Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 116: Heading to Ten Thousand Dragons Fortress (3)

“Furthermore, the Sixth Chamber Leader stated that if I showed you this and you still refused to listen, I was to behead you. Think about it. If the Sixth Chamber Leader intended to kill me, he would have done so himself while I was still at the Nine Demons Chamber. Why would he go through the trouble of ordering his disciple to handle such a tedious task?”

The warriors of the Iron Blood Demon Group began to waver.

“Don’t listen to his lies! Everyone, attack him!” Do Geon screamed.

However, Wang Baek held them back.

“Wait! No one moves until I give the order!”

The Iron Blood Demon Group, which had been on the verge of charging, ground to a halt. Since Wang Baek was still their leader, his command held weight.

Do Geon, however, was livid. “Senior Brother, everything that bastard says is a lie! Why are you being so foolish?!”

As the two began to turn against each other, I spoke with calm composure.

“Iron Blood Dragon, you would do well to believe me. Did the Sixth Chamber Leader give you the Galaxy Needle Poison Tube?”

Wang Baek shook his head. “No. That is an item only Master possesses.”

Wang Baek was naive; he had no idea his master favored Do Geon enough to have secretly given him the artifact. I exploited that ignorance immediately.

“Then does the Ghost Rock Dragon possess the Galaxy Needle Poison Tube?”

“…I do not,” Do Geon muttered.

Of course he didn't. I had won it from him in a wager.

“Then why do you doubt me, the one who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠actually holds the Galaxy Needle Poison Tube?!”

“You thief! You stole that from me!” Do Geon roared.

I had been waiting for him to lose his temper and say exactly that.

“Are you suggesting the Sixth Chamber Leader gave you an item he didn't even entrust to his eldest disciple, the Iron Blood Dragon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wang Baek? Do you have any proof?”

Since it was a secret gift, there was no way he could prove it without exposing his master’s favoritism.

Fuming with rage, Do Geon finally snapped. “Those who will follow my will, step forward!”

Realizing he couldn't win the argument, he called upon the lackeys he had secretly subverted within the unit. Out of the three hundred warriors of the Iron Blood Demon Group, nearly a hundred stepped over to Do Geon’s side.

Wang Baek was struck with fury. Simple and naive as he might be, he was still a warrior.

“What is the meaning of this?! How dare you ignore the orders of your leader to follow my junior brother instead!”

But his words were as empty as an echo. Do Geon had clearly been working on them for a long time; a third of the Iron Blood Demon Group was already under his thumb.

I hadn't expected Do Geon to have seized control of such a significant portion of the force.

‘If it comes to a fight now, we’re in trouble. Against a hundred elite warriors of the Iron Blood Demon Group, we’re at an absolute disadvantage.’

The chances of survival were slim. In my frustration, I glanced up at the sky. A hawk was circling high above.

‘Wait, that looks like a hawk from Ancient Wood Valley. They’ve been following me.’

It was undoubtedly a hawk trained by Ancient Wood Valley to track me. Since they hadn't received the Heart-Guiding Blood Flow Divine Art yet, it was only natural they’d keep me under surveillance.

I reached into my travel bag and pulled out a cylinder. It was a firework signal meant to summon the experts of Ancient Wood Valley.

Bang!

As a yellow flare burst in the sky, not only the Blood Wind Squad but also Do Geon and the Iron Blood Demon Group flinched.

“I anticipated you might pull something like this, so I’ve already prepared an ambush. If you attack, we will strike your rear.”

Do Geon snorted at my words. “Even with only a hundred warriors, it’s more than enough to kill you. Stop trying to bluff!”

I put my faith in what Gan Cheon-seong had told me—that he would always be tracking me and that if I fired the signal, the experts of Ancient Wood Valley would appear. It had been two days since I left the Nine Demons Chamber, so I figured they had caught up by now.

“There’s nothing to wait for! Slaughter them!”

At Do Geon’s command, a hundred warriors charged.

Jeok Yeong shouted, “Blood Wind Squad, form a square formation around the Leader!”

I wasn't entirely worried. If we were pushed back, I planned to use the Galaxy Needle Poison Tube to take out dozens of them and then handle the rest with the Ghost Heaven Soul Formation. I had absolute confidence in the power of that formation.

However, I didn't even need to use it.

Just as I was about to fire the poison tube, a thunderous roar erupted from behind.

“We are here!”

A group of warriors approached with stiff, unnatural movements. They were the men of Ancient Wood Valley.

‘I knew they were following me.’

Nearly fifty warriors appeared behind the Iron Blood Demon Group, exactly as I had claimed. These men were formidable, their skills on par with the Ghost Pursuit Squad. They were more than a match for the Iron Blood Demon Group, who were a tier below the elite trackers.

“Why is Ancient Wood Valley here?” Do Geon muttered, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recognizing the newcomers.

“Ancient Wood Valley and I share a special bond. Do you still want to try your luck?”

Do Geon bit his lip, his face contorted with resentment. “Ah, why does Heaven refuse to grant me this opportunity?!”

His grudge against me seemed to run deep.

“We should take this chance to kill him, Brother. I’ll take his head myself.” Jeok Yeong stepped forward, clearly finding Do Geon an eyesore.

But that was out of the question. Regardless of his character, the man was the cherished disciple of the Sixth Chamber Leader, the Dark King Demon. If I killed him, the Sixth Chamber Leader would come after me personally.

“Brother Jeok, restrain yourself. Your sword isn't meant for killing the likes of him.”

Jeok Yeong bowed his head at my words. “I apologize, Brother. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

“I understand your heart.”

While I was soothing Jeok Yeong, Do Geon shouted, “Iron Blood Demon Group, withdraw!”

As he pulled his men back, I signaled to the Ancient Wood Valley warriors. “Warriors of Ancient Wood Valley, stand down!”

The two factions, which had been on the verge of a bloodbath, separated instantly.

Seeing this, Do Geon spoke with a lamenting tone. “Do not think you are safe. As they say, Heaven’s net is vast; it misses nothing.”

Give me a break. I shouldn't have to hear such words from a villain.

The phrase Heaven’s net is vast; it misses nothing comes from Laozi’s Tao Te Ching. It means that while the net of Heaven is wide and its mesh is coarse, nothing ever slips through. Usually, a hero says this to a villain, so hearing it directed at me made my blood boil.

He was essentially using a literary flourish to say that while I was escaping now, he would eventually catch me. I wasn't about to let that slide. This was one of the many phrases I had heard countless times from the drunken scholar back in the day, and it wasn't something to be used so lightly.

According to that scholar, the phrase held a profound and subtle truth. I recited his words exactly as he used to ramble them.

“You clearly misunderstand the meaning of that phrase. It comes from the seventy-third chapter of the Tao Te Ching, a passage so profound that even Wang Bi, the genius commentator, did not dare to add a single word of annotation. Recent interpretations suggest this sentence means that everything in the universe is interconnected like a net, and because every single thing is precious, nothing is discarded; rather, everything is embraced with love. It is not a phrase meant for seeking vengeance. Furthermore, since you seem to have read the Tao Te Ching, let me remind you of another passage. The sixty-third chapter mentions Repay resentment with virtue. It means to respond to hatred with kindness. Heaven’s net is vast is in the same vein as Repaying resentment with virtue. How can you speak of Heaven’s will while harboring nothing but revenge and malice?!”

Everyone stared at me with blank faces. No one expected a lecture on Laozi’s Tao Te Ching in the middle of a tense standoff.

However, my words acted like a bucket of cold water. Having lost his momentum to attack, Do Geon suppressed his rage and led the Iron Blood Demon Group away.

“Good choice. If you had attacked, I was going to test this Galaxy Needle Poison Tube on you.”

Do Geon ground his teeth as he looked at me. “Retreat!”

The bastard was surprisingly quick to make a judgment. He knew when to back off. Men like him were truly dangerous. ‘Should I have just shot him and been done with it?’ A fleeting sense of regret washed over me.

Once the Iron Blood Demon Group had vanished, I felt a surge of satisfaction at having won without shedding a single drop of blood. I cupped my hands toward the warrior leading the Ancient Wood Valley experts.

“Thank you for your support in such a critical moment. However, I do not see Leader Gan.”

When I asked about Gan Cheon-seong, the man who appeared to be the leader replied, “The Leader has not yet arrived after departing for Ancient Wood Valley. He instructed us to follow Young Hero Eo’s orders should he request aid with the firework, so please do not feel burdened.”

‘Aid’ was a nice way of saying ‘surveillance.’ Regardless, I was grateful. Thanks to them, I had repelled the Iron Blood Demon Group without a fight.

“Then we shall continue on our way.”

As soon as I spoke, the experts of Ancient Wood Valley vanished back into the shadows. When I looked at my subordinates, they were all gazing at me with eyes full of reverence.

Then again, how many people in this Murim possessed both literary and martial prowess like I did? Where else would you find a warrior who could debate the Tao Te Ching? Unless they were from a Daoist sect, of course.

“Brother, you are truly bold. Even I felt my heart racing in front of the Iron Blood Demon Group, but seeing you drive them away with nothing but words… I cannot help but admire your courage.”

Jeok Yeong was genuinely moved, so I decided to mix in a bit more scholarly flair to double the effect.

“It is said that Boldness wins the world; timidity hinders even a single step.”

It was a phrase meaning that with courage, one can travel the world, but with a timid heart, it is difficult to take even a single step.

“A warrior does not carry a sword for show. Is it not to practice chivalry and righteousness? How can there be fear when performing righteous deeds? Even if one were to die, if it is in the pursuit of righteousness, what shame is there for a warrior holding a sword? That is why I felt no fear or intimidation when facing them.”

The Blood Wind Squad spoke in unison. “Oh! Truly, you are a leader among men!”

Did I lay it on too thick? No. Even if I wasn't a cult leader, I needed to exaggerate like this from time to time to maintain the respect of the Blood Wind Squad. Only then would they find the courage to lay down their lives for me.

After that, our journey became much smoother. However, that peace was shattered after only two days.

I had thought the threat was over after dealing with the Iron Blood Demon Group, but that was just another delusion. A few days later, we encountered another enemy blocking our path. Looking at them, I realized I had far more enemies than I thought.

To describe my situation: I was emitting a fragrance, but instead of butterflies, only dung flies were swarming around me.

“They are the dogs of the Demonic Cult League,” Jeok Yeong muttered, eyeing the warriors blocking our way.

What a persistent, ill-fated connection. Just when I thought I’d dodged the Iron Blood Demon Group, the Demonic Cult League appeared. I looked closely to see if the Ghost Pursuit Squad was among them, but there were no warriors in black robes and masks.

‘Then again, those who died in the Nine Demons Chamber corridor might have been the last survivors. If so, the entire Ghost Pursuit Squad died because of me.’

While I was lost in thought, a warrior from the Demonic Cult League spoke.

“It seems we’ve managed to intercept you before those from the Divine Light Sect arrived. Consider yourselves lucky to have met us first.”

It seemed everyone we met took us for easy prey. But this Blood Wind Squad was no longer a group that would tremble in fear; they were ready for a real fight.

“Still… there are too many of them.”

The number of warriors from the Demonic Cult League was overwhelming. At a glance, there were at least a hundred. It looked like they had gathered every available member from the surrounding area. I had no more fireworks to call the Ancient Wood Valley experts.

This was a moment where we truly had to fight on our own. Yet, I didn't feel despair.

Back when I was a third-rate weakling, it wasn't that I lacked the skill to stand up to injustice; looking back, it was a lack of courage that made me turn a blind eye. But as my skills grew, I felt that it wasn't just internal energy accumulating in my dantian, but courage as well.

I realized that becoming a master wasn't just about increasing one's internal power or swordsmanship; it was about the growth of one's courage.

Standing before a hundred ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠warriors of the Demonic Cult League, I remained perfectly calm.

‘Unless they’re experts on the level of the Iron Blood Demon Group, there’s no reason to fear these dregs of the Demonic Cult League. But since when did I get this much backbone?’

I was composed enough to even have such idle thoughts.