Chapter 137: Disguise Technique (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: Disguise Technique (1)
The situation was a powder keg.
Seo-jun hooked his foot under Ju Yang-il and casually punted him toward the guards.
“You crazy bastard...!”
Two guards launched themselves into the air, scrambling to catch Ju Yang-il before he hit the ground.
The rest of the men surrounded Seo-jun, their swords leveled at him.
Seo-jun stared at them, furrowing his brow.
“You punks have gotten soft. Can’t even keep your own master in line, can you?”
Instead of answering, the veins in the guards' necks bulged with rage.
“Apprehend him immediately...!!”
“Apprehend, my ass.”
He hadn't planned on running anyway, so what was all this nonsense about apprehending?
Seo-jun took a bold step forward, his hands already wrapping in internal energy.
A slender man stepped out to face him—likely an agent of the Eastern Depot. Behind him, members of the Imperial Capital Defense Force and the Eastern Depot formed up, pressing in on Seo-jun.
“Hey, hey!”
Startled by Seo-jun’s clear intent to fight, Chun-bong shouted.
“What’s wrong with you? Did your brain snap again?!”
“I’m perfectly fine, actually.”
His brain was fine, but his mood certainly wasn't.
That prince brat—Ju Yang-il, was it?
The way he’d been running his mouth at Chun-bong was beyond obnoxious.
Seo-jun had been watching from the sky, holding back because he knew he might lose his temper if he went down there. But he never dreamed the guy would keep acting like a prick even after the duel was over.
Letting this slide? Impossible.
Sometimes, you just had to deliver a warning loud enough to ensure no one ever tried it again.
“Stop!”
Ji-am of Shaolin shouted, but Seo-jun ignored him and kept moving.
The Super Peak expert from the Eastern Depot leading the charge furrowed his brow and struck out.
Swoosh—!
An aura of extreme Yin gathered in his hand. It looked like the famous Sunflower Manual—the eunuch-exclusive martial art that could only be learned by casting aside one's manhood.
Seo-jun reached out and casually grabbed the man’s hand.
“Heh heh, you fool,” the eunuch chuckled.
Seo-jun, now holding hands with a member of the third gender, did not find it funny.
Cr-crack!
The freezing chill transmitted from the man’s hand traveled up Seo-jun’s arm.
His arm frosted over, and a thin layer of ice even formed on his cheek.
Haaa... Seo-jun exhaled a white, frozen breath.
“Eunuch down.”
Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal.
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
In a split second, Yin and Yang intersected dozens of times.
“Guh...!”
Blood erupted from the man’s mouth as severe internal injuries wracked his body.
Had Seo-jun not controlled his power, the eunuch's arm would have exploded entirely.
Staring down at the man, whose face had turned deathly pale, Seo-jun casually tossed him aside.
Thud!
Several imperial guards barely managed to catch him, tumbling backward from the force.
In an instant, a Super Peak expert of the Imperial Court had been completely neutralized.
As the bewildered gazes of the crowd converged on him, Seo-jun intentionally released his pressure.
Rumble──────────!!!
A momentum thick with absolute arrogance weighed down on the gathered martial artists.
Those who deflected it, those who barely endured it, and those who were utterly overwhelmed—all of them watched Seo-jun with tense eyes.
Seo-jun met their gazes with cold eyes.
His mouth opened slowly.
“The sin of daring to insult the Divine Sword Geum Family is immeasurably heavy.”
Insulting a clan.
In the Murim, that alone was cause enough to draw a blade on the spot.
In fact, if one stood by and endured it, they would be treated like a pathetic fool, not a true martial artist.
Seo-jun himself didn't have any grand attachment to the Divine Sword Geum Family, but Chun-bong was different.
He knew her affection for the clan. He knew the pride she held, the longing she tried so hard to hide, and the clumsy way she agonized over the fact that she could never go back.
Insulting the Divine Sword Geum Family was the same as insulting Chun-bong.
Flustered by Seo-jun’s icy gaze, Ju Yang-il forced himself to speak.
“...What relationship do you have with the Geum Family, Senior, to go to such lengths?”
“Furthermore, you insulted my master by calling her lowborn. That is a sin that cannot be atoned for, even with your life.”
The internal energy of the Yellow Cloud Divine Art billowed from Seo-jun’s entire body.
Those who recognized that golden energy let out low groans.
He hadn't just insulted the clan; he had insulted the man's master?
Just as Seo-jun said, no one could blame him even if he took the Prince's head right then and there.
Even Ji-am, who had been trying to mediate, was forced to remain silent.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“That is...”
Ju Yang-il’s eyes darted around, completely lost.
Was there such an expert left in the Geum Family? That couldn't be.
If that were the case, why had the Geum Family vanished without leaving a trace?
With an expert like this remaining, it was impossible that the name of the Geum Family hadn't been heard for years.
He had to find a flaw in that logic. Otherwise, his head might actually roll.
Ju Yang-il’s mind raced.
“I admit to insulting the daughter of the Geum Family. But a master? Who on earth is your master...?”
“Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family is my master and my benefactor. The daughter of the Geum Family you insulted is that very person.”
“...That makes no sense. The successor of the Geum Family surely hasn't even reached twenty years of age...”
Instead of continuing the conversation, Seo-jun took a step forward.
As he drew closer to Ju Yang-il, the imperial guards blocked his path with tense expressions.
Simultaneously, Seo-jun drew his sword.
Flash—!
Golden Astral Qi billowed forth. It was a divine technique—flickering like fire yet maintaining a constant, deadly form.
Those who recognized the profoundness of the technique gasped in admiration, momentarily forgetting the gravity of the situation.
However, things couldn't be left like this.
With the war against the Black Lotus Union in full swing, any friction between the Imperial Court and the Geum Family—or more accurately, between the Imperial Court and the Namgung Clan—could cause the entire Righteous Faction to stumble.
[Ji-baek, I believe you are acquainted with this young hero...]
At Ji-am’s Voice Transmission, Ji-baek snapped out of his daze. He hurried forward.
“Young Hero Lee, would you mind listening to me for a moment?”
Seo-jun looked at Ji-baek.
Ji-baek flinched at the sight of those eyes, which, unlike usual, were completely devoid of emotion.
He seems like a completely different person...
Steeling himself, Ji-baek pressed his palms together.
“Amitabha... Young Hero Lee, could you find it in your heart to show mercy, considering the current situation of the Righteous Faction?”
At those words, Seo-jun inwardly nodded.
This is about the right time.
If no one had stepped in to stop him, he would have had to put on a one-man show of pretending to calm his own anger.
In truth, he wanted to carve that prince’s head into the shape of a star, but doing so would make things far too complicated.
If he wasn't careful, the Namgung Clan could be wiped out by the Black Lotus Union along with the rest of the Righteous Faction.
If that guy had so much as slapped Chun-bong’s cheek, Seo-jun would have taken his head regardless of the consequences... but the current situation was a bit ambiguous.
And Chun-bong, who was hovering anxiously in the back, didn't seem to want things to escalate either.
But accepting the plea too quickly would look undignified.
It was a moment that required a bit of a staged performance—a little "WWE" action.
“My clan and my master have been insulted... and you are telling me to simply endure it?”
“Surely there is a better way than taking a life.”
“I am reluctant. I fear the Imperial Court will simply wash its hands of this once we leave this place.”
“That will never happen. Everyone here is a witness, and the Imperial Court knows the weight of honor. They will not let this pass as if nothing happened.”
After a suitable exchange of words, Seo-jun let out a long sigh.
“If Great Master Ji-baek says so, I suppose I have no choice.”
As he approached Ju Yang-il, the guards tried to block him again, but backed off at Ji-baek’s look.
Standing before Ju Yang-il, Seo-jun stared him down.
“Make sure you don't let your tongue wag so carelessly in the future.”
“...Yes.”
In that instant, Seo-jun’s hand moved like a flash of light.
Whack!
A hard rap to the crown of Ju Yang-il’s head slammed his face straight into the dirt.
“Guh...!”
Ju Yang-il’s body trembled, his head half-buried in the ground.
“Phew.”
Seo-jun dusted off his hands with a refreshed look and smiled brightly.
“Well then, please carry on.”
The Yongbong Gathering had to finish, after all.
* * *
The Yongbong Gathering continued under a strained atmosphere.
Seo-jun, who had been dragged into a corner by Chun-bong to be nagged, scratched his head.
“Um... So it was always like that?”
Was she saying it was a generational "WWE" act passed down between the Imperial Court and the Geum Family?
“No, I mean, it’s true that he was being rude. But I smacked him, so it’s fine.”
Chun-bong smirked.
“He got beaten up without being able to do a single thing, so he had to at least use his mouth. I have that much magnanimity.”
“That’s strange... My Chun-bong isn't usually that magnanimous...”
“What was that, punk?”
Her eyebrows twitched, but then Chun-bong let out a deep sigh.
“Still, it’s not bad. Thanks to you, the revival of the Divine Sword Geum Family will be firmly etched into everyone's minds. And since I won my match smoothly, if I just win the whole thing...”
She would be able to widely announce the glorious return of the Divine Sword Geum Family to the entire Murim.
Chun-bong giggled innocently.
“Anyway, so. Did you finish your business well?”
At Chun-bong’s question, Seo-jun grinned.
“Of course. Finished it perfectly. The Black Lotus Union folks will probably be thrilled to death.”
He didn't know the details, but they were bound to have a massive headache.
* * *
Overnight, the Blood Crow Sect had been annihilated.
The Black Lotus Union immediately dispatched an investigator to uncover the truth of the incident.
The man sent was Ma Deung-won.
He was a skilled individual recognized within the Black Lotus Union despite having no significant backing, and he was particularly talented at analyzing traces of martial arts.
As soon as Ma Deung-won arrived at the Blood Crow Sect with his subordinates, his jaw dropped.
“...This is absurd.”
Even though time had passed, the buildings were still frozen solid, covered in a stark white frost. The fact that they were frozen so thoroughly without a single gap proved the sheer level of the person who had created this massacre.
Crunch!
Breaking through the frozen main gate, Ma Deung-won quickly scanned the interior of the Blood Crow Sect.
As he swept through the grounds without hesitation, his expression grew increasingly grim.
Why the North Sea Ice Palace...?
No matter how he looked at it, these were traces of the Ice Soul Divine Art.
The unique Yin cold energy, the death qi embedded within it, the residual traces left behind when the power was unleashed, and the smooth, white ice.
Because the Ice Soul Divine Art was a peerless Divine Art, its characteristics were distinct, and those characteristics were blatantly displayed throughout the entirety of the Blood Crow Sect.
However, there was one strange thing.
“I sense Demonic Qi.”
“It seems there were two or more culprits,” a subordinate noted.
At those words, Ma Deung-won shook his head.
“Wrong. This was all done by one person.”
Unfortunately, there were almost no intact corpses left, making it difficult to determine the exact techniques used, but he could tell that there was only a single perpetrator.
“...Are you saying a single person annihilated a sect of the Blood Crow Sect’s caliber?”
“Yes.”
Even in the Ice Palace, there weren't many experts of this level.
Furthermore, as far as Ma Deung-won knew, none of them practiced Demonic Arts. To begin with, it made no sense for a martial artist belonging to the Black Lotus Union to practice Demonic Arts.
That would mean there was a high possibility of a third party, but the undeniable presence of the Ice Soul Divine Art made it hard to be certain.
Ma Deung-won chewed his lip as he wandered through the ruins of the Blood Crow Sect.
This is problematic.
In the end, all the evidence pointed to the North Sea Ice Palace.
Moreover, based on these clues, there was even the possibility that the North Sea Ice Palace had joined forces with the Demonic Cult.
With the war against the Righteous Faction in full swing, this was by no means good news.
It didn't matter what the minor sects babbled about, but if the Seven Evil Black Sect tried to use this evidence to reduce the North Sea Ice Palace’s interests, things could spiral out of control.
The worst-case scenario was if this truly was the work of the North Sea Ice Palace.
If they had joined hands with the Demonic Cult, and a three-way war between the Righteous, Evil, and Demonic factions broke out... the entire power structure of the Central Plains would be overturned.
“Dammit... Who the hell did this...?”
Ma Deung-won clutched his head.
He felt like his skull was going to split.
* * *
“Why are my ears so itchy?”
As Seo-jun scratched his ear, Chun-bong scoffed.
“Are there only one or two people who would be badmouthing you right now?”
“Hey, Ms. Geum! You’re hitting me with facts like that?”
“Facts? What nonsense are you talking about?” Chun-bong grumbled.
Even so, she was the kind of good-hearted younger sister who would immediately deliver a dropkick to anyone she caught badmouthing Seo-jun.
Seo-jun ruffled her hair playfully as he pondered.
Come to think of it, aren't I the perfect talent for instigating chaos?
What was it that the sects feared so much?
There were many things, of course, but one of them was the possibility of being framed for something they didn't do if their martial arts were leaked.
And Seo-jun had a superlative talent for copying martial arts. Now that his realm had reached such heights and his skills had improved further, he could execute most martial arts almost identically to the originals.
This meant he could leave behind traces and vanish, gifting a specific sect a full set of false accusations.
Not bad.
Maybe he should even learn the Disguise Technique and really stir the pot?
Baek Seo-jun of the North Sea Ice Palace, some-Seo-jun of the Demonic Cult, and Lee Seo-jun of the Righteous Faction.
The naming was a bit too blatant, but no one would ever suspect him based on that.
I mean, who would suspect someone using completely different martial arts?
Anyone who even suggested it would be treated like an idiot.
“Oho...”
It certainly looked fun.
Adopted.
The vision of living a triple life was becoming crystal clear.