Chapter 601
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 601
Chapter Title: Towards Luoyang?
"Hoo."
Half a shichen.
That was how long Gwang Kwon-gae had been deep in meditative breathing.
"Thank you for your help. I am Gwang Kwon-gae, Second Squad Leader of the Beggars' Sect's Black Resolve Corps."
Gwang Kwon-gae rose from his spot, clasped his hands in a formal salute toward the Hocheon Corps, and spoke.
"Let's talk on the move for now. We failed to capture him here, and he even escaped. Things are going to change now."
Gwang Kwon-gae nodded at Dam Mu-hyeon's words.
"Oh, and all five who left first have been met by our squad members."
While Gwang Kwon-gae had been meditating, signal flares from the Hocheon Corps had begun rising into the sky one by one.
"Ah, thank you."
They were flares signaling the discovery of warriors, so their exact condition would only be clear upon meeting them in person.
That was why Dam Mu-hyeon had hurried even more.
"What happened?"
He knew the contents of the orders.
But he was unaware of the battle between the Black Resolve Corps and Bang Sa-uk, so he asked.
Gwang Kwon-gae slowly recounted what had happened with the Black Resolve Corps.
'It started at about the level of a dark blood zombie... but after that bizarre shout, it suddenly changed and grew stronger.'
As he recalled Bang Sa-uk's appearance, a memory from the past suddenly flashed in his mind.
'Damn, this feels just like back then.'
Dam Mu-hyeon frowned.
If it was the same as that time, he might not be able to handle it alone.
The difference was that back then, it had been a mindless dark blood zombie, while now it was one with reason and intelligence—a real problem.
Dam Mu-hyeon's expression hardened gravely.
They arrived at the spot where the signal flares had burst, and there the Black Resolve Corps members were meditating.
The other four were in the same state.
It had truly been a close call.
They had been on the verge of burning their innate qi just to flee.
But the Hocheon Corps had found them first.
"Let's hurry to Kaifeng."
As the fifth Beggars' Sect disciple finished his meditation, they picked up speed and headed for Kaifeng.
Toward that place north of Kaifeng, too vast to call a mere hut.
Cheol Dam-gae.
His nickname was Iron Wall, but his lightness skill was swift as well.
One of the top lightness experts in the Beggars' Sect, he was running at full speed.
Toward Nakyeong Fortress, where Ha Mu-baek would be.
He was truly desperate.
He had been swindled many times before, but this time his gut feeling was especially bad.
Ominous. Terribly ominous.
After the great martial war ended and the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest was annihilated, peace seemed to have come to the jianghu. What in the world was this?
'Is this lightning striking only the Beggars' Sect?'
No, it wasn't.
Hadn't even the Huashan Sect suffered terribly from the Demonic Cult's schemes?
"Tch."
All he could do was click his tongue and move as fast as possible.
While continuously tracking Ha Mu-baek's position.
"Cheol Dam-gae left Kaifeng?"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong, who had been deeply engrossed in sorting and analyzing all sorts of information at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion, tilted his head as he looked at the report in his hand.
It was only natural.
Cheol Dam-gae was the Beggars' Sect's Vice Leader.
Given what was happening in the sect right now, he should have been holding down the fort at the Kaifeng headquarters.
Even the Sect Leader, who had been at the Righteous Heaven Alliance, was unaccounted for.
"Hmm."
Looking through the sequential analysis reports on Cheol Dam-gae's movements, he was heading west from Kaifeng.
Calculating the time and position.
He had moved before learning the results of the battle between Bang Sa-uk and the Black Resolve Corps.
That made sense, as Dam Mu-hyeon's report had come just before this one.
In fact, he had been pondering how to respond after reading Dam Mu-hyeon's report.
And then this came: Cheol Dam-gae's bizarre movements.
"Come to think of it, Vice Leader Cheol Dam-gae has always had sharp instincts."
He recalled that they had safely navigated crises during the great martial war more than once or twice thanks to his gut feelings.
If he was making such a sudden move, there must be some twist to it.
And the direction was west.
West of Kaifeng meant he was heading straight here to Luoyang.
'Towards Luoyang?'
He snapped his head up.
He wasn't the only one heading toward Luoyang right now.
Ha Mu-baek, who had left the southern regions not long ago, was also bound for Luoyang.
His thoughts clicked into place.
'Could he sense that this is a matter requiring Ha Corps Leader's personal intervention?'
He had just instructed his Heavenly Eye Pavilion subordinates to analyze whether to dispatch additional forces based on Dam Mu-hyeon's report.
He had planned to decide on support and its scale from those results.
But Cheol Dam-gae was heading straight for Ha Mu-baek.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong reviewed Dam Mu-hyeon's report again.
'It started with strength like a dark blood zombie but suddenly became far more powerful...'
And the brief, worried addendum that followed.
He had passed that part to his subordinates for analysis as well.
But seeing Cheol Dam-gae's actions, he couldn't shake the feeling that Dam Mu-hyeon's unease might be spot on.
Back then had been an exceptional case, and they still didn't know why it had happened now.
'It might be getting stronger than expected.'
Basing judgments on one warrior's hunch might seem laughable.
But considering that warrior's track record, Gong Son Dan-gyeong had no choice but to act.
He issued new orders to his subordinates.
It was an extremely headache-inducing and difficult directive: compare Dam Mu-hyeon's report with the demonic beasts the Blood Cult had unleashed during the last great martial war, derive the worst-case scenario.
The next order was to pinpoint Ha Mu-baek's exact location.
"There's a solid countermeasure nearby, so we should consider that first."
Though back then, it had been So Hwi-woong who stepped up.
While winds of turmoil swirled toward him unbeknownst.
Ha Mu-baek and the two children, completely oblivious, were en route to Luoyang.
The siblings were buzzing with excitement at Ha Mu-baek's words that they'd arrive in just one more day.
Yet they weren't neglecting their training or losing focus.
They were his disciples, after all—exceeding expectations in what needed to be done—so Ha Mu-baek was explaining things in even greater detail and clarity.
He believed their anticipation and excitement would positively influence their cultivation.
One day from Luoyang, they made camp.
Unlike before, the children set up their bedding on the cart rather than the bare ground.
A pot hung over the campfire, and a proper meal was coming together.
After dinner.
The two children circulated their qi and retired to their bedding on the cart.
A night when starlight poured down like a shower.
Ha Mu-baek frowned and gazed in one direction.
Precisely east.
The direction of Luoyang.
Two presences were racing toward him at high speed from there.
At this pace, they'd arrive in about one shichen.
Ha Mu-baek looked at the soundly sleeping children.
Their sleeping faces were a delight to behold.
Were they having sweet dreams?
Both had pleasant smiles on their lips.
But these two uninvited guests approaching at breakneck speed.
Not enemies.
He had already identified them by their presences.
Still, not being enemies didn't make it fine.
They were unwelcome visitors.
Ha Mu-baek extended his hand, and with Energy Absorption, dry branches around them flew into his grasp with a clatter.
He added them to the campfire, building up the flames.
Crackle, crackle.
The dry branches burned low with soft pops.
How long did he wait like that?
Two figures appeared.
"It's been a while."
Ha Mu-baek said in a quiet voice.
Cheol Dam-gae glanced briefly at the cart before sitting across from Ha Mu-baek.
The one who had arrived with him also cautiously took a seat beside.
"Heavenly Eye Pavilion and Beggars' Sect, no less. The Vice Leader in person. What's going on?"
The two men met Ha Mu-baek's gaze.
"This..."
The Heavenly Eye Pavilion agent pulled a letter from his bosom and handed it to Ha Mu-baek.
Ha Mu-baek took it but looked at Cheol Dam-gae instead of opening the seal.
His eyes said: Speak your business.
"Help us."
Those were the first words from Cheol Dam-gae's mouth.
Ha Mu-baek's eyes filled with questions at the abrupt plea.
No matter how vast Ha Mu-baek's qi sense, it couldn't stretch from here all the way to where Bang Sa-uk had been.
"What's the situation?"
At Ha Mu-baek's question, Cheol Dam-gae quickly explained everything that had transpired.
Ha Mu-baek furrowed his brow.
It was only natural. It involved the Blood Cult.
"Bang Sa-uk..."
Ha Mu-baek knew the man.
A fine warrior and righteous rogue of the Beggars' Sect.
After Bang Sa-uk's death, a nagging old fart of a successor had appeared in the sect.
That one had died too, eventually.
"If it's just dark blood zombie level... the Beggars' Sect should handle it with their own strength?"
They'd take losses, but it wasn't beyond them.
There was no reason to come running desperately to him like this.
Cheol Dam-gae's haggard appearance showed just how urgent it was.
Cheol Dam-gae shook his head.
On his way to Luoyang, he had stopped at a branch hall to confirm Ha Mu-baek's exact position and heard the news about the Black Resolve Corps there.
"No. I thought the same and sent the Black Resolve Corps... but my gut feeling was bad, so I came straight to find you. And the news I heard after..."
The full story of the battle between Bang Sa-uk, the Black Resolve Corps, and the Hocheon Corps.
Ha Mu-baek's brow creased deeply.
Even he didn't know of such a bizarre occurrence.
A practitioner of the Extermination Arts becoming a dark blood zombie yet retaining reason and memory, acting coldly and rationally?
Fleeing upon sensing disadvantage?
If such a dark blood zombie had existed in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, the Demon-Sealing Corps would have suffered far greater losses.
From the description alone, it sounded just like a heaven-exterminating zombie.
But.
Ha Mu-baek had eradicated all heaven-exterminating zombies.
They could only be created from Blood Cult disciples.
And Bang Sa-uk was a Beggars' Sect disciple who had unknowingly practiced the Extermination Arts.
"Blood Cult..."
Killing intent seeped from Ha Mu-baek's voice.
"Please help us. Don't forget how the Beggars' Sect has aided you all this time."
Ha Mu-baek's eyebrow twitched.
It was true—he owed the Beggars' Sect a great deal.
He had used them almost like a personal intelligence network.
He was in their debt.
But.
Ha Mu-baek's eyes flicked briefly toward the cart.
His two disciples, still sleeping with blissful expressions.
Cheol Dam-gae's gaze followed.
"Worried about your disciples?"
Ha Mu-baek nodded slightly.
From what he heard, time was of the essence.
He couldn't move with the disciples in tow.
It would be a lie to say leaving them behind alone didn't worry him.
"I'll guard them with my life."
Cheol Dam-gae said with resolute eyes.
"What if an old man with that resolve tries to block Bang Sa-uk?"
Ha Mu-baek asked.
The answer came from the Heavenly Eye Pavilion agent.
"We can't predict the outcome."
Ha Mu-baek's gaze shifted to him.
"What do you mean? Didn't he flee because he couldn't handle Mu-hyeon and the Hocheon Corps kids?"
"It seems that was the moment of awakening. If he adapts to the awakened state afterward... and if awakening happens again... the Heavenly Eye Pavilion's analysis indicates he could reach the Flower Realm in the worst case."
Ha Mu-baek looked at the agent with utter disbelief.
What nonsense was this?
A dark blood zombie at the Flower Realm?
There had been heaven-exterminating zombies, but those were special even among the Blood Cult—exceptions.
No, to begin with, someone devoured by the Extermination Arts awakening?
Absurd.
"Do you remember the Sanhwa Blood Battle?"
Ha Mu-baek had been on another battlefield then, but he had heard about it.
A battle where even Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong had struggled considerably.
It had been an operation to eliminate a dark blood zombie that emerged from a mid-tier sect.
It should have been stopped at the Hocheon Corps line, but the zombie broke through their encirclement and fled.
It later appeared in Sanhwa County, Hunan Province.
Stronger than before.
Near the Sahae Alliance's territory, but still Righteous Heaven Alliance land, so So Hwi-woong handled it personally.
To resolve it quickly before friction arose with the Sahae Alliance over territory.
Had So Hwi-woong not intervened, the losses would have been far greater, or so he heard.
"I only heard about it from Mu-hyeon."
Dam Mu-hyeon had been with So Hwi-woong at the time.
"Back then, there was an awakening—or rampage, rather. It went through that process and reached the Flower Realm."
This was the worst-case scenario dug up from past records on Gong Son Dan-gyeong's orders, complete with calculations.