Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Mountains Beyond Mountains
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Sun Bok's robes split open, blood trickling from the gash.
The Black-Faced Ghost Venerable bared his white teeth in a grin, but inside, he was far from amused.
A mere cut through the skin was nothing.
The real problem was that this bastard was keeping pace with his swordsmanship.
It didn't matter if he was a Demonic Cult expert or not.
To escape the White Master's clutches, he had to sever this guy's neck.
"Mind your own busi...?"
The moment Se Yeong sneered, his sword moved.
Kwa-kwa-kwang...! Kwa-kwang...!
Once more, sword clashed wildly against sword, the shockwaves rattling the forest.
Se Yeong calmly parried the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's blade, waiting for an opening.
Martial arts weren't something you calculated with your head—they were felt with your body.
That was what Grandfather had said, and Se Yeong knew it from countless experiences.
The strikes that had sliced his collars and skin grew fewer and fewer.
The Black-Faced Ghost Venerable, who had been carving him up like a gentle breeze over his whole body, floated lightly into the air once again.
In that instant, his form appeared everywhere around him.
Yet Se Yeong could instantly tell which were afterimages and which was real.
Kwa-kwang...!
He deflected the sword thrusting at his waist, slashed at the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's neck—and just then, a blade came crashing down on his crown.
Kwa-kwang...!
The moment he parried the overhead strike, the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable, who had leaped back, thrust his sword right before his eyes.
Kwang...!
Sswak.
Twisting his body to block the sword, he thrust his own into the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's neck.
The figure of the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable before him vanished in an instant, retreating six or seven jang away.
'How can this be?'
He didn't need to check to know blood was flowing from his neck.
Se Yeong's face, six or seven jang distant, flashed before his eyes for a moment.
The Black-Faced Ghost Venerable hurriedly swung his sword to behead Se Yeong.
Kwa-kwa-kwang...!
Since venturing into the martial world, he had suffered defeat five times.
All five defeats had come at the hands of one man.
If he couldn't be the supreme master, settling for second best was fine.
But this martial world was no longer the one from twenty years ago.
It had changed so much that he even wondered if he had regressed.
"White Master...!"
His rage poured out toward the absent White Master.
Kwa-kwang...! Kwa-kwa-kwang...!
Desperately blocking the flurry of swords, the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable leaped into the air again.
Sswak....
Kwang...!
But Se Yeong's sword didn't miss that moment.
Se Yeong's blade shot like a ray of light and collided with the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's.
His airborne form lost balance, wobbling, and Se Yeong's sword sliced into his leg.
This time, it cut deep.
Touching down on the ground, the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable tried to unleash his movement technique.
But his leg wouldn't obey.
Kwa-kwang...!
Blocking the incoming sword caused his unsteady leg to throw off his balance.
Se Yeong unfolded his swordsmanship, shredding the space, then slipped another blade into the gaps.
Kwa-kwa... Kwa-kwa-kwang...!
True energy clashed with demonic energy, shockwaves exploding outward, and blood sprayed from both the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's shoulders as they burst open.
Blood flowed from his chest as well.
The Black-Faced Ghost Venerable tried to raise his sword toward Se Yeong.
But the wounds in his shoulders were apparently too deep; the sword felt impossibly heavy.
Seogeuk....
The sword he was lifting fell to the ground along with his forearm.
He stared blankly at his severed arm, gushing blood.
'White Master. You never intended to let me go, did you?'
To escape the Four Hundred Saints, he had challenged the White Master every four or five years.
Surpassing the White Master would make him the supreme under heaven.
But he lost every time, and after the last defeat, the White Master had said this:
"Next time you challenge me, I'll take your head."
The Black-Faced Ghost Venerable turned his gaze to stare at Se Yeong.
The one taking his head wasn't the White Master, but his words had been spot on.
He didn't want to die.
Yet death was right before his eyes.
Seeing death so clearly made him yearn for Kunlun, where he had played as a child.
"Will you bury me in Kunlun?"
Seogeuk.
The moment Se Yeong's sword grazed his neck, a red line appeared, and his head soon rolled away.
Ttuk... Ddegu-rureu....
Peul-seok.
His body followed, collapsing to the ground.
Se Yeong pulled the sword from the hand on the ground and unfastened the scabbard from the sprawled corpse.
The Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's sword was an excellent blade etched with cloud patterns.
"Burn the body."
Se Yeong had no intention of taking his corpse to Kunlun for burial.
Twenty days had already passed, but Uncle and the retainers still hadn't returned.
Pacing the room, he stepped outside and grabbed the retainers to ask.
"No news again today?"
"The retainers are out fifty ri—news will come soon, Family Head."
Hearing the exact same answer as that morning, Yi Dae In's face darkened with anger.
"Didn't you say that this morning?"
The retainer felt wronged.
Why vent at him just because the retainers sent to the Four Hundred Saints hadn't returned?
"My apologies, Family Head. I'll send retainers out a hundred ri to investigate."
"Hurry up."
"Understood, Family Head."
The retainer bowed, but it was already late at night—too late to move.
He could only send them out come morning.
Having vented his impatience on the retainer, Yi Dae In turned and headed to his hall.
This matter had to go perfectly.
Once the Four Hundred Saints' experts arrived, it would all be over but the shouting.
Bbigeuk....
Entering the room to soothe his anxiety, he suddenly frowned.
When he left, the room had been bright; now it was dimly lit.
'One candle must have gone out.'
As he moved to relight it, goosebumps prickled his skin.
This had happened before.
The room had been just as dim then, with a thick scent of blood.
And now, the room was equally dim, with a faint bloody smell wafting through.
Yi Dae In turned his gaze to the corner.
Sure enough, Hwang Moo Yeong sat there just as before.
His heart pounded wildly, breath coming short.
Forcing his chest to calm, he plastered on a smile and bowed.
"To what do I owe the visit... Hwang Dae Hyeop?"
With so many guilty secrets, his throat dried up instantly.
"You know exactly why I'm here."
Cold sweat trickled down Yi Dae In's back at Se Yeong's question.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
He feigned ignorance.
Se Yeong responded with a chilling smile.
"Four Hundred Saints."
Those words hit like a thunderbolt.
Realizing he couldn't hide it anymore, Yi Dae In prostrated himself flat on the floor.
"S-Sorry, Hwang Dae Hyeop. I've committed a grave sin."
Uncle and the retainers must have run into Hwang Moo Yeong on their way back.
There was no other way he could know.
"I warned you clearly back then."
"Spare me, please. Just my life—please."
Yi Dae In begged desperately in a pitiful voice.
But Se Yeong silently extended his hand toward the wall.
Seu-eu....
Yi Dae In's sword, hanging on the wall, flew into his hand.
Yi Dae In grew frantic.
"S-Spare my life, and I'll give you the land, the buildings... anything you want."
Se Yeong asked,
"The inn at the village entrance and the vast fields—are those yours too?"
"Yes, they're mine. The inn, butcher shop, clothier, grain store in the village—all mine."
The Yi Family of Geumcheon was far wealthier than expected.
Se Yeong wanted to take all their land and buildings.
But seizing everything at once would alert the Murim Alliance soon enough.
The retainers, losing their land and homes, would flee the village, and tales of what happened here—embellished—would spread far and wide.
"Hand over the deeds for the inn at the entrance and the fields."
Yi Dae In scrambled up, rummaging behind the screen for the chest.
Fumbling through documents, he carefully offered them up.
Se Yeong pocketed the deeds.
"Stick out your right foot."
"...Pardon?"
Yi Dae In didn't catch it at first.
"Scream, and I'll cut your head off. Brace yourself."
Finally understanding, he began trembling violently.
"Please... Hwang Dae Hyeop... "
"Out with it."
With no choice, Yi Dae In extended his right foot.
Sswak....
A flash of sword light—and his toes were severed along with his leather shoe.
Kkeu-eu-eu....
Yi Dae In clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.
"Next time, it's your right fingers. Then you'll need someone else to feed you."
Se Yeong left those ominous words and exited the room.
Euaaaa...!
"Call the physician...! Hurry, get the physician...!"
Only after Se Yeong had been gone a while did Yi Dae In finally scream.
"Heavens. What happened to make it like this?"
The worker, summoned back after twenty days, stared dumbfounded at the half-collapsed hall.
Examining the fallen pillar, the cut was clean as sliced tofu.
"No need for explanations—just call the workers and repair it."
The worker dismissed his doubts at Se Yeong's words.
So what if the cut was clean?
This estate paid generously and fed them lavishly.
"No worries, Young Master. We'll start tomorrow."
"Stop by the lumberyard and tell them what we need."
"Of course."
The worker left with a satisfied grin.
"Brother, silver just flows out even when we're sitting still."
"It's fine. More comes in than goes out."
"What'd you take from Yi Dae In?"
"The inn at the village entrance and the surrounding fields. The innkeeper and tenant farmers will come pay respects soon."
Having overheard, Il Hwa cautiously chimed in.
"My brother and I used to work there as errand boys."
"Oh? Want me to send you back?"
She shook her head vigorously.
"No. I like it here."
At the inn, a month's wages had been one nyang of silver; here, it was three.
Plus, she could learn the martial arts she'd only dreamed of, and everyone was kind.
The only big downside was staking your life to live here.
Se Yeong handed the siblings the two swords leaning against the wall.
One was Blood Ghost Mother's sword, the other the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable's.
He'd meant to sell Blood Ghost Mother's but hadn't yet; the other was newly acquired.
"Practice your swordsmanship with these from now on."
The siblings were overjoyed, needless to say.
They knew these were exceptional swords.
"We can really use them?"
Il Hwa asked in astonishment.
Se Yeong nodded, and her face lit up like morning sunlight.
"The Black-Faced Ghost is done for."
In the martial world, he was called the Black-Faced Ghost Venerable, but to the Supreme One, he was just a black-faced petty ghost.
The White Master, resting his chin on his hand in the chair, gave a slight nod.
A faint smile ghosted across his lips, then vanished.
Ak Su Deok pretended not to notice and asked,
"What now?"
No emotion showed on the White Master's face.
But Ak Su Deok knew the Supreme One was thoroughly enjoying this.
The Black-Faced Ghost had been a top expert held in check by the Four Hundred Saints for twenty years to counter the Demonic Cult.
His death was a great loss to them, yet the Supreme One showed no regret.
The moment reports came in about Hwang Moo Yeong, the Supreme One had instantly recognized him as Han Se Yeong.
"Spread word of Han Se Yeong's whereabouts in the martial world."
Ak Su Deok couldn't fathom the Supreme One's intent and felt deeply troubled.
Once his location was known, martial world experts would swarm him—and no matter how skilled he was, he couldn't fend them all off.
If the goal was to kill Han Se Yeong, there'd been no need to sacrifice the Black-Faced Ghost.
"Understood, Supreme One."
But he kept his thoughts to himself.