Chapter 235
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: At Last, I Can Catch That Rat
"Did I not ask who you are!"
As the woman at the forefront shouted again, Byeok Taesan glanced at her.
Wrinkles creased the corners of her eyes, suggesting she was of a certain age, yet she was a woman of considerable beauty.
"Wait. It is not your turn yet."
The middle-aged woman could not hide her bewildered expression at Byeok Taesan's words.
"What is this······!"
Her words were cut short. Byeok Taesan had suddenly raised his hand.
A colossal energy began to gather in his palm.
She had an incredibly dangerous premonition. If that energy were to explode, this entire area might be blown away. At least, that was how it felt.
Cold sweat trickled down the woman's forehead.
An opponent had arrived who seemed impossible to defeat, even if she and the entirety of Silver Moon Valley were to attack together.
*Fwoooosh!*
The woman flinched. The energy dwelling in Byeok Taesan's hand erupted forth as if exploding.
Fortunately, she was not the target, as it zipped past over her head.
But the woman's complexion quickly turned pale.
"N-No way!"
It occurred to her that the energy might not be targeting her, but Silver Moon Valley itself.
The woman spun around and looked toward the valley.
She felt the energy sweep over Silver Moon Valley.
She only noticed because her senses were exceptionally sharp; it seemed the others had no idea what was happening.
That must be why they were staring at her with such baffled expressions.
But the woman had no time to worry about their gazes.
It felt as though the energy flying into the distance would fall upon Silver Moon Valley at any moment and shatter everything.
But thankfully, the energy simply passed over the valley.
"Hoo."
A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
However, she soon found her eyes widening again.
The energy that had flown away was now returning.
She held her breath as the immense energy passed over Silver Moon Valley. Thankfully, the powerful aura passed safely by.
Only then did she notice that a person, enveloped in the energy, had been brought along with it.
"Th-That person is······!"
*Thud! Crash!*
The person who tumbled disgracefully to the ground was the Tae-eum Demonic Lord, a nameless master who served beside the Master of Silver Moon Valley.
He was also the one responsible for the valley's current state.
That bastard had abandoned them all and tried to flee, only to be captured and brought back like this.
"Now that the rat has been caught, we can talk. What were you saying earlier?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, the middle-aged woman gulped.
"We… we will welcome our guests. Please, come inside."
Byeok Taesan smirked and looked back. His eyes met with Go Bokyang, who was glaring at this place with eyes hot enough to burn it all down.
With a nod of his chin, Go Bokyang quickly ran forward.
"We are looking for a person named Mok Yeonyeon, who came here recently!"
"Mok Yeonyeon?"
The middle-aged woman furrowed her brow and tilted her head as if she genuinely could not remember.
Byeok Taesan, who was watching, spoke.
"Guide us inside for now. You'd do well to remember by the time I take my seat."
The middle-aged woman's face turned pale.
"Y-Yes, I understand! What are you all doing! Quickly, escort our guests inside!"
The women who had followed her out hurriedly guided Byeok Taesan's group into Silver Moon Valley.
And the middle-aged woman ran into the valley ahead of anyone else. Even if she couldn't remember right away, she had to find her, no matter what.
If the name wasn't in her memory, she just had to ask someone who would know. Her pace quickened, matching the urgency in her heart.
***
The women of Silver Moon Valley intended to guide Byeok Taesan's party to a suitable reception room.
But partway there, Byeok Taesan suddenly changed direction.
"N-Not that way, it's this way."
One of the women said, startled.
Byeok Taesan glanced at her before continuing toward his intended destination.
No one could block or stop him.
After walking for some time, Byeok Taesan came to a halt.
"This is the center."
Byeok Taesan had come to the heart of Silver Moon Valley.
Everyone watched him, wondering what was happening.
Byeok Taesan raised the hand wearing the golden vambrace toward the sky.
*Whoosh!*
His spirit energy was amplified several times through the vambrace. A massive stream of spirit energy shot up into the sky.
Byeok Taesan's eyes glinted. He was exercising immense concentration.
The spirit energy, having risen high into the sky, spread out in all directions.
Like creating a giant birdcage, strands of spirit energy drew arcs as they descended to the ground.
It looked as if the entirety of Silver Moon Valley was now covered by a birdcage. A birdcage made of spirit energy, of course.
Byeok Taesan looked at the massive spirit energy cage he had completed and grinned.
"It works."
He had a feeling it would, and just as he thought, it worked well.
Now, no one could leave this place without his permission.
"Let's go."
Byeok Taesan said and began to walk.
The women of Silver Moon Valley who were meant to be guiding him wore troubled expressions. Once again, Byeok Taesan was taking the lead.
"Where on earth is he······."
One of the women started to ask where he was going but then clamped her mouth shut.
In the distance, in the direction Byeok Taesan was heading, she could see the residence of the Master of Silver Moon Valley.
It was the largest pavilion in the valley, housing the Master's office, training hall, and living quarters, as well as the offices of the valley's leadership who assisted the Master.
***
The Master of Silver Moon Valley came out of the pavilion and waited anxiously for Byeok Taesan.
She had already been briefed on what had happened at the entrance.
A master of unimaginable power had arrived and captured the Tae-eum Demonic Lord, who had been trying to escape.
She had heard the explanation of how he was caught, but even hearing it from an eyewitness, she found it hard to believe.
To catch someone trying to escape through the cliffs at the edge of the valley from the entrance—how could she possibly accept that?
She also heard that one of the visitors was looking for Mok Yeonyeon.
So she had sent someone to find her.
In any case, with the fate of Silver Moon Valley uncertain, she had to be as humble and cautious as possible.
The damage sustained when Nameless took over the valley had been too great.
If they were to suffer such losses again, Silver Moon Valley would not survive.
As she waited in front of the pavilion, she saw Byeok Taesan approaching in the distance.
The Master of Silver Moon Valley tensed as she observed him.
*'He's young… far too young.'*
Frankly, from her perspective, he seemed less young and more of a boy.
Was he even twenty, or perhaps a little over?
He was so handsome that, in a way, he looked like he might not even be twenty yet.
Regardless, the Master did not make the mistake of underestimating him just because he looked young.
No, even if she wanted to, she couldn't.
How could she possibly look down on him when she saw the many people floating in the air behind him?
The figures floating along behind Byeok Taesan were all dispatched from Nameless.
She couldn't begin to describe how hard she had fought to protect the disciples of Silver Moon Valley from them.
Of course, she couldn't protect them all.
From the moment Silver Moon Valley was consumed by Nameless, they had no choice but to accept such a fate.
Before long, Byeok Taesan stood before the Master of Silver Moon Valley.
She bowed respectfully toward him.
"I am the Master of Silver Moon Valley."
"I am Byeok Taesan."
The Master's eyes lit up at the name Byeok Taesan.
It was the name she had heard most frequently in her recent conversations with the members of Nameless.
*'This person is the one…'*
The Master of Silver Moon Valley gulped. The rumored Byeok Taesan was right before her eyes.
"I heard there were others who came with you······."
Byeok Taesan said nonchalantly.
"There are some pests to catch."
They couldn't escape anyway, but the ones that needed to be caught still had to be caught.
Byeok Taesan's companions were currently scattered, rounding up and dealing with the members from Nameless.
He had ordered them to capture all those who shouldn't be in Silver Moon Valley—that is, all the men.
The people currently floating behind Byeok Taesan were ones he had caught on his way because they were nearby.
Among them were not only men but also women.
It was very simple for Byeok Taesan to distinguish those from Nameless.
They had a trace left on their souls.
It used to be a trace that was hard to find before burning it, but at some point, he had started to just see it.
It was an extremely subtle trace, but to Byeok Taesan's senses, it felt very distinct.
It wasn't a mark someone had intentionally carved, but rather one that formed naturally from being near someone who consistently used dangerous spirit energy.
The Master of Silver Moon Valley couldn't help but be astonished.
The men were one thing, but she never imagined he would have captured all the women from Nameless as well.
*'How did he figure it out? Is his intelligence network really that formidable?'*
She had no choice but to conclude as much. And that made her even more tense.
Her opponent possessed an intelligence network so superior that he could see through every corner of Silver Moon Valley.
A rash lie or a clumsy attempt to evade the situation would be exposed immediately.
Having organized her thoughts, the Master of Silver Moon Valley escorted Byeok Taesan inside.
"Please, come inside. We have prepared some simple refreshments. Or… should I have a full meal prepared?"
"Tea will be fine."
He planned to eat the food his attendants would make for him later.
No matter where he went and what he ate, the food his attendants made was still the most delicious.
It was probably because they knew his tastes perfectly.
In any case, Byeok Taesan entered the Master's office and naturally sat in the seat of honor that had been prepared for him.
The Master of Silver Moon Valley stood quietly before him, her head slightly bowed.
It was a scene reminiscent of a lord and his subordinate.
"Where is Mok Yeonyeon?"
"She is currently waiting in the next room. Shall I call her in?"
"No need. What would I do meeting her?"
The one who needed to meet Mok Yeonyeon was not him, but Go Bokyang.
Go Bokyang was also busy capturing members of Nameless with the others, so it would take him some time to get here.
"Why did you join hands with Nameless?"
It was a simple question, but to the Master, it sounded like an accusation.
She lowered her head, her face flushing.
"We were crushed by their power."
They had resisted fiercely, but they had failed. That was all there was to it.
While the power of Silver Moon Valley was considerable, its isolation had become a problem.
If only they had been able to form alliances with other sects, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
No, if that had been the case, Nameless might not have even touched Silver Moon Valley at all.
They had started this because the valley was easy to exploit and easy to crush with force.
As she stood with her head bowed, lost in thought, the Master of Silver Moon Valley suddenly found the situation quite strange.
Her opponent was a great master, yes, but wasn't she being a little too subservient?
Honestly, what was the age difference between herself and Byeok Taesan, who sat before her? She didn't know his exact age, but compared to her, who was over forty, was he even half her age?
The Master of Silver Moon Valley slowly raised her head.
And then, upon seeing Byeok Taesan, she immediately lowered it again.
The moment she saw him, she realized that her current posture was only natural. For some reason, Byeok Taesan had a strange aura that couldn't be judged by age alone.
"Crushed by power, you went looking for other sacrifices."
The Master could not answer. It wasn't an incorrect statement.
To save Silver Moon Valley, they had offered up innocent women.
In truth, Nameless had orchestrated everything, and Silver Moon Valley had merely followed the orders of their warriors, but that didn't erase their guilt.
Just then, Hwaok entered.
Sensing the somewhat grave atmosphere, Hwaok cautiously approached Byeok Taesan and reported.
"The cleanup is complete."
"There are fifteen trying to escape. Tell the others to catch them. The woman he's looking for is in the next room, so tell him to go meet her."
"Yes."
Hwaok replied and immediately went back outside.
A moment later, Hwaok returned, her eyes wide with surprise as she reported to Byeok Taesan.
"We have captured fifteen women who were standing motionless at the border of Silver Moon Valley."
"They are from Nameless."
Hwaok's eyes widened a little more. But she quickly composed her expression and bowed her head slightly.
Several more reports followed.
They included the fact that Go Bokyang had met Mok Yeonyeon and the overall situation of Silver Moon Valley.
Mok Yeonyeon belonged to Silver Moon Valley, and her mission was to operate in Xi'an and select women to be sent to the valley.
But a problem arose when she met Go Bokyang and they developed feelings for each other.
She had returned to Silver Moon Valley out of guilt, feeling she wasn't the good person Go Bokyang thought she was, and out of fear that if their relationship continued, Nameless would not leave him alone.
It was a decision she made because they weren't in a serious relationship yet. She believed that if their feelings deepened, they would both inevitably become unhappy.
She had thought Go Bokyang would never be able to find Silver Moon Valley.
And indeed, without Byeok Taesan, he would not have found this place.
In any case, now that they had met, what happened next was up to them.
"You handle Silver Moon Valley."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Hwaok bowed her head.
"I'm going to see the Nameless bastards."
As he said this, the corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.
This place served as a supply of women to Nameless.
From the looks of it, the one receiving the women was Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
The thought that he might be able to catch Hyeokryeon Bigwang's tail here put him in a good mood.
"At last, I can catch that rat."
Watching Byeok Taesan's back as he left the office, Hwaok and the Master of Silver Moon Valley felt a strange chill and stared at the door he had exited for a long time.