Chapter 425
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 425
Chapter Title: For Now, That's Right
That was pure terror.
A wall of solid iron, fully an inch thick—about three centimeters.
Even a sword aura couldn't slice through its thickness with ease.
Yet that black sword gang pierced it as if it were soft tofu, surging upward.
The iron wall split open slowly.
It was a truly grotesque and horrifying sight.
That was why even Pavilion Lord Baek Un-san and Chief Instructor Lee could only stand frozen, staring in stunned silence.
The same went for the warriors who had retreated behind Baek Un-san.
They knew full well how unreal the scene unfolding before their eyes was.
They were rooted to the spot.
Dare they even think of moving?
And so, the sword gang that had cleaved through the iron wall finally carved out a hole large enough for a person to pass through.
Boom!
The heavy thud of the severed iron slab crashing to the floor crushed everyone's hearts.
"H-How... how...?"
Baek Un-san muttered in a trembling voice.
A gaping hole, punched clean through.
From it, Won Pyeong-sam emerged from the space where he'd been trapped, revealing himself.
"I told you not to put too much faith in this thing, didn't I?"
Won Pyeong-sam gazed at Chief Instructor Lee with a faint smile.
That smile was far more terrifying than any demon's grin.
An abyss of endless dread crashed over them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The warriors hastily drew their swords in a frenzy.
They drew them, but could do nothing more.
Overwhelmed by the aura Won Pyeong-sam exuded, they merely trembled in place.
He didn't bother concealing his demonic qi.
From the moment he'd unleashed the sword gang, he'd been radiating it in all directions.
"I really just came to talk quietly, but you lot are the ones who turned it into this mess."
Won Pyeong-sam's smile deepened, revealing yellowed teeth in that instant.
"Guh."
Chief Instructor Lee let out a groan.
In the blink of an eye, he'd been yanked through the air by Grasping the Air, his throat seized in Won Pyeong-sam's grip.
Won Pyeong-sam looked down at Chief Instructor Lee.
'Wh-what kind of eyes...?'
Seeing them, Chief Instructor Lee recoiled in shock.
Vast pupils filled with fathomless darkness squeezed terror into every fiber of his being.
And he sensed his own end.
"Pl-please... please..."
Chief Instructor Lee pleaded desperately, staring into Won Pyeong-sam's abyssal eyes.
But Won Pyeong-sam's fingers tightened gradually around his throat.
Crack.
He snapped the man's neck clean.
Won Pyeong-sam casually tossed the limp corpse of Chief Instructor Lee aside like an annoyance.
Throughout it all, Baek Un-san and the Haomen warriors couldn't budge an inch.
Won Pyeong-sam's terrifying demonic qi had already dominated the entire space.
"A-are you... an elder of the Demonic Cult...?"
Baek Un-san's demeanor shifted.
He had no choice after feeling such vicious demonic qi firsthand.
He rallied his entire inner energy, bracing for whatever might come.
But he had no idea if he could even withstand it.
No.
He definitely couldn't.
'Is this as far as I go...?'
To get caught by a survivor of the fallen Demonic Cult, and one as monstrous as this.
Baek Un-san glanced down at the floor, sensing his own demise.
The seclusion chamber deep underground in the Ye-ga Ru.
He thought briefly of Yeong So-hyang, who was training tirelessly there even now.
'Young Lady. Forgive me. I meant to safeguard everything until you achieved greatness...'
To think such a disaster would strike so suddenly.
They'd grown complacent knowing he'd been locked behind that iron wall.
Who could have imagined a master capable of breaking through it so effortlessly?
It was a mechanism designed to hold even someone like Gong Ya Jang-cheon or So Hwi-woong.
"Don't lump me in with Demonic Cult trash. That's an insult to the great Heaven."
Won Pyeong-sam spoke in a voice laced with displeasure and anger.
Not that these fools would know anything of Heaven.
Baek Un-san racked his brains furiously, but he'd never heard of any sect or group from beyond the borderlands like this.
It was a truly unknown, mysterious force.
'What kind of demonic qi is more vicious than the Demonic Cult's...?'
And calling the Demonic Cult "trash" at that.
To think such a terrifying power had been hiding beyond the borderlands, unknown to the Central Plains martial world all this time.
That fact alone was frightening.
If even he, the Haomen Lord, was unaware...
No one in the world would know.
Not even the Beggar Clan Leader.
"N-noble one, what brings you to our Haomen?"
Still, Baek Un-san asked cautiously.
As if to say he'd do his duty as sect leader, even if it meant death.
Won Pyeong-sam chuckled at the words.
In that moment...
The demonic qi that had dominated the space vanished as if washed away.
"Now we can finally have a proper talk."
Won Pyeong-sam sat back at the table where he'd been moments before, refilling his cup and gesturing with his eyes.
Baek Un-san hesitated, then took the seat across from him.
He waved the warriors back.
For now, the atmosphere had shifted, at least a little.
"You asked why I'm here?"
"Y-yes."
"You're definitely the sect leader, right?"
"For now, that's right."
Baek Un-san affirmed Won Pyeong-sam's question, but it was an oddly nuanced answer.
"For now," he said.
Well, it didn't really matter.
As long as it didn't interfere with what he wanted to accomplish.
"The reason I stopped by this place is to make use of you all a bit."
Won Pyeong-sam said it casually, like borrowing a farming tool from the neighbors.
Baek Un-san's eyes widened.
Make use of Haomen?
In other words, he meant to swallow them whole.
"Impossible."
Baek Un-san's aura changed in an instant.
He'd qualified it with "for now," but he was still Haomen's sect leader.
He couldn't hand over the sect like that.
Death held no fear for him.
Won Pyeong-sam chuckled at the shift.
He quite liked the sect leader's attitude.
Having a man like this in charge gave him confidence in Haomen's capabilities.
"Who said anything about using you for free?"
"Impossible. Even if you kill me here. Even if you slaughter everyone in the headquarters."
Haomen was a sect of society's dregs.
Born from those who banded together for survival.
So even if the headquarters fell...
Haomen would endure.
They'd huddle in the shadows and rebuild a new base.
That was Baek Un-san's belief.
No matter how long it took.
The Four Evils Alliance knew this too, which was why they'd never forced a merger.
They'd merely imprisoned the previous sect leader, Ye Cho-a.
Won Pyeong-sam downed his cup.
Then he propped his cheek on one hand, tilting his head as he regarded Baek Un-san.
"Really? Even if I kill everyone here?"
Thick killing intent seeped into Won Pyeong-sam's question.
"Yes."
Baek Un-san's response was resolute, death already accepted.
"What about that kid training hard underground?"
Won Pyeong-sam's probing strike made Baek Un-san flinch.
He hadn't expected the man to know about her in the deep seclusion chamber.
It connected to an emergency escape route, so he'd thought the young lady could flee if disaster struck.
Baek Un-san's eyes shook violently.
Won Pyeong-sam watched him steadily.
After a moment of agonized deliberation, Baek Un-san squeezed his eyes shut.
'Forgive me, Sect Leader. I'm sorry, young lady.'
Still, he made his choice.
Haomen belonged not to Ye Cho-a, but to its disciples.
He couldn't sacrifice it for her daughter.
"Even then. It can't be helped."
Baek Un-san's voice quivered faintly, but his answer remained unchanged.
Won Pyeong-sam's smile deepened at the sight.
He admired the unyielding resolve in the face of such threats.
"Kuhahaha, hahaha. Impressive backbone. I like it. Put away that look of despair. Do I seem like some blood-mad killer? You think I'd slaughter everyone here?"
Yet the image of him crushing Chief Instructor Lee's neck lingered vividly.
The way he'd slowly tightened his grip before snapping it in one go.
It wasn't even killing a man.
Just smashing an annoying toy.
"Fine. Let's make a deal."
Even as Won Pyeong-sam continued, Baek Un-san met his eyes with steadfast resolve.
"What I need is your abilities. I can't just kill you all off. And you need something too, don't you? I'll give it to you."
"What do we need?"
"Power."
Won Pyeong-sam answered Baek Un-san's question curtly.
Baek Un-san's body trembled.
It was the word that haunted them.
Power.
The previous sect leader had thrashed in desperation to cast off that curse, only to meet her fate.
"Demonic arts are taboo in the Central Plains martial world."
But they couldn't touch demonic arts.
They'd suffered enough meddling with blood arts—the cursed Annihilation Arts.
Demonic arts now? No.
"Who said I'd teach you the great arts of Heaven? I said I'd give you power."
What else could power from a master reeking of demonic qi be but demonic arts?
"Blood Sea Ghost Killer Palm."
The terse words forced Baek Un-san's eyes wide.
How did he know?
Only three in Haomen knew that name.
The previous sect leader Ye Cho-a, who was there; himself; and Yeong So-hyang, training now.
"Why so surprised? You think I couldn't sense that much qi? Time has degraded it into a mess, but I can teach it properly."
"H-how...?"
"How what? It originated from my clan to begin with."
The even more shocking revelation left Baek Un-san reeling.
The Blood Sea Sect's ultimate technique, flowing in from beyond the borderlands?
"We let it leak into the Central Plains centuries ago... Tsk. How does it degrade so much over time? Is this the best the Central Plains martial world has?"
Won Pyeong-sam clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Baek Un-san wavered.
A master like Won Pyeong-sam wouldn't spout nonsense.
That cursed word—"power"—shook him.
"What do you want from us?"
"Ho? Ready to talk now? Good attitude. There are a few things I'm looking for. Just find them for me in my stead."
"...Three. We'll handle three tasks for you."
Won Pyeong-sam pondered Baek Un-san's counteroffer.
What he needed to find in the Central Plains:
The sole blazing trace of the Ten Thousand Emperors, and the trace of Shakyamuni.
Shakyamuni's trace was confirmed via the Demonic Cult group.
But they'd collapsed, vanishing from Central Plains soil.
One more as needed.
It fell a bit short as payment for Blood Sea Ghost Killer Palm, but no real loss.
Still, Won Pyeong-sam didn't accept right away.
It was a deal.
He had to squeeze out as much as possible.
"Hmm. Not bad, but... a bit lacking."
Baek Un-san eyed him, a certain thought forming.
He asked.
"Could you perhaps... rebuild a destroyed dantian?"
He'd almost said "repair," but caught himself.
Repair wasn't possible.
It was tainted by the Annihilation Arts.
It needed to be made anew.
The previous sect leader Ye Cho-a's dantian.
Won Pyeong-sam paused at the sudden question, searching his mind.
Rebuild a destroyed dantian?
Not impossible.
Just Marrow Cleansing Rebirth.
That would heal most bodily wounds.
Like being reborn.
"Can't you just do Marrow Cleansing Rebirth?"
Baek Un-san's face twisted at the answer.
What kind of ridiculous wordplay was this?
Dantian destroyed, and he suggests Marrow Cleansing Rebirth?
Won Pyeong-sam grinned, baring his teeth at Baek Un-san's reaction, amused.
"Just one lower dantian destroyed. Reach Marrow Cleansing Rebirth using another, and it's done. No such art in the Central Plains, I suppose. Heh."
Baek Un-san's expression changed drastically.
"But then I'd be at a loss."
"Is that art a demonic one?"
Still, he had to confirm.
"The great arts of Heaven are not taught to outsiders. Dare not."
Baek Un-san's eyes shook mercilessly amid profound turmoil.