For now.
However, Cheon Muryang intended to nurture those who had stayed on the sinking ship until the very end.
"What good would keeping you lot around do but drain our blood? So, don't worry about the Cheon Family. Disappearing like this is what's best for us."
The Taeheung Sect Leader was at a loss for words.
He could feel Cheon Muryang's firm resolve.
*The Cheon Family... they called it a den of dragons. It seems that was true.*
The Cheon Family.
Now, it barely ranked among the ten great families of the martial world, but in the past, it was known as the den of dragons.
Thus, the Cheon Family was also sometimes called the Heavenly Dragon Family.
*Heavenly Dragon... It seems there was a crouching dragon lying in wait.*
Neung Ryeoun sealed the Taeheung Sect Leader's internal energy by striking his pressure points and simultaneously tied him with a rope.
"......"
As his wrists were bound and his body restrained, the Taeheung Sect Leader felt regret.
*I shouldn't have joined hands with them.*
But regret, no matter how soon it comes, is always too late.
"Where's the closest one next?"
"Yes. The Geumhwa Faction is nearby."
"Good. Let's go."
"We will follow."
"Ah, right."
Cheon Muryang had no interest in the fallen sect members, but Yi Taemun, with his severed right arm, was different.
"Take him too."
"Yes."
"M-me? Why?"
"You need to clearly confess who you took to the back alleys of Hangzhou and what you did there."
Yi Taemun was the ringleader.
As such, he still had a role to play.
"That will be your last act as a scoundrel."
Cha Myeonghak bound the dazed Yi Taemun.
*This is just the beginning.*
When dawn breaks, they will know.
That all the branches connected to the rotten roots have been pruned.
*The roots are next.*
Cheon Muryang headed for the Geumhwa Faction.
Unlike the Taeheung Sect Leader, the Geumhwa Faction Leader consumed something he must have received from the Demonic Cult.
But Cheon Muryang cut through the demonic energy with the Dark Heaven Slash, and the same fate as the Soheung Faction Leader awaited him.
"Tsk."
His body twisted and shriveled before turning to dust.
"Next."
"The Munseong Sect."
"Let's go."
"Yes."
And so, Cheon Muryang's Inspection Corps focused solely on their pruning until dawn.
***
Dawn broke.
As always, the Third Elder began his day by drinking tea at the Cheonhak Pavilion.
Unlike the gentle sun.
The Third Elder's expression was not pleasant.
"Wh-what! In a single night... the family's allies, including the Taeheung Sect, have been dismantled?"
"Y-yes, sir."
"Are you telling me that's what happened? H-how dare! Who! Who laid a hand on them!"
"I-it was..."
"Spit it out!"
"The new Head of the Inspection Corps."
"The, the Great Young Lord?"
The Third Elder was dumbfounded.
Hadn't he ordered surveillance on Cheon Muryang's movements?
*I received no report of him leaving the family estate. When did he...?*
Suddenly, the Third Elder realized his mistake.
He remembered that there was a secret passage leading outside from within the Inspection Corps building.
*Don't tell me...!*
He had lost track of him.
It may have been a brief mistake, but the price was more painful than he'd expected.
"The Great Young Lord! Where is that scoundrel?"
"He is..."
"Speak!"
"He is at the Grand Training Ground."
*Crack.*
The Third Elder shattered his prized teacup and shot up from his seat.
An unbearable rage surged within him.
"Hoo..."
The Third Elder suppressed his anger.
He knew that rage would be of no help.
Catching his breath, the Third Elder strode quickly toward the Grand Training Ground.
The place was already packed with a crowd of people.
"Make way."
"Th-Third Elder!"
"......"
A path was made.
The Third Elder walked slowly along the path.
"Ah, the Third Elder has arrived."
"......!"
There, more people than he expected were bound and kneeling.
"Great Young Lord...!"
Before the Third Elder could say anything, Cheon Muryang smiled brightly and turned his gaze to him.
"Perfect timing."
"......?"
"I was just thinking of asking for your counsel, Third Elder."
"C-counsel?"
"Yes. Isn't that what the Council of Elders is for?"
"......"
Cheon Muryang personally brought the prepared documents to the Third Elder.
"This isn't fabricated. It's a record containing only facts confirmed by cross-referencing their own ledgers."
"Wh-what is...!"
"What do you think? It's proof that they skimmed the money they were supposed to send to the Cheon Family and delivered it to the wrong people."
Cheon Muryang was smiling, but he was colder than ever.
"So, I was just pondering."
"......?"
"Whether to execute them on the spot, cripple their cores and make them pay for their sins for the rest of their lives. Or..."
A subtle killing intent arose.
The Third Elder almost drew his sword without realizing it.
"Whether to make someone behind them pay for all their sins."
*Flinch.*
The Third Elder fell silent.
The subtle killing intent was clearly directed at him.
*You bastard...!*
Contrary to his inner thoughts.
The Third Elder feigned composure.
"These are allies of the Cheon Family. No matter if you are the Head of the Inspection Corps, Great Young Lord, you cannot do this."
Cheon Muryang laughed at his words.
"I knew you would say that, Third Elder. I'm relieved. You haven't deviated from my expectations one bit."
"Wh-what?"
*Whoosh!*
The Heavenly Light Sword hummed.
The subtle killing intent became more overt, directed at the Third Elder.
"However, I'm quite the scoundrel. So I can't do that."
Those who have sinned.
Immediate execution.
That was Cheon Muryang's verdict.
*Swish!*
The Heavenly Light Sword cut something.
*Thud!*
"......!"
"Those who have sinned, I will execute immediately."
Cheon Muryang's smile vanished as his gaze fixed on the Third Elder.
"That is my verdict."
At that moment, a drop of cold sweat trickled down the Third Elder's forehead.