Chapter 590
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 590
Chapter Title: No Second Chances
"And send someone to the Huashan Sect as well."
The order came from Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong.
"We're already selecting them."
At Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong's response, So Hwi-woong smiled faintly.
He truly was exceptional.
"They say he dismantled the formation all by himself, but I can't even imagine what that entailed."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong nodded at So Hwi-woong's words.
The events at the Huashan Sect had unfolded with breathtaking speed.
Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek had suddenly sent an urgent missive demanding cooperation from the Huashan Sect.
Before they could even select personnel from the Righteous Heaven Alliance—or rather, the Heavenly Eye Pavilion—to dispatch, everything had already happened and concluded.
In other words, they had no choice but to rely solely on Ha Mu-baek's report for what went down at the Huashan Sect.
And that was a problem.
A report written from Ha Mu-baek's perspective left out far too many details.
That's why the follow-up team they had planned to send to the Huashan Sect was now being restructured into analysts to assess and dissect the results, putting them through the selection process anew.
"They'll be ready to depart tomorrow. So, if you could approve this as well."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong held out new documents.
It was a cooperation request for the Heavenly Eye Pavilion members heading to the Huashan Sect tomorrow.
Forbidden.
The bold red characters stood out prominently.
The envelope's seal was firmly shut with the character for Sealed.
With these double warnings, no one dared open the missive en route.
Sender: Righteous Heaven Alliance, Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
After several inspections on the sealed envelope, it was delivered intact to Sect Leader Mun In-baeksong.
Tension etched across Mun In-baeksong's face as he gazed down at the missive on his desk.
"Hmmm. What kind of news could warrant all this fanfare..."
It was the same format as the ones he'd received only once or twice during the last Martial World Conference.
If Gong Son Dan-gyeong had sent something like this now, it was no ordinary matter.
The inspections confirmed no poison or hidden tricks, so Mun In-baeksong tore open the seal without hesitation.
No—he trusted Gong Son Dan-gyeong from the start.
The man wouldn't resort to such petty tactics to take him down.
And the feeling was mutual. Mun In-baeksong had no intention of using cheap tricks against him either.
'Of course, if war broke out, that'd be another story.'
In times of peace, there were ways befitting peace.
Mun In-baeksong's expression hardened as he read the letter inside.
It was indeed cause for such a commotion.
He immediately sought out Gong Ya Jang-cheon.
And that day, numerous warriors quietly slipped away from the Sa Hae-ryeon headquarters.
All of them from the Black Mist Squad.
Backtracking in time.
To when the Eternal Ghost Forest Ten Thousand Demon Formation activated on Lotus Flower Peak.
"Hm?"
Won Pyeong-sam turned toward the Huashan Sect.
Even from this distance, he could sense the intense surge of demonic energy.
It was the kind of movement any demon could feel.
"That's not the energy one person could contain. And it's amplifying... A formation, then. Hmph. As expected of the Eight Demon Stone Monks' descendants..."
He knew that after the war with the Righteous Heaven Alliance, the Demonic Cult founded by the Eight Demon Stone Monks had retreated into the shadows.
But in the current martial world, only their Demonic Cult could produce a demonic energy surge of this magnitude.
Moreover, the Eight Demon Stone Monks had long ago reached the pinnacle in sorcery and formations, even among the heavens.
"What's going on?"
Just then, Myo Gu-eung emerged from the cave, where he'd been deep in meditation.
A sight to behold.
Myo Gu-eung had completely transformed.
Not only had he regained most of his lost power, but he'd also absorbed a significant portion of the 'Supreme' energy from the Ten Emperors into his own.
Honestly, even Won Pyeong-sam couldn't guarantee victory against the current Myo Gu-eung.
"Looks like the Demonic Cult's up to something interesting."
"Hmph."
Myo Gu-eung snorted dismissively, uninterested.
"They're using sorcery and formations to wield some seriously massive energy. Even the two of us together might not handle it."
At Won Pyeong-sam's explanation,
murderous intent flickered in Myo Gu-eung's eyes.
"One of two things: either the Demonic Cult stirs up the martial world soon, or nothing happens."
"Nothing happens?"
"Who'd force the Demonic Cult to expend that much energy?"
"No way they activated that formation against a single person?"
Won Pyeong-sam spoke as if it were absurd, prompting Myo Gu-eung to chuckle.
"Could be to deal with that monster bastard."
Won Pyeong-sam instantly knew who Myo Gu-eung meant.
He'd never met the man personally, but he'd pieced it together from various intel.
"Strong as he is, still..."
Won Pyeong-sam muttered in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the formation's energy reached its peak.
Even from afar, the faint demonic energy prickling his skin hinted at its overwhelming power.
And then, in one instant.
"Huh?"
Won Pyeong-sam panicked.
The demonic energy had vanished clean away.
That ferocious surge—gone.
Just like that, in a single moment.
It had thrashed at its zenith, then poof, disappeared.
Impossible.
"Something went wrong, huh?"
Myo Gu-eung smirked at Won Pyeong-sam's stunned face.
Won Pyeong-sam was speechless.
Still reeling from the shock.
"They're still not enough. Need to get stronger. To get revenge on that damn bastard."
Myo Gu-eung muttered as he headed back into the cave.
"Oh, and tell your disciple to look into this. It's definitely that guy. I guarantee it."
With that, Myo Gu-eung's figure vanished into the cave.
As Myo Gu-eung recovered his strength and grew ever stronger, his occasional bursts of lust had intensified too.
So Won Pyeong-sam had sent Yeong So-hyang outside.
Under the pretext of gathering martial world news.
Won Pyeong-sam wandered, entranced, toward the small hut where she stayed.
To write her a missive.
'Damn... absurd as it sounds...'
Sangnam wasn't far from Hwaeum County.
So even with Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek's leisurely return, he arrived quickly.
He'd spent longer at Huashan than expected, but it still wasn't an excessive delay.
Just a few days stretched to a couple weeks.
Thus, nothing much had changed in Sangnam.
Everything was as he'd left it.
Save for two things.
Gwan Po training his internal energy with full effort, and the Gong siblings immersed in their cultivation trance.
When Ha Mu-baek returned to the inn, Eun Cheong-seon spotted him first.
"Ah, my lord! You're back!"
At some point, his title had shifted from "great hero" to "my lord."
He'd tried correcting her at first but soon realized it was easier to just let it be, so he'd stopped bothering.
"No troubles in my absence?"
Ha Mu-baek sat, calmly inquiring after their well-being.
It was past lunchtime, so the dining hall was quiet, but he hadn't eaten yet.
He'd timed his arrival precisely, skipping lunch to eat here.
Gong Hae-jun darted over, wiped the table, and set down tea.
"Master, good to see you. One moment, please."
After a polite bow, he hurried off.
Though Ha Mu-baek hadn't ordered anything.
Next, Gong Hae-bin came down from cleaning the upstairs rooms to greet him.
Moments later, Gwan Po appeared and bowed deeply.
"I, I wasn't away from my post..."
"I know."
Ha Mu-baek had already sensed via his energy perception that Gwan Po was meditating in the inn's back yard.
"I only stepped away just a bit ago, really."
He'd headed to the yard once the rush hour ended and things seemed quiet.
They'd said it would take three months for his dantian to fully heal, but since cultivating didn't hurt,
Gwan Po seized every spare moment for meditation, hoping to shave off even a day.
Of course, per Ha Mu-baek's warning, he only used half his internal energy.
Since the restriction allowed up to that much.
Ha Mu-baek addressed Gwan Po, who fumbled excuses in confusion.
"Letting your guard down always invites disaster."
Gwan Po bowed his head deeply at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"And cultivating won't speed up your dantian's recovery. Like how a wound needs time for new flesh to grow, your dantian requires its own fixed period. More cultivation won't shorten it—in fact, overdoing it could lengthen the process."
Gwan Po's face paled at Ha Mu-baek's explanation.
"Th-that..."
"Tch. I didn't warn you about cultivation specifics, so this is partly my fault."
Ha Mu-baek knew Gwan Po had limited himself to less than half his total internal energy.
He'd sensed it through energy perception.
Gwan Po had faithfully followed Ha Mu-baek's advice.
Just hadn't been told the details on cultivation.
"Well, just a couple weeks, so no major harm done. From now on, meditate only twice a day—at dawn and dusk. If you get antsy, train your external arts instead."
"Th-thank you, great hero."
Gwan Po bowed deeply.
"And do your job right. No second chances."
At the final words, cold sweat beaded down Gwan Po's back.
"Kuhuhuhu. Kuhuhuhu."
Deep within the cavernous ceiling cliff.
From its heart, ragged breaths echoed—the former Beggar Clan Deputy Leader Bang Sa-uk.
His limbs had fully regenerated.
His shattered spine was mended too.
No—in fact, sturdy as if it had never broken.
All the large and small wounds across his body had healed as well.
He slowly rose.
Embedded deep in the floor, movement was restricted at first.
But his muscles swelled, shattering the constraint, allowing him to stand tall.
"Good."
A calm murmur.
Yet laced with a thick blood scent.
His eyes gleamed faintly red.
Not crimson light, but blood light.
Bang Sa-uk lightly moved his body here and there.
Shoulders rolling, arms circling, legs stretching.
"Feels fine."
Having assessed his condition, he thrust his palm casually at the cliff face before him.
Kuuaaaaang!
A massive explosion collapsed a section of the cliff.
Yet the enormous ceiling cliff stood unmoved, as if nothing had happened.
Bang Sa-uk nodded.
"Dantian fully restored too."
The fall's impact hadn't just crushed his bones.
His dantian had been wrecked as well.
Paradoxically, the Demon Eradication Art sustaining his life had prioritized restoring the dantian.
That restored dantian's White Pure Lotus Flower Art, combined with Bang Sa-uk's constitution, had resisted the Demon Eradication Art—allowing him fleeting moments of sanity.
Another paradox.
The Demon Eradication Art had healed his dantian to devour him.
Yet the internal energy now housed there prevented just that.
A grueling war between the White Pure Lotus Flower Art—bolstered by Bang Sa-uk's unique body—and the Demon Eradication Art.
Through it all, Bang Sa-uk had been half dark blood zombie.
That's how he'd survived endless years without food or drink.
Solely due to the Demon Eradication Art's energy.
The protracted, tedious battle ended due to an unexpected event.
The darkness—no, the primordial darkness—shot forth by Gae Se-aak.
The Chaos Blood Destruction Art's very origin was darkness.
The Blood Cult's deepest sanctum housed that darkness for no coincidence.
The Blood Cult headquarters was built atop it, spawning the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
Thus, the Demon Eradication Art encountered its root energy.
And that punctuated the endless struggle.
Not merely an end— a clear transformation occurred.
"The child of darkness returns to the darkness..."
The eerie voice that had severed Bang Sa-uk's reason—its words.
Bang Sa-uk now murmured them himself.