Chapter 216
The training grounds within Pear Blossom Villa.
The Death Shadow Squad members, who usually roamed about freely in relaxed states, now stood in solemn formation with grave expressions.
Thud. Thud.
When Bu Eun-seol finally appeared, the squad members straightened their postures even more sharply, as if honed by blades.
"They will soon arrive in force—the vanguard of the Beggars' Sect."
Bu Eun-seol's quiet voice resonated across the training grounds.
"The Beggar Corps, renowned as the elite combat unit of the Beggars' Sect, competing for the highest rank among their forces."
Heuk-pyo, following Bu Eun-seol's orders, had established connections with the Black Syndicate factions in Kaifeng, gathering intelligence from them.
And finally, the Beggars' Sect's intelligence network had uncovered the identity of the Death Shadow Squad hiding in Pear Blossom Villa. News had arrived that the Beggar Corps would soon launch a surprise attack on the estate.
"The Beggar Corps are not only battle-hardened but also elites trained in the Beggars' Sect's Art of Killing, striking down enemies without hesitation."
Even as Bu Eun-seol spoke, the expressions of the squad members remained utterly still, not a flicker of movement.
Until now, the Death Shadow Squad had carried out every mission at Bu Eun-seol's command, staking their lives without question.
And through their experiences, they had come to realize one truth:
Fighting powerful enemies might be perilous, but it could also serve as the catalyst to elevate themselves to the next level.
"Their numbers are three hundred."
Not the disorderly martial arts of the common Beggars' Sect, but three hundred elite masters, each possessing peak-level skills and abundant combat experience, were descending upon them.
Under normal circumstances, the correct decision would be to evade the ambush and retreat temporarily.
Yet not a single member even considered fleeing. On the contrary, flames of determination burned in the eyes of the Death Shadow Squad.
Thirty against three hundred. Even in the face of such a desperate battle, their morale remained unshaken.
"They will soon surround Pear Blossom Villa and pour in from all sides."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was solemn as he spoke.
"Eliminate them thoroughly."
In that instant, an overwhelming force—one capable of subduing ten thousand demons—radiated from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"Let the name of the Death Shadow Squad shake the very foundations of Murim!"
"As you command!"
The squad members, who usually cut honorifics short, naturally shouted "As you command!" in unison.
Instinctively, they understood that this was not a time for freedom but for maintaining solemn military discipline.
Whoosh—
At that very moment, the sound of fluttering robes carried by the wind began echoing incessantly from the distant sky.
Simultaneously, martial artists clad in tattered clothing descended one after another, landing before Pear Blossom Villa.
Each of them had mastered the Divine Buddha Palm and the Long Flower Staff Technique to at least the Eighth-Star Attainment, specializing in battles against overwhelming numbers.
They were none other than the Beggar Corps of the Beggars' Sect.
The Beggars' Sect disciples standing before Pear Blossom Villa assumed relaxed postures, as if they had merely stepped out for a stroll.
While most sects would form orderly ranks and employ battle formations, the Beggars' Sect was different.
Unless utilizing their Dog Beating Formation, they relied solely on numerical superiority to overwhelm their foes.
In short, if the enemy numbered one, they would send ten. If ten, they would send a hundred.
As if to prove this point, three hundred elite masters had now taken their positions around Pear Blossom Villa.
Tap. Tap.
As the three hundred Beggar Corps members encircled the estate, a shadow wielding a long staff descended before the main gate.
A middle-aged man dressed in patched robes, gripping an iron staff in his hand.
He was none other than the leader of the Beggar Corps—Clap and Laugh When Sword Comes, I Sim-hwa.
Clap and Laugh When Sword Comes.
The epithet meant, "When the sword comes, clap and laugh." It was a fitting title for a man who reveled in battle.
And as if to prove it, his exposed face and forearms were covered in scars, large and small.
Thud. Thud.
The moment the Beggar Corps finished preparing for battle, Bu Eun-seol and the Death Shadow Squad emerged from Pear Blossom Villa as if they had been waiting.
"Tch. So the sect's intelligence was truly compromised."
Despite being isolated by an overwhelming force, Bu Eun-seol and his squad remained utterly composed.
"You must be the leader of the Death Shadow Squad."
With the seasoned insight of a veteran who had weathered countless battles, I Sim-hwa immediately recognized Bu Eun-seol as the commander.
"Remarkably young. And your eyes—they're full of life."
He let out a sigh mixed with admiration, then furrowed his brows and spoke.
"Why provoke a feud with our sect? At your age, being a great leader of the Demon Hall should be more than enough to satisfy any ambition."
"Curious, are you?"
"Of course."
Bu Eun-seol gazed down at I Sim-hwa with chilling eyes and replied.
"I'll tell you—after I've wiped you all out."
"Hahaha."
I Sim-hwa chuckled darkly, killing intent seeping from his eyes.
"Such confidence."
Shaking his head, he tightened his core and bellowed in a thunderous voice.
"Kill!"
At his command, the elite masters of the Beggar Corps surged forward like a tidal wave swallowing a sandcastle, their battle cries roaring through the air.
But something was strange.
The Death Shadow Squad's commander, who should have been their strongest combatant, wasn't joining the fight. Instead, he stood motionless, a faint smile playing on his lips as he simply watched the scene unfold.
Clang! Clash!
The moment the Death Shadow Squad clashed with the Beggar Corps, a deafening metallic clamor erupted in all directions.
The Beggar Corps, accustomed to overwhelming smaller forces, seamlessly attacked the Death Shadow Squad members despite their own allies tangled in the fray.
But the Death Shadow Squad was also specialized in fighting against superior numbers.
The Third Squad members at the forefront, hardened by the Black Poison Demon Art, remained impervious to blades.
They fearlessly deflected incoming weapons, unleashing monstrous strength to disrupt the Beggar Corps' formation.
The Second Squad, moving like lightning, scattered hidden weapons mid-motion, throwing the enemy's assault into disarray.
And at the center—the First Squad.
With peerless sword and saber techniques, they advanced and retreated in perfect rhythm, cutting down Beggars' Sect disciples one after another.
"Aaaagh!"
"Guh—!"
Screams erupted in rapid succession—all from the Beggars' Sect's side.
I Sim-hwa's eyes bulged.
The martial prowess of the Death Shadow Squad was far beyond that of a mere third-tier force.
Worse, fighters of terrifying skill were scattered among them, causing the battle's momentum to collapse beyond control.
One unleashed a storm of eerie silver threads like a madman. Another wielded twin whips, each over thirty feet long.
Elsewhere, a master shattered boulders with a single palm strike, unleashing power rivaling the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.
And everywhere, those with lightning-fast movement techniques hurled daggers and hidden weapons, disrupting the Beggar Corps' coordination.
"This can't be..."
I Sim-hwa's eyes widened further as he watched.
"A third-tier unit is this strong?"
According to prior intelligence, the Death Shadow Squad was a newly formed third-tier force.
He had brought enough strength to crush them in an instant—yet now, his own ranks were crumbling. Thirty elite warriors were pressing back three hundred Beggars' Sect disciples.
"Was the intel wrong? Impossible."
His head shook slightly, his gaze darkening as if trapped in a waking nightmare.
"Wait..."
Only now did he realize—he had gathered intel on the Death Shadow Squad, but not on its leader.
He should have investigated how someone so young became the commander of a third-tier Demon Hall unit. Or why the Death Shadow Squad was even formed.
'I was too hasty.'
He had dismissed it as just another laughable Demon Hall squad that had irritated him.
Just sweeping away a third-tier unit—he had assumed it would be that simple.
"Ugh—!"
"Ghk—!"
Screams continued unabated. With every weapon slicing through the air, fresh blood sprayed in all directions.
Judging the battle's outcome didn't take long.
It took barely half an hour for the Death Shadow Squad and Bu Eun-seol's party to wipe out over half the Beggar Corps.
'At this rate, we'll be annihilated.'
I Sim-hwa's eyes burned.
Until now, the Beggar Corps had always relied on overwhelming numbers to crush smaller forces.
But for the first time, that tactic had failed.
"Retreat!"
His bellowed order didn't make escape easy.
Death Shadow Squad members with rapid movement techniques rained down hidden weapons, cutting off their retreat.
"All forces, fall back!"
In the end, I Sim-hwa stepped onto the battlefield himself, long staff in hand, trying to cover his men's retreat.
But then—
"Let them pass."
Bu Eun-seol, the Death Shadow Squad commander, raised his voice in command.
"No need to slaughter every last one of these beggars."
Half the Beggar Corps already lay dead, but the Death Shadow Squad members weren't unscathed either.
With victory secured, there was no need to pursue total annihilation at the cost of further losses.
"But don't leave just yet."
Bu Eun-seol approached I Sim-hwa, hands clasped behind his back.
"Clean up all your beggars' corpses before you go. If this place is littered with their bodies... you'll only suffer greater humiliation."
What could a defeated general say?
I Sim-hwa bit his lip and nodded.
"...Understood."
Hae-pung's eyes bulged as the shocking reports reached him one after another.
The undefeated Beggar Corps, crushed by barely thirty warriors?
Then the Death Shadow Squad was no ordinary third-tier force.
But when Jeong Sam, leader of the Little Beggar Unit, spoke next, Hae-pung could only doubt his own ears.
"The Death Shadow Squad commander... is the Ten Demonic Heir of Langya Pavilion? The one who consecutively defeated Great Righteous Experts in the past?"
Hae-pung stared at Jeong Sam as if seeing a ghost.
"And he's the true successor of Langya Pavilion... and now a candidate to inherit the Demon Hall?"
"That's correct."
Jeong Sam wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke.
"According to our investigation..."
He calmly reiterated the information gathered by mobilizing the full intelligence network of the Beggars' Sect.
The leader of the Death Shadow Squad.
He was the Ten Demonic Heir from Langya Pavilion, who had once crushed the Great Righteous Experts in succession. And now, he held the position of a candidate to succeed the Demon Hall.
Not only that—he was even rumored to be one of the most likely successors to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Number One of the Demonic Path.
A candidate to inherit the Demon Hall.
Was that a position one could win by mere luck? Wasn't it a status that could only be attained by amassing overwhelming influence—enough to convince not just the Demonic Path Ten Gates, but also the Demon Hall and the Elders' Hall?
"This makes no sense."
Hae-pung shook his head.
"Why would a candidate to inherit the Demon Hall deliberately provoke our sect?"
If he was a successor candidate, he should already be hard-pressed dealing with his rivals.
So why would he suddenly stir up trouble with the Beggars' Sect?
"Well..."
The leader of the Little Beggar Unit hesitated before speaking cautiously.
"He has openly declared his intent to kill the Grand Elder."
"What?"
Hae-pung's jaw dropped in disbelief.
A man who had just secured his name as a successor candidate of the Demon Hall—daring to claim he would slay the Grand Elder, one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings?
"He must be insane."
Hae-pung shook his head again, his brow furrowing.
"Then, did he bring the entire Death Shadow Squad just to face the Grand Elder?"
"No. He intends to fight alone."
"What?"
"They say the task assigned to him as a successor candidate of the Demon Hall is to slay one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings."
"Alone? Against the Grand Elder?"
"Exactly. As proof, all members of the Death Shadow Squad have already returned to the Demon Hall. Only their leader and one attendant remain at the Pear Blossom Villa."
Hae-pung let out a hollow laugh, beyond mere disbelief.
"This is beyond comprehension. He must have a death wish."
It was true that Gu Hong-cheong, the Grand Elder, held the lowest rank among the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
But even so, a newly risen master who had only appeared in the martial world a few years ago couldn't possibly be at a level where he could slay him.
"His decision may not be unrelated to the murder of Seong-ryun, who was once a disciple of our sect."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Because the Grand Elder has kept silent, we don't know the full details of what happened at the time... but wasn't there talk that when Seong-ryun died, he had slain several masters from Langya Pavilion?"
"So you're saying he targeted our intelligence network because of the Grand Elder?"
"Precisely. It seems he orchestrated all this to draw the Grand Elder back into the martial world."
"Hmm."
Hae-pung fell into deep thought.
Gu Hong-cheong, the Grand Elder, lived up to his epithet, the Beggar King—known for wandering the martial world without settling in one place.
But the truth was different.
In reality, he operated his own separate intelligence network within the Beggars' Sect, allowing him to conceal his movements completely.
"Perhaps we shouldn't have intervened in the first place."
Jeong Sam cautiously studied Hae-pung's expression as he spoke.
"Once word spreads, the Grand Elder will surely appear and put that arrogant demonic bastard in his grave."
"That must never happen."
Hae-pung's expression hardened as he spoke with finality.
"That man's whereabouts must never reach the Grand Elder's ears."
His eyes narrowed with grave intensity.
"If the Grand Elder takes action in this matter... history will repeat itself."
"Ah... I see your point."
Jeong Sam sighed and nodded.
The truth was, Gu Hong-cheong was never satisfied with merely being the Grand Elder.
Especially after the current Sect Chief, No Bong, fell ill and failed to recover, his ambitions had become blatant.
Had Hae-pung and the leaders of the Eight Routes not restrained him, the Beggars' Sect would already be under the Beggar King's command.
"The Grand Elder is watching for the perfect moment to interfere in the Sect Council's affairs. We must never give him an opening."
"But we can't just leave that man unchecked, can we? If he's scheming to force a one-on-one duel with the Grand Elder... the repercussions will be endless."
"A one-on-one duel, you say..."
Hae-pung, lost in thought, nodded slowly.
"If he wants a duel, then we have the perfect solution."
"What do you mean?"
"You said the Ten Demonic Heir from Langya Pavilion once crushed even Song-ak, Wudang's Great Righteous Expert."
Hae-pung's voice lowered.
"Originally, Shaolin should have been the ones to act, but Wudang took the initiative. Yet when Song-ak was defeated, Shaolin expressed deep regret."
A faint smile curled on his lips.
"And Shaolin has since sent their own Great Righteous Expert, Gwang-yeon, into the martial world—searching for that man all this time."
Jeong Sam let out a quiet gasp, and Hae-pung's smile deepened with confidence.
"Send word to Shaolin."
Pausing briefly, his eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Tell them the Ten Demonic Heir from Langya Pavilion—the one they've been searching for—is staying at the Pear Blossom Villa."