Chapter 74 - Encounter with Ma-seon
Claaang—!
Sparks flew.
“Oh? Blocking that? Try blocking this too, you bastard!”
Muheo swung his sword wildly, pressing the grotesque-faced man relentlessly. He aimed left, then slashed right, suddenly twisting his waist to trace a bizarre trajectory.
Clang! Cling! Cling-cling-cling!!
“......!”
The man kept stepping back, parrying Muheo's strikes. But Muheo's swordplay, rooted in the Dual Intent Divine Art, grew increasingly erratic with each exchange. At some point, the Demonic Cult thug couldn't even find an opening to counter and rapidly retreated.
“You bastard! How far do you think you can run?!”
As Muheo stomped the ground to charge,
The man bellowed.
“Everyone, fall back! We can't take the Sword Demon alone!”
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
At his command, the black-hatted demonic thugs began pulling away.
“You bastard! After getting your ass kicked by me, now you bring up the Sword Demon?!”
Muheo snarled in fury and lunged at the man again.
“Hmph! As if!”
Buso-yong, the Okhwa Palace Lord, also seized the retreating thugs' ankles with her astonishing lightness skill.
Kang! Cling-cling! Boom!
In the dim forest, sword gleams flashed under the moonlight. The clashes of blades echoed everywhere, and the demonic energy and auras from the masters made it hard for Jin Hayeon to even breathe properly.
“Breathe.”
Jin Muhon had approached her side at some point and dispersed the demonic energy.
“Huuu...”
Only then could Jin Hayeon exhale and steady her breathing.
“It's about your breath. Never stop breathing, no matter the situation.”
“Yes, Uncle. But something's off.”
Jin Hayeon tilted her head as she observed the battlefield. Muheo, Buso-yong, and her two disciples were entangled with ten demonic thugs. Though outnumbered, Muheo and Buso-yong's skills were so superior that it seemed the thugs would be subdued soon.
Yet the thugs who should have fallen already were enduring even fatal wounds.
“Aaaagh!”
Suddenly, one of the veiled disciples cried out and staggered.
“Cheong-a!”
Buso-yong shook off the thug she was fighting, kicked off the ground, and unleashed her lightness skill. Her form blurred with the sheer speed.
Clang—!
Buso-yong thrust her sword to block the blade slicing toward her disciple. In that instant, other thugs surrounded her from all sides and attacked.
“This!”
Arms severed, entrails spilling from gashes. Some had their leg bones exposed yet stepped fearlessly. Even for the infamous Demonic Cult, this was a first for the Palace Lord of Okhwa Palace.
“Master!”
If she were alone, it might be different, but with two disciples to protect, Buso-yong felt genuine bewilderment for the first time in ages.
Shrieeek—!
But then.
Something hurtled toward them at terrifying speed.
“What?!”
Even Buso-yong struggled to react. Before she could identify it—
Splaaaat—!
The waists of the six thugs encircling Buso-yong were shredded away.
Whirl—thud.
The Four Emperors Sword, spinning in a wide arc, returned to Jin Muhon's hand. The forest fell silent for a moment.
Now, only four thugs remained.
Jin Muhon slowly advanced.
Step. Step. Step.
Buso-yong and her blood-soaked disciple instinctively stepped back.
“Aaaagh!”
“N-No!”
Yet the thugs weren't dead. Even with their waists severed, they writhed and swung their blades toward Buso-yong. Jin Muhon indifferently slashed with the Four Emperors Sword.
Slice!
Severed arms and hats flew into the air.
“Hmm.”
All of them had grotesque faces. They looked less like humans and more like demons crawled from hell.
“J-Jin Family Head. What... are those things... exactly?”
Buso-yong's voice trembled faintly.
Jin Muhon gazed down at the thugs' conditions and spoke.
“Looks like they've taken the Demon Spirit Pill.”
“Demon Spirit Pill? Some kind of Demonic Cult elixir? Never heard of it.”
“It's an elixir, sure. Just special because the ingredients are demonic thugs.”
“......!”
“......!”
Buso-yong and her disciple gasped.
“People... eating people...? Even for the Demonic Cult... how could they...”
Indeed. This wasn't something humans did.
Moreover, for some reason, the Demon Spirit Pill seemed even more potent than the ones seen in Sichuan. Which meant the side effects were worse too.
“Could it be... Family Head Jin has also taken a Demon Spirit Pill...?”
Jin Muhon shook his head and looked up.
“I'd sooner fall to hell than cross that line.”
“I... see.”
Now, four thugs left. Muheo handled three, and one of Buso-yong's disciples faced the last.
But since Jin Muhon's arrival, the thugs grew wary of him, their coordination faltering.
Jin Muhon advanced, unleashing Point Soul.
Booom—!
“Urk?!”
“Kuh!”
The thugs struck by Point Soul staggered.
“Gotcha! You bastard!”
Slice! Slice!
Muheo seized the chance and beheaded two.
“Haaah!”
Buso-yong's disciple plunged her sword into her opponent's heart.
Swish—slice!
Buso-yong, watching, swiftly flew in with lightness skill and severed the thug's neck.
“Cheon... Cheonma Gunrimbo! Vice Cult Leader, how could you!!”
The surviving thug leader glared wide-eyed and retreated. Muheo stepped aside, yielding the thug's fate to Jin Muhon.
Step. Step. Step.
As Jin Muhon approached, he unleashed Absorb Essence.
Ssssh—
Red smoke rose from the fallen thugs' corpses.
Kiiiaaaah!!
“......!”
“......!”
The resentful spirits freed from the Demon Spirit Pill wailed shrilly. Jin Muhon drew all the spirits into his blood mist. They'd sinned in life, so they'd pay in death. Rather than purifying them, he planned to use them as death souls.
“Hah, even the Soul Absorption Great Law! Did you receive the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from the Cult Leader?!”
The thug was so shocked he forgot to flee.
Buso-yong and her disciples were the same. The thug's words carried too much weight amid the chaos.
“What nonsense have you been spouting?”
Jin Muhon furrowed his brow and retorted.
The thug looked at him with sudden realization.
“I knew something was off...”
“What?”
Jin Muhon advanced; the thug retreated.
“From the moment the Cult Leader sent you out, it felt strange. He even used demonic thunder to block tracking. Now I see... the Cult Leader foresaw everything and entrusted you with his legacy.”
“Legacy? What lunatic shatters his own dantian while entrusting a legacy?”
Jin Muhon scoffed.
Abandoning escape, the thug bellowed with bulging eyes.
“Then what are these techniques you're using?! Even the Young Cult Leader couldn't master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art!”
Swish—thunk—!
“Gahk!”
Jin Muhon kicked off the ground and thrust his sword into the thug's dantian. The blade pierced through and embedded deeply into the tree behind.
“Kuh...”
Black blood trickled from the thug's mouth.
Jin Muhon focused on the red energy in the thug's pupils. It rippled like blood jade, imprinted on the thug. Unmistakably, the trace of Divide Soul.
“Where do you think you're going.”
Jin Muhon palm-struck the thug's forehead.
***
Jin Muhon slowly lowered his extended hand.
The blood-scented night forest was gone; he now stood in an entirely different place.
“Hmm...”
Endless sea of clouds stretched below. Mountains piercing the clouds writhed like dragons, and the wind carried a scent that quickly calmed his excited killing intent.
Peach Blossom Paradise.
This must be what immortals' dwellings were like.
Plip-plip—
Then, the sound of pouring liquid came from behind. Jin Muhon turned slowly.
A man sat on a rock, brewing tea.
“Care for a cup?”
The man looked up at Jin Muhon and smiled brightly. He seemed in his early to mid-twenties at most. His tightly bound hair was black as ebony, his skin whiter and smoother than a woman's.
Above all, what caught Jin Muhon's eye were the man's hands. The very hands he'd glimpsed in the Blood Demon's memories.
Gazing at them, Jin Muhon spoke casually.
“You're Ma-seon?”
“Ho! It's been ages since anyone recognized me. Yes, that's what they called me once. Pleased to meet you.”
Ma-seon smiled innocently like a child.
Jin Muhon smirked too.
“Everyone reversing their age these days? What's with that face.”
“Hahaha! Beauty is a great weapon for humans.”
“You picked a fine body.”
The smile vanished from Ma-seon's face. Just that alone filled the mountains with an eerie aura unlike anything before.
“As expected. You're Dan Ri-ye's successor—”
Shwick—slice!
Jin Muhon swiftly slashed with the Four Emperors Sword.
The opponent was a monster who'd wielded souls for centuries. Even a soul fragment—dragging it out risked unknowns. So Jin Muhon beheaded Ma-seon without hesitation.
Thud-thud-thud—
Ma-seon's head rolled on the ground. Even then, he smiled up at Jin Muhon.
“Quite hasty. You must have many questions for me.”
“You weren't planning to answer anyway.”
“Hahaha! True enough. Then I'll take my leave. See you soon.”
“Wait. I'm coming right after.”
Ssssh—
Ma-seon scattered like smoke. The pristine clouds turned blood-red, and the sturdy mountains writhed violently.
Booom—!
“......”
A massive shockwave exploded, shattering the entire mountain. Jin Muhon began to plummet.
“Annoying.”
Rumble-roar-roar—!
Countless fragments rained down like meteors.
***
Splat!
“Ah, no!”
“Urk!”
The thug struck by Jin Muhon's palm strike exploded head-first and died. Yet Jin Muhon stood frozen in place.
“Jin Family Head? What's wrong?”
“Uncle!”
“Family Head!”
Muheo flew forward with lightness skill. Jin Hayeon and Oepari rushed to Jin Muhon in alarm.
“Uncle! Are you okay?!”
“Shh!”
“......!”
Muheo pressed a finger to his lips and narrowed his eyes. Jin Hayeon and Oepari sensed something amiss and clamped their mouths shut.
Ssssh—
Red smoke rose from the crown of Jin Muhon's head. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the smoke shooting skyward.
“Master... Uncle is...”
“Heart Demon.”
“Heart... Demon? Suddenly why...”
Muheo shook his head gravely. Heart Demons didn't announce themselves. In fact, he was relieved it had come now. Jin Muhon had grown too fast lately—he needed time for self-reflection.
“If he can't overcome it, he's done for... Hm?”
Observing Jin Muhon, Muheo slowly turned. Faint killing intent emanated from Buso-yong and her disciples.
“Tch.”
Muheo smacked his lips and positioned himself between Buso-yong and Jin Muhon. Her cold gaze turned to him.
“You gonna block me?”
“What, you want me to step aside?”
Buso-yong spoke calmly, expression unchanged.
“Old man. That's the Sword Demon. This may be our only chance.”
Muheo grinned and scratched his butt.
“Always with the women. Flirting and wagging your tail one minute, now stabbing in the back? And you call yourself a righteous elder?”
“I like the Sword Demon. But you've seen his skills. Even you and I together couldn't win.”
“Kekeke. Can't win, so let's kill him?”
Muheo tapped his shoulder with his sword. It looked like a third-rate ronin's slouch, but it was primed for any ambush.
Seeing Muheo like this, Buso-yong sighed lightly and shook her head.
“You trust the Sword Demon?”
Muheo nodded confidently at her question.
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Why? Live past eighty, and you see it. Don't you?”
“Maybe...”
Buso-yong glanced at Jin Muhon's back, then met Muheo's eyes again. Their bond spanned over sixty years. Not pleasant memories, but not all bad either.
“I just met him today.”
“True. Our Jin Family Head has quite the infamy.”
“......”
Buso-yong nodded and lowered her sword. Jin Hayeon, tense from the standoff, stared in surprise. Even her disciples' veils fluttered slightly at the unexpected choice.
“Palace Lord. What do you mean?”
“Exactly what you see. Okhwa Palace will not oppose the Jin Family.”
“Why?”
Muheo blinked wide-eyed.
“I met the Sword Demon today, but I've known you for over sixty years.”
“Huh? What does that... uh... mean...?”
Muheo stammered, blinking.
Then, a heavy hand gripped his shoulder from behind.
“Means she can't trust me, but trusts you.”
“Jin Family Head!”
Muheo jumped and spun around.
“Uncle!”
Jin Hayeon threw herself into Jin Muhon's arms. He gently patted her back with a smile.
“I'm fine. Why so worried?”
“How could I not worry when you wouldn't wake up!”
“Tsk tsk. All grown up and still like this.”
Seeing Jin Muhon's smile, Buso-yong finally understood Muheo's words. A man who wanted to protect someone—how could he be evil?
The peace of the martial world rests on that child.
As long as Jin Hayeon lived, Jin Muhon would uphold righteousness.
But if not...
The rivers and lakes will drown in blood again.
Imagining the worst, a shadow fell over Buso-yong's face. Jin Muhon turned to her.
“Palace Lord. What's the condition?”
“Condition...?”
“You wouldn't support me without one.”
“......”
As Buso-yong clamped her mouth shut, Muheo jumped in.
“Hehey! Jin Family Head! The Palace Lord's no beauty, but she ain't picky—”
“Not a condition, but a request.”
“Huh?”
Before Muheo finished, Buso-yong spoke. Jin Muhon nodded to her.
“Speak.”
Reading sincerity in his eyes, Buso-yong glanced back. Her two veiled disciples stood awkwardly, swords drawn.
“These two will succeed me. But they're evenly matched, so I haven't decided who's suitable.”
“......?”
Out of nowhere. Jin Muhon looked puzzled at Buso-yong and the veiled women.
Buso-yong met his gaze steadily.
“My request is simple. Please choose which one suits as next Palace Lord of Okhwa Palace.”
“......?”
Jin Muhon blinked.
Buso-yong scolded her disciples.
“What are you doing? Remove your veils and greet the Jin Family Head.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Yes, Master.”
Jewel-like voices flowed from behind the veils. Their slender hands gracefully rose to the fabric.