Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Filling the Heart (3)
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Within the Twin Dragon Sect perched atop the mountain peak.
In the opulent inner chamber, more than twenty people were seated.
"Tsk tsk. Bunch of idiots."
A man lounging on an ornate throne, chin propped on his hand, with gleaming golden swords planted on either side, spat the words.
"Can't even handle one guy, and you make me go through the trouble."
"Forgive us. We beg your mercy."
"Please forgive us, Little Sect Leader!"
Thud thud.
Two middle-aged men knelt in the hall, slamming their foreheads against the floor as they pleaded.
The Green Nether Sect Leader and the White Nether Sect Leader.
The ones before whom the two leaders of the Four Death Sects were begging for their lives were none other than...
The man closest to the pinnacle of the Twin Dragons.
The Little Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect, Twin Dragon Blood Sword An Jin-baek.
"Useless fools."
An elder standing beside him, who spewed the venomous remark, cleared his throat with a rattling cough.
"Little Sect Leader, please calm your anger. If anything, it's not entirely their fault."
"Blood Dragon Family Lord."
"Word is, this 'Dark Venerable' fellow wields skills far beyond the ordinary. He took down five White Swords single-handedly. They couldn't have handled an enemy like that."
It sounded like defense at first glance, but the mockery laced in his tone subtly crushed the serpents beneath his heel.
And for good reason—the elder was the lord of the Blood Dragon Family, sworn protectors of the Twin Dragon Sect.
Reckless Dragon Sword Gwan-ak.
Moreover, one of the top three absolute masters in all of Fujian Province.
A middle-aged man in a crimson robe standing on the opposite side chimed in.
"This is actually a chance to reassert order in Fujian Province. With the Sovereign away, showing your authority as Little Sect Leader would delight everyone, would it not?"
Mountain-Cleaving Dark Sword Jo Hyu.
Yet another—lord of the Dark Dragon Family, protectors of the Twin Dragons.
As the two family lords spoke up, An Jin-baek's momentum softened somewhat.
"If it were possible, yes."
He conceded the point somewhat, but his tone remained frigid as ever.
"But how do we restore honor once it's been tarnished?"
At the question, Jo Hyu offered the craftiest scheme, as expected.
"The root of it all is the Dark Venerable. Kill him, and restoring the lost honor will be simple."
"Kill him? How exactly?"
The Dark Venerable's prowess was shockingly high.
A realm where he could shatter the combined assault of five White Swords meant, nine times out of ten, a transcendent expert.
In the worst case, on par with the top hundred masters of the martial world.
No one could simply swat down a powerhouse like that.
"As you say, Little Sect Leader, taking him down one-on-one is a distant dream. But if we two and all Ten Swords mobilize, eliminating him with minimal losses is far from impossible."
True enough.
No matter how superhuman the expert, he was still flesh and blood.
Even the mightiest had limits against a swarm of attacks.
Besides, the speakers—Reckless Dragon Sword Gwan-ak and Mountain-Cleaving Dark Sword Jo Hyu—were transcendent masters themselves.
They knew how true masters fought.
But there was a catch.
"Unless he's a fool, would he even face the main sect head-on?"
"Heh. If he won't come out, we make him have no choice."
"Explain in detail."
"There aren't many places in Fujian Province to hide from the Twin Dragons' watchful eyes."
"He's most likely receiving aid from the Hawen Clan."
An Jin-baek nodded at the two lords' words.
"Likely."
They had long been monitoring the Hawen Clan.
Even reduced to a handful, their latent power was well-known.
"If he's getting Hawen support, it's simple. To get a bird's nest from a high branch, you don't always have to climb the tree."
Jo Hyu grinned wickedly, his sneer dripping malice.
"You can kick the trunk and shake the nest down."
"Ho. So you're saying strike his nest—the Hawen Clan—first?"
"Seize everyone connected to Hawen as hostages this time, and the Dark Venerable will have to show himself."
"Hostages? I like it."
A bit extreme, but it appealed to An Jin-baek, who kept drumming the throne's armrests.
"What if he doesn't appear?"
"Heh. The Dark Venerable's name echoes now, hailed as a great foe, because of his fearless exploits. If he cowers and hides, all the better. Then we can round up and execute all the suspects."
"Heh. True, no one expects much from a coward who flees in fear."
After brief deliberation, Little Sect Leader An Jin-baek issued the order.
"Very well. Call in all Ten Swords. Better to make it overwhelming."
"As you command, Little Sect Leader."
As the two lords bowed, An Jin-baek bellowed at the two sect leaders still unable to lift their faces from the floor.
"I'll assign you White Swords. From now on, drag in every last ant connected to the Hawen Clan—not one escapes."
Not one left behind.
His resounding words echoed.
"Your will!"
The Green Nether and White Nether Sect Leaders cried out in unison.
With the Twin Dragons' orders issued, a brutal storm swept Fujian Province.
"Hawen Clan! Round up everyone connected to those scum!"
"No evidence needed! Torture confessions out of them!"
"Cut off the fingers of any who resist. By order of the Twin Dragons!"
Led by White Swords, the Four Death Sects struck first at a village on the province's outskirts.
The Hawen Clan was a sect of the lowly.
"Kill all the trash crawling in the gutters, and he'll show eventually."
Simple logic—and the lowliest and weakest suffered first.
"Waaah. Waaah."
"Ugh... mercy... please."
People were suddenly seized by the Four Death Sect disciples, dragged by their hair from all directions.
"D-dear! We don't know anything...!"
"Out of the way!"
"Eek!"
Family members blocking the way were battered mercilessly, rolling in blood and dirt.
"Let my father go!"
"This one's with them too! Take him!"
"Aaaah! Father! Father!"
"N-not my child!"
The blade of violence spared no one—man, woman, child, or elder.
Suddenly, wails echoed throughout Fujian Province, cries piercing the heavens.
The Twin Dragons' counterattack had begun.
"Now do you see? How dangerous your actions were."
The one-armed elder cried out desperately.
"This is how the dragons rule. Crushing the weak and lording over their corpses. Dark Venerable—you gave them the pretext!"
He parted the cloth over a window, pointing outside.
There, a snot-nosed child wailed as its parents bled, dragged away.
"That's why the branch has stayed quiet till now. To avoid provoking them and causing disaster."
"......"
"Because of your reckless meddling, our worst fears came true. What now?"
Despair mingled with defeat in his tone. And accusation.
As if he'd witnessed such tragedies countless times.
"Dark Venerable! Speak!"
Chu Un-hwi, who had been listening, finally spoke.
"Why should I care that much?"
"Didn't you start this?"
"I asked why I should care about them."
"...Surely you're not saying you'll stand by while innocents die?"
"You're misunderstanding something."
Chu Un-hwi snorted.
"I just do my job. Mine is eliminating obstacles. Comforting crybabies isn't."
"Dark Venerable... you..."
So.
"Go home. No send-off."
The one-armed elder's slumped eyes dimmed.
After the elder left, leaving just the two in the chamber, a peculiar gaze lingered.
Ya Hul-cheok's.
"Unexpected."
"What's unexpected?"
"I thought you'd help them."
"No way."
Chu Un-hwi smirked, adjusting his bamboo hat.
"I'm no saint. No reason to help them."
"Seeing you kill, I can't even jokingly call you good."
"You get it."
"But not evil either? You help me."
Chu Un-hwi shook his head at Ya Hul-cheok's question.
"You're useful."
"...Useful?"
"Yeah. Useful. I wouldn't trust a sniveling coward to guard the house."
"......"
"Friendly advice: drop any vain hopes. Remember why I'm keeping you?"
"...I do."
Ya Hul-cheok, listening, suddenly looked puzzled and raised his head.
"Who exactly are the 'useful' ones you speak of?"
"Lots of questions."
"To build a sect as you wish, shouldn't I know what to do?"
Chu Un-hwi replied.
"Think for yourself. Walk your own path."
"...?"
"When you feel like crying and collapsing, maybe sing and laugh instead."
"...That's it?"
"Yeah."
Cryptic words.
Puzzled, Ya Hul-cheok fell silent, deep in thought.
"...We've failed you, Branch Leader."
At the one-armed elder's report, the branch members sighed in unison.
"Never thought the Hawen guest would do this."
"At this rate, we're done for. We need a plan."
"We must find a way to survive now!"
"......"
Naeng Yeom pondered gravely, then bowed his head.
"The branch's survival hangs by a thread."
As sighs filled the air, one branch member spoke.
"Branch Leader. They've taken my whole family. Because of me, my kin are all captured."
"......"
Another gnashed his teeth.
"They're grabbing people without reason. It's not just the branch—countless innocents will die!"
"Branch Leader!"
Amid the uproar, Naeng Yeom pressed his brow, headache mounting.
"...What should we do...?"
---
In the silence, someone spoke.
"They're after the Dark Venerable alone."
"Right. Rumors are spreading—he'll save Fujian from the shadows."
"Hand over the Dark Venerable, and the Twin Dragons' worries end. Their rage too."
Voices clashed wildly, but all desired one thing.
Betray the Dark Venerable.
Perhaps betray the Hawen Clan itself.
Unthinkable in normal times—but now families and friends were being taken.
The Hawen Clan was a sect of the lowly.
This identity once united them; paradoxically, now it made them all victims.
Having endangered kin and allies, grief consumed them.
"It's not betrayal. The Dark Venerable rejected our alliance! We're choosing survival."
As shouts flew, the one-armed elder shot to his feet.
"Branch Leader! You just listening to this nonsense?"
"Stay put. This calls for careful thought."
Reading ominous intent in the low voice, the elder shut his mouth.
Watching the exchange, a stone seemed to settle in his chest, suffocating him.
Haa. Is this really okay?
Swallowing his anguish, he rose.
There was someone he wanted to see in this hopeless time.