Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Demolishing (3)
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Finally, the four individuals revealed themselves.
These four people, who shared no common traits or uniform appearance whatsoever, stepped down from the carriage prepared in advance by Ghost Sword Manor and timidly stood before the Moyong Clan members.
"Do you know who these people are?"
the Heavenly Demon asked.
"Who might they be?"
Moyong Gui asked with a laugh, still oblivious to how completely the situation had flipped.
"They are the prisoners who escaped when I demolished the Moyong Clan's underground prison."
As the Heavenly Demon said, when he had collapsed the underground prison to rescue Yang Hui-gun, he had unintentionally allowed other prisoners to escape as well.
The Moyong Clan had managed to recapture most of them, but five prisoners—including Yang Hui-gun—had eluded them. These four were precisely those ones.
"Moreover... they are also direct witnesses who saw you torture Hui-gun out of greed for the Loyal True Ghost Sword's martial arts manual."
These were the very individuals who, like Yang Hui-gun, had been imprisoned in the deepest part of the underground prison. They were undeniable eyewitnesses to Moyong Gui's brutal torture of Yang Hui-gun.
Before entering closed-door training with Yang Hui-gun, the Heavenly Demon had asked Dae-un if preparations were complete.
Those preparations were gathering these four prisoners—cum-witnesses.
"P-prisoners?!"
Moyong Gui, evidently not having anticipated this, reacted with shock, as if struck true.
"We saw it with our own two eyes."
"Moyong Gui, clan head of the Moyong Clan and bearer of One Sword, Ten Thousand Changes, subjecting that young man to brutal torture."
"We couldn't sleep because of the clan head's voice demanding the Loyal True Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang's martial arts manual."
"There is no doubt about the above facts."
These four prisoners, whom even the Moyong Clan had failed to recapture.
They testified to every detail of the truth with unprecedented seriousness.
"This..."
Even the brazen, pretense-armored Moyong Gui seemed ready to admit it meekly this time.
"Clan head. A moment, please."
Surprisingly, Moyong Yo—the Moyong Clan's steward, Curved Change Radiant Sword, who had remained silent until now—stepped forward.
"We cannot confirm whether these are truly prisoners who escaped our clan or performers hired by Ghost Sword Manor. Even if they were prisoners, they are undoubtedly ones who harbored grudges from being locked in our clan's prison. How could their testimony hold any credibility?"
True to his role as the Moyong Clan's strategist, Moyong Yo displayed keen insight, rescuing Moyong Gui from crisis.
His argument was entirely reasonable.
"Right, right."
"No guarantee they're real prisoners, and even if they are, how much resentment would vicious criminals hold after being jailed by the Moyong Clan?"
"Of course they'd give testimony unfavorable or false to the Moyong Clan."
The audience, who had bent their elbows inward for the Moyong Clan, now questioned the prisoners' motives.
As the situation stagnated without improvement and Ghost Sword Manor grew frustrated, one voice cut through.
"Allow me to explain."
Unexpectedly, it was Sogang who stepped forward from Ghost Sword Manor's side.
'Gathering and persuading these four prisoners alongside Great Hero Yang Dae-un was none other than myself.'
The reason for Sogang's intervention was simple.
While the Heavenly Demon and Yang Hui-gun were in closed-door training, Yang Dae-un and Sogang had poured every effort into locating these four, with help from Abyss Hall's informants.
Convincing them with his innate eloquence and affability had been Sogang's sole contribution.
Thus, he was fully equipped to refute the claims.
"First point of contention: Are they truly Moyong Clan prisoners? Verifying that is simple. The Moyong Clan brands prisoners headed to the prison—especially the deepest underground levels—with a mark that doesn't fade easily. Correct?"
"H-how do you...?"
Moyong Yo and even Moyong Jin-hui were stunned into silence by Sogang's precision.
It was accurate: All four bore the Moyong Clan's brand for grave offenders, as did Yang Hui-gun.
Smoothly!
As Yang Hui-gun and the four prisoners revealed the brands on different parts of their bodies, it became irrefutable, vivid proof.
"What? It's real?"
"This proves at least that those five were imprisoned in the Moyong Clan's underground prison."
"Only two people in the world manage those brands: the warden and the Moyong Clan head."
With the brands exposed, public opinion—tilted toward the Moyong Clan—flipped in an instant.
This was inevitable, as Moyong Gui had flatly denied any connection to Yang Hui-gun.
Now, the brand on his body proved he had lied from the start.
Moyong Gui's face drained pale as he fell increasingly silent.
The truly crucial part began now.
"And do their words hold persuasive power? Everyone, these aren't ordinary prisoners. They emerged from the deepest cell in the Moyong Clan's underground prison—one you can never escape. Do you know what that means?"
Sogang was a born storyteller.
His words carried profound appeal, subtly infiltrating even the Moyong Clan sympathizers.
"First, this person's identity: the Radiant Hero Twin Swords, Great Hero Jwa Gong-un!"
Sogang revealed the most renowned among the four first.
His identity was astonishing!
"Radiant Hero Twin Swords Jwa Gong-un? The vigilante who appeared like a comet in Liaoning Province a dozen years ago?"
"He vanished suddenly, presumed taken by the unorthodox sects or Demonic Cult... How could he have been in the Moyong Clan's prison?"
"Gasp! That's him for sure! Thinner and changed, but definitely Great Hero Jwa!"
Radiant Hero Twin Swords Jwa Gong-un had once pacified Liaoning Province with his twin swords.
At the time, he slew evildoers and engaged in fierce duels with various orthodox experts, winning victory after victory.
"Oh right! Come to think of it... Great Hero Jwa disappeared two days before a scheduled duel with One Sword, Ten Thousand Changes Moyong Gui, didn't he?"
"So, did Clan Head Moyong fear the duel or dread defeat?"
Can one cover the sky with a palm?
The Moyong Clan and Moyong Gui's wicked deeds were laid bare before the world.
"No! Lies! All of it lies!"
Moyong Gui bellowed, his mind shattered, while Moyong Yo and Moyong Jin-hui frantically rolled their eyes, unsure how to salvage it.
"Lies? Moyong Gui, you stole my Radiant Star Twin Sword Technique manual and my weapon, the Golden Star Twin Swords. Shall we check?"
"...!!"
The shocks didn't end there.
"Not just Great Hero Jwa. This one is Great Hero Jin, the wealthy merchant renowned across Hebei and Liaoning. And this is Scholar Jo Gun-bi, famed for his literary talent."
Those abducted and oppressed by Moyong Gui weren't limited to Yang Hui-gun and Jwa Gong-un.
He kidnapped the affluent merchant Great Hero Jin, plundering his fortune entirely. And the spirited scholar Jo Gun-bi, who had subtly perceived his secrets and prepared a petition to the authorities, was imprisoned and broken.
"Ha, hahaha. What a well-crafted farce! Don't be fooled, everyone! How many people vanish from Liaoning lands? They're just mimicking performers and liars!"
Moyong Gui waved his hands, laughing on the verge of tears in denial.
Public opinion had turned icy cold—that much was obvious.
Sogang drove the final nail.
"Finally, this elder is a collateral branch of the Moyong Clan—and once a direct lineage contender—who vied with One Sword, Ten Thousand Changes Moyong Gui for the clan head position: Myriad Sword Prodigy Moyong Jeon, Great Hero!"
An insider from the Moyong Clan itself, whom even the shameless Moyong Gui could never conceal.
He was Moyong Jeon, the former prodigy who had bloodily clashed with Moyong Gui for clan leadership.
"W-what?!"
Moyong Gui stared at Moyong Jeon—once his rival, now a white-haired, unrecognizable elder—in utter disbelief.
"Heh heh heh. Moyong Gui, you must have received reports that I died in the underground prison. But I lived. One of the wardens was from a collateral branch."
Moyong Jeon, aged far beyond his years from prolonged suffering in the depths, spoke with difficulty.
As he said, Moyong Gui had long accepted Moyong Jeon's death and lived relieved.
But it was all a ploy by a collateral branch warden to let him survive longer, more comfortably.
The Myriad Sword Prodigy Moyong Jeon was an icon and hope for collateral branch warriors.
"How could you..."
Moyong Gui collapsed utterly, beyond denial, devoid of strength to add more.
"This is the true face of Liaoning's overlord, Moyong Clan Head, One Sword, Ten Thousand Changes Moyong Gui! Anyone hindering him, benefiting him, or possessing what he coveted—he threw them into the underground prison without mercy, torturing them brutally to claim as his own."
Sogang, disillusioned by the orthodox faction he once admired, cried out.
Sogang was a small-statured man lacking even basic self-defense skills, yet in this moment, he seemed colossal.
"Colluding with the warden to toss obstacles into the underground prison while enjoying a lavish sixtieth birthday banquet? Bah, you shameless bastard."
The Heavenly Demon felt a thrill at Sogang's words and joined in spiritedly.
"I... I..."
Moyong Gui was utterly broken, and those who had once defended the Moyong Clan fell mute as clams.
"Clan head! This is no time for that!"
"We must sweep them all away."
As Moyong Gui crumbled and other warriors faltered against the clan head's exposed villainy, Moyong Yo and Moyong Jin-hui resorted to desperate measures.
Before this truth—never to be revealed—spread from barren Liaoning to the Central Plains, they aimed to silence the four prisoners, Yang Hui-gun, and Ghost Sword Manor by killing them.
The guests here for the banquet were either close allies or sycophants seeking favor; a simple plea to seal lips would suffice, they believed.
"This is all your fault!"
Curved Change Radiant Sword Moyong Yo charged Yang Hui-gun first, seething with rage.
Logically, Yang Hui-gun was the victim and Moyong Yo the perpetrator, but to villains, that meant nothing.
He blamed others for his dire straits.
Whoosh!
Moyong Yo drew his sword on Yang Hui-gun like a stealthy assassin.
There was reason he targeted Yang Hui-gun amid his momentum.
'Without scheming with foster daughter Jin-hui, killing a single one like you is child's play!'
The prior kidnapping with Moyong Jin-hui required stealthy, traceless abduction.
Focusing solely on killing, Moyong Yo—nearing transcendent mastery—believed he could easily dispatch Yang Hui-gun, the peak expert known as Ghost Shadow Sword.
'Since things have come to this, I'll at least kill you before I go, Yang Hui-gun!'
Cornered utterly, Moyong Yo sought to slay Yang Hui-gun and escape before facing torture himself.
Thus, as his ferocious sword aimed to pierce Yang Hui-gun's throat precisely—
Ghost Lord Shadow Chase!
[Transcendent realm strike]
Yang Hui-gun's single sword—not merely peak, but having surpassed transcendent into the awe-inspiring Entering Divinity realm—pierced Moyong Yo's throat first.
Kwachijik!
"Kuhghghk! Y-you..."
His own sword had clearly drawn first, earlier, foretelling total victory.
Yet a blindingly swift sword flashed, claiming his throat instead.
Moyong Yo felt his white beard soak in blood from the throat wound, gazing up at Yang Hui-gun in horrified astonishment.
"My revenge begins now."