Chapter 336
Chapter 336
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 90
>Chapter Title: The Culprit (2)
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[How did it go? Grandfather Munno and that person?]
At the question from Ye Song-a, the granddaughter of the Holy Fire Spirit Lord, Tang In-hae, the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, answered nonchalantly.
[I informed them just as you said. Fortunately, it seems we arrived before they could be found.]
[Aaah. That's truly a relief.]
[Didn't I tell you not to worry too much? Thanks to your prior warning, we prevented a disaster. That's fortunate.]
[Yes...... You're right.]
[But why not inform the other cultists? For example, your grandmother or the high-ranking members in the cult?]
Ye Song-a shook her head at his question.
She spoke in a voice laced with a sigh.
[......The fact that this power has passed from Grandmother to me means she abandoned the will of the Holy Fire, and this is the consequence.]
[The will of the Holy Fire?]
[Yes. Cultists, regardless of rank, must pay a price if they betray the will of the Holy Fire.]
[A price...... So that's why you told me not to inform your grandmother?]
[Yes. I don't know why Grandmother betrayed the Holy Fire's expectations, but she must have crossed a line she shouldn't have.]
'A line she shouldn't have crossed......'
What exactly could that be?
She had been so obsessed with the cult from the Paras Kingdom.
Had her thoughts changed now that she was old?
As he wondered, Ye Song-a cautiously asked him.
[But, Clan Head, when can I see that person and Grandfather Munno?]
[Ah, when? Well, who knows. For now, I've had them evacuate to a safe place, so I can bring them once the situation calms and there's some leeway.]
[Could you tell me where they've evacuated to?]
Tang In-hae let out a sigh without realizing it, his voice tinged with irritation at her probing question.
[They've been escorted beyond the borders, so even I, the clan head, don't know the exact location.]
At his response, Ye Song-a looked at him with eyes full of suspicion for a moment.
Realizing his mistake, the Tang Clan Head softened his expression and spoke gently.
[The escorts didn't tell even me the precise location to prevent any leaks en route. But once they're settled, I'll know soon enough, so don't worry.]
It seemed he had smoothed it over.
However, once suspicion took root, it didn't fade easily.
After that, Ye Song-a frequently visited Tang In-hae, pressing him on when he'd have news.
Tang In-hae had been waiting for an opportunity.
He had originally planned to naturally inform her that they had failed to evade the Shadow Council and ultimately lost their lives.
But because of that one slip-up, she no longer fully trusted him, so he had been putting it off.
* * *
The Tang Clan Head, Tang In-hae, couldn't hide his bewilderment, his face rigid.
The woman with the power of prophecy was looking at this unknown figure and calling him "that person."
How could this be happening?
Why had this guy shown up here and was fighting the Yu Clan, the Tang Clan's guardians?
Tang In-hae's pupils trembled.
'......Does he know something?'
No.
Impossible.
What Ye Song-a had worried about was that the "person" from the prophecy was described as weak—frail, even.
But was that frail?
No, how had he even survived in the first place?
Munno, his sole protector, had died from formless poison, and he'd deliberately left a mark to lure him straight to the Shadow Council.
He should have been dead. How was he here?
Only Tang In-hae knew the truth.
He had acted alone to ensure no one else found out, so there was no risk of it leaking.
One other person had gotten involved, but he too had been poisoned with formless poison and fallen off a cliff, so he was as good as dead.
So why was this guy here?
As he puzzled over it, Ye Song-a's voice reached him.
"Clan Head?"
"......"
Her call made Tang In-hae's mind even more chaotic.
What should he do in this situation?
"That person"—no, that monster—was clearly targeting the Tang Clan, fighting the guardian so fiercely.
But the Tang Clan had no grudge against him.
That meant......
'He knows something.'
Otherwise, there'd be no reason to come here.
Tang In-hae's hands trembled faintly.
He was extremely tense.
Though his formless poison technique was nearly perfected after three generations, his opponent was a grandmaster who had surpassed the wall.
Even with the advantage of poison, he had no confidence in defeating such a monster.
If that guy was determined to kill him......
-Gulp!
Swallowing dryly, Tang In-hae slowly turned his head and looked at the Tang Clan executives and warriors clinging to the walls.
They seemed oblivious to the danger they were in.
It was natural since they didn't know what was happening.
'......At least it's fortunate I sent him to the Justice Alliance.'
Not all of the Tang Clan's forces were here.
Per the alliance pact, each sect and clan had to send about thirty percent of their forces to the Justice Alliance headquarters and branches.
Thus, his son Tang In-ok, the clan's young promising talents, and his younger brother, Inner Hall Leader Tang Yu-in, were at the Justice Alliance.
-Tight!
Tang In-hae bit his lip hard as he gazed at his warriors.
'Forgive me.'
No matter how he racked his brain, only two paths emerged.
If heaven's luck favored them and the Yu Clan guardian won, they could escape unscathed. But if the opposite happened, the Tang Clan would face its worst enemy.
They might even face annihilation.
So, he had to choose: fight this monster alongside these men, staking their lives, or slip away alone while it was still battling the Yu expert, biding time for later.
If that monster had come for revenge against Munno, no one here might survive.
-Swish!
Tang Clan Head Tang In-hae turned to look at Ye Song-a.
He had already made his choice.
"Outer Hall Leader. Take this girl Song-a to the annex for now and return. I'll watch the situation."
"Understood!"
* * *
'What a nuisance.'
Tang Clan Head Tang In-hae clicked his tongue as he loaded the unconscious Ye Song-a, whose acupoints he had sealed, into the carriage.
She had sensed something was off and tried to flee.
He'd had no choice but to knock her out.
"Sleep for a while. It'll only complicate things if you're awake. Hya!"
Tang In-hae himself climbed into the driver's seat and took the reins.
Fortunately, the bandits had all retreated, so nearly all of the Tang Clan's forces were gathered at the main gate.
He'd sent the remaining guards forward too, so there was no one to notice.
He had to hurry and get out of here.
-Clatter! Clatter!
Thus, Tang In-hae drove the carriage out the back gate.
The carriage had gone just about ten or so paces when—
-Clatter! Clatter!
From somewhere, the sound of rough horse hooves and wheels approached.
What was that? As he wondered—
The bushes rustled, and a horse far larger than usual burst out, driven by what looked like a monk in shabby robes.
At first puzzled, he moved to turn the reins and change direction.
But then,
"Hya!"
The carriage that had burst through the bushes swerved as well, blocking his path.
Enraged, Tang In-hae was about to shout at the driver when he furrowed his brow.
'That guy—could it be Mad Horse Fist Monk Ja Geum-jeong?'
He recognized him from his appearance.
The infamy of the Three Madmen was so great that most martial artists knew their looks.
Tang Clan Head Tang In-hae was no exception.
'Why would that Ja Geum-jeong be here?'
Excluding one of the Three Madmen, the other two were near demonic paths, and their conduct was so poor that most martial artists treated them as unorthodox.
Tang In-hae felt the same.
First bandits, now this lunatic monk—what was going on?
Then, someone jumped down from the carriage.
-Thud thud thud!
Three people: the masked Mara-hyeon, Seop-chun, and Mong Mu-yak, Mok Kyung-un's subordinates.
Ja Geum-jeong stood from the driver's seat and spoke.
"Is that really the Tang Clan Head guy my boss wants to catch?"
'Tang Clan Head guy?'
Tang In-hae was dumbfounded by his crude phrasing.
Though infamous as one of the Three Madmen, he was the head of the great Sichuan Tang Clan and one of the Eight Stars, among the martial world's top experts.
Their status was worlds apart, politics aside.
But then,
'......What?'
Tang In-hae frowned as he looked at the masked Mara-hyeon.
The lunatic monk wasn't the issue.
That masked one was suppressing his energy as much as possible, but he still seemed to have surpassed the wall.
He was on par with the elders of the Nine Great Sects.
Moreover,
'Those two aren't ordinary either.'
Both were peak superhuman experts.
Tang In-hae's eyes filled with wariness.
Ja Geum-jeong alone he could overwhelm with sheer power, but with someone who had crossed into the transcendent realm, it was different.
"What are you lot?"
-Roooar!
Tang Clan Head Tang In-hae deliberately unleashed his energy openly toward them.
He aimed to overwhelm them with presence and make them retreat on their own.
One transcendent expert and three peak superhumans were troublesome, but at the pinnacle of poison arts, nothing he couldn't handle.
"......As expected of one of the Eight Stars."
Seop-chun clicked his tongue at Tang In-hae's overwhelming aura.
Their levels were fundamentally different.
Yet he wasn't afraid.
He served a true monster up close.
He still couldn't forget the aura Mok Kyung-un had shown then.
It was death and terror incarnate.
Compared to that, even the Eight Star Thousand Poison Hand Tang In-hae's aura, stinging like needles on skin, was tolerable.
Then Tang Clan Head Tang In-hae spoke again.
"I won't say it twice. If you value your lives, leave now."
-Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
It was a murderous warning.
As Tang In-hae's wave-like aura crashed over them, they circulated their energy and assumed combat stances.
Seeing this, Tang In-hae inwardly scoffed.
He had warned them so openly with his energy, yet they showed no sign of backing down?
What were these guys?
-Shhh!
Dumbfounded, Tang In-hae soon exuded purple poison aura from both hands and spoke in a menacing tone.
"You've truly lost all fear. By this clan head's hand......"
"This monk's boss is so scary you abandon your own family and run, yet your tongue's awfully long."
"......"
Ja Geum-jeong's snide interruption left Tang In-hae speechless for a moment.
Their identities—what were they? Connected to that monster?
'He had subordinates?'
What?
Hadn't he been in hiding alone with Munno?
Why were these guys with him?
Tang In-hae's mind grew chaotic.
Then a massive roar from behind snapped him alert.
-Kwaaaaang!
If he didn't flee now, he might end up caught by that monster and sent to the afterlife.
Tang In-hae reached for his waist.
Among the Tang Clan's secret arts were many for crowds, like Mancheon Hwa-u—Heaven Full of Flower Rain.
His poison-infused Mancheon Hwa-u could incapacitate them briefly.
He'd use that moment to flee with Ye Song-a.
'Despite the gap in martial prowess, I can escape these guys.'
Decided, Tang In-hae reached for the needles at his waist.
But at that instant—
-Swish!
Mara-hyeon's figure blurred and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of him.
'What speed is that?'
Startled by the speed that even he momentarily lost track of, Tang In-hae jerked his head back.
-Pak!
A kick grazed where his face had been.
An incredibly swift kicking technique.
Tang In-hae released a handful of needles he held, infusing them with poison via palm strike to force Mara-hyeon back.
-Paaang!
Mara-hyeon flipped backward in midair, dodging the fierce palm strike.
-Thud!
He double-stepped to unleash his proper technique, but—
"Hold up!"
Someone stopped Mara-hyeon.
Tang In-hae, who had been about to counter, turned his gaze there too, recognizing the familiar voice.
It was their carriage.
The door creaked open.
-Kreeeak!
From inside emerged a man in his mid-thirties gripping a snake-shaped staff.
A face Tang In-hae didn't know, but his eyes widened at the staff.
'!!!!!!!'
It was the Eight Poison Snake Staff of Gu Yang-so, head of the Gu Yang Clan—his archrival.
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