Chapter 236
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: There's Still Much More to Be Surprised About
Hwaok sat facing the Master of the Silver Moon Valley.
The atmosphere had grown heavy after Byeok Taesan’s departure, but this was no time to dwell on such things.
“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
Hwaok spoke as gently as she could.
At that moment, the Master of the Silver Moon Valley was overcome with emotion, her eyes welling up with tears, but she fought them back. It was impossible not to show a flicker of emotion, but she was adept at quickly hiding it.
“The children suffered more than I did. They had to endure being surrounded by beasts who could pounce at any moment.”
Hwaok gazed at the Master of the Silver Moon Valley.
She must have been the one to protect them. Hwaok could imagine how difficult and humiliating that process must have been without having to hear the details.
“I’m well aware of how vicious the Nameless are. In any case, it must have been incredibly difficult to send people from here to Taiyuan.”
The Master of the Silver Moon Valley shook her head at Hwaok’s question.
“No. It was Yichang, not Taiyuan. It’s closer than Taiyuan. About a thousand *li* from here.”
“Yichang? Where the Hubei Martial Alliance is?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Hubei Martial Alliance is there too.”
Hwaok was slightly taken aback. Yichang was also where she had served as the branch chief for the Underworld Sect.
To think that Nameless had been there.
Of course, there had been many suspicious things. Strange incidents had occurred. But she truly had no idea that a Nameless base was located there.
“From what I know, they moved their base several times. The last one was Taiyuan. And… the order came down to wrap things up here.”
Hwaok’s eyes gleamed. This was new information.
“Are you saying they were told to close up shop here and come to Taiyuan?”
The Master of the Silver Moon Valley nodded.
“Yes. That’s why they tried to devour an entire brothel. And why they recruited as many women as possible, even if it meant leaving a trail.”
Hwaok was finally beginning to understand.
She had done some preliminary research on the Silver Moon Valley and Xi’an before coming here.
It turned out that this was the first time the Silver Moon Valley had ever moved so openly to recruit disciples.
Normally, they weren’t so hasty as to leave such obvious traces.
They handled matters with extreme caution and secrecy, ensuring no one knew of their movements.
But this time, they had been far too conspicuous in many ways.
It was unlike the Silver Moon Valley she knew.
She had been curious about the reason, and now she finally understood.
“But were they really told to go to Taiyuan? Not somewhere else?”
“Yes. It was definitely Taiyuan. The Silver Moon Valley hadn’t decided what to do yet, but judging from the atmosphere this morning, it seemed they were going to decide to take everyone to Taiyuan.”
It meant they were planning to abandon this place entirely.
“Abandon all these buildings?”
The Master of the Silver Moon Valley replied calmly.
“It seems… they intend to use this place for themselves.”
“Preparations to keep the Heavenly Martial Alliance in check, I see.”
The distance from Xi’an to Luoyang, where the Heavenly Martial Alliance was located, was about eight hundred *li*.
It wasn’t close by any means, but for masters who were determined to run, it was a distance they could cover surprisingly quickly.
It was also a suitable location to provide support if they intended to stir up trouble there.
‘Come to think of it, Taiyuan…’
The Underworld Sect had confirmed the location of a Nameless base there.
But they had all left. The manor had even been burned to the ground.
She had kept a close watch on it since then but had yet to discover anything out of the ordinary.
She had been contemplating whether it was time to pull back, and now Taiyuan had come up again.
The two women then discussed the Silver Moon Valley, Nameless, and what to do next.
Byeok Taesan had left the handling of the Silver Moon Valley entirely to Hwaok, so she could make the decisions and simply report back to him later.
A thought suddenly occurred to Hwaok.
‘By the way, is it really okay for me to handle this as I see fit?’
Hwaok felt an inner desire to bring the Silver Moon Valley into their fold.
The Silver Moon Valley was a more solid faction than she had expected.
Once freed from the shadow of Nameless, it would likely be able to exert considerable power.
Of course, she couldn’t trust them completely from the start, but if they were gradually colored with the influence of the Profound Heaven Manor, they could eventually become one of the forces under Byeok Taesan’s command.
Just like the Black Path of Wuhan and the wanderers were now.
With that in mind, she was engaging in a deeper conversation when Byeok Taesan suddenly threw the door open and barged in.
“Young Master?”
Hwaok stared at Byeok Taesan, her eyes wide with surprise.
The Master of the Silver Moon Valley was just as shocked. She, too, stared at Byeok Taesan in astonishment. However, unlike Hwaok, her eyes held a hint of fear.
Byeok Taesan spoke calmly to Hwaok.
“I’m going to Taiyuan for a bit.”
“Excuse me? You mean right now?”
“Yes.”
“Who should I prepare for you?”
Hwaok quickly composed her thoughts and asked.
Byeok Taesan usually traveled with his maids. It was a hassle if there was no one to attend to him.
But Byeok Taesan shook his head.
“I’ll go alone this time.”
Hwaok’s eyes widened slightly. There had only been one other recent occasion when Byeok Taesan had moved alone like this.
It was when he had gone from Changsha to Wuhan.
At that time, the remnants of Nameless had simultaneously attacked the Hundred Flowers Pavilion in Wuhan and the Gakwol Inn in Changsha, and because Byeok Taesan had gone to Wuhan, the matter had been resolved easily.
The one and only reason Byeok Taesan had moved alone then was because there was no time.
That meant this was an urgent matter as well.
Hwaok bowed her head respectfully.
“Have a safe trip. I will take responsibility for finishing things here.”
Byeok Taesan nodded.
“I’m counting on you.”
With those words, Byeok Taesan’s figure vanished.
Having experienced something similar before, Hwaok wasn’t too surprised.
But the Master of the Silver Moon Valley was a different story.
She was utterly shocked as Byeok Taesan simply disappeared into thin air.
“What in the world…!”
There was a clear difference between not being able to see someone because they were too fast and not being able to see them because they had truly vanished from their spot.
The Master of the Silver Moon Valley was bewildered.
‘I can’t tell if he was so unimaginably fast that I couldn’t perceive it, or if he really just disappeared.’
Her thoughts leaned toward the latter. If it had been the former, there would have been other signs, like a gust of wind.
“Who… who in the world is he?”
Hwaok looked at the Master of the Silver Moon Valley and smiled knowingly.
“There’s still much more to be surprised about.”
The Master of the Silver Moon Valley stared blankly at Hwaok.
And Hwaok, savoring Byeok Taesan’s final words of trust, smiled quietly to herself.
* * *
Leaving the cage of spiritual power as it was, Byeok Taesan moved swiftly toward Taiyuan.
When he first left Hwaok’s location, he used the secret method he had learned while traveling between Wuhan and Changsha.
Perhaps thanks to the spiritual cage, he was able to move from his spot to just outside the cage in a single leap.
Surprisingly, it consumed almost no spiritual power.
There was much to ponder about that, but he set it aside for now. He wasn’t going to get rid of the cage anyway, so he could think about it when he returned.
Right now, hurrying to Taiyuan was more important.
This time, he would catch that bastard.
A moment ago, he had burned the soul of the one called the Lunar Demon Lord.
The Lunar Demon Lord was a figure from centuries past. He had made a name for himself as a lecher before becoming a public enemy of the martial world and being hunted down. And that was the man they had put in charge of the Silver Moon Valley.
After being reborn, the Lunar Demon Lord had acted with extreme caution.
The memory of being hunted down was so vivid that he had vowed over and over not to let the same thing happen again.
That was why he hadn’t indulged his lust freely at the Silver Moon Valley.
He selected and reselected, then enjoyed himself in moderation.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang, knowing this, had entrusted him with this important task.
The Lunar Demon Lord was tasked with procuring women for Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
He always moved with the women himself.
It was because he could have his way with them as he pleased during the journey.
And that was how Byeok Taesan was able to find out that Hyeokryeon Bigwang was currently in Taiyuan.
“So the little rat pretended to flee, only to crawl back into his hole.”
Byeok Taesan covered several hundred *zhang* with a single step.
It wasn't a lightness skill. It was movement using spiritual power.
This was different from when he traveled between Changsha and Wuhan. This time, he was using the golden bracers.
This special method of movement consumed an immense amount of spiritual power. Furthermore, it required incredibly fine control.
It wasn’t just about moving a long distance; he had to consider all surrounding situations and terrains.
Of course, a small mistake wouldn’t be dangerous for him.
It might be for others, but even if Byeok Taesan’s movement was obstructed by terrain, he would sooner break through it than be harmed.
But that didn’t mean he could move recklessly.
He didn’t know when he might need to use this movement technique, and if he had to use it with others or in a crowded place, meticulous control was essential.
Therefore, he had to practice in advance whenever he had the chance.
As he used the golden bracers, Byeok Taesan began to physically grasp the concept of spiritual power amplification.
For now, he still needed a lot of help from the golden bracers, but as he grew more accustomed to it, he would eventually be able to amplify his spiritual power even without them.
The same applied to the jade embedded in the golden bracers.
Once he began to move by amplifying his spiritual power, he could traverse not just several hundred *zhang*, but several times that distance in a single leap.
By amplifying his power to cover long distances, he arrived in what could only be described as an instant.
Despite expending a stream of spiritual power, a significant amount remained, perhaps due to the amplification or his improved control preventing waste.
In contrast, his spiritual power had been nearly depleted when he traveled between Wuhan and Changsha.
Upon entering Taiyuan, Byeok Taesan recalled the map he had seen before.
With the help of the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, he had identified Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s base on a map.
He roughly estimated its location and pictured it in his mind. Then he headed in that direction.
Now that he had arrived in Taiyuan, there was no need to rush as he had before.
There were many people around, and a misstep could cause a disaster.
It would be troublesome if dozens of people exploded and died because he happened to move through a crowd.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s subordinates were likely scattered all over Taiyuan.
They would be constantly monitoring their surroundings and ceaselessly reporting the situation to Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
The Underworld Sect would be watching closely as well.
The idea of reusing an abandoned base was quite clever.
If Byeok Taesan hadn't had a reason to go to the Silver Moon Valley, it would have taken him quite some time to find this place again.
In any case, Byeok Taesan decided there was no need to reveal himself to the Nameless members and used his spiritual power to erase his presence.
He knew the general location but not the exact spot, so he had to wander around the vicinity first.
As he walked at a leisurely pace, Byeok Taesan spotted a warrior belonging to Nameless.
The man was looking out a window from a building, and judging by his expression and gaze, he was clearly monitoring someone.
Following his line of sight, he saw a porter diligently carrying goods.
But that porter was no ordinary man. He had trained in martial arts and possessed a very familiar aura.
He was a member of the Underworld Sect.
So, a Nameless warrior was spying on an Underworld Sect member.
Seeing his suspicions confirmed upon arriving here, Byeok Taesan’s mood improved slightly.
Until a moment ago, he had been slightly irritated at the thought of Hyeokryeon Bigwang playing tricks on him. But he was no longer annoyed.
Byeok Taesan’s pace quickened slightly.
Soon, he found the spot where the manor had once stood—the very one he had seen when he burned the soul of the man who attacked the Hundred Flowers Pavilion in Wuhan and followed the thread.
The manor had burned down, leaving only traces behind.
But that couldn’t be all.
This was the place where the Lunar Demon Lord had been told to bring the women.
Therefore, there had to be something here, or at the very least, Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s base had to be very close by.
Since no specific date or time had been set for their meeting, there must be a way for Hyeokryeon Bigwang to immediately know when the Lunar Demon Lord arrived.
He could take his time and search.
He could examine the traces one by one to find small clues, use his head to deduce the next clue from the first, and continue this chain of reasoning until he found what he was looking for.
But Byeok Taesan had no desire to do so.
It wasn't that he couldn't, he just wouldn't.
“If you don’t want to use your head, you use your body.”
Muttering to himself, Byeok Taesan used the golden bracers to amplify his spiritual power several times.
The spiritual power was amplified to a degree that was difficult for even the now-stronger Byeok Taesan to handle.
Byeok Taesan released it all.
He controlled it as best he could, preventing the spiritual power from spreading up or down.
*Fwoosh!*
A massive wave of spiritual power spread out from Byeok Taesan in concentric circles.
Byeok Taesan focused his entire mind on those circles of spiritual power.
*Saaaa!*
The spiritual power swept past countless people.
A flood of information about all those people poured into Byeok Taesan’s mind.
Normally, his head would be overloaded to the point of splitting, or he would collapse, unable to withstand it, but that didn't happen to Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan had no intention of accepting the information. He only wanted information on one person.
He discarded all other information. He sought only one thing: information on Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
The concentric circles of spiritual power rapidly swept through the surroundings, expanding their range as if to scan the entirety of Taiyuan.
At a certain moment, Byeok Taesan’s eyes flashed. A wide grin spread across his lips.
“Found you, you little rat.”
Byeok Taesan’s body vanished. He leaped through space and appeared where Hyeokryeon Bigwang was.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang was utterly horrified to see Byeok Taesan suddenly appear before him.
But there was nothing he could do. Before Hyeokryeon Bigwang could even struggle feebly, he was met with Byeok Taesan’s hand.
*Crack!*
Byeok Taesan’s hand closed around Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s throat.
Seeing Byeok Taesan’s faint smile, Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s body trembled.