Chapter 429
Chapter 429
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 112
>Chapter Title: The Situation (1)
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It was nothing more than a remarkably coincidental twist of fate.
"Body! Anyone got a body I can slip into?!"
Amid the fierce chaos of the battlefield, Escort Go Chan—who could no longer possess the body of the Idle Young Master Jang Neung-ak—desperately searched for a new vessel.
But there was a problem.
The battlefield was so brutal that the only bodies available were those on the verge of death or already dead.
Possessing a corpse like that held little meaning.
Moreover, though he was a vengeful spirit, he had been forcibly turned into one by Mok Kyung-un's sorcery, leaving his power level low. He had virtually no experience performing possessions on his own.
Rather than rashly entering some troublesome body, he decided to choose carefully—aiming for a vessel with a decent status and martial prowess, like Jang Neung-ak's.
Yet finding such a body amid the kill-or-be-killed frenzy was no easy task.
'Hmm. That one looks decent enough?'
He seemed to be a vice leader of some faction.
He had just lost a duel and was moments from death, but his body appeared reasonably intact.
So Go Chan entered it.
[You're still alive? I'll finish you off for good!]
[Huh? W-wait! I...]
-Shk!
[Guh!]
No sooner had he entered than a nearby enemy struck, severing the body's neck and killing it.
It was absurd.
Who could have predicted instant death upon entry?
He tried another body that looked relatively intact and usable.
[What? Weren't you dead?]
[Wait a...]
-Pfsh!
[Y-you... bastard... talking... grrr...]
Again, the heart was pierced right after entry, and the body died before he could recover.
If his power level had been higher, he might have controlled the body freely and induced rapid recovery. But that was beyond Go Chan's capabilities.
'Damn it. Should I target an enemy instead?'
But no.
[Die!]
[Kuh!]
Friend or foe, it was the same grim repeat.
After dying like this about three times, Go Chan concluded that possessing a new body on this battlefield was practically impossible.
He decided to leave the battlefield and find any body in a safer spot.
As a spirit body, he was light and could float upward, so he rose and scanned for a suitable location.
'Hm?'
Even as most forces, including the enemy, converged on the main hall plaza, he spotted a group of masked figures gathered at one point.
Given the circumstances, Go Chan had been ready to ignore them, but then he noticed someone unconscious among the masked intruders.
It was none other than—
'Wi So-yeon?'
It was unmistakably Wi So-yeon, the youngest disciple of the Society Leader.
He recalled the Master mentioning he had sent someone to protect her.
So why was she in that state?
Go Chan hesitated for a split second.
Should he secure a body or follow them? He chose the latter.
'It smells like it'll be a pain in the ass, but also like merit awaits.'
Thanks to her comatose state, slipping into Wi So-yeon's body was easy.
'Now what the hell do I do with this?'
-Shk!
First, he touched the coffin. It was surprisingly sturdy.
He had no idea what it was made of, but it wouldn't shatter with ordinary force.
And these masked figures were no ordinary experts.
Judging by their lightness skill speeds, each was at least peak realm, with their leader reaching the pinnacle of superhuman level.
'Even with this bitch Wi So-yeon's strong body...'
Facing them head-on alone might be impossible.
He needed to bide for an opportunity and plan an escape.
-Master!
-Tremble tremble tremble!
-Master!
-Tremble tremble tremble!
He had been taught the method to transmit intent to Mok Kyung-un as a familiar spirit.
To signal his location via their bond, he deliberately sent the message with tremors, but there was still no sign Mok Kyung-un had noticed.
'No way this coffin was made with some kind of sorcery, right?'
Unfortunately, Go Chan's suspicion was spot on.
He had rushed into the coffin with Wi So-yeon, unaware of the special talismans affixed to every crevice.
* * *
[Acu... point... strike...]
Mok Kyung-un recalled the Heaven-Earth Society Leader silently straining with his final breath before his neck was snapped by Cheong-ryeong's hand.
He had clearly been trying to convey something to Mok Kyung-un—specifically, acupoint strike.
Why?
Now he thought he understood.
"Guh..."
Mok Kyung-un gripped the throat of Mo Yak, the trusted retainer of the eldest young master Na Yul-ryang, and spoke.
"You... your acupoint strike is undone. So why pretend to be unconscious?"
"Kek kek. I-I..."
-Shk!
"Guh, what are you doing?"
As Mok Kyung-un moved his hand toward her chest, she couldn't hide her panic.
But with her throat gripped and body immobile, she was helpless.
Mok Kyung-un placed his hand at the center of her chest and said expressionlessly,
"It's a peculiar acupoint strike."
It sealed the麻穴麻穴 to paralyze movement and the 暈穴 to induce unconsciousness, but the晕穴 method differed from the norm.
It unraveled so gradually that even those sensitive to qi wouldn't notice, preserving consciousness.
In short, it had been done intentionally.
Mok Kyung-un's eyes narrowed.
'She planned this.'
Had she anticipated the possibility of her own death?
Mok Kyung-un glanced at the Society Leader's corpse, neck broken.
Even in death, his face and eyes showed no injustice or agony.
As if he had accepted it willingly.
Even in a situation beyond his control, he had tried to act until the end.
'Why?'
It made no sense.
This man clearly carried the blood of the Heavenly Vein Poison Immortal.
So why walk a path so opposed to his?
In any case, this woman knew why Cheong-ryeong had cast him aside and left alone.
"Tell me. What conversation took place?"
"Kek kek... I-I..."
"You won't spout nonsense about not hearing, will you? My current mood won't tolerate asking twice."
Despite the unrelieved麻穴 paralyzing her body and the creeping numbness, a chill ran down Mo Yak's spine, sealing her lips.
She already knew how monstrously strong this creature was—nothing she could do.
But then—
-Shk!
Mo Yak's gaze shifted to the unconscious eldest young master Na Yul-ryang.
Staring at him, she resolved to stake her life, her eyes filled with determination.
"Spare... the eldest young... master... Promise it publicly... and I'll... talk."
"You're in no position to negotiate."
"Th-then... kill me."
Mok Kyung-un's eyebrow arched slightly at her unwavering words.
She was one of those types.
The kind who would throw away their life for another without hesitation.
"I see."
His tone sounded resigned.
She took it as acceptance of her deal.
Recalling his gentle conversation with that vengeful spirit moments ago, that being seemed precious to him.
Mo Yak exhaled in relief.
It was a gamble, but it paid off.
"If you promise... in front of everyone..."
-Shk!
Before she finished, Mok Kyung-un flicked his hand, and Na Yul-ryang's unconscious body slowly floated up.
Mo Yak cried out in shock.
"What!"
-Grip!
As Mok Kyung-un clenched his fist,
-Pfsh! Pfsh!
Na Yul-ryang's body twisted in places, blood bursting from multiple spots.
"You! Kek kek..."
"Scheme all you want, but if you filter your words, I'll burst him like this and kill him."
-Krrrk! Crack!
Na Yul-ryang's skin twisted and tore.
No special acupoint strike on him, yet he remained unconscious.
'This bastard's a demon.'
The soft voice from his talk with the vengeful spirit was gone—replaced by pure cruelty and coldness.
Hard to believe it was the same person.
Mo Yak, eyes bloodshot with anguish, finally screamed.
"Stop! I'll tell... everything."
In the end, she yielded.
* * *
'So Wi So-yeon is the soul, and Cheong-ryeong holds the魄 resentment.'
Learning from Mo Yak what had transpired inside, Mok Kyung-un let out a faint sigh.
He had suspected some reason, and now the answer was clear.
From the moment Wi So-yeon was taken by the Three-Eyed One, she saw it as the worst possible disadvantage and chose to shoulder all the karma alone.
'She deliberately severed our bond.'
It wasn't using him merely as a tool for revenge.
To avoid wounding him in a fight they might not win, she had ruthlessly pushed him away.
-Grip!
Mok Kyung-un's fist clenched.
Understanding her true intent clarified his priorities.
Above all, he couldn't let them take the kidnapped Wi So-yeon to that place with the alchemy to reunite her split soul and魄.
He had to hurry.
'Find Wi So-yeon first.'
Having set his order of tasks, Mok Kyung-un headed outside.
The moment he emerged, a thunderous cheer erupted.
"Waaaaaaaah!!!!"
It shook heaven and earth.
With the enemy leaders subdued, the battlefield was already theirs.
The Society members, having slain or captured all foes, roared in ecstatic welcome for Mok Kyung-un, their new Heaven-Earth Society Leader.
-Papapapat!
Numerous executives rushed to his side.
Though injured, key retainers like Crushing Fist King Ho Tae-gang, Dark Sect Leader Hwan Ya-seon, Seop-chun, Demon Subduing Fist Master Gwang-seung Ja Geum-jeong, and the Masked Mara Hyeon were all safe.
-Thud!
Among them, Crushing Fist King Ho Tae-gang knelt on one knee before Mok Kyung-un, hands clasped in salute, and bellowed.
"Congratulations on the victory, my lord!"
-Thud! Thud!
The executives and cheering masses followed suit, saluting and shouting toward Mok Kyung-un.
"Congratulations on the victory!"
As thousands of Society members cried out, the plaza seemed ready to collapse.
Seeing them fired up in triumph, Mok Kyung-un—who had planned to leave the Society immediately for his goal—found his steps heavy.
His mind had been solely on retrieving Wi So-yeon and Cheong-ryeong.
Gazing at the grand sight of countless saluting and revering him, he prepared to step forward.
-Step!
This wasn't the time to accept congratulations or do anything else.
Victory was secured, so stepping away briefly wouldn't cause issues...
[Long ago, this seat dreamed of becoming a grandmaster to lead a new era and the founding patriarch of a sect.]
Suddenly, Cheong-ryeong's words echoed in his mind, halting his step.
Why did her words resurface now, of all times?
This wasn't the priority.
[Become a grandmaster who encompasses all.]
-Grip!
Her voice wrapped vividly around his mind, tightening his clenched fist.
Cheong-ryeong's earnest wish.
Recalling it, he couldn't brush everything off lightly.
'......'
Thus, Mok Kyung-un faced all the Society members looking up to him.
-Shing!
He drew his sword high, etching the thrill of victory into their souls.
Another explosive cheer burst forth.
"Waaaaaaaah!!!!!"
Caught in the blazing fervor of the gathered heroes, Mok Kyung-un felt a strange emotion for the first time in his life.
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