Chapter 8
Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Red Tiger Falls
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The warriors' first impressions were largely the same.
A scrawny wretch who clearly hadn't eaten in days.
Wearing bloodstained, tattered clothes, he looked like he'd just fled a battlefield.
Of course, that was merely the first impression.
A closer examination would reveal something off.
For instance, the blood on his clothes had dried long ago and wasn't his own.
Though emaciated, he had a subtly sturdy build, and above all, the sharp glint in his eyes peeking through his bangs was anything but that of a fugitive.
But those were subtleties only spotted with careful scrutiny, and for shallow-minded warriors, grasping that much was no easy feat.
And that was their mistake.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed.
It took Yong Ryun a moment to realize it was the noise of his two subordinates on either side taking hits.
Only after more time passed did he grasp that their heads had been pierced clean through in a single strike.
"Wh-what...?"
Yong Ryun's eyes bulged wide.
The beggar-like man.
The instant something flashed from his right hand, more subordinates' heads were inevitably skewered.
Finally grasping the situation, veins of blood shot through Yong Ryun's eyes.
"Lightning Flying Dagger!"
"Right."
The man, Jeok Muryong, replied.
Lightning Flying Dagger
Flying daggers whirl through the air, returning to hand.
Two daggers whirled out from somewhere and flew straight to his hand.
Yong Ryun's face stiffened at the sight.
'Sword control? No, telekinesis?'
Either way, it was an advanced technique beyond his wildest dreams.
The Gale Division Leader's Lightning Flying Dagger was a one-strike-kill method to begin with.
This didn't mean the target always died in one hit.
It meant he had to kill in one hit.
The reason was simple.
'Once thrown, that's it!'
The Gale Division Leader couldn't possibly use advanced telekinesis.
So once a dagger was thrown, it couldn't be retrieved until he picked it up again.
Thus, he had to end it in one attempt, naturally earning the label of a one-strike-kill technique.
Strictly speaking, with two daggers, a second strike was possible.
But this man was different.
The two Lightning Flying Daggers whirled mockingly through the air.
Anyone could tell the beggar-like man was wielding them.
"So you're the ones who've been tailing us since Death Valley. Well, we dawdled quite a bit, so you managed to catch up this far."
"No way! You bastard...?"
"You bastard? Bad habit. Then again, all you modern lot are like that."
Yong Ryun wasted no more time.
He could tell from the man's recent actions alone.
This beggar before him was an extremely dangerous figure.
"Everyone, that guy...!"
He tried to shout for them to attack.
Not for a coordinated assault.
To sacrifice his men's lives for even a sliver of time to escape somehow.
The moment he saw the telekinesis, he'd realized there was no chance of victory.
But it was too late.
Jeok Muryong was already striding right up to his nose.
"Kuh!"
Startled, Yong Ryun reflexively drew his sword.
The sword art that earned him his Red Tiger Division Leader status—the Eight Trigrams Severing Sword's ultimate technique, Severing Dragon Chaos Flash—unfolded.
Or tried to.
It was already too late.
Slash!
Yong Ryun's hands went empty.
More precisely, his forearms.
His sword-gripping right hand and clenched left fist were both severed clean off.
"Gasp...!"
His cry of shock erupted faster than the agony racing along his nerves.
The next instant, Jeok Muryong's right fist filled both his retinas.
Thwack!
A punch landing precisely on his philtrum.
Just a plain strike, unworthy of being called a technique, yet infused with the inner energy of the Divine Art of the Heavenly Demon.
Boom!
Yong Ryun flew over ten zhang before crashing into a massive tree.
No spark of life remained as his head lolled over.
"Hiiik!"
"The Division Leader in one strike!"
"Th-this can't be real!"
The Red Tiger Division members paled, spilling cries of alarm and screams.
Indeed, their slow wits and stupidity stood in stark contrast to their leader.
"You idiots should've run while you had time to scream."
Jeok Muryong clicked his tongue, hurling the two Lightning Flying Daggers.
"Not that I'd have let you live anyway."
Whoosh...
Only the wind whispered in the clearing where Jeok Muryong had vanished.
Neung So-hwa and Jin Choyoung stood frozen in place, rooted to the spot.
"Oh no!"
Jin Choyoung cried out belatedly in dismay.
"What do we do, miss? We should've chased after that man!"
"Choyoung, Hero Jeok told us to wait."
"What if it was a ploy to ditch us and run?"
"If so, he could've done it anytime. No need to explain things we didn't even know."
"Ah."
Jin Choyoung was instantly speechless.
Neung So-hwa smiled faintly at her.
"Choyoung, I saw it."
"Saw what, miss?"
"Hero Jeok achieving Three Flowers Gather at the Crown."
"Three Flowers... Gather at the Crown?"
"Yes. When circulating energy, three flower buds bloom above the head."
"Th-that actually... exists?"
Not just exaggerated tales from others?
It was hard to believe, but Jin Choyoung knew Neung So-hwa wouldn't lie about such things.
"That man did look noticeably different from yesterday, sharper somehow."
"Flesh and muscle filled him out. Like a withered tree sucking up groundwater."
"...So he really is an extraordinary master, then?"
"Choyoung, remember what Hero Jeok said?"
"What do you mean, miss?"
"When he asked about the Heavenly Demon."
"Ah."
Jin Choyoung furrowed her brow slightly.
The Heavenly Demon.
Decades had passed since the last man to claim that title himself had died.
In truth, the Heavenly Demon belonged to an era far removed from them.
Yet the name still carried a chilling tension that put listeners on edge.
"Indeed."
"After asking about the Heavenly Demon, he also asked if we knew his name."
"Miss, do you think he's really become the Heavenly Demon?"
"My late grandfather once told me: This place, the murim, is where events beyond our imagination happen all the time."
"Miss..."
Worry clouded Jin Choyoung's face.
Come to think of it, Jeok Muryong always referred to himself as "this seat."
If he saw himself as the Heavenly Demon, it all fit neatly.
Entrusting their fate to such a man.
It wasn't without danger, but at this point, it was meaningless to dwell on.
Neung So-hwa aside, Jin Choyoung owed her life to Jeok Muryong.
'No choice but to trust and follow.'
With that resolve, Jin Choyoung looked to Neung So-hwa.
Seeing the clarity in her eyes, Neung So-hwa nodded.
"If I'm right, Hero Jeok underwent a major change last night."
"Major change..."
"Yes. I think it was on par with shedding bones and exchanging marrow."
Indeed, if Three Flowers Gather at the Crown had occurred, such a dramatic shift was only natural.
"Maybe what we saw in Death Valley was just a fraction of his true power."
"In other words, he's a powerhouse worthy of claiming the title Heavenly Demon."
"Yes, that's what I think."
"Then..."
They might reclaim True Heaven Palace using that power.
Jin Choyoung nearly said it, but clamped her mouth shut.
'No way the miss hasn't thought of something so obvious.'
Neung So-hwa must have pondered it countless times.
Yet she hadn't voiced it, likely due to the dangers of the Heavenly Demon name.
One misstep, and they'd be branded public enemies of the murim, let alone lose True Heaven Palace.
'So what should we do?'
Jin Choyoung had no answer.
She could only hope Neung So-hwa did.
Unaware or not of her thoughts, Neung So-hwa smoothly changed the subject.
"Anyway, until Hero Jeok returns, let's do what we can. There should be herbs or fruits around here if we look."
"We could hunt too, miss."
"Teach me how, Choyoung?"
"You'll pick it up in no time."
Jeok Muryong returned after about an hour.
Neung So-hwa and Jin Choyoung sat quietly in the clearing, waiting.
"No fire? Must've been chilly just sitting."
"We didn't want to risk giving away our position to pursuers."
"Wise choice. Though it doesn't matter now."
"Meaning..."
"Light a fire. No one's left to spot the smoke."
Words laden with meaning.
Feeling a chill in her chest, Neung So-hwa nodded to Jin Choyoung.
A fire soon crackled to life.
Jeok Muryong silently grilled chunks of wild game they'd caught and prepared.
After some eating, Neung So-hwa cautiously asked.
"Can we travel without worrying about pursuit now?"
"Pretty much."
"Then we can afford to start a bit later."
"Doesn't matter to me, but for you, reaching Luoyang ASAP would be best, no?"
"You think so too, Hero Jeok?"
"This seat..."
About to say it didn't matter, Jeok Muryong trailed off.
Proper cuisine suddenly appealed more than camping fare.
'Hmm.'
Truth be told, he could ditch them now and head to a nearby village or town anytime.
No money? When had that ever stopped him from dining out?
Eat what he craved, leave when done.
Order some baekhapchoeng or huajiu, pair it with roast duck, perfect.
Or slurp down hot buckwheat noodles or beef noodle soup.
"......"
Just thinking made his mouth water.
Drool nearly escaped his lips.
His mind, transcended beyond humanity after centuries in the Bottomless Abyss, still crumbled before food like a mere child.
Those centuries had been utter torment, craving anything edible.
The sole reason he didn't bolt to the nearest village was one: pride as the Heavenly Demon.
He couldn't simply abandon Neung So-hwa, to whom he owed a debt.
Especially since she'd provided food exactly when he needed it most—twice. Immensely meaningful.
Right then, Neung So-hwa posed a loaded question.
"You're hungry, aren't you, Hero Jeok?"