Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: The Price That Must Be Paid
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A man turned into a tiger.
A man wielded a storm.
Geun-yeong stood there with a dazed expression, taking in the battle between Ja-seong and the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend.
His mind, half-frozen in shock, refused to comprehend, simply cataloging the facts his eyes beheld.
-Kwa-ga-ga-ga-!
It was only when the storm erupting from Ja-seong's sword engulfed the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend that he snapped back to his senses.
The deafening roar, as if shaking heaven and earth, forcibly jolted his mind awake.
"Heok…!"
Thanks to that, a cry of astonishment escaped his lips as he finally regained his wits.
Realizing the scene before him too late doubled the shock.
Regaining his composure amid the thunderous roar of the sword-qi storm, Geun-yeong barely managed to utter a single word.
"…Amazing."
He had rushed over because he couldn't leave the fight solely to Ja-seong, yet here he was, just watching—though such thoughts had long vanished from his mind.
In their place bloomed awe at Ja-seong's divine might.
'Elder Gok was right.'
There was a saying: a needle in a sack.
Like a awl in a bag, one with exceptional talent cannot remain hidden and will inevitably reveal itself.
Someone with such power would influence the world, wittingly or not. It was inevitable.
And now, such a person sought an audience with the head of the Je-gal House.
Presumably, the purpose was a request for alliance.
The driving force behind it was likely…
'The central figure of the group, Lady Joo.'
Geun-yeong had yet to hear the details of their purpose.
But as a member of the Divine Machine Zhuge lineage, he could make an educated guess.
It wasn't hard, really—the name Joo Hwa-ryeon was still etched in the memories of the martial world's leaders.
The daughter of the previous Tyrant Heaven Fortress lord, vanished over a decade ago.
That daughter had reemerged into the world.
'And bearing the Nangong House lord's token, no less.'
This implied several things.
Former enemies had met and built enough trust to exchange such a token.
And through that trust, they now sought contact with the Je-gal House.
'In other words, we stand at a crossroads of choice.'
The fallen previous fortress lord's daughter, or the thriving Tyrant Heaven Fortress.
Common sense would dictate choosing the latter.
Yet Geun-yeong's heart, having witnessed Ja-seong's power, leaned toward the former.
The Nangong House's prior choice of the former was one reason for his inclination.
They too must have felt something upon seeing Ja-seong's power.
'I'll need to send someone to Hebi to investigate thoroughly.'
As Geun-yeong solidified his resolve, the storm like heaven's wrath finally subsided.
The Jade-Faced Yin Fiend had vanished without even a corpse, and the surroundings lay in utter ruin.
Seeing Ja-seong standing at the epicenter, Geun-yeong cautiously approached him.
*
As the sword-qi storm died down, the devastated clearing came into full view.
Naturally, there was no sign of the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend anywhere.
The single strike of the Sovereign Sword Form had half-demolished even the prison cell right beside it.
No human body, no matter how regenerative, could withstand that.
Confirming the lecherous demon's death, I sheathed my sword.
Then Je-gal Geun-yeong, who had been staring blankly at my fight with the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend, slowly approached.
"Young Master Goon, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Oh, but what do we do? The Jade-Faced Yin Fiend…"
We turned to look once more at where the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend had been.
Having pulverized it without leaving even a corpse, all evidence of the Je-gal House disposing of the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend was utterly gone.
As I wondered if I shouldn't have used the Sovereign Sword Form, the surrounding destruction caught my eye anew.
The clearing beside the prison, shredded along with the lecherous demon by the sword-qi storm, was a complete mess.
The flagstone floor was shattered to pieces, and as mentioned, the prison was nearly half-destroyed.
"Uh…"
Realizing this, I became aware that in defeating the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend, I had wrecked one corner of someone else's family estate.
I'd already demolished a guest hall and a wall at the Nangong House, and now I'd done it again.
I subtly glanced at Je-gal Geun-yeong, gauging his reaction.
He, who had been looking at me puzzled, soon realized the reason and gave a wry smile.
"No need to worry. We're in your debt far too greatly to get angry over a mere building."
"Hahaha, hearing that puts me at ease…"
As I laughed awkwardly amid the strange sense of déjà vu, something tugged at my qi sense.
My face hardened, and I whipped my head around, striding toward where the lecherous demon had been.
And there it was.
A black stone radiating the same baleful aura that had been embedded in the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend's body.
Flesh fragments wriggling and gathering around it.
"Th-this is…!"
Je-gal Geun-yeong's astonished voice came from behind me.
The mass of flesh was already clinging thickly to the black stone, growing larger by the moment.
Ha, regenerating even in this state?
Suppressing my disbelief, I drew my sword again and unleashed Sword Inspection, smashing down on the black stone.
-Kwajik!
With a sharp crack, the stone split in two.
The ominous black glow slowly faded to ashen gray.
As the energy dissipated, the clinging flesh lost its power and scattered.
"Ugh…!"
Je-gal Geun-yeong grimaced, his stomach turning at the sight.
It was revolting for me too, but I couldn't just leave that suspicious stone alone.
I carefully approached and picked up the two shattered pieces.
"Ah, don't touch it recklessly…!"
"It should be fine. The energy's dispersed—it's completely broken."
I brushed off the stubbornly adhering flesh and examined the fragments closely.
Ruined as it was, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary stone.
Yet this tiny thing had turned the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend into a monster that regenerated even after decapitation or bisection…
What on earth was it?
Did Elder Gok know what this was?
Thinking of Elder Gok brought Elder Yeon to mind, whom I'd entrusted to Hwa-ryeon.
I turned to Je-gal Geun-yeong and asked.
"Um, what about Elder Yeon…?"
"Ah, Elder Gok is tending to him. No need to worry too much."
Despite his reassurance, I let out a small sigh of relief but still headed straight to the office to check his condition myself.
But upon arriving at the hall, the two elders were nowhere in sight—only Hwa-ryeon pacing alone.
Spotting me approach, the worry stark on her pale face melted away like snow.
"Young master, you're safe."
"Of course."
I grinned and replied, and she nodded, visibly relieved.
She then informed me of the two elders' whereabouts.
"Elder Gok went to the guest quarters where Elder Yeon is staying."
"What about the wound on his chest? Is it alright?"
At my question, Hwa-ryeon nodded vigorously and explained what she'd seen.
"It was astonishing. That huge gash healed completely in less than a quarter of an hour."
I was quite surprised myself.
I'd had him taken to Elder Gok on a whim, but it seemed that was the right call.
Afterward, the three of us headed straight to Elder Yeon's room.
Entering, we saw Elder Gok examining Elder Yeon, who lay on the bed.
"Ah, come in. I was just wondering about your situation, young master."
Elder Gok, welcoming us—especially me—into the room, immediately expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you so much. Thanks to your quick thinking, this friend survived."
"No, it was my fault for bringing that lecherous demon here alive in the first place."
Elder Gok shook his head at my ashamed words.
"I know you were being considerate toward him. It's not right to trample good intentions just because the outcome wasn't ideal."
"……."
At a loss for words, I fell silent, and Elder Gok asked about the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend.
"But what of the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend?"
"I killed it. Not even a corpse left."
"A fitting end for such a villain."
A sharp response, uncharacteristic of the mild Elder Gok.
But as his disciple's would-be murderer and betrayer of his close friend, it was only natural.
"Um, I have a question."
"What is it?"
I recounted the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend's transformation and unnatural regenerative powers.
Elder Gok's expression grew quite serious.
"Regenerating even after being severed at the waist or torso… There are ancient records of such sorcery from antiquity, but it's long fallen out of practical use. And reconstituting flesh? That's a first for me."
"Then you don't know about this either?"
I handed him the stone fragment.
He examined it closely as I explained that it seemed responsible for all the Jade-Faced Yin Fiend's changes, then shook his head.
"No idea. At best, I can say it's not one of the talismans sorcerers use…"
A negative answer contrary to my hopes.
Hiding my disappointment, I took the fragment back.
If Elder Gok didn't know, Elder Yeon probably wouldn't either.
In short, the trail had gone completely cold.
"......."
Or had it?
Before it shattered, the black stone had emanated a baleful aura.
I'd felt something similar before.
From Chilji and the Soul-Reaving Lord.
Their energies were strikingly akin to the black stone's.
Half-convinced of a link between the stone and Chilji, I realized who might hold the clues.
Ye So-ha.
The mysterious woman who had incinerated Chilji—transformed into a massive tree monster—with strange white flames before vanishing.
I'd told her we'd meet again soon and share details next time, but there'd been no word since.
Much as I hated to admit it, I desperately wanted to see that woman now.
I wonder where she is and what she's doing.