Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: World as Toy
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The world is like a toy.
That was what Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae thought.
Put even a little force into it, and it breaks. Even trying to play with it doesn't work well.
Tricky things to handle. But even so, that fleeting happiness kept him alive.
Drunk on it, swinging his body around wildly, before he knew it, he'd sunk all the way to hell. That stifling solitary cell. Iron chains tightening around his neck. Blocked meridians.
But someone had freed him from it all. Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae expressed his gratitude to that person-and savored his freedom.
By hearing which faction the man belonged to... and killing him for it.
The thrill of killing someone on the brink of death.
Aah.
He couldn't hold back. He'd endured far too long, nearly driven mad!
"Let's see..."
He reached out his hand. Jammed it into both eyes of the trembling Qingcheng warrior.
Twisted and yanked them out. The wailing scream was so pitiful it brought tears to his eyes without him realizing.
Of course, not from sorrow.
It was because that piercing sound was so beautiful.
"You've come pretty far, you bastards. This is a long way from Qingcheng. Did you really have to chase me all the way here?"
"Aaaargh!!!"
"No eyes? Quit whining. You still have hands and feet, don't you? You've lost less than what you have left, so stop crying. Wasting tears. Oh. No..."
---Crunch.
His leg smashed down, bending unnaturally.
"Now you've lost more? Might as well cry a bit harder while you're at it."
"Gaaargh!!!"
The echoing scream reverberated to the ends of the plain. At its edge, the faint, gurgling plea for life sent chills down the spine like nothing else.
What was the reason he'd learned martial arts?
Wasn't it for this!
"Hup!"
Once the job was done, he discarded the broken toy. He also gathered all the weapons they'd been carrying.
Light. What kind of weapons were this flimsy? Qingcheng bastards really were all show and no substance.
Weapons should have some weight to them. That way, he could properly wield his immense strength and earth-shattering sword.
This stuff was...
Nothing more than toothpicks.
Still, beggars couldn't be choosers. Heavenly Power Tyrant swung the sword lightly a few times before tucking it into his belt.
Now he just needed to keep running...
He couldn't go back the way he'd come. Heading to Wudang would put him in a tricky spot too.
Going south to Hunan was probably best. That way, he could slip back into the unorthodox factions he'd once belonged to...
...But still.
He felt like he could indulge a bit more.
He couldn't get enough of the blood's taste after so long. And the pursuers chasing him were all the same level anyway.
Nothing impressive. The only halfway decent one had been that young master of the Sichuan Tang Clan...
Who'd been the funniest.
No, charging headlong at a truth he could've seen just by looking aside. Like a moth flying into flames.
What good was all that talk of righteousness?
There was no such thing left in the world!
When the Sichuan Tang Clan heard the news, they'd weep blood from their eyes. Aah, scratch that. It was the tastiest kind of story.
Why was the world so damn amusing?
Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae chuckled raspily. He gathered all the swords around him and stabbed them one by one into the ground.
Just once. One last time.
To feel the ultimate pleasure, he waited for the next pursuers.
"...Oh?"
The pursuers flew in with the moonlight at their backs. There were quite a few this time, making Heavenly Power Tyrant smirk.
"What, you brought so many?"
"You bastard!!!!!"
Their immediate sword draws brimmed with seasoned skill. The clear sword qi in their eyes was neat enough to truly call them Qingcheng warriors.
But that was it. Orderliness couldn't surpass violence.
Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae raised his sword.
To write yet another absurd tale.
...
"Don't get involved! This is... a Qingcheng matter!!"
A Qingcheng warrior who'd been traveling with us charged ahead. Sharp movements. Sword forms hammered into each breath.
Each one was like a razor-sharp blade. Aligned wind, the very edge of sharpness brushing the nose.
But in the next instant, they all shattered. The moment Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae swung his sword, the body slammed into the ground.
"Kuhk!"
"Wh-what nonsense is this...!"
Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae.
His swordsmanship was crude overall. Nothing particularly eye-catching.
The only odd thing was that power.
Strong. Like a massive lump of iron trapped in human form. I saw the faint trail of qi leaking from his fingertips.
He'd crossed the wall into transcendent realm. And not just that-his martial arts seemed perfectly suited to chaotic melees like this.
The combined assault of four Qingcheng warriors crumbled in an instant. Yagulpae casually yanked a sword from the ground and with every swing, the Qingcheng men scrambled just to hold on.
Unilateral ravaging. Overwhelming violence.
---Kaaang!!!
Qingcheng swords began shattering one by one. Like driving in a wedge, Yagulpae burst one man's head.
"These ones at least know how to put up a bit of a fight?"
Gleaming eyes. Bloodlust swirling in those crimson depths.
Instinctively craving slaughter, those eyes made me stand. Nalin and Gwangyang trembled as they gripped their weapons.
"Stay here."
This wasn't their stage.
I stood before the downed Qingcheng warriors rolling on the ground.
For the first time, Heavenly Power Tyrant widened his eyes. His body shuddered as he panted.
"You fucking... look at you... You're the real deal?"
"Heavenly Power Tyrant. Just one question."
"Wh-what? Someone like you, I can tell you. Ask anything. Then we skip the talk, yeah? Let's have at it!"
"I can understand killing the Sichuan Tang Clan's young master. But... why did you have to desecrate his body like that?"
"Sichuan Tang Clan's young master...?"
Heavenly Power Tyrant blinked. Then he started chuckling raspily.
"Oh! Tang Hui! Yeah, I know him! That guy was pretty tough. But hilarious, right? Didn't like him yelling at me that it wasn't true. I told him the truth, but he kept screaming it couldn't be, so my hands got a little rougher than usual without thinking."
"...Truth?"
"Before that, what's your name? I'm Yagulpae. Yours looks so tasty I wanna eat it right up-what is it?"
"...Red Cloud."
"Good! Red Cloud! Out of respect for what you've built, Yagulpae here will tell you. Normally I'd keep my mouth shut, but... haha! I like warriors who seem unbreakable! The moment something unbreakable crumbles-that's when all the world's pleasures mix together!"
Yagulpae yanked out a sword. Stroked the blade with his hand.
"Qingcheng sword. These thin leaf-like blades are harder to break than you'd think. Especially from real masters. So Qingcheng has some decent guys after all? But my meridians were forcibly sealed... chains dangling all over my body... Honestly, escaping alone didn't seem possible."
"......."
"The mastermind! There was a mastermind behind it all. The one who so kindly busted me out. Red Cloud. I gave that guy a personal thank-you. Don't usually bother, but I specially choked him with both hands. Learned a few things in the process. Tang Hui heard it too and charged at me wailing. Aah, communication is so important, but blinded by petty justice, he chased me... How stupid does that make the Sichuan Tang Clan look?"
"...What?"
Heavenly Power Tyrant grinned wickedly.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan freed me."
"......?!"
"Their young master chased me without knowing it was his own clan's scheme. Things got heated... and well, it ended up like that."
"The Sichuan Tang Clan... freed a Qingcheng prisoner? Why?"
"Kuhuhu. What else? Land grab by the rich! They staged this whole play just to take it! Qingcheng's businesses! Qingcheng and Sichuan Tang have been sworn enemies for ages... Makes sense, doesn't it?"
Yagulpae swung his hand through the air.
"Righteous factions need pretexts for everything. When tensions are razor-sharp between them, imagine hearing a bunch of prisoners escaped from Qingcheng. Perfect excuse for Sichuan Tang to step in. Proves Qingcheng's incompetence, and if prisoners infiltrate Sacheon Province, the pretext gets even stronger."
"......."
"No matter how good I am, you think I could hide alone in Sichuan Tang territory? Hell no. Why do you think they're the Five Great Clans? They deliberately let me run. The longer I evade capture, the more damage piles up... the worse it makes Qingcheng look! Haha!"
"...You expect me to believe that?"
"No reason not to. Why would I lie? Told you, I'm respecting you right now. Red Cloud. Hyping things up before we clash. Hell, I could stake my balls on it. This is-"
Heavenly Power Tyrant flicked out his tongue.
"All true. Truth I heard from the Tang warrior who busted me out."
The fallen Qingcheng warriors vomited blood.
"All this... was the Sichuan Tang Clan's doing...? That unidentified corpse... was one of theirs...!"
"Perfect backup! Qingcheng! Now the story moves! Isn't this a world where money beats swords? Peel off the skin, and we're all the same. Red Cloud. That's the way of the world. Looks fine on the outside, rotten within. Tang Hui. Decent guy. Pretty cool yelling at me... "
Yagulpae licked his lips.
"That lofty face from a rotten clan twisting in agony? Priceless! Haha! How's that? Seemed like friends with Tang Hui... Feels good hearing the hidden backstory, right?! Sichuan Tang are utter mad bastards. Mad enough to shock even this Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae! Freeing prisoners to weaken Qingcheng... and they're one of the Five Great Clans, symbols of righteousness! Haha!"
"......."
My head throbbed.
Because Yagulpae didn't seem to be lying.
What would Tang Hui have done hearing that? What face would he have made, learning the journey he'd taken responsibility for was orchestrated by his own clan?
"With the great name of Sichuan Tang Clan on your back, shouldn't the young master do something about it?"
Vomit leaked out.
From Kunlun to Sichuan Tang Clan.
Knowing they were all rotten to the core ground my teeth.
In the end, the innocent always paid the price. Those who didn't wield swords, those far from power games.
For a plot of land, for a stretch of territory...
They tossed trust to the dirt without a care.
"This... is righteousness...?"
Days in the Murim Alliance, moving only as ordered.
I recalled the day I was thrust into the Demonic Cult as a spy.
...Not just one...
It wasn't limited to one.
All of it rotten. Hard to find anything sound.
"Your face is stiff, Red Cloud. Relax. ? I told you this to make you happy-don't scowl."
"......."
"Come on, draw your sword. Or should I come to you? Time to mix in more than talk, yeah? Real sticky-like!"
He was right.
Time to mix in something else.
I placed my hand on Black Pearl.
Power surged into the half-drawn blade's tip. Black Pearl thrashed.
I whispered atop it.
No need to show it. Not a single bit.
Just watch, Black Pearl.
I can crush a guy like that without your help.
"Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae. One last question."
"Last, huh. Nice word. Ask away."
"Why were you waiting for us?"
"Figured as much."
Yagulpae grinned.
"You lot looked more fun. Like Tang Hui kept me entertained to the end... kuhuhu. Wanted to see a bit more. Tears in agony-they make for an unforgettable night. That brink-of-death thrill is what makes me feel alive! Wanted one last look before fleeing far. That's life's fun!"
"Fun, huh."
Black Pearl fully drawn, its blade gleamed coldly.
"If that's your way, I'll show you mine."
"......."
"What comes next..."
I gripped the hilt tight. Sichuan Tang Clan and Qingcheng.
I recalled the innocent youth caught between, preaching justice.
I stepped forward.
"Is simply for my 'fun'."
Yagulpae smirked. Grabbed his belly laughing, then abruptly went silent.
"This retard kept yapping... you're climbing endlessly!"
---Kwaaaaaang!!!!!
A qi-infused sword battered me. But ignoring it, I poured more power into my gripped blade.
It surged in. Immense strength. Beyond alien, his entire martial art focused on raw 'power'.
...But.
---Woodrdrdrk.
"...Wait...?"
Simplicity crushes simplicity.
"Wh-what is this...?!"
Yagulpae's feet began sliding back. I fed more power into our clashing blades.
Internal energy was a luxury. Pure physical force could crush him.
Strong, sure. But only that.
Those who wield force's logic get trampled by it. No depth to that sword.
"Heavenly Power Tyrant Yagulpae. Isn't this the situation you love? Life hanging by a thread."
Poison Blood Bead rattled in my robes. I whispered over his trembling blade.
"Laugh. Now."