Chapter 774
"Alright."
Wi Cheon-gyeong took a deep breath, having resolved himself.
"Since it's come to this, I'm sorry, but you'll have to die gloriously first."
"Huh?"
Wi Cheon-gyeong looked down at his injured leg and spoke.
"I must kill that treacherous bastard Seomun Gyeong."
Seomun Gyeong, who kidnapped children and committed atrocities, was unforgivable.
Even if it meant dying in the process.
Wi Cheon-gyeong was determined to reach Seomun Gyeong's location and end his life.
"Got it. Understood."
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon, having grasped Wi Cheon-gyeong's intent, raised their Internal Power.
Tak!
Suddenly, as Wi Cheon-gyeong executed the Qi-Piercing Ascent,
"Hahp!"
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon unleashed their full Palm Energy toward Wi Cheon-gyeong, who was now suspended in midair.
Kwaang!
With a deafening explosion, Wi Cheon-gyeong transformed into a streak of light.
Using the force of the two men's Palm Energy, he activated the Profound Shadowless Movement once more, tearing through the enemy's Battle Formation.
"Stop him!"
As Wi Cheon-gyeong vanished toward the Inner Court, where Seomun Gyeong resided, Seomun Gwang bellowed.
"Do not let him reach Gyeong-i!"
Meanwhile, Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon charged at the Seomun Clan warriors like raging rhinos.
"You lot—play with us instead!"
Won Se-mun drew a Great Blade from his waist, while Jo Nam-cheon brandished a Wolf Tooth Club.
To conceal their true identities, they had left their Beloved Weapons behind and brought unconventional arms instead.
"Take this!"
As Won Se-mun swung the Great Blade, thirteen streaks of Sword Qi erupted, conjuring a massive storm.
Instead of the sword techniques taught by Bu Eun-seol,
he employed the Wind Lord's Flying Stream Saber Art, an orthodox saber technique he had learned for cultural refinement.
Hwong! Hwong! Hwong!
Meanwhile, Jo Nam-cheon thrust his Wolf Tooth Club, sending warriors tumbling like dominos.
He was executing the Double-Horn Eighteen Staff Art, a technique commonly used by Black Path warriors.
Though both were merely second-rate martial arts,
when unleashed with the resolution to die, the two men unleashed earth-shaking, overwhelming might.
"Those lunatics...!"
Seomun Gwang was momentarily stunned but soon roared,
"Activate the Absolute Heart Command!"
It was an order to mobilize the clan's entire military force to annihilate any invaders in one swift strike.
"Eradicate those vile scum of the Demonic Path who dared invade our main estate!"
Rumble—
From every corner of the Seomun Clan's grounds, Masters clad in yellow robes began pouring out.
"There's too many of them."
"No kidding."
As an endless stream of warriors emerged from every corner of the estate,
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon gulped dryly.
If that many attacked at once...
They'd be trampled so thoroughly that not even intact corpses would remain.
"Damn it, if this is how it's gonna be—"
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon exchanged glances.
"We did promise to die together..."
After a silent exchange,
before the Seomun Clan warriors could even form their Battle Formation, the two men activated a Movement Technique so fast their legs became a blur—and bolted.
"Let's go together, Wi Cheon-gyeong!"
"If we're dying together, you're coming with us!"
Screaming like madmen, they sprinted frantically toward the Inner Court.
Swish—!
Meanwhile, Wi Cheon-gyeong, now a streaking meteor,
raced toward the northern gate of the Inner Court, where Seomun Gyeong—the Seomun Clan's youngest, who had secluded himself for years—resided.
Countless warriors and Battle Formation barriers stood in his way, but he ignored them all, plowing straight through.
The Profound Shadowless Movement, imparted by Bu Eun-seol,
rendered him untouchable while active.
No matter how formidable the enemy,
or how dire the escape—
while executing the technique, swirling currents infused with the subtleties of Deflect Flowers and Receive Jade enveloped his entire body,
allowing him to deflect any attack with his mysteriously shifting defenses.
Swish!
With a sharp Sound of Breaking Air, Wi Cheon-gyeong finally arrived at the pavilion where Seomun Gyeong resided.
Boom!
He shattered the door to Seomun Gyeong's chamber with a thunderous crash and stormed inside.
There, he saw a man dressed in plain clothes, sitting primly at a desk, reading a book.
His gaze was sharp, but his complexion was sickly pale, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in a long time.
'He's been in seclusion except when kidnapping children—no wonder.'
Gritting his teeth, Wi Cheon-gyeong glared at him with Killing Intent-filled eyes.
"The estate's in chaos because of intruders, yet here you are, leisurely reading a book."
Drenched in blood, Wi Cheon-gyeong drew his dagger.
"I assume you're prepared."
Despite the murderous shout, Seomun Gyeong didn't even glance up, still absorbed in his book.
Flash!
Wi Cheon-gyeong activated his Movement Technique, slashing at his neck at blinding speed—
But something astonishing happened.
Snap.
Seomun Gyeong, still seated, lightly blocked the dagger with his index and middle fingers.
"The Spirit Immortal Two-Finger Art?!"
To his shock,
Seomun Gyeong had mastered the secret technique of Yang Dae-ryang—leader of the Martial Alliance's Heaven-Piercing Unit, who had been reduced to an idiot after his defeat by Bu Eun-seol.
The Spirit Immortal Two-Finger Art.
"When I was young, the Family Head, believing I had talent with the sword, spent a fortune... inviting renowned masters of the Righteous Faction to teach me."
Click.
Having finished speaking, Seomun Gyeong calmly withdrew the Spirit Immortal Two-Finger Art.
Wi Cheon-gyeong felt puzzled but quickly retreated.
Swish.
Seomun Gyeong rose from his chair, his empty gaze muttering as if to himself.
"Especially Squad Leader Yang. He praised me endlessly, saying I possessed exceptional talent. He even went so far as to pass down his signature technique to me."
He looked down at his own hand with a bitter expression.
"But those words became a curse to me. Being acknowledged by someone like Squad Leader Yang... meant the Family Head's expectations grew boundless."
Seomun Gyeong stared directly at Wi Cheon-gyeong, who was covered in blood, and continued.
"While training within the clan, I truly believed I had the greatest talent under heaven. But once I stepped into the Martial World... I realized I was just a frog in a well."
Confident, he had participated in the Wandering Drifters' Martial Refinement Tournament.
Yet there, he was utterly crushed by Bu Eun-seol, an unknown rising star.
Only then did he awaken to the cold reality—that his talent was merely enough to dominate a single region.
With that overwhelmingly talented person existing in the Martial World...
No matter how much he struggled, he would never command the Murim.
"So."
A fierce light erupted from Wi Cheon-gyeong's eyes.
"You kidnapped and murdered innocent children?"
"Is that so wrong?"
"What?"
Seomun Gyeong replied indifferently.
"Even if they hadn't died by my hand, they would've perished as vagrants anyway."
"Right. And you'll die too, sooner or later."
Flames seemed to leap from Wi Cheon-gyeong's eyes.
"Might as well make it quick."
BOOM!
Just then, an explosion echoed from outside the hall, followed by thick, pained groans.
"Cheon-gyeong! Fight with us!"
"I don't wanna die miserably to these bastards!"
It was the voices of Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon.
"Seems your crew has arrived. Let's go meet them."
Seomun Gyeong leisurely extended his hand.
"I won't run, so don't worry. I'm just curious about your comrades."
Then, he raised both arms.
"If you wish, seal my Blood Circuits."
Wi Cheon-gyeong furrowed his brow but—
Flick-flick-flick!
Immediately, he unleashed Finger Wind, striking Seomun Gyeong's Demon Blood Point to immobilize him.
Then, with his blade pressed against the man's neck, he stepped outside—
Only to find Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon battered and bloody, surrounded by Seomun Clan warriors encircling the hall.
"You were supposed to buy time—why crawl back here?"
At Wi Cheon-gyeong's question, the two stammered.
"We agreed to die together, didn't we?"
"Yeah. Didn't wanna kick the bucket over there alone."
Their faces brightened when they saw Seomun Gyeong captured as a hostage.
"Well, at least we're not dead yet."
"Right, right. With the Young Clan Head as leverage, they can't touch us."
Wi Cheon-gyeong's anger flared, but he soon sighed and shook his head.
"Trusting you two rice containers was my mistake."
"Why so cold? We just got bored fighting without you."
As they bickered—
From the ranks of the Seomun warriors, Seomun Gwang stepped forward and called out to Seomun Gyeong.
"Are you injured?"
"No."
"Good."
As Seomun Gwang sighed in relief, Seomun Gyeong said something unexpected.
"Why not just let them go?"
"What?"
"What's the point of killing them?"
Seomun Gyeong's eyes had turned cold—like a corpse long dead.
Wi Cheon-gyeong felt a strange unease.
Could someone so devoid of hope, so indifferent to life... truly be the one kidnapping and butchering children?
Whoosh.
But then, something astonishing happened.
The ground suddenly spun—
And Seomun Gyeong, who had been at Wi Cheon-gyeong's mercy, vanished—
Reappearing instantly beside Seomun Gwang and the clan warriors.
It was the effect of the intricate Boundary Formations laid throughout the Seomun estate.
"We're screwed."
Jo Nam-cheon's eyes bulged.
"We lost our only hostage. Now we're really dead."
"You idiot!"
Enraged, Won Se-mun shook Wi Cheon-gyeong by the collar.
"You were supposed to hold him properly! Because of you, we're all gonna die!"
Jo Nam-cheon snapped at them.
"What the hell are you doing with enemies right in front of you?!"
The Seomun warriors stared blankly at the three, tangled in their own squabble.
The Seomun Clan, devoted to Battle Formations, upheld strict discipline—frivolity was absolutely forbidden.
Watching these reckless ruffians brawl like this was... utterly absurd.
"Madmen. Kill them at once!"
At Seomun Gwang's shout,
Rustle—
The warriors in yellow robes drew their swords and began encircling Wi Cheon-gyeong and the others.
They seemed intent on trapping and eliminating them in an instant with an intricate battle formation.
Smirk.
But then, Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon grinned crookedly as they looked at Seomun Gwang.
"...?"
Before Seomun Gwang could blink in bewilderment—
BANG!
With a deafening explosion, Wi Cheon-gyeong shot forward like a bullet, lunging at Seomun Gyeong.
The surrounding warriors raised their swords to block him, but—
Whoosh—
Wi Cheon-gyeong slipped past the defending warriors—
Slash!
—and pressed a dagger against Seomun Gyeong's throat in an instant.
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon had been feigning a fight while secretly infusing Wi Cheon-gyeong with the Body-Striking Transmission Art, allowing him to unleash the Profound Shadowless Movement once more.
"Gyeong-a!"
Seomun Gwang paled in shock, but Wi Cheon-gyeong curled his lips into a faint smile.
"You're coming to hell with me."
And immediately, he moved to slit Seomun Gyeong's throat.
Yet Seomun Gyeong's gaze remained calm, tinged with an ashen emptiness—
Like a man who had long yearned for death.
"You."
Wi Cheon-gyeong instinctively sensed it.
Seomun Gyeong.
This man was not the culprit.
'I can't kill an innocent man.'
Hesitating, Wi Cheon-gyeong finally lowered the dagger from Seomun Gyeong's throat.
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!"
"You lunatic! We went through all that trouble to set this up!"
As Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon raged, Seomun Gwang seized the opportunity.
"Now! We must kill them!"
Zzzzing—
A mysterious light erupted from the floor of the Inner Courtyard, and radiance began flowing from the bodies of the Seomun Clan warriors.
They themselves had become the All-Heaven Annihilation Formation, poised to obliterate Wi Cheon-gyeong and the others in one strike.
"My apologies," Wi Cheon-gyeong said.
"This man isn't the culprit. It seems I took the wrong path."
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon narrowed their eyes, glaring at Wi Cheon-gyeong with resentment.
"Damn it, you sure know how to pick your moments."
"Typical of you..."
The two sighed and hung their heads.
Zzzzziiing—
Just as the light was about to surge from countless Seomun warriors—
"STOOOOOOOOP—!"
WHOOSH—
A thunderous roar echoed, followed by the sound of crashing waves, before a silver current of energy swirled violently around Wi Cheon-gyeong.
The light from the All-Heaven Annihilation Formation gradually dimmed.
"Who dares?!"
At Seomun Gwang's shout—
Hwoooosh—
A storm-like wind whipped around Wi Cheon-gyeong, and a short-haired man burst forth from the ground as if erupting from the earth itself.
"Chief Myo...?"
Wi Cheon-gyeong was stunned.
The man who had suddenly appeared was none other than Myo Cheon-u.
"How did you—"
"Seomun Gyeong."
Myo Cheon-u glanced at Seomun Gyeong before speaking in a solemn voice.
"He is not the true culprit behind the child abductions."
"What do you mean?"
As Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon questioned him in unison, Myo Cheon-u replied,
"At most, he was complicit—but he was not the one who kidnapped the children."
Then, turning his head, he locked eyes with Seomun Gwang.
"Isn't that right, Family Head Seomun?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Are you planning to sell out your own son to save your skin?"
Myo Cheon-u pulled out a book from his robes and hurled it at Seomun Gwang.
Thud.
Seomun Gwang caught it, furrowing his brow as he flipped through its pages.
Flick—
After a long moment, his expression darkened.
The book contained a meticulous record of the kidnapper's movements—
The very movements of the Seomun Clan's Family Head, Seomun Gwang.
"So the Family Head of the Seomun Clan is the true culprit behind the abductions?"
Wi Cheon-gyeong asked, and Myo Cheon-u nodded.
"Seomun Gwang. That man disguised himself as his son, wielding the Odd-shaped Sword with his left hand."
"But why?"
"At first, he must have hated his crippled son. But later, he came to hate the one who crippled him."
Myo Cheon-u spoke as if reciting something he had long known.
"So he tried to kill that man—but by then, that man had already become a figure as radiant as the solar radiance of the Demonic Path."
Myo Cheon-u glared at Seomun Gwang and said coldly,
"And so, in the end, you wanted to kill those who resembled him."
"..."
"But among adults, few have both refined features and fair skin. So eventually, you realized... young girls bore a striking resemblance."
"Hahaha!"
Seomun Gwang let out a derisive laugh, cutting Myo Cheon-u off sharply.
"What a ridiculous fabrication. Why would this Family Head do such a thing?"
He flung the book aside with a sneer.
"Everything written here is nonsense. Without concrete evidence, you've simply scribbled down whatever baseless claims you wanted."
He curled the corner of his lips as he looked at Myo Cheon-u.
"Am I wrong, Great Lord of the Death Shadow War Unit?"
Myo Cheon-u wasn't wearing a mask.
And he had used his signature technique, the Silver Flame Palm.
Seomun Gwang, who was not only well-versed in the affairs of the martial world but also deeply knowledgeable about the martial arts of the Demonic Path, immediately recognized Myo Cheon-u's identity.
"Since you've committed such an act, I assume the Demon Hall is prepared for the consequences?"
Invading the Seomun Clan was tantamount to invading all Eight Great Clans.
Moreover, the Seomun Clan maintained close ties with both the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Martial Alliance... This was no longer something the Death Shadow War Unit could handle alone.
"You thought you erased all the evidence perfectly, didn't you, Seomun Gwang?"
Myo Cheon-u spoke coldly.
"You never showed your true face when kidnapping the children, so you must've believed you'd never get caught."
"Enough of this nonsense. I'll slaughter every last one of you and personally take this matter up with the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
"Dream big, why don't you."
At that moment, a ragged shadow landed beside Myo Cheon-u with a whoosh.
It was Yu Un-ryong.
"Great Lord Yu!"
Wi Cheon-gyeong's mouth fell open.
Yu Un-ryong was so busy managing the Death Shadow War Unit that he barely had time to lift his backside from his chair. How had Yu Un-ryong suddenly appeared here?
'Don't tell me...'
A thought flashed through Wi Cheon-gyeong's mind.
Only now did he realize who had been behind establishing the Wanderers' Market in this region, thoroughly investigating the area, and training the newly recruited Death Shadow War Unit warriors and the Flying Demon Unit.
'The Lord already knew about the Seomun Clan's crimes when he set up the Wanderers' Market here.'
The only person who could have dispatched both Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u here was none other than Bu Eun-seol.
"You've worked hard."
Yu Un-ryong nodded at Wi Cheon-gyeong and Won Se-mun.
"Thanks to you stirring things up, we were able to find the real evidence."
Rumble—
From behind Yu Un-ryong, a flood of children poured out.
They were the girls who had been imprisoned in the real underground prison.
Their appearances were unspeakable, as if they had endured extreme torture.
The only saving grace was that, intending to prolong their suffering, measures had been taken to ensure their lives weren't in immediate danger.
—Th-that...
Most of the Seomun Clan's martial artists, witnessing this, widened their eyes in shock.
Since only Seomun Gwang's close confidants knew about the abductions, the majority of the clan's warriors had been completely unaware of his atrocities.
Seeing the pitiful state of the children, the martial artists trembled in horror.
"Seomun Gwang. Proving your crimes was difficult. No, practically impossible."
Yu Un-ryong's eyes flashed as he spoke.
"Even if we had discovered the real prison, by the time we mobilized a force large enough to subdue the Seomun Clan... you would've destroyed all evidence."
"..."
"That's why the chiefs of the Death Shadow War Unit staked their lives to ransack your clan. So I could find the evidence."
At Yu Un-ryong's declaration, Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon also gaped.
Wi Cheon-gyeong had come to rescue the unfortunate girl, while Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon had merely followed to help without much thought.
Since when had they become bait in such a meticulously crafted plan?
"That's right, you fools!"
Won Se-mun, finally grasping the situation, pointed accusingly at Seomun Gwang.
"Did you think we just barged in here like idiots without a plan? Hahaha!"
Jo Nam-cheon, equally fired up, added, "Now that your crimes are exposed to the world, the Seomun Clan is finished!"
Seomun Gwang's fingertips trembled.
Seomun Gyeong had been a son of extraordinary talent, the pride of the entire clan.
They had spared no expense, hiring renowned masters to train him, yet the moment he stepped into the martial world, he had faced an insurmountable wall.
He broke his sword and became a recluse, reduced to a cripple.
Seomun Gwang could never accept it.
He had desperately hoped his son would regain his spirit, train hard, and make a name for himself.
—Even if I trained for a hundred years, I could never defeat him.
But Seomun Gyeong had refused outright.
His reason? He could never surpass the young swordsman he had met at the Martial Arts Tournament.
And he had been right.
Not long after, that swordsman's name shook the Central Plains across one hundred eighty thousand li.
In the end, with the permission of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Sky of the Demonic Path, he became the successor of the Demon Hall, ruling over a million demonic blades.
When Seomun Gwang learned this, his resentment threatened to tear him apart.
—That bastard, the Demon Hall's successor, deliberately entered the tournament to ruin my son!
He knew it was irrational, but he couldn't help but think it.
Then, by chance, he encountered a young man on the street who slightly resembled the Martial Soul Lord Bu Eun-seol, the one who had crippled his son.
—Perfect timing!
Seomun Gwang could no longer suppress his twisted rage, and it manifested in a grotesque manner.
He secretly abducted the young man who vaguely resembled his nemesis and brutally killed him.
Surprisingly, his anger subsided, and his heart felt slightly lighter.
Above all... he experienced an indescribable thrill in restraining, oppressing, and torturing his victim.
As time passed, before he knew it, Seomun Gwang had become a cruel killer, slaughtering young girls with fair features.
"Do you really think I'll die quietly?"
Blood vessels bulged in Seomun Gwang's eyes.
He had spent decades mastering the study of esoteric formations, and this was the heart of the Seomun Clan.
There was no way he would die like this.
