Chapter 584
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 584
Chapter Title: It's What the Sect Leader Left Behind
Three days had passed.
Starting yesterday, Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek had climbed to the training cave at the summit of Lotus Flower Peak, surveying the surrounding mountains including the peak itself.
Of course, he had also greatly expanded his senses.
The conspiracy and schemes plotted by the Ill-Omened King on Huashan.
That was his goal in searching for them, but it wasn't easy.
He had reviewed the matters that Huashan Sect Leader No Hu-myeong had pushed forward during that time, hoping there might be some clue.
But those were internal Huashan Sect affairs.
Discipline Hall Lord Yu Chu-eun was already investigating that aspect.
No matter that he was the Fierce Dragon Corps Leader carrying out orders from the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader.
Poking into that would cross the line.
To delve that deeply would require another order from the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
But it was an order that would never come down to Fierce Dragon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek.
'There should be an inspection.'
Inspections of sects under the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
This was an extremely sensitive and difficult matter, so such orders were not issued lightly.
It was a clear limitation of the Righteous Heaven Alliance being a coalition of multiple sects rather than a single entity.
'The current Righteous Heaven Alliance Discipline Hall Lord...'
Ha Mu-baek searched his memory.
The Discipline Hall handled inspections of affiliate sects, and originally, Kunlun Sect's Un Hak-ja had been the Discipline Hall Lord.
But he had stepped down after being beaten by Ha Mu-baek when delivering news of his demotion.
His successor was...
'Ah, right, Jegal Mu-ho.'
He had heard it in passing from Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong some time ago.
Since the Alliance Leader came from the New Eight Sects, to check him, the Discipline Hall Lord position kept going to someone from the Old Nine Schools or Five Great Clans.
Shaking off his thoughts, Ha Mu-baek once more took in the sight of Huashan.
There was definitely something.
His instincts were telling him so.
Even the visible sights seemed to hold something.
But he couldn't figure it out at all.
"Hm?"
At that moment.
Ha Mu-baek turned his head and looked down at the Huashan Sect below the training cave.
Two people were rushing toward this place.
Yu Chu-eun and Wi Su-yeon.
The Discipline Hall Lord and her disciple.
People who should be insanely busy right now were climbing up to the training cave to see him.
"You must be busy—what brings you here?"
As soon as the two reached the summit, Ha Mu-baek asked.
"While investigating Sect Leader Brother's activities, we found something strange."
Not knowing when No Hu-myeong had become the Ill-Omened King's puppet, they were scrutinizing all records of his duties from the moment he became sect leader.
Of course, only what was recorded on paper could be checked.
They were also summoning and questioning his close aides and even disciples one by one, digging as thoroughly as possible.
And in the midst of that, something Wi Su-yeon had discovered.
"What is it?"
Interest flickered across Ha Mu-baek's face.
Yu Chu-eun looked at Wi Su-yeon, the discoverer.
"There were strange orders over the past four years."
Wi Su-yeon spoke up.
Sporadically.
They were intermittent orders, so they had initially glossed over them.
The most recent one.
The one issued while Wi Su-yeon was away from Huashan in the upper south—she had found it, then backtracked through the records one by one, deeming them odd.
"He ordered a small training cave built in the valley about ten li south of Lotus Flower Peak from the main sect."
Nothing particularly unusual there.
Lotus Flower Peak and all of Huashan were recognized as Huashan Sect territory.
Disciples leaving the main sect to train in remote valleys across Huashan wasn't rare.
Even Plum Blossom Sword Sage Gyu Hwi had left Lotus Flower Peak to seclude himself elsewhere for training.
"But after that training cave was completed, the sect leader handled the finishing touches himself."
At those words, Ha Mu-baek's eyebrow twitched.
Once he ordered a training cave built, the sect leader's role was done.
What happened to it afterward was up to those building it.
It didn't need to be anything special.
Definitely strange.
"Just in case, we went back through other records. There were exactly eight such training caves newly made around the main sect in all directions over the past four years."
Ha Mu-baek frowned.
Clearly unusual behavior.
These actions had started four years ago, yet they had missed the first seven and only noticed the eighth, then backtracked?
Ha Mu-baek couldn't understand it.
It made Huashan Discipline Hall disciples seem incompetent.
"Not just Lotus Flower Peak—visiting small training caves all over Huashan was Sect Leader Brother's pastime. When his chest felt stuffy, he'd tour them for a change of mood. He'd also order supplements for any shortages in the caves."
Yu Chu-eun said that touring training caves was No Hu-myeong's usual habit.
Those who knew overlooked the first seven records because of that.
Wi Su-yeon had only spotted the eighth but still found it odd and backtracked anyway.
She checked just in case, and the results were bizarre.
Exactly eight new ones made, and No Hu-myeong personally oversaw the finishing for each.
And their directions were the eight around the Huashan Sect.
East, west, south, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest.
With those three points combined, it couldn't be ignored.
"So we sent disciples to those eight places right now. I figured we should inform Corps Leader Ha too, so we came."
As Yu Chu-eun said.
Right now, he could sense groups of martial artists moving in eight directions from Huashan Sect with his senses.
"Do you know the locations of all the training caves where Sect Leader No Hu-myeong occasionally supplemented things?"
At Ha Mu-baek's question, Yu Chu-eun and Wi Su-yeon exchanged glances.
"It'll take some time."
"Then, while you're at it, it'd be good to mark those locations on a map."
Yu Chu-eun nodded after a moment's thought at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"Indeed. We should check it that way. I'll instruct the disciples."
"Thank you. Then I'll head to the most recent one in the south."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Yu Chu-eun looked at Wi Su-yeon and said,
"You won't know the exact spot, so take this child with you."
And so Ha Mu-baek and Wi Su-yeon left the training cave and raced down Lotus Flower Peak.
Yu Chu-eun headed back to Huashan Sect.
From Ha Mu-baek's request, she could guess what he was worried about just in case.
'Even so... during the last war, the Demonic Cult was only fearsome for their demonic arts and bizarre sorcery...'
It felt like excessive worry, but since they had to check everything possible, her steps were quick too.
Like that, using lightness skill at full speed, they arrived.
Wi Su-yeon overtook the disciples who had left first by pushing her lightness skill to the limit, arriving even faster.
Seeing Ha Mu-baek hurrying, she had gone all out.
Ha Mu-baek's speed was ultimately limited by hers as the guide.
The place they arrived at.
Nothing special.
Just a small cave in a spot with nearby water, decent for meditation or sleeping.
A training cave, literally.
Around the entrance were sword scars.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.
Traces of the technique at a profound realm.
Such advanced sword scars at the cave entrance, completed maybe ten-odd days ago.
"It's what the sect leader left."
Perhaps noticing Ha Mu-baek's doubt, Wi Su-yeon said.
"So the 'finishing touches' were...?"
Wi Su-yeon nodded at Ha Mu-baek's question.
"Leaving traces of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques around the cave. Like signposts showing the path for disciples training here."
A reason that seemed plausible at first glance.
"Others seeing it would leak Huashan techniques."
"Huashan is Huashan territory. Only herbalists come here. What would they know from these traces?"
A statement full of pride in Huashan Sect.
Not wrong either.
Other sects' martial artists rarely wandered Huashan mountains freely.
Unless fleeing or in wartime.
Ha Mu-baek meticulously examined the surroundings.
But it was just an ordinary training cave.
Not only the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword scars on the walls.
There were also deep footstep marks on the floor, though faint now.
Traces left when executing the sword techniques.
"Footsteps would fade soon anyway..."
Unlike the wall scars, their purpose was unclear.
"To leave deeper sword scars, maybe?"
Wi Su-yeon tilted her head as she replied.
As she said, the wall scars were quite deep.
But with internal energy, deep, clear scars could be left without such footsteps.
At that moment.
About ten Huashan Sect disciples arrived.
"Ah, junior sister."
The first-generation disciple leading them recognized Wi Su-yeon.
"What was so urgent you overtook us without greeting?"
At the middle-aged martial artist's question, Wi Su-yeon greeted him and replied.
"Ah, senior brother. You seemed in a hurry."
Wi Su-yeon's gaze reached Ha Mu-baek, and the first-generation disciple nodded in understanding.
"Anything unusual?"
"You'll have to check yourselves. It's your assignment, senior brother."
Wi Su-yeon replied like that and stepped aside.
Ha Mu-baek did the same.
The first-generation disciple and his group thoroughly searched the area but found nothing.
His eyes lingered on the floor.
"No lucky junior will gain an opportunity this time. Tsk."
The first-generation disciple clicked his tongue regretfully.
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Wi Su-yeon asked, as if hearing it for the first time.
"These footsteps. They'll be gone in a few days... With the sect's situation, no disciple can train here. The sect leader deliberately left them for the first one to train after completion."
The first-generation disciple clicked his tongue in regret.
Wi Su-yeon, who had always trained and pondered within Huashan Sect, had no idea.
"If he left footsteps for the first trainee... wouldn't others feel jealous?"
The thought slipped out as soon as it occurred to her.
It seemed like favoritism.
"Not at all. The sect leader always cherished diligently training disciples. So whenever he visited a training cave, he'd leave footsteps like this."
A newly learned fact.
Ha Mu-baek focused on their conversation.
'If it were Huashan Sect Leader No Hu-myeong, sure. But if it was Ill-Omened King Ak-cho?'
He couldn't voice it in front of Huashan disciples, but that's why he examined the footsteps closely.
Huashan Sect disciples still couldn't accept their sect leader had been Ill-Omened King Ak-cho's puppet.
Though they saw him emit demonic energy right before death.
Up until just before that.
Memories of him excellently fulfilling the sect leader role were too vivid and strong.
The first-generation disciple turned to the second-generation disciples who followed him.
"Since we're here, before the footsteps fade, you all swing your swords once. Investigation's done. How many of you have learned the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques?"
At his words, the second-generation disciples looked at each other.
Two stepped forward hesitantly.
The most talented among them. Already taught the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.
"S-Senior brother!"
Wi Su-yeon tried to stop him in surprise, but the first-generation disciple waved her off.
"It's fine. This is also the sect leader's legacy... Letting it vanish would shame us before him."
Saying that, he gestured for Wi Su-yeon and the disciples to step back.
Ha Mu-baek also vacated the space with them.
In the cleared area, the two second-generation disciples took turns standing but didn't draw their swords, glancing at Ha Mu-baek.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques were Huashan's ultimate among ultimates.
Practicing with an outsider present bothered them.
Noticing their feelings, the first-generation disciple reassured them.
"Corps Leader Ha has already reached the supreme realm. No issue—hurry and execute it. Time's short."
At those words, the two disciples focused on No Hu-myeong's footsteps and sword scars in turn, then slowly but with full power, unleashed their swords.
Ha Mu-baek watched the unfolding Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques entirely.
'Hm?'
His expression changed.