Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Secret Tale (2)
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"Don't do it."
Dang Cheonhwa stepped in front of Cheol Woo to block him.
"Move aside."
Cheol Woo said, pushing with force.
Dang Cheonhwa knew that the way Cheol Woo treated and spoke to him had changed a bit, but he couldn't bring himself to get angry. Anyone looking at Sanggwan Cheon would react the same way.
Still, he couldn't step aside. Considering Cheol Woo's power and temperament, the moment he did, Sanggwan Cheon's life would be over.
"Please move..."
Cheol Woo, growing irritated and shoving Dang Cheonhwa, suddenly shut his mouth. The hand pushing Dang Cheonhwa dropped obediently. As Dang Cheonhwa blinked in surprise at Cheol Woo's abrupt change, Sima Geon walked up beside them.
"I was just..."
Sima Geon patted Cheol Woo's shoulder as he passed.
As Dang Cheonhwa reached to grab Sima Geon's arm, Cheol Woo quickly intervened, shaking his head.
"Don't do that."
"Why?"
"He's really pissed off. Touch him now, and it'll be bad."
"What does that even..."
Dang Cheonhwa couldn't sense anything unusual from Sima Geon and didn't understand Cheol Woo's words. But when the leaders of the Pinnacle Sky Hall blocked Sima Geon's path toward Sanggwan Cheon, he finally grasped the meaning.
"Krahk!"
"Uwaaak!"
Screams erupted simultaneously.
All those who had blocked Sima Geon's way clutched their arms, staggering.
Thud thud thud thud thud.
The severed arms that had flown into the air crashed noisily to the ground.
Having casually cleared the obstacles, Sima Geon stood before Sanggwan Cheon.
"Sima Outsider, was it?"
"Y-Yes."
"Sima Outsider. Right. I've never thought of it that way myself, but from your perspective, I suppose you could see it like that."
The terror conveyed by Sima Geon's impassive expression and dry voice squeezed Sanggwan Cheon's entire body, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
"I respect your stance of refusing help from the Sima Outsider. But retreating like this after we were dragged into this unwanted battlefield makes us look ridiculous. So, I thought I'd check one thing."
"W-What?"
"I'm curious if you, who so confidently call yourself deserving of the Sima Outsider title, actually have the qualifications."
Sima Geon turned toward the hushed crowd of heroes.
"We got help from Elder Poison Freak and the Ha Hu Clan, and there's bad blood with the Heavenly Demon Cult, so we joined the fight. It wasn't just to aid the Pinnacle Sky Hall. But we ended up intervening because we were worried about that guy and the Ha Hu Clan folks."
The heroes' gazes followed Sima Geon's eyes straight to Ha Hu Yeon.
"If we withdraw now, not just you, but everyone here dies. You know that without me saying it, right?"
"..."
"If we intervene, the opposite happens."
"Divine Demon Division Leader, aren't you being too cocky?"
Chuseung let out a hollow laugh and shouted. Sima Geon slowly turned his head.
Chuseung, sensing the immense power in those calmly settled eyes, swallowed hard and clamped his mouth shut.
Sima Geon, who had silenced Chuseung with just a glance, continued.
"You who define us as the Sima Outsider—I'm wondering if you truly have the right."
"What do you want?"
Sanggwan Cheon seemed to have regained some composure.
"Your life or theirs. Choose."
"What?"
"If you die, they live. But if you choose to live, they all die."
"I said we don't need your help."
"You're misunderstanding something."
Sima Geon turned and called to Cheol Woo.
"Cheol Woo."
"Yeah, boss."
"If this guy insists on living to the end, kill them all."
Dang Cheonhwa, looking where Sima Geon pointed, gaped in shock.
"W-What the hell just..."
"Got it."
As Cheol Woo unleashed his Ink Gang Asura Qi to its limit, a terrifying killing intent exploded outward from him. The Pinnacle Sky Hall warriors exposed to it floundered in panic.
"W-What are you doing?"
Sanggwan Cheon shouted in alarm.
"I respect and acknowledge your belief that you can't accept help from the Sima Outsider. But sacrificing others' lives just to uphold that belief is something I can't comprehend, no matter how I think about it. It's repulsive, even. And the way they revere it as something noble? Pathetic. So choose. End your own life, and they live. Refuse, and they all die. By the hands of the Sima Outsider."
"W-Where does this tyranny end?"
"That's how the Sima Outsider is. I'll count to ten."
Sima Geon folded one finger.
"One."
"..."
"Two."
His fingers continued folding. But Sanggwan Cheon made no decision.
His wavering eyes, trembling lips as if trying to speak, and violently shaking body revealed his inner turmoil, yet he reached no conclusion.
Cheol Woo stepped toward the Pinnacle Sky Hall warriors. Dang Cheonhwa, who had rushed to stop him, flinched and halted.
The Pinnacle Sky Hall warriors couldn't help but tense up at Cheol Woo approaching with such ferocious momentum. But they instinctively knew: with their skills, they couldn't stop the monster before them.
"Nine."
When only one finger remained, Sanggwan Cheon finally decided.
"Die!"
Sanggwan Cheon's sword thrust toward the unguarded Sima Geon.
Screams burst from the mouths of the heroes who had been holding their breath, watching the two.
Most envisioned Sima Geon's death. It was a lightning-fast ambush from point-blank range, too close to dodge.
As if mocking their assumptions, Sima Geon lightly twisted his body to evade the strike and seized Sanggwan Cheon's nape.
"Guhk!"
Sanggwan Cheon writhed in agony.
"Ten."
Sima Geon, with an impassive face, stared intently at Sanggwan Cheon and spoke after counting ten.
"You called us the Sima Outsider? Then what are you? A false gentleman?"
Sanggwan Cheon couldn't answer. Before he could, Sima Geon snapped his neck.
He tossed Sanggwan Cheon's limp corpse toward the dazed Pinnacle Sky Hall warriors.
"If anyone still thinks they don't need the Sima Outsider's help, speak up. We'll withdraw without further involvement."
Dang Cheonhwa glared fiercely, as if ready to kill anyone who dared open their mouth.
No one spoke, even without Dang Cheonhwa's intervention. Whether from intimidation or not, they had expected Sanggwan Cheon to sacrifice himself to save them all. But he hadn't. His final ambush on Sima Geon had shocked them deeply.
"Was it true that if he killed himself, you'd let them live?"
Dang Cheonhwa asked Sima Geon.
He had stopped trying to block Cheol Woo because of Sima Geon's telepathic message.
"No way. Even considering the lives lost to that trash's so-called beliefs, I couldn't."
"Hah!"
Dang Cheonhwa watched Sima Geon walk past with a hollow expression.
"Ghost Gate Clan?"
Eum Jeok So tilted his head, then slapped his thigh.
"Ah! Ghost Gate Clan!"
"Didn't they get wiped out?"
At Ma Uk's words, Jwa Geom nodded.
"Yeah. Word is, the Divine Demon Division left not even a single foundation stone—just turned it into a pile of ashes, clean as can be."
"Are you the last survivor of the Ghost Gate Clan?"
Eum Jeok So asked.
"Yes."
"So, why has the final heir of the Ghost Gate Clan come to me?"
"For revenge."
"Revenge."
Jong Yo laboriously shifted his body and knelt before Eum Jeok So.
"Heavenly Demon Cult, Divine Demon Division. I know the Valley Lord harbors grudges against them. So do I. Please allow me to stand by your side and seek vengeance."
"Pooling strength is good, but somehow..."
Eum Jeok So examined Jong Yo's body and opened his mouth with a disappointed look. Hyeol Sal Pa Pa quietly approached and spoke.
"It's the Ghost Gate Clan, Valley Lord."
"I know. So what about the Ghost Gate Clan?"
At Eum Jeok So's retort, Hyeol Sal Pa Pa looked exasperated and tapped his temple.
Eum Jeok So still didn't catch on. But Jwa Geom and Ma Uk immediately understood her intent.
"That's right, Ghost Gate Clan!"
"Yeah, Ghost Gate Clan!"
Jwa Geom and Ma Uk shouted in unison and lifted the kneeling Jong Yo from both sides.
"Your body's not well—sit down."
"Y-Yeah, make yourself comfortable. Have a drink."
Hyeol Sal Pa Pa, unable to stand Eum Jeok So's baffled stare at their behavior, whispered.
"They say the Ghost Gate Clan's wisdom and schemes reach the heavens. No better strategist exists."
"Ah!"
An exclamation burst from Eum Jeok So. He finally understood Ma Uk and Jwa Geom's actions.
"Right. A strategist doesn't need a strong body. But I don't think we particularly need one."
At Eum Jeok So's words, Jong Yo replied politely but with firm resolve.
"If the Valley Lord's revenge stops at merely harassing the Heavenly Demon Cult, my skills would be useless. Your current abilities alone would suffice. But if you aim higher, this wretched one's talents might prove quite helpful."
"Higher, huh."
Eum Jeok So pondered briefly, then smirked.
"I don't even know what I want exactly. But I sure as hell want to smash the Heavenly Demon Cult. So, you're in. Nice to work with you, strategist."
Eum Jeok So extended a cup toward Jong Yo.
Jong Yo respectfully accepted the cup from Eum Jeok So and downed the liquor he poured in quick succession.
After exchanging three rounds, Eum Jeok So asked.
"Alright, time to hear the strategist's thoughts. What's the first thing we should do?"
"Run away."
For a moment, not just Eum Jeok So, but even Ma Uk and Jwa Geom—who had been happily sipping—froze. Hyeol Sal Pa Pa's eyes widened as she stared at Jong Yo.
"Not the most inspiring first words from a strategist. But there's a reason, right?"
Eum Jeok So recovered his composure first and leaned forward, asking. Though his face smiled, the fiercely flickering light in his eyes made Jong Yo sense the aura of a fierce lord.
"The Elder Council is moving."
"I know."
"We can't clash head-on with them now."
"You saying we'd lose?"
"We'd win. But it'd be a pyrrhic victory. Above all, the Poison Blood Demons alone can't topple the Heavenly Demon Cult. And while the Poison Blood Demons are strong, they're not invincible."
"Fair enough. I admit that."
Eum Jeok So nodded, touching the wound from the previous Ho Gol Dang Lord.
"We've done enough hit-and-run chaos so far. From now on, we need to build our forces as much as possible. Without power, we can't face the Heavenly Demon Cult—or the Blood Cult growing in the shadows."
"You even know about the Blood Cult?"
"Of course. I know they intervened in perfecting the Poison Blood Demon technique too."
A whistle escaped Eum Jeok So's lips.
"Damn, impressive. No one else knew that."
"What're you talking about?"
"For real? The Blood Cult helped?"
Ma Uk and Jwa Geom asked in shock.
"Yeah. They tried to milk me and the Ten Thousand Poison Valley for all we were worth. Ended up with me using them instead."
Eum Jeok So chuckled, recalling Jin San Yo's gruesome death in the Undying Cave.
"But how do we build forces? Most factions with grudges against the Heavenly Demon Cult have already joined us. The problem is they're barely hanging on—barely any real power left. No decent faction has reason to come to us."
At Jwa Geom's words, Jong Yo quietly lifted his cup. He wet his throat lightly and spoke.
"Before I explain the method, there's something I need to clarify first."
A faint smile played on Jong Yo's lips as he glanced around at Eum Jeok So and the others.
"Aren't you curious why the Divine Demon Division Leader possesses such overwhelming martial prowess?"