Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Hereabouts
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"Haaah."
The man let out a sigh thick with regret.
"To lose it so absurdly."
He had just lost a base.
The money, manpower, effort, and time invested in creating it were a waste, but what he regretted more was the fact that he could never create that base again.
Because the person who could is now gone.
The man, Hyeokryeon Bigwang, recalled his recent encounter with Byeok Taesan.
He was no ordinary man.
"I never imagined he'd be that strong."
He hoped his double left behind would fight and die, but he doubted that would happen.
"That's why Go Jungwang and Seo Dogun were so helpless against him."
Go Jungwang and Seo Dogun had even employed people like Gok Yangdu and Ma Jingwan.
Even with such great masters, they couldn't capture Byeok Taesan.
"Urgh."
Hyeokryeon Bigwang pressed a hand to his forehead. A sudden headache washed over him.
It was the price for forcibly severing the connection.
He had done so because of a bad feeling. He had a sense that something would go wrong if he remained connected to the double, so he had cut it off rather hastily.
The aftereffects were hitting him now.
An intense headache and lust washed over him. He knew that once this passed, a thirst for blood would arise.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang walked to the bed.
After sitting on the enormous bed, he pulled a cord hanging beside it.
A moment later, the door opened and three beautiful women entered.
They began to undress as soon as they came in. Once fully naked, they would climb onto the bed on their own.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang's gaze shifted past the disrobing women to the slowly closing door.
His loyal subordinate gave a slight, meaningful nod.
Normally, he would have closed the door and left, but Hyeokryeon Bigwang beckoned him over.
While not entirely unheard of, it was extremely rare, and the subordinate's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
As the subordinate entered, Hyeokryeon Bigwang spoke to him.
"Withdraw completely from Wuhan and Yichang."
"We still have plenty of personnel to replace Go Jungwang and Seo Dogun."
Hyeokryeon Bigwang shook his head.
"Taking over the Hubei Martial Alliance immediately would be ideal, but as things stand, the losses will only grow. Unnecessary failures are troublesome."
The subordinate bowed his head.
"Yes. Understood."
"The Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance, the Namgung Family, and the Jegal Family are all connected to Wuhan. There's no need to provoke them needlessly. Besides, Byeok Taesan is also a cause for concern."
"How about we prepare a proper trap and eliminate Byeok Taesan first?"
"It would be fine if we could be certain. But we've already failed at that. It didn't work even when we sent Ma Jingwan and the Bloodletting Demonic Sword, so we would need to prepare more thoroughly, and it's not worth expending our strength on that."
"Then I will handle that matter as instructed."
"Well... if things go well, he might take a hit there."
Hyeokryeon Bigwang muttered, thinking of the base he had just lost. There was still something left there.
Then, an idea struck him. Hyeokryeon Bigwang's eyes lit up as he spoke to his subordinate.
"Leaking it to the other side might be one way to handle it. We have a justification, so try to make the others turn their eyes to Wuhan. Can you do it?"
"I will try. But if Wuhan falls into their hands, it will become very problematic."
The corners of Hyeokryeon Bigwang's mouth twisted.
"It won't be that easy. Byeok Taesan is no pushover. I can't be the only one to suffer. We can test Byeok Taesan's true strength and wear down our competitors' forces. Killing two birds with one stone."
"Then I will proceed immediately."
As Hyeokryeon Bigwang nodded, the subordinate carefully backed away and departed.
Soon, the door closed, and the scene that often unfolded in the room began once more.
The women here would all die in the end, and their blood, down to the last drop, would become Hyeokryeon Bigwang's.
***
Byeok Taesan summoned everyone from the Black Iron Hall to his location.
He had decided to wrap things up here and return to Wuhan immediately.
It seemed they would have to stay here for a few more days.
They needed to dismantle the formation and investigate the area.
Under Byeok Taesan's watch, Seung Doheung and the formation masters were analyzing the formation, sweating profusely.
Meanwhile, members of the Underworld Sect and Byeok Taesan's own people were scouring the manor, checking if anything had been missed.
Byeok Taesan was on the top floor of the tallest building in the manor, but due to the formation, his view was still not perfectly clear.
That would change once Seung Doheung and the formation masters began dismantling it, but for now, they were still in the analysis phase, so the formation was running smoothly.
Hwaok approached Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, I've brought the map you asked for."
Hwaok said, spreading a large map on the table.
Without even glancing at the map, Byeok Taesan pointed in a certain direction.
"From where we are now, what's about five hundred *li* in that direction?"
Hwaok gauged the direction Byeok Taesan was pointing.
It was northeast, leaning slightly to the east.
After noting the direction and checking the map, Hwaok placed her finger on a specific area.
"Hereabouts."
Only then did Byeok Taesan turn and approach the map.
He looked at the spot Hwaok's finger was on. There were several villages, and also a city.
"But it's not precise. Are you looking for something?"
Byeok Taesan didn't answer and studied the map more closely.
Indeed, it was difficult to pinpoint an exact location with just a direction from here.
Besides, there was no certainty that the distance was exactly five hundred *li*.
'That's what it felt like...'
But it was too vague. He couldn't be sure.
Byeok Taesan checked the map again. Focusing on the area around Hwaok's finger, two cities caught his eye.
'Hyeongmun, Jongsang.'
It seemed to be one of these two, though it was possible it was neither.
Byeok Taesan looked at Hwaok and asked.
"How strong is the Underworld Sect's presence in Hyeongmun and Jongsang?"
"Similar to Dangyang. About sixty members, with each commanding five to ten people."
Byeok Taesan pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
It was meaningless. What could the Underworld Sect do? Even if they had outstanding informants, what could they accomplish?
For one, they didn't even know the man's face.
All he knew was that the man smelled of blood, a scent that ordinary people couldn't detect.
'I have to find him myself...'
Byeok Taesan was confident he would recognize the man the moment he saw him.
He hadn't seen the man's face, but when he escaped from that beastly fellow earlier, he had clearly identified the spiritual power of the vanishing soul.
One can hide their face or aura, but not the spiritual power clinging to their soul.
So he would know him on sight.
"Never mind. Tell them to hurry up and clean this place. It's about time we returned to Wuhan."
He had done everything he needed to do here.
He had captured Go Jungwang, consumed the elixir—no, the Half-Jiangshi's spiritual power—and destroyed one of the enemy's bases.
Wasn't that a sufficient reward for coming all the way to Yichang?
Hwaok bowed respectfully and went outside.
Byeok Taesan returned to the window and looked down at the manor.
His senses began to sharpen as the dismantling of the formation commenced.
***
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, and Cho Seoran always moved as a trio.
Even when they trained at the Black Iron Hall, the three of them were together. For some reason, being together created a strange sense of camaraderie, and they seemed to do everything a little better.
It was the same now.
While walking together, they discovered a storehouse of medicinal herbs.
It was an underground cellar, dug into the earth, so it wasn't easy to find, but they had stumbled upon it by luck.
"Anyway, are they going to take all those wooden gourds over there too?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages muttered, looking at the wooden gourds laid out in a distant clearing.
For some reason, they made him feel uneasy every time he looked at them. There was something strangely unsettling about them.
"Won't they just burn them all? They don't seem useful for anything... and they're filled solid. So you can't even use them as real gourds."
"Stop worrying about useless things and get to work. Aren't you worried what'll happen if you get caught slacking?"
At the One-Needle Eccentric's words, the Divine Doctor of the Ages chuckled.
"Oh, brother. Why so worried? How is this slacking? We're in a strategy meeting, a strategy meeting! So inflexible. Right, Seoran?"
Cho Seoran gave an awkward smile at the Divine Doctor's words. What could she possibly say here? No matter what she said, she'd be walking into a trap.
The One-Needle Eccentric's breathing grew heavy. But he didn't get angry right away. He took a breath to calm himself first. As always.
"Anyway, it's nice to have a break from training. Don't you think, brother?"
"Well... that's true. There's probably no one our age who trains as hard as we do."
"That's what I'm saying. Our Young Master is really too much."
As the Divine Doctor of the Ages' words crossed a line, Cho Seoran coldly turned her head away.
"Young Master, I do not agree with that statement."
Startled by Cho Seoran's words, the Divine Doctor of the Ages frantically looked around.
"Huh? He's not here? Hey! Are you messing with me?"
Cho Seoran shook her head.
"I said it because it feels like the Young Master can hear whatever we say, wherever he is."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages swallowed hard.
"Geez, really. Why are you making me so nervous?"
The One-Needle Eccentric chuckled, much like the Divine Doctor usually did.
"I don't know about others, but you really lucked out meeting the Young Master. If it weren't for him, you'd never have become a decent person. The fact that you can even pretend to be human is all thanks to him. Yep."
"Hey, why do you have to talk like that? If I'm not a person, what am I?"
The three continued to walk as they talked.
Eventually, they entered a nearby building.
"Didn't the other guys already check this place?"
"They said it's good to check multiple times, so it won't be meaningless if we do it again. They're dismantling the formation now, so we might find something."
Finding Cho Seoran's words reasonable, the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric nodded and followed her.
As the three of them entered the building and looked around carefully, they suddenly noticed something odd about the floor.
"This part is a bit strange."
"You're right. The seams don't match. Why didn't the people who checked before see this?"
"It probably wasn't like this then. The formation's power must have been at work."
"You think so?"
Cho Seoran said, touching the seam in the floor with her hand. It felt like it could be opened.
"I'll try opening it."
Cho Seoran said, and before anyone could stop her, she slipped her fingers into the seam and pulled.
*Creeak!*
The floor opened far more easily than she had expected.
Cho Seoran opened the floor and peered inside. Then she immediately shut it again.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric looked at Cho Seoran with puzzled eyes.
Cho Seoran looked at the two of them with a distressed face and said.
"I think... I've caused some trouble."
***
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, and Cho Seoran burst out of the building.
"Everyone, run!"
The One-Needle Eccentric shouted, even using his internal energy.
The three of them sprinted towards the building where Byeok Taesan was staying.
Almost immediately after they exited, the entrance of the building they had been in exploded.
*Kwaang!*
Shattered debris flew in all directions.
The one who emerged after destroying the building was a man dressed in black.
The man's head snapped around, searching for something. Then he spotted the Divine Doctor of the Ages and launched himself in that direction.
*Shwaaak!*
His speed was tremendous.
In a near instant, he was right behind the Divine Doctor.
And he struck at the Divine Doctor's back with a hand imbued with immense energy.
At that moment, the One-Needle Eccentric grabbed the Divine Doctor by the scruff of his neck.
*Thud!*
"Guek!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages tumbled ungracefully. But thanks to that, the man's attack sliced through empty air.
The sudden exertion caused the One-Needle Eccentric's legs to buckle slightly. The Divine Doctor's body was also bruised from the fall.
The man in black stopped running and turned his head to glare at the Divine Doctor.
Then he strode towards him.
A violent aura shimmered around the man's body like heat haze.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, still sitting on the ground, glared back at the approaching man.
When the man reached him, the Divine Doctor's eyes widened. Relief and gladness were mixed in his gaze.
"Young Master!"
Somehow, Byeok Taesan was now standing behind the man.
The man swung a hand backward without any preparatory motion. The immense energy in his hand swept wildly behind him.
But by then, Byeok Taesan had already moved in front of the man.
Byeok Taesan grabbed the man's neck in a tight grip.
*Crack!*
And he lifted him up and slammed him into the ground.
*Kwaang!*
The man's body trembled violently.
Byeok Taesan, in the same position, turned only his head to look at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"What on earth did you say for him to only chase you?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages chuckled and replied.
"Honestly, doesn't he look like a frog? I was just stating a fact."
Byeok Taesan smirked and tightened his grip.
*Crack!*
An intense energy rampaged through the man's body. That was the end of it.
A black soul shot out from the top of the man's head.
Byeok Taesan caught it and dissolved it with the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts.
And at that moment, the sounds of explosions echoed from all over the manor.
*Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!*
Byeok Taesan stood up and swept his gaze around. His expression had vanished, and his eyes had grown deep and sunken.
"Things that can't even be used as medicine are running too rampant."