Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 50
>Chapter Title: Jo Tae-cheong (1)
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Mok Kyung-un came to a stop after unfolding his lightness skill for quite some time.
The place he halted was near the high tower where the manor of the Circle of Primal Slaughter was located.
Excluding the main hall building where the Assembly Leader resided, the high tower—known as the tallest structure in the inner castle—was adjoined to the Circle of Primal Slaughter's manor.
Thus, even Mok Kyung-un, who did not yet fully know the inner castle's layout, had little trouble finding it.
Just then, Cheongnyeong's voice reached Mok Kyung-un's ears.
-Young lad. Aren't you... pushing yourself too hard?
-Pushing?
-Even if you've surpassed the wall, if something like before happens again, you could end up dead instead.
Cheongnyeong was concerned about the earlier incident.
That bizarre technique which had rendered even the rapidly strengthened Mok Kyung-un utterly helpless.
If his head were severed while caught in it, the situation would become irreversible.
-It's not too late yet. Let's go back.
-No. It'll be too late if we turn back.
-Hah. Too late for what?
-Someone capable of deploying such a bizarre sorcery... we can't predict what they might do.
Mok Kyung-un harbored different concerns from Cheongnyeong.
If it was something he could handle to some degree, there was no need to rush.
But if it was a technique he could not cope with at all, striking first was the answer.
Mok Kyung-un believed he needed to eliminate the foe before they could act.
-Anyway, you little brat never listen when it comes to this.
Cheongnyeong clicked her tongue.
Once this young lad made up his mind, he never bent.
Unless she manifested and forcibly dragged him away, there was no way to stop him.
With that, Cheongnyeong spoke.
-Tsk tsk. No helping it. Then avoid a frontal assault.
-Of course.
Charging straight in would only alert the enemy to his presence.
He had moved through thick shadows the entire way to avoid visual detection.
Since surpassing the wall, few could even sense his presence.
Thus, the warriors guarding the manor entrance had no idea he was nearby and were chatting idly among themselves.
-At least it's a blessing that night has fallen.
At night, fewer people roamed, and there were more places to hide.
Mok Kyung-un activated his qi sense and focused on his Ghost Eye.
To map out the smoothest path possible.
-Gooooooo!
"......Ho."
Opening his Ghost Eye revealed two auras at the early Transcendent Realm beyond the walls.
"Deploying two Transcendent Realm experts here, no less."
Early Transcendent Realm was comparable to a Division Leader.
As the Dark Sect Leader had said, it seemed the Assembly Leader truly valued the Circle of Primal Slaughter, with security airtight.
Moreover, most of the auras guarding the manor were at least first-rate experts.
Sneaking in out of mere curiosity would likely lead to disaster.
Of course, the current Mok Kyung-un paid it no mind.
-Swish!
Mok Kyung-un's form dispersed like mist.
It was the Na clan's famed Bright Water Moonlight Step, stolen from the Great Young Master Na Yul-ryang.
When fully unleashed, the Bright Water Moonlight Step was so swift it was hard to track with the naked eye—even Transcendent Realm experts would struggle to detect it easily.
-Swish!
Mok Kyung-un vaulted over the wall in one leap and entered.
He then swiftly traversed the manor.
There were fifteen buildings total within the manor.
One of them housed the sorcerer who had unleashed that bizarre technique defying common sense upon him.
-You planning to search them one by one?
-Yes. But that would take too much time, so the main hall first.
-The main hall?
-Yeah.
A sorcerer with such immense power that he could instantly grasp even Cheongnyeong's energy could not possibly be ordinary.
Mok Kyung-un guessed he was at least a high-ranking executive within the Circle of Primal Slaughter.
-In that case, wouldn't it be easier to ask that Jo Ui-gong fellow for the guy's appearance?
-Ho. Good idea.
Mok Kyung-un agreed with Cheongnyeong's suggestion.
Jo Ui-gong had become Pavilion Leader by ousting the former Pavilion Leader and his master's teacher, In Seo-ok.
He would surely identify the man at once.
With that, Mok Kyung-un headed straight for the main hall.
-Swish!
Not a soul noticed Mok Kyung-un's movements as he unfolded the Bright Water Moonlight Step.
Before long, Mok Kyung-un reached the Circle of Primal Slaughter's main hall.
Upon arriving before the main hall, Mok Kyung-un scanned the surroundings, seeking a way inside.
"Two at the entrance."
A pair of Peak Realm experts stood guard.
With the door shut, slipping past them unnoticed would be difficult.
Then he spotted an open window on the second floor.
There were first-rate experts presumed to be escort warriors on the second-floor corridor as well, but fortunately, none by the open window.
-Tap! Tap!
Mok Kyung-un formed hand seals and deployed the Six Seals Boundary Technique.
To detect any internal energy and prepare for potential barriers.
Faint internal energy emanated from the open window.
It seemed a barrier had been set.
"Nothing for it but to enter and dispel the sorcery simultaneously."
-Tap! Tap!
"Ghost Child Mother God Seal!"
Folding his thumb and joining three fingers into a seal, Mok Kyung-un chanted the Dissolution spell while unfolding the Bright Water Moonlight Step. He dashed upside-down along the underside of the third-floor eaves and slipped through the open window.
At the same time, Mok Kyung-un shifted his seal to the Blade Seal.
"Urgent command to yield. Dissolve!"
Thrusting the Blade Seal forward quieted the surroundings.
Nothing seemed amiss, but the nine talismans affixed to the walls crumbled to ash.
-Shhh!
"The Nine Shadowless Curse?"
A barrier where nine shadows bound intruders and pierced their limbs.
A highly aggressive spell.
This confirmed the window had been deliberately left open.
But it mattered not.
-Swish!
Mok Kyung-un unfolded the Bright Water Moonlight Step once more and moved down the corridor.
Six guards patrolled the second-floor corridor.
All first-rate level, but none posed any hindrance to Mok Kyung-un.
-Swish!
Dispelling barrier formations encountered along the way, Mok Kyung-un swiftly ascended the stairs to the upper floor in one go.
Upon reaching the third-floor corridor, Mok Kyung-un paused briefly.
"Hmm."
A cloud bridge connected to the high tower was installed there.
Likely for direct access from the third floor, suggesting the high tower served the Circle of Primal Slaughter's executives as well.
Yet something felt off.
-What's wrong?
At Cheongnyeong's question, Mok Kyung-un scanned the area and replied.
-No auras detectable.
-No auras?
-Yeah.
The main hall had four floors.
He knew the Pavilion Leader's office was on the fourth, yet no one guarded the third.
Having grown even more sensitive to qi sense since surpassing the wall, Mok Kyung-un found no traps or guards on this floor.
This absence heightened his wariness instead.
Mok Kyung-un looked up.
A single aura emanated from above.
It was a very familiar one—the current Pavilion Leader, Moon Square Jo Ui-gong.
After a more meticulous scan, Mok Kyung-un proceeded upstairs.
Jo Ui-gong was nominally his master's teacher and, bound by the Oath Chain, little more than a slave who could only obey his commands.
-Swish!
Thus, Mok Kyung-un stood before the Pavilion Leader's office.
To guard against surprises, he formed the Ghost Child Mother God Seal in his left hand provisionally and opened the door with his right.
-Creeeak!
As the door opened and Mok Kyung-un entered, his eyes narrowed.
The reason was,
"Illusion technique."
An illusion unfolded before him.
With his Ghost Eye open, ordinary illusions held no sway over Mok Kyung-un.
He could see they were mere phantoms woven from internal energy.
The illusory scene showed Pavilion Leader Jo Ui-gong seated at the desk in the office.
But the reality was,
"Hah......"
Naked, limbs bound, Jo Ui-gong lay there dazed.
"Heeheeheehek."
Jo Ui-gong writhed, emitting eerie laughter.
Yet his expression twisted in agony.
-......Looks like they've caught on.
-Seems so.
He wouldn't be in such a pathetic state otherwise.
Mok Kyung-un waved his sealed hand lightly, chanting the Dissolution spell.
-Swish!
The illusion at the office entrance unraveled.
As it did, the overlapping vision cleared, revealing the bound current Pavilion Leader Jo Ui-gong in stark clarity.
-Wait. Don't approach.
At Cheongnyeong's words, Mok Kyung-un halted.
Even without her warning, he would have stopped upon noticing something.
It was due to Jo Ui-gong.
-Drip! Grrr!
"Uheuhuhk!"
Jo Ui-gong's flesh bulged unnaturally as something writhed beneath.
The form was grotesque, resembling a centipede.
It crawled erratically under his skin, drawing pained blood each time as Jo Ui-gong writhed in torment.
But this was not singular.
Dozens—no, hundreds—scuttled across his entire body beneath the skin.
-Vicious.
With such things burrowing and feasting throughout, losing his mind was inevitable.
Mok Kyung-un's sharpened gaze fixed on the Oath Chain encircling Jo Ui-gong's arm.
The chain dug into his wrist.
"Seems he resisted the chain's constraint."
-Looks that way.
Whoever reduced Jo Ui-gong to this likely sought to learn who had imposed the Oath Chain.
Hence this madness.
But one ensnared by the Oath Chain could never betray.
Thus, clashing sorceries had ravaged Jo Ui-gong so thoroughly.
-Can you undo it?
At Cheongnyeong's question, Mok Kyung-un shook his head.
He had never seen such sorcery.
Surviving with that many bugs under his skin was impressive.
-......It's him.
-Him? That one?
-Yes.
The existence that had instantly detected Cheongnyeong, then stripped away all sensation from Mok Kyung-un's limbs save consciousness with a wildly deviant sorcery.
That same being seemed responsible for Jo Ui-gong's state.
"Ah."
Staring blankly at Jo Ui-gong, Mok Kyung-un soon traced a line across his sword scripture with impassive eyes.
-Slash!
A sharp sword intent cleaved the office air.
With it, a red line appeared on Jo Ui-gong's neck, soon,
-Swish! Thud!
His head tumbled to the floor.
Mok Kyung-un exhaled faintly.
No longer useful as a pawn, the kindest act left was a swift death.
Trying to save him forcibly would only snag his ankle.
Mok Kyung-un smirked.
"Easier said than done."
Jo Ui-gong, bearer of the Moon Square title, boasted the highest sorcery among those Mok Kyung-un had faced.
For even he to fall so helplessly... the foe's prowess was now estimable.
The one who wrought this on Jo Ui-gong and tracked them to their doorstep by sensing Cheongnyeong's spiritual power.
"......Jo Tae-cheong?"
The Senior Brother whom Moon Square Jo Ui-gong had feared.
He seemed the prime suspect.
[Senior Brother Jo Tae-cheong possesses internal energy rivaling Master. He is beyond my ability to handle.]
Jo Ui-gong's words to him.
Having subdued the former Pavilion Leader In Seo-ok, Mok Kyung-un thought Jo Ui-gong could hold his own if fully prepared.
Yet he had underestimated the man.
A more troublesome foe than the arrogant, aged In Seo-ok, perhaps.
Maybe a sorcerer stronger than Jo Ui-gong had anticipated.
"Kill him now, or he'll be a thorn."
Murderous intent flickered in Mok Kyung-un's eyes.
Right then.
-Step!
Footsteps echoed in Mok Kyung-un's ears.
-Step!
At the second step, Mok Kyung-un whipped his head back.
-What's wrong?
-......It's him.
Mok Kyung-un's memory transcended imagination.
From stride length and sound alone, he recalled even the foe's habits, identifying him instantly.
No doubt—the one who had entered the dilapidated shrine.
-He's coming?
-Yes.
-What will you do?
-......Kill him.
No need for deliberation.
Even if a master sorcerer, the key was singular.
Slay before sorcery could unfold.
Having decided, Mok Kyung-un acted with utmost speed.
-Swish!
His form dispersed like mist.
Unfolding Bright Water Moonlight Step, he high-tailed out of the office and down the corridor.
-Swish swish swish!
To the high-speed moving Mok Kyung-un, the approaching figure trudged at a glacial pace.
A sorcerer in plain gray yin-yang robes.
Unlike the shrine, senses intact, the sorcerer's aura appeared clearly.
Yet,
"The aura overlaps?"
Something was amiss.
Approaching at high speed, the aura differed from ordinary folk.
With Ghost Eye open, auras manifested visibly, yet this one's overlapped.
As if not one being, but two conjoined.
However, unlike the extraordinary internal energy, the aura itself resembled that of untrained commoners.
Thus, no issue in killing.
-Swish! Swish! Swish!
Brushing past the sorcerer in an instant, Mok Kyung-un positioned behind and gathered sword intent in his hand.
Untrained in martial arts, the sorcerer plodded forward at snail's pace still.
Mok Kyung-un aimed to sever his neck in one stroke.
-Shiiiing!
But then.
The slowly walking sorcerer's forehead suddenly split.
-Crack!
And then,
-Flinch!
Mok Kyung-un furrowed his brow.
The smaller overlapping aura upon the sorcerer had surged to an absurd level.
And that aura was chillingly ominous.
Yet this would not halt Mok Kyung-un.
He swung to behead the sorcerer.
But as sword intent neared the neck,
-Boom!
Something crushed Mok Kyung-un's shoulder.
The floor shattered, his form plummeting straight down.
-Kwang!
Crashing to the third floor, his descent did not stop—puncturing yet again.
Mok Kyung-un looked up at the crushing presence.
Two massive hooves.
Between them gleamed vicious eyes and a grotesque horn.
-Toru!
Cheongnyeong urgently warned Mok Kyung-un.
This was the Yi Mae Mang Ryang from Kunlun Mountain that had pursued her.
As a Demon Beast-grade Yi Mae Mang Ryang, its demonic power dwarfed ferocious or monstrous beasts.
Under its pressure, Mok Kyung-un's form pierced the second floor straight to the first.
-Kwang kwang!
It sought to crush him outright.
But unlike the wooden corridor, upon hitting the sturdy first floor,
-Crack crack!
The floor spiderwebbed outward. Mok Kyung-un redirected the pressure through his soles and slashed his hand-blade at Toru's snarling face.
-Slash!
One vicious eye split in half, spraying violet blood.
The one-eyed Toru bellowed in agony.
-Kraaaaaaargh!
The roar shook all directions with shockwaves.
Walls crumbled in chaos.
Enraged, the Demon Beast Toru rampaged to trample its eye's slasher with hooves.
"Troublesome."
Mok Kyung-un dodged to counter,
But right then.
-Bang! Bang!
Toru's hooves were blocked by some invisible barrier.
What is this? As he wondered,
"Hey!"
"!?"
A pretty bobbed girl in maid attire, one hand sealed, gestured frantically at Mok Kyung-un and shouted.
"Come with me, now!"