Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Return to Henan
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I never imagined I'd have to use the True Heavenly Thunder, prepared to wipe out the Evil Manor, in a situation like this. But with the room on the verge of collapse, there was no choice.
Dan Hyeong-u didn't bother chasing after the fleeing people. He simply stood there, staring silently at the remaining Silver Moon Unit Leader and the Black Snake Fortress Master.
"A shame, but it can't be helped."
The Fortress Master twisted the True Heavenly Thunder in his hand. The lightning character engraved on it split in half, and the upper hemisphere slowly began to rotate.
Crack!
With the sound of something splitting, the upper half of the True Heavenly Thunder detached.
Whoosh!
The fallen hemisphere shot toward Dan Hyeong-u at a speed reminiscent of a lightning strike.
Clang!
Dan Hyeong-u blocked it with his sword.
And from the hemisphere that hit the floor, a brilliant light erupted.
Kaboom!
An enormous explosion rocked the area.
The blast was so powerful and massive that it completely obliterated the wall where the Black Snake Fortress's main gate had stood. Flames shot skyward, and scorching heat swept in all directions.
The Fortress Master and Silver Moon Unit Leader stood leisurely amid the flames clawing at everything around them, holding the remaining hemisphere. Within a zhang centered on the hemisphere in the Fortress Master's hand, not even the slightest heat could intrude.
"As expected of the True Heavenly Thunder. Good thing I adjusted the range smaller—otherwise, the entire room would've been blown away."
The Fortress Master's mutter made the Silver Moon Unit Leader shudder. He trembled once more at the True Heavenly Thunder's power.
The flames rising high into the sky churned as if they would incinerate everything. No one caught inside could possibly survive. If there was someone there, that is.
The Silver Moon Unit Leader's face hardened slightly.
"I'm worried he might have dodged it."
"Impossible. The True Heavenly Thunder doesn't miss. Once it locks onto a target and launches, evasion is out of the question."
The Fortress Master spoke with such absolute certainty that the Silver Moon Unit Leader simply accepted it.
The flames showed no sign of dying down. Their range remained unchanged. Thanks to that, the Black Snake Fortress's front courtyard, main gate, and surrounding walls became fuel for the fire, reduced to ashes.
Then, the magnificent blaze suddenly flickered.
The Fortress Master looked puzzled. When he'd seen the True Heavenly Thunder explode before, it hadn't behaved like this. It had burned steadily for a full shi chen before vanishing in an instant. But today, the flames were wavering bit by bit.
The moment the Fortress Master frowned in confusion, the flames split in two.
Whoosh!
The divided flames simply vanished. As if they had never existed, they disappeared cleanly. In their place rolled the upper hemisphere of the True Heavenly Thunder, half-melted.
The Fortress Master and Silver Moon Unit Leader's mouths gaped in shock. Their jaws trembled with horror.
Behind the rolling True Heavenly Thunder stood a man, his collar unscorched, sword hanging loosely at his side, standing tall and composed.
Dan Hyeong-u's lips curved faintly. And his sword moved.
Kwarrr!
Two earth dragons formed along the sword's trajectory, lunging at the Silver Moon Unit Leader and the Fortress Master.
Arc 3. Return to Henan
Sichuan was thrown into turmoil by the destruction of the Black Snake Fortress. It had seemed poised to swallow the entire province, only to be annihilated overnight—no one could remain unmoved by the news.
Among them, the Tang Family's shock and frustration were beyond words. They had even prepared Thunderclap Bombs for the clash with the Black Snake Fortress.
In the Tang Family Head's office, several men sat with grave expressions.
"What in the world is this? The Black Snake Fortress was fine yesterday—why has it suddenly come to this?"
Tang Cheol-gi hurriedly responded to Family Head Tang Cheon-sang's question.
"We're investigating now. We should have news soon."
Tang Cheol-gi was the youngest in the room. Though nearing thirty, with the Family Head, elders of equal stature, and other Tang Family elders present, he was at least a decade younger than the rest.
This wasn't a meeting he would normally attend, but his success in bringing the Thunderclap Bombs had earned him the opportunity.
In any case, Tang Cheol-gi's answer furrowed Tang Cheon-sang's brow.
"Frustrating. I hope this isn't the start of some major upheaval in the martial world..."
Truth be told, he feared it beginning in Sichuan more than anywhere else.
The Black Snake Fortress had been a tough opponent already. Poisons and hidden weapons—the Tang Family's specialties—had barely worked, forcing them to procure Thunderclap Bombs at great cost.
But before they could use them to restore the Tang Family's prestige, the fortress vanished. It was utterly bewildering.
The emergence of a force capable of toppling the Black Snake Fortress in a single day in Sichuan demanded vigilance—not just from Tang Cheon-sang, but from everyone present.
Time passed in silence. The mood grew heavier as no one spoke. Then, the awaited report arrived.
A Tang Family warrior approached the office and cautiously spoke.
"I've gathered news on the Black Snake Fortress."
"Come in."
The warrior's body and face stiffened with tension. When had he ever entered such a gathering? But true to a Tang Family warrior, he quickly composed himself and began.
"We've confirmed the Black Snake Fortress has been destroyed."
A low groan rippled through the room. Even they were stunned to have it verified as fact.
"And we've identified survivors."
"Survivors, you say?"
Tang Cheon-sang's surprise prompted a swift reply.
"Yes. The rumors spread so quickly because of them. Most were just laborers, but there are quite a few warriors among them."
No sooner had the warrior finished than Tang Cheon-sang bellowed at Tang Cheol-gi.
"Cheol-gi, round them up immediately! They humiliated our Tang Family—we can't let this slide! Bring every last one!"
"Yes, sir. I'll capture them at once."
Tang Cheol-gi responded briskly and left the room.
Tang Cheon-sang caught his breath, watching him go, then turned back to the warrior, signaling to continue.
"The one who destroyed the Black Snake Fortress... was a single person."
"One person?"
"How is that possible!"
"Are you certain?"
Outbursts filled with shock erupted everywhere. The warrior trembled briefly from fear and tension but steadied himself and affirmed confidently.
"Confirmed by the survivors."
Tang Cheon-sang and several elders nodded.
"Rumors like that could spread. To fell the fortress in a day—it must've been terrifying. The survivors must've been mistaken, seeing people in similar clothes and assuming one man..."
But one elder, Tang Ho-gwan, thought differently. From the moment he heard it was a single person, a hunch struck him.
"Wasn't it someone in gray robes?"
The warrior looked mildly surprised at Tang Ho-gwan's question.
"Yes."
"And he used a sword?"
"That's right."
Tang Ho-gwan's hunch grew stronger with each confirming answer.
"He must be from the Henan Escort Bureau, right?"
The warrior's eyes widened in astonishment.
"H-how did you know? This just came to light less than a shi chen ago..."
Tang Ho-gwan nodded as if it were obvious amid the warrior's shock.
"That man could do it. If it's him..."
His words heated the room. The others grew agitated.
"What is it? Tell me."
Tang Ho-gwan was Tang Cheon-sang's uncle—no one could treat him lightly. But curiosity overrode decorum now. Tang Cheon-sang fixed him with insistent eyes.
With a quiet sigh under the pressure, Tang Ho-gwan began—from the escort mission's start to finish.
As they listened, Tang Cheon-sang and the elders' mouths slowly gaped. When he described Dan Hyeong-u manifesting Heavenly Thunder with his sword, they all shot to their feet.
When the tale ended, their jaws nearly hit the floor.
"I-is all this true?"
"It is, Family Head."
"Y-you said he created Heavenly Thunder with his sword?"
Tang Ho-gwan nodded.
"Then we can't just let him go, can we?"
Tang Cheon-sang scanned the elders. They understood perfectly, nodding vigorously.
"For something like this, a woman is far more suitable than a man, wouldn't you agree?"
Tang Cheon-sang smiled confidently.
Hyeong Pyo confirmed all the porters were gathered and raised one hand.
"Depart!"
They had arrived in Sichuan with five carriages, but returning to Henan, they traveled light and empty-handed.
The frantic rush to Sichuan had given way to leisure on the return.
There were thirty porters, the same number as before. But only one escort remained: Hyeong Pyo.
Watching the porters begin their slow march, Hyeong Pyo wore a bitter expression. With everything settled and the journey home beginning, memories of the fallen escorts resurfaced.
Looking back, he'd been lucky. Being assigned to Dan Hyeong-u, joining the escort mission with him—it was all fortune. Amid the Escort Bureau and Jo Family Manor's downfall, and the escorts' deaths, he'd survived to the end.
"Come to think of it, we haven't seen any Black Snake Fortress people since yesterday."
Hyeong Pyo remarked to Jo Seol-yeon as if it had just occurred to him. She glanced awkwardly at Dan Hyeong-u, who walked at the rear of the porters. He was right in front of her and Hyeong Pyo.
"The Black Snake Fortress is gone."
Hyeong Pyo's eyes widened at Dan Hyeong-u's words.
"Then yesterday..."
Jo Seol-yeon answered.
"That's what happened."
Yesterday, Dan Hyeong-u had vanished suddenly, forcing a one-day delay in departure. She hadn't imagined such a monumental event unfolding in the interim.
Rumors had already spread across Sichuan, but managing the porters had kept Hyeong Pyo deaf to them.
Hyeong Pyo shook his head at Dan Hyeong-u's terrifying prowess. To shatter a sect overnight—who could wield such power?
'On the level of the Sword King?'
The Sword King was among the Ten Great Experts of the martial world. Unaffiliated, he stood unrivaled, living and dying by the sword.
The Ten Great Experts' true strengths were unknown, but rumors abounded. Exaggerated or fabricated as they might be, they painted the Sword King as inconceivably powerful—toying with a sect would be child's play.
The Sword King came to mind, but Hyeong Pyo dismissed it. Even so, the Sword King? He soared in the martial world's skies.
"Incredible, regardless. The Black Snake Fortress... alone..."
Hyeong Pyo trailed off. Jo Seol-yeon was holding something out.
"Please keep this from now on, Escort Hyeong."
It was a pitch-black iron orb, adult-head-sized, engraved with a lightning character: the True Heavenly Thunder.
Experienced Hyeong Pyo recognized it instantly.
"N-no way, is that...!"
Jo Seol-yeon, unaware of its significance, replied casually.
"Brother Dan said it's called True Heavenly Thunder. You twist it here."
"Ugh! W-wait!"
As she moved to rotate the hemisphere, Hyeong Pyo panicked and snatched it from her grasp.
"Huff, huff. Th-this isn't something to handle lightly. I'll... I'll keep it safe."
He spoke breathlessly, tense. He didn't know the full method, but her words gave him a rough idea.