Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Resolve
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‘That must be the brat Namgung Jang-cheon.’
Yi Hwan spotted the two exchanging fierce blows amid the fog and felt a spark of interest.
They were on a whole different level from the others around them.
Boom!
Whoosh...
The powerful clash drove back the fog, allowing Yi Hwan to clearly see their faces.
The one who immediately caught his eye was a strikingly handsome young man. Though he’d never seen his face before, Yi Hwan was certain it was Namgung Jang-cheon.
For one, he was dressed in Namgung family attire. Moreover, such prowess at that age could only belong to Namgung Jang-cheon, the once-in-a-millennium prodigy.
Yi Hwan’s gaze soon shifted to Namgung Jang-cheon’s opponent.
‘Phantom Demonic Qi.’
Crimson blood-light pushing back the azure glow.
Beyond it, the gray-haired man’s power assailed Namgung Jang-cheon with minimal movement—the unforgettable Phantom Demonic Qi.
‘That’s almost reached its pinnacle.’
Pinnacle Phantom Demonic Qi was no easy foe. Even Sword King and Blade King had struggled against it in the past.
What was strange was that despite wielding near-pinnacle Phantom Demonic Qi, he wasn’t crushing Namgung Jang-cheon.
Was Namgung Jang-cheon that strong? No.
‘Why is he deliberately holding back?’
Yi Hwan instantly saw that the gray-haired man wasn’t going all out. His interest grew even more.
“Watch his movements closely. You’ll face someone like him someday.”
“The gray-haired man, my lord?”
“He might very well be the lord of Ghost Valley.”
“Then isn’t that young fellow even more impressive? To hold his own against the head of Ghost Valley.”
‘These guys still have a long way to go before reaching their ancestors’ level.’
Yi Hwan subtly furrowed his brow.
Sword King or Blade King would have spotted the Ghost Valley Lord holding back at a glance.
It was then.
“My lord, look over there.”
Cheol Mu-ok pointed to the right side of the battlefield.
There, Namgung family warriors were unleashing a ferocious assault on what seemed to be Ghost Valley demonic practitioners. One of the gray-haired men couldn’t withstand the relentless barrage and was being pushed toward the battlefield’s edge.
Yi Hwan’s eyes gleamed.
“Capture that one.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan turned to Go Mi.
“Moon Lord, stay here.”
“Yes.”
Go Mi obediently followed his order. She knew stepping in wouldn’t help.
Acknowledging one’s own limits meant infinite potential for growth. In that regard, Yi Hwan was very pleased with Go Mi.
‘How many masters does this world hold?’
Go Mi stared at Yi Hwan and the others heading into the fray, biting her lip gently.
Her face flushed, the color spreading down her neck. It wasn’t wounded pride. She’d always prioritized intelligence gathering above all, focusing solely on that and neglecting her martial training.
It was regret over that.
‘I’ll get stronger. Much stronger.’
* * *
Up close, the battle was far fiercer than it had looked from afar. Amid the thick fog, agonized death cries echoed ceaselessly from every direction.
Yi Hwan stealthily approached the spot where his initial target—the Ghost Valley demonic practitioner—lurked.
Swoosh!
A sinister energy sliced toward him.
Yi Hwan casually sidestepped, and Cheol Mu-ok charged in to sever the attacker’s throat.
Thud!
“Argh!”
What followed was a bizarre sight.
Due to their distinctly different attire, warriors from Zhao Kingdom and Qin Kingdom lunged at them simultaneously.
[Kill anything in sight, no questions asked.]
“Yes!”
Cheol Mu-ok’s great saber and Ju Tae’s longsword unleashed sword qi, slicing through the air.
Boom boom thud!
“Arghhh!”
“Gahhh!”
Yi Hwan pressed toward the demonic practitioner.
Around him, corpses of Qin warriors lay scattered in pools of blood. Yet a horde of warriors still hammered the demonic practitioner with relentless attacks.
Was the demonic practitioner even human?
“Argh!”
One sprayed blood and collapsed.
In the chaos, Yi Hwan circled behind his target.
Yi Hwan’s right hand turned blue.
It was one of his signature poison arts, Blue Steel Hand—a hand technique rivaling the world’s few indestructible demonic arts.
“...!”
The demonic practitioner belatedly spotted Yi Hwan and flinched. But Yi Hwan’s Blue Steel Hand struck faster, slamming precisely into the man’s abdomen. Yet...?
Boom!
“...!”
Yi Hwan momentarily recoiled from the bizarre shock pushing his hand back. But he soon smirked coldly.
“I forgot. Ghostly Reinforcement protects your flesh.”
“...!”
The demonic practitioner’s eyes bulged.
As if to say, *How do you know that?*
Whoosh!
The demonic practitioner dodged left to evade Yi Hwan.
Yi Hwan pursued, thrusting his right hand again.
Thud!
“Guh!”
The demonic practitioner collapsed with a strangled gasp.
Yi Hwan swiftly seized the man’s waist, kicked off the ground, and leaped away.
“We’re pulling back.”
Flash!
Boom crack!
“Arghhh!”
“Grahhh!”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae, capping off with their most powerful techniques, followed Yi Hwan out of the battlefield.
Swish!
“Wasn’t that too easy, my lord?!”
“Should I have made it harder?”
“...No, sir.”
* * *
Yi Hwan didn’t head for the cave but veered into a dense forest. Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae stood guard for any contingencies. The acupoint-sealed demonic practitioner glared up at Yi Hwan with distrust.
“W-Who are you!”
“Is that really important right now?”
“...!”
“I’m about to ask some questions. First, let me show you what happens if you don’t answer obediently.”
A blood-red glow formed at Yi Hwan’s fingertip. As always, it flickered between azure and crimson, floating like fireflies.
“This killed plenty of your ancestors. But it’s not just for killing.”
Five blood-glows burrowed into the demonic practitioner’s body. Feeling nothing, the man bared his teeth in a wicked grin.
“Do your worst. My lips are sealed. Just kill me already!”
“Will they be?”
“...!”
The demonic practitioner’s eyes suddenly bulged. The blood-glows clinging to his body began burrowing inward, smoke rising faintly.
“Grrrr...”
Sizzle!
The stench of burning flesh filled the air as his face reddened and veins bulged like tree roots.
“Graaaah!”
“Hold on a bit longer. Do that, and I’ll kill you painlessly.”
Yi Hwan crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae exchanged shocked glances.
They’d never imagined such a torture method.
“Grrrr...”
The demonic practitioner endured.
“Impressive. Shall we crank it up?”
Sizzle!
“Raaagh!”
He began foaming at the mouth. After mere blinks’ worth of time...?
“I-I’ll talk!”
“Hold on a bit more.”
“Graaaah!”
Yi Hwan didn’t relent until the man was on the verge of blacking out.
“Hah hah hah!”
Drenched in cold sweat in that brief moment, the demonic practitioner gasped raggedly. Despite clenching his teeth, a cracked molar drew blood trickling from his lips.
“Let’s start with murim history.”
Yi Hwan fired off his first question.
“Do you know Daye Fortress?”
“Y-Yes, I do.”
“Do you know why they were destroyed?”
“N-No idea!”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
“N-Never heard! Honest!”
The first answer was disappointing.
“Ghost Valley never allied with any of the three kingdoms in the past. So how’d you end up with Zhao Kingdom?”
“T-That’s...”
“Oops.”
Five more blood-glows sank into his body.
“Graaah!”
“Oops, forgot—late answers don’t fly.”
“Zhao’s intelligence network! For that! Graaaah!”
Snap!
“Hah hah hah!”
As the pain vanished, he gasped again. Yi Hwan crossed his arms and leaned back.
“Continue.”
“W-We’re hunting someone. Needed Zhao’s intel to find them.”
“Who?”
“T-The Three Kings’ descendants.”
“What?”
Yi Hwan’s eyes changed instantly.
So did Cheol Mu-ok’s and Ju Tae’s.
“F-Finding the Three Kings’ descendants and severing their line—that’s been our mission for two hundred years.”
“What the fuck is this bastard saying?”
Killing intent flared in Ju Tae’s eyes.
Yi Hwan raised a hand to calm him and asked again.
“So, did you find them?”
“R-Recently, we caught someone using Soul Separation Technique near Sichuan Province. He said a wandering swordsman taught him it and headed to Yeon Kingdom. The lord and we were about to go there ourselves when we clashed with Qin—forcing us here on the commander’s orders.”
‘Even these guys knew about it.’
Cheol Mu-ok scowled at Ju Tae.
“How many did you pass it to?”
“Had no choice. It was my only way. But it worked—you and the lord found each other.”
Ju Tae’s words made the demonic practitioner flinch.
Ju Tae grinned.
“That wanderer was me, punk.”
“Then you’re...”
“Hey, answer the questions.”
The demonic practitioner hurriedly turned to Yi Hwan.
“Anyone else hunting Three Kings’ descendants besides you? Like Mad Demon or Blood Demon heirs?”
“N-Never met them. Don’t even know if they exist in this era.”
Had he accepted his fate?
His tone grew calmer.
Yi Hwan asked more, and he answered obediently.
Yi Hwan posed his final question.
“Your rank?”
“Low-level.”
Yi Hwan was inwardly surprised.
‘If low-level is this strong, they’ve grown even more since then.’
Drip.
Tears suddenly streamed down the demonic practitioner’s cheek. He sensed his end.
“I’ll finish him.”
Ju Tae stepped forward.
“Make it clean.”
“Yes.”
Ju Tae approached and mercilessly severed the man’s neck.
Slice!
The head hit the ground, eyes still wide. Ju Tae sneered down at the corpse.
“Worthless scum like you.”
Cheol Mu-ok said to Yi Hwan.
“Once the war ends, assume they’ll head straight to Yeon Kingdom to find us.”
“That’s a safe bet.”
Yi Hwan furrowed his brow. This forced a change in plans.
‘Ghost Valley can’t be ignored. In that case...’
He turned to Ju Tae.
“Your clan should settle in the city where my sister lives, not with the Southern Legion. Safer together.”
“Understood.”
Cheol Mu-ok added.
“If Mad Demon or Blood Demon heirs exist, we need to build our forces more, right?”
“Indeed.”
Cheol Mu-ok asked no more, belatedly sensing Yi Hwan’s unease.
“Got any liquor?”
“In the cave.”
“Back to the cave. Bring Moon Lord.”
“Understood.”
* * *
Late at night.
Yi Hwan left the cave and climbed a great tree. Bathed in moonlight, he sank into thought.
What he’d learned from the demonic practitioner was somewhat shocking.
‘The enemies of old are closer than I thought.’
He’d assumed past foes had heirs and they’d meet someday. But hearing they’d found his traces and were hunting them unsettled him.
Had he not come here, he’d have been blindsided when they struck.
Worse, he couldn’t gauge their full strength or who else lurked.
‘I was too complacent.’
His complacency could have doomed the two hard-won lineages to disaster. That weighed heaviest on him.
‘Maybe Daye Fortress fell to the same overconfidence. Thinking no one could match them—from the Three Kings on down.’
Whoosh!
Rustle!
Wind-swayed branches brushed his face.
Yi Hwan gazed down at the enemy camp.
Shrouded in darkness, it cradled a full moon. The moon settled into his pupils as well.