Chapter 754: I Don't Love You Anymore.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 754: I Don't Love You Anymore.
Step, step, step.
Step, step, step.
Yoon Je-gyeom began to move swiftly, employing his movement technique.
As he moved, Lee Jae-won’s body, slung over his back, began to shake incessantly.
"GYAAAAAAAH!"
Soon, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Lee Jae-won’s mouth.
His back was broken, and his cock had ruptured. In such a state, the violent shaking only served to double his already excruciating agony.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Lee Jae-won wept tears of blood, spewing a constant stream of curses in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to drive a blade into the back of Yoon Je-gyeom’s head, but it was impossible.
His physical strength, his energy, his internal energy—even his very will—had been utterly exhausted.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
As the pace quickened, Lee Jae-won’s screams grew even louder. The pain was simply more than he could bear.
Step, step, step.
However, Yoon Je-gyeom completely ignored Lee Jae-won’s screams. He simply ran, keeping his eyes fixed on the back of the veiled woman leading the way—Ha Su-ryeon, the Leader of Hao Clan.
"How much longer will it take?"
Joo So-yang, who was following close behind Yoon Je-gyeom, asked with a look of doubt. They seemed to have been running for quite a while, yet there was no sign of the safe house.
"Haah... haah... Just a little further, and we’ll reach one of our safe houses... My Lady."
Ha Su-ryeon replied, gasping for breath. The physical strain was clearly taking its toll on her.
"Thank you."
Joo So-yang replied with a small smile and continued to follow her.
Ha Su-ryeon began to lead them through a dizzying maze of winding alleys. They traversed paths they had never seen, cut straight through seemingly ordinary buildings, and even doubled back over ground they had already covered. It was as if she were trying to ensure no one could memorize the route.
After some time, the surroundings suddenly began to grow hazy, like a thick mist, before vanishing entirely. It was like sorcery.
'What in the world...?!'
Joo So-yang’s expression turned to one of shock. She was bewildered by the sudden phenomenon and instinctively began to gather her internal energy. It was a precaution against any potential threat.
"Please, do not be alarmed. It is merely a formation being activated."
As if sensing Joo So-yang’s distress, Ha Su-ryeon quickly offered an explanation.
"A formation?!"
"Yes. So please... do not destroy it..."
Ha Su-ryeon added pleadingly. While the formation was peerless in terms of security and secrecy, its physical durability was incredibly fragile. If Joo So-yang, who had reached the Profound Realm, were to unleash her power, it would be shattered helplessly.
"......I see."
Hearing this, Joo So-yang nodded as if satisfied and immediately dispersed the internal energy she had gathered. She realized there was no threat.
"I wondered why we were circling the same spot... It was all to enter the formation."
"Yes. I thought it best to make the approach as complex as possible for the sake of safety..."
Ha Su-ryeon replied with a nod.
"That’s good. If it’s this complex, others won’t be able to find their way in easily."
Joo So-yang added with a faint smile. With such an intricate formation mechanism, they would be able to hide safely until the situation settled down.
"It’s right there."
Ha Su-ryeon pointed ahead. Joo So-yang followed her finger and saw it—a small, elegant house with a classic, refined feel.
Joo So-yang smiled. They had finally arrived at the Leader of Hao Clan’s safe house.
The three of them quickly made their way toward the building.
*
Upon arriving at the house—
Thud.
Yoon Je-gyeom immediately threw Lee Jae-won off his back. The mere thought of his skin touching the loathsome man was revolting to him.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
Another scream tore from Lee Jae-won’s throat. The impact sent waves of agony through his unnaturally twisted limbs, his broken back, and his mangled groin.
The wounds were agonizing even when he was still. How could they throw him around like a common beast?
"What do you intend to do with this man?"
After tossing Lee Jae-won to the floor, Yoon Je-gyeom turned to Joo So-yang and asked.
"I plan to keep him under guard until the situation is fully resolved... The right to decide his life or death belongs to the Sword God."
Joo So-yang spoke in a calm, detached tone.
"Then you intend to leave him as he is?"
"Yes. With injuries that severe, he won’t be able to escape easily..."
Joo So-yang nodded.
"You are being too complacent."
Yoon Je-gyeom’s expression hardened as he spoke.
"Pardon?"
"Even if he is severely injured, he is still a master of the ultimate peak who has reached the Profound Realm. How can you be so careless?"
Yoon Je-gyeom spoke as if scolding her.
"But the right to his life..."
Joo So-yang looked troubled. It was a complacent approach, but she couldn't just kill him. Killing him was strictly the prerogative of her beloved husband.
"I am not saying we should kill him. I am saying we should take definitive measures to ensure he cannot escape."
"Definitive measures?"
Joo So-yang asked, puzzled.
"How about we destroy his Dantian to eliminate any future trouble?"
Yoon Je-gyeom suggested something horrific with total nonchalance. It was a suggestion so brutal it was hard to believe it came from a renowned figure of the Orthodox Faction.
"But... if we do that, won't Lee Jae-won die?"
Joo So-yang asked with a worried expression. She didn't care at all about his Dantian being destroyed; she had lost every shred of affection for him and was now utterly indifferent. Her only concern was his survival.
If his Dantian were destroyed, the sudden shock could kill him. As the internal energy accumulated over decades dissipated all at once, it would inflict unimaginable pain—a pain far exceeding even scorching heat. He might not survive the shock.
Joo So-yang was cautious. She didn't want him to die before her beloved husband could have his way with him; she wanted to earn her husband's praise.
"Do not worry. He is not so weak that he would die from something like that."
Yoon Je-gyeom spoke with absolute certainty. Despite his current pathetic state, Lee Jae-won was an absolute being who had once ruled the Murim as the World's Greatest Martial Artist. He wouldn't die just because his Dantian was destroyed.
"Hmm..."
Joo So-yang looked conflicted. She agreed that he wouldn't die easily, but she couldn't bring herself to accept the proposal immediately. There was always the possibility of an accident.
"So... So-yang! No! Don't listen to that crazy old man!"
Lee Jae-won, who had been groaning in pain, began to scream frantically. He had heard it too—Yoon Je-gyeom’s horrific suggestion.
Destroying his Dantian? That was no different from erasing decades of martial cultivation in an instant. If his Dantian were destroyed, he would become infinitely weak. He would return to the body he had before—weak, ugly, and lonely.
He couldn't let that happen. For someone who was constantly looking for an opportunity to escape, destroying his Dantian meant stripping away his last shred of hope.
"So-yang! Save me! Please, save me! I... I’ll be better! Please!"
Lee Jae-won began to beg Joo So-yang. It was pathetic, but he didn't care. His mind was consumed by the single thought of survival.
"I suppose... I can't do that."
Joo So-yang shook her head slowly, her expression calm. She had rejected Yoon Je-gyeom’s proposal.
"So-yaaaaang!"
Lee Jae-won called out her name, his face filled with emotion. He thought she had granted his plea.
"Let's just cut off both his legs instead."
But at Joo So-yang’s next words, Lee Jae-won’s face froze.
"Both his legs?"
Yoon Je-gyeom asked, sounding intrigued.
"I think destroying his Dantian would make it too difficult for him to stay alive..."
"That is a fair point."
Yoon Je-gyeom nodded. It was true. Even for someone like Lee Jae-won, who was barely clinging to life like an insect, destroying his Dantian could cause him to die instantly as all his life force leaked out. In that case, cutting off his legs might be the better option.
"So... So-yang... what... what are you saying?!"
Lee Jae-won called out to her in desperation, his face pale with shock. Her horrific statement felt like a nightmare.
"You're... joking, right? You're just playing a prank... right?"
Lee Jae-won looked up, trying to deny reality. He told himself that Joo So-yang, who had once sworn to love him more than anyone, could never do such a thing.
"..........."
Joo So-yang merely looked down at him with a hollow, dry gaze. Then, she slowly drew the sword hanging at her waist.
Shring.
Her brilliant, radiant blade revealed itself.
Step, step.
"So-yang... I... I was wrong... Please... forgive me... We're... we're husband and wife, aren't we? Right?... We love each other... Please... please... for Seol-ah's sake, please..."
Lee Jae-won began to beg for mercy. He begged her to let him go, to forgive him, to please not cut off his legs.
But Joo So-yang paid no heed to his pleas and simply walked toward where he lay prone. Then, she slowly raised her sword.
"I don't love you anymore."
She spoke with an alluring smile.
Swoosh.
Squelch.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"
Without hesitation, she severed his right leg. In a single stroke.
"AAAAAAAGH!!!! AAAAAGH!!!!"
Lee Jae-won began to scream violently. Excruciating pain surged through his entire body, radiating from his right thigh. He could feel it—the space below his right thigh was now completely empty. His leg was gone.
Squelch.
The sound of cutting reached his ears once more. Simultaneously, all sensation vanished from his left thigh.
Lee Jae-won knew. His left thigh had also been completely severed.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Lee Jae-won’s screams grew even louder. For a man who had spent his life walking the earth, the loss of his legs brought an overwhelming sense of loss that nothing could compare to.
"Uwaaaaaah! Uwaaaaaah!"
Lee Jae-won sobbed and sobbed. He was filled with sorrow and misery at the fact that he was now a complete cripple.
"My apologies. I have a personality that finds it bothersome when things aren't symmetrical."
Yoon Je-gyeom, who had cut off Lee Jae-won’s left leg, spoke with a look of mock regret.
"No, it's fine. It's better this way since it saved me the trouble."
Joo So-yang replied with a giggle.
"By the way, your level has improved, So-yang. Such a clean cut."
Yoon Je-gyeom looked at Joo So-yang with pride and offered his praise.
"......It is nothing compared to you, Uncle."
Joo So-yang replied, looking slightly bashful. While blood was gushing from the right leg she had severed, not a single drop of blood came from the left leg Yoon Je-gyeom had cut. It was a clear difference in their Sword Qi techniques.
"At your age, that level of skill is already magnificent... Have you perhaps established a Heart Sword?"
"No... not yet... the Heart Sword is... But you, Uncle..."
The two of them began to engage in a deep conversation over Lee Jae-won’s severed limbs, completely ignoring his agony.
".............."
Ha Su-ryeon, who had been watching the scene, stood frozen in shock. The sight of them casually discussing the nuances of martial arts after committing the horrific act of severing a man's legs felt utterly surreal.
'Are these people insane?'
A look of pure terror began to cloud Ha Su-ryeon’s face.