Chapter 56
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Have You Come?
"They're all here."
Ha Mu-baek murmured calmly.
Pang Mu-ryang lay covered in straw matting on the cart pulled by the horse he'd ridden in on.
Ha Mu-baek had taken this measure to avoid drawing eyes from every direction if they tried hauling him on horseback.
The Pang family walls and main gate came into view in the distance.
"Iron Gate Dog. Looks like you handled things properly."
Ha Mu-baek murmured after sensing the atmosphere inside the Pang family grounds with his qi perception.
Hearing this, Iron Gate Dog puffed out his chest proudly, as if to say, Impressive, right?
Hu Gae still glared at Ha Mu-baek's back with eyes full of dissatisfaction, though the fire in them had considerably softened.
This was thanks to Iron Gate Dog's nightly "interviews" with him.
Though they involved a lot more beatings than actual talking.
In any case, Hu Gae now knew just how absurd of a man Ha Mu-baek was.
He still couldn't quite believe it, but he no longer harbored thoughts of recklessly challenging him like before.
Above all, he'd seen it with his own two eyes.
The sight of Ha Mu-baek severing the Pang family head's arms—empowered by that Demon Extermination Art—and crippling the tendons in both ankles.
He'd done it as easily as twisting a child's arm.
In truth, Hu Gae hadn't even been able to follow the movements fully.
He'd blacked out in rage at the moment and forgotten all about it, but when Iron Gate Dog brought it up during one of their "chats," the world had gone dark before his eyes.
That's when he'd realized what kind of insane thing he'd nearly done.
He'd become much more compliant after that, but even so, watching Ha Mu-baek treat Iron Gate Dog—the Beggar's Sect's deputy division leader—with such disregard still sparked resentment.
"D-Division Leader!"
At that moment, a gate guard spotted Pang Do-jam and came running out, shouting.
The other quickly dashed inside the Pang family compound.
"W-What in the world happened? W-Where's the family head? Why have you returned alone?"
Pang Do-jam couldn't properly answer his subordinate's question.
"Ah..."
He glanced around, then spotted Iron Gate Dog and Hu Gae, followed by the cart with the family head's horse tied to it.
Finally, his gaze locked onto Ha Mu-baek.
His eyes trembled fiercely.
Rumors had already spread like wildfire through the Pang family.
This was after the Beggar's Sect visitors had come and gone.
A man appearing alongside Beggar's Sect members, and the family head's beloved steed...
He knew instinctively.
The rumors swirling through the clan were true.
"Have you come?"
Someone stepped out at that moment.
It was Dragon Training Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul, who had come to the Pang family to dissuade his father.
He was still staying there.
Upon the urgent report of Pang Do-jam's arrival, he—who had crossed paths with Ha Mu-baek most frequently in the Pang family—emerged first.
Pang Geo-ryang and Pang Do-won followed behind him.
"Things went smoothly, thanks to you, Pavilion Lord. I didn't expect you'd still be at the Pang family, though."
Thanks to you, things went smoothly.
Pang Do-jam flinched at those words.
He knew exactly what had gone "smoothly." He'd witnessed it firsthand.
The source who'd leaked the Pang family's travel route to Ha Mu-baek was right there before him—his own cousin, Pang Do-yul.
A traitor?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly shook his head.
Perhaps it was thanks to him that the Pang family had survived at all.
Growing bored during the journey here, Iron Gate Dog had shared tales of the family head's cultivated martial art.
Pang Do-jam and Hu Gae—who knew nothing of it—had listened intently.
The family head, lying on the cart with his ears uncovered and mind alert, had heard every word as well.
The Demon Extermination Art.
The Dark Blood Revenants that had brutally crushed the prestigious orthodox sects during the last war against the Blood Cult.
To think a martial art existed that could turn healthy people into those very Dark Blood Revenants.
And that the Pang family head had mastered it.
Even Pang Do-jam, who had fought in that war, hadn't known.
He'd only heard that the Blood Cult had used vile methods to turn orthodox experts into Dark Blood Revenants.
During those two past wars, information asymmetry had been severe.
Even in the Righteous Heaven Alliance, only the upper echelons held all the details.
Now, the fallout was rearing its head.
Mixed Origin Flowing River.
When the Righteous Heaven Alliance uncovered that this was the disguised name for the Chaos Blood Destruction Art, they kept it hidden.
The reason seemed plausible.
They feared someone might deliberately seek it out to learn.
Up to the tenth stage, the only side effect was a surge of violent tendencies—no transformation into a revenant. Yet it granted overwhelming power.
Greedy fools might pursue the Chaos Blood Destruction Art for that reason.
Thus, only a select few core members knew the name "Mixed Origin Flowing River."
Pang Geo-yul hadn't known either.
Revealing its existence, they conducted searches in each prestigious orthodox sect for any hidden copies—but only with minimal personnel.
The Pang family had been searched too.
But by then, Pang Mu-ryang had already secured the manual and entered secluded cultivation.
They couldn't drag out the family head from seclusion.
And so, Pang Mu-ryang mastered Mixed Origin Flowing River.
Secluded in the main house to cultivate it, the information Pang Mu-ryang could access was limited. He knew the Chaos Blood Destruction Art created Dark Blood Revenants, but not that it was disguised as Mixed Origin Flowing River.
Pang Mu-rin had access to that intel in the Elder Council but never suspected the family head back home was cultivating it.
It hadn't turned up in the search.
Iron Gate Dog shared the Chaos Blood Destruction Art's tale with Pang Do-jam and Hu Gae but omitted its alias as Mixed Origin Flowing River.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance's stance remained: do not reveal the name.
Pang Mu-ryang himself kept his mouth shut, never protesting that what he'd cultivated wasn't the Chaos Blood Destruction Art but Mixed Origin Flowing River. He'd already endured and realized the curse of the Demon Extermination Art in his own body.
"Is the family head in there?"
Pang Do-yul asked, eyeing the cart. Ha Mu-baek nodded faintly.
Pang Do-yul approached and lifted the straw covering slightly.
He saw his father, eyes closed, face contorted.
Lying there without arms, his wretched state filled him with utter despair.
"Father... why did you ever learn that Demon Extermination Art?"
It was a lament.
No change crossed Pang Mu-ryang's face.
Pang Do-won and Pang Geo-ryang drew near slowly.
"It's been a while."
Pang Geo-ryang said to Ha Mu-baek, his face dark.
"Indeed it has."
Ha Mu-baek accepted the greeting calmly. Startled by this courteous demeanor—something he'd never witnessed before—Pang Do-yul whipped his head toward him.
"What's with the surprise? We've been through life-and-death together, after all."
Pang Geo-ryang said nonchalantly.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Pang Do-won, young lord of the Pang family. Please, come inside."
Under Pang Do-won's guidance, Ha Mu-baek entered the Pang family grounds.
Pang Mu-ryang was led away somewhere by Pang family warriors, but Ha Mu-baek paid it no mind.
No one here could undo his seal anyway, and if he wished, he could locate him anytime.
Besides, the Pang family was as good as ruined now.
All three hundred warriors had their dantians shattered.
They might never reclaim their place among the Five Great Families.
A space was prepared in the young lord's office.
"First, I apologize for the unpleasantness caused by our family head. And thank you for showing mercy."
Pang Do-won bowed deeply.
Ha Mu-baek received the gesture with an impassive face.
"More importantly, we should locate and destroy that manual first."
Ha Mu-baek spoke politely to the man holding the young lord's position.
"Of course. To think that cursed Demon Extermination Art was in our Pang family... I still can't believe it. The Righteous Heaven Alliance's investigation team passed through during the last war, after all."
Pang Do-won hadn't been at the Pang family then. He'd been in the thick of battle.
"What place did the investigation team miss back then?"
"The family head's seclusion chamber. I looked into it beforehand."
Pang Do-yul answered.
"And in there?"
"Nothing."
Iron Gate Dog replied to Ha Mu-baek's follow-up. The Beggar's Sect's investigators had already checked and reported.
En route here, Iron Gate Dog had received authority from the Righteous Heaven Alliance to investigate the Pang family.
For the Alliance, it was more efficient to task Iron Gate Dog—who traveled with Ha Mu-baek—than dispatch a separate team.
Iron Gate Dog's first order: investigate the spots missed in the search nine years ago.
"Hmm..."
Ha Mu-baek crossed his arms, lost in thought for a moment.
"Is there any place only the family head can enter?"
Iron Gate Dog asked.
"There's a room in the Pang family secret vault that only the family head can access."
Pang Do-yul answered promptly.
"Then we start there."
Iron Gate Dog rose, declaring.
"We can't get in."
Iron Gate Dog scowled at Pang Do-yul's words.
"Refusing the investigation?"
"No. There's no key. I thought Father had it with him... but the latest report says even he doesn't have it."
"Just break it down."
Ha Mu-baek stood, saying.
A thick suspicion bloomed at the mention of no key.
"That's... it's linked to mechanisms. Breaking it could collapse the entire secret vault."
Pang Do-won said, looking troubled.
"Ugh."
Iron Gate Dog groaned.
Destroying the Mixed Origin Flowing River manual was crucial, but they couldn't demolish an entire family's secret vault.
"To do it safely, we'd have to empty the vault first."
Iron Gate Dog muttered, exasperated.
"It'd take at least two months."
Pang Do-yul had already calculated the time to evacuate the vault in case of emergency.
With the entire Pang family mobilized, two months.
"Let's take a look first."
Ha Mu-baek moved ahead, not even knowing the way.
Pang Do-yul hurriedly overtook him to lead.
Deep in the Pang family secret vault, at the innermost sanctum.
Everyone halted before the door to the deepest level.
The firmly shut, tightly locked door.
It seemed to mock them, demanding the key.
"That door is connected via mechanisms to the vault's critical sections. Break it wrong, and the whole thing collapses."
Iron Gate Dog nodded at Pang Do-won's explanation.
Traces of mechanisms were visible, indeed.
His expertise in them wasn't deep, but he could tell they were there.
Ha Mu-baek stared silently at the door. If Iron Gate Dog had confirmed it, then so be it.
There were ways around it. Sever the mechanism's linkage in one stroke, disconnecting it.
But that required someone versed in mechanisms to probe and pinpoint the weak point.
Who could do that?
"Request cooperation from the Myriad Things Alliance or the Sichuan Tang Clan?"
Ha Mu-baek muttered, as if to himself or posing a question.
Pang Do-won and Pang Do-yul's faces darkened at his words.
The Myriad Things Alliance, one of the New Eight Great Sects, had bad blood with the Old Nine Schools and Five Great Families.
The Sichuan Tang Clan, a fellow Five Great Family, wouldn't want to expose such a scandal.
"If it's the Alliance's decision, we'll comply."
Pang Do-won forced out the words.
Cooperation from the Myriad Things Alliance or Tang Clan.
The Alliance would need an Elder Council decision, then await their reply.
It would take as long as emptying the vault.
No helping it.
Ha Mu-baek made his choice.
There was another method he hadn't mentioned.
Have himself sever the mechanism-door connection.
His knowledge of mechanisms was shallow, but even that would suffice.
The reason it was possible?
Ha Mu-baek's eyes turned translucent.
The Infinite Bright Wheel Eye activated.
Ha Mu-baek slowly approached the door and channeled his inner energy.
"What are you—" Iron Gate Dog began, but Ha Mu-baek drew his sword.
The Infinite Bright Wheel Eye let him see inner energy flows, so by infusing his own and tracing it through the mechanisms...
Shwick.
He swung the blade.