Chapter 612
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 612
Chapter Title: I'll Handle It
The Beggars' Sect headquarters had vanished.
It was an enormous incident.
Naturally, the news spread instantly throughout the martial world.
Righteous Heaven Alliance headquarters in Luoyang.
Iron Pillar Beggar, who had been looking after Ha Mu-baek's disciples, stared blankly at the urgent report that flew in.
He had sent Ha Mu-baek to guard the Beggars' Sect, yet the headquarters had been smashed to pieces and disappeared.
How could he not be shocked?
"C-casualties...?"
Iron Pillar Beggar asked the Beggars' Sect messenger in a trembling voice.
"One death at the headquarters."
He couldn't help but be shocked once more by the response.
The headquarters had collapsed, yet only one person died? That was the full extent of the damage?
It was unbelievable.
"H-how is that possible?"
A question filled with astonishment.
"The Deputy Leader instructed me to pass this on."
The messenger pulled a sealed letter from his bosom and handed it to Iron Pillar Beggar.
"Who was that one?"
He asked as he took the letter.
He inwardly berated himself for not asking the most important question first amid the shock.
Even if it was just one, it was a death.
A precious member of the Beggars' Sect.
"Elder Myo Su-gae."
"Hmmm."
Iron Pillar Beggar silently prayed for his soul for a moment before tearing open the letter to read its contents.
"That damned bastard!"
He immediately let out a roar of fury.
It was rage so intense he wanted to retract the blessing he'd just given.
No, he'd already done so in his heart.
'That hell-bound bastard! No, he should be torn to shreds and suffer eternally in the Eight Hells of Avici!!'
His hand trembled as it gripped the letter.
It had to.
The detailed account written by the Deputy Leader.
It contained the answer to a riddle even the Beggars' Sect couldn't solve.
The promising young Beggars' Sect Deputy Leader candidate, Bang Sa-uk's Destruction Merit incident.
The reason was revealed.
Due to Elder Myo Su-gae's scheme, Bang Sa-uk had unknowingly cultivated Destruction Merit.
Because of that damned bastard's greed, the Beggars' Sect had lost a precious Deputy Leader candidate.
That wasn't all.
They had nearly fallen for his plot, allowing that bastard's disciple, Red-Eyed Beggar Yi Woong, to one day become the Beggars' Sect's Gang Leader.
Of course, his vessel had been lacking, so he met his end in the Great Martial War.
"Hoo. Hoo."
Iron Pillar Beggar calmed his rage with deep breaths and closed his eyes.
A single tear trickled from his moistened eyes.
Tears for Bang Sa-uk.
The letter didn't detail what happened after.
It ended with Bang Sa-uk fleeing and Ha Mu-baek pursuing, but Iron Pillar Beggar could guess the rest.
Ha Mu-baek would have surely eliminated Bang Sa-uk.
No matter the circumstances, the fact remained that Bang Sa-uk had become a Blood Cult demonic monster, a Dark Blood Strong Corpse.
No, he was almost grateful for allowing him personal vengeance.
Elder Myo Su-gae.
If he hadn't died that way, Iron Pillar Beggar would have personally dismembered him limb from limb—no, sliced him into a thousand pieces.
'Hoo. My choice was right after all.'
It was the conclusion he reached after calming his mind and coldly reviewing the letter's contents.
If not for Ha Mu-baek, the Beggars' Sect might have suffered irreparable damage.
Borrowing the Deputy Leader's words, Bang Sa-uk had become a demon whose true form couldn't be grasped.
His appearance deviated from human norms, grotesque even.
He was a bit frivolous, but his talent overflowed nonetheless—that was the current Deputy Leader.
He had deliberated carefully due to Yi Woong's precedent before selecting him.
If such a Deputy Leader rated him that highly, without Ha Mu-baek, unimaginable catastrophe might have struck.
Ha Mu-baek was truly the Beggars' Sect's benefactor.
The headquarters had been shattered in their clash, yet he couldn't even imagine how strong Bang Sa-uk had been—especially with that inhuman grotesqueness.
As he thought he must mobilize the full might of the Beggars' Sect for Ha Mu-baek's future requests, another thought arose.
"Ah, what about the intelligence stored at headquarters?"
"It's being restored now."
"Must be grueling work. Tsk."
He clicked his tongue lightly.
It would be a task to make one's head spin just thinking about it.
Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong and Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong were also huddled together over the urgent report on the Beggars' Sect headquarters.
"This serious...?"
So Hwi-woong muttered in disbelief.
He had sensed something amiss and sent Nam Mu-hyeon and the Hocheon Corps, but even that hadn't been enough.
Not even Nam Mu-hyeon and the Hocheon Corps could handle something of this magnitude.
"Iron Pillar Beggar's judgment was correct."
He meant sending Ha Mu-baek.
"What on earth happened...?"
So Hwi-woong frowned.
The current report came from Heavenly Eye Pavilion informants.
No one knew what had transpired inside the headquarters.
"By now, Iron Pillar Beggar should have received word too. Best to ask him directly."
So Hwi-woong nodded at Gong Son Dan-gyeong's words.
"Ah, how are those kids doing?"
Iron Pillar Beggar was staying at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
Thinking of him naturally brought the children to mind.
It wasn't normally something for So Hwi-woong to concern himself with, but if they were Ha Mu-baek's disciples, it was different.
"Exceptional, as expected."
"Well, that guy took them as disciples, so I figured."
So Hwi-woong chuckled.
"Guess I should meet them sometime. He'll whisk them away the moment he returns."
"Indeed."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong smiled faintly.
The smile came naturally thinking of the siblings.
They were talented, but just watching them brought a smile.
Admirably cute.
It made sense that even Ha Mu-baek had taken them as disciples.
"Then I'll summon Iron Pillar Beggar."
Returning to the main topic, Gong Son Dan-gyeong called his waiting subordinate from outside.
"The Beggars' Sect got smashed?"
Gong Ya Jang-cheon grinned with interest.
"Precisely, the headquarters building was destroyed, but the Beggars' Sect itself didn't suffer major losses."
"Just a few Black Tile Division members died, right?"
"Yes."
Mun In Baek-song replied.
"Hmm. Dark Blood Strong Corpse... and one that vanished years ago..."
Gong Ya Jang-cheon furrowed his brow.
It grossly violated human norms.
Even for a Blood Cult monster.
Countless Dark Blood Strong Corpses had appeared in the jianghu so far, but they all transformed the instant Destruction Merit's curse activated.
Someone who slit their own throat at the curse's onset, only to reappear as a Dark Blood Strong Corpse years later?
"What's the internal situation at the Beggars' Sect?"
"Unknown. Harder than other sects—Beggars' Sect especially."
Mun In Baek-song looked troubled.
Gong Ya Jang-cheon nodded in understanding.
"Fair enough. Beggars don't exactly frequent brothels for drinks."
The Four Seas Network gathered intelligence in two ways.
Hao Network and Black Fog Division.
The Hao Network pulled its weight there.
That's why the Four Seas Network couldn't abandon them.
Brothels.
Courtesans and liquor.
Those who entered naturally relaxed, unwittingly spilling secrets.
Even Shaolin monks and Wudang Taoists visited.
Monks and priests.
They shouldn't enter brothels, but exceptions always exist.
A tiny few Shaolin and Wudang disciples disguised themselves to sneak in, allowing Hao Network and Four Seas to glean internal info.
But the Beggars' Sect was the exception.
Beggars frequenting brothels?
They could wash and change clothes.
But scrubbing off their ingrained stench was no easy feat, and even then, the biggest barrier remained.
Beggars had no money.
Major martial sect disciples or not, beggars were beggars.
They begged or scavenged for every meal.
No way they had brothel funds.
High ranks might have coin and visit, but their numbers were minuscule compared to Shaolin or Wudang.
The Beggars' Sect was notoriously hard for Hao Network and Four Seas to penetrate internally.
And this incident yielded zero info.
"However, we confirmed Ha Mu-baek's involvement."
"Well, no one else could smash the headquarters like that."
Gong Ya Jang-cheon replied as if he'd guessed, to Mun In Baek-song's answer.
"We'll have to seek cooperation from the Righteous Heaven Alliance or Beggars' Sect regarding that part."
Mun In Baek-song's face darkened at Gong Ya Jang-cheon's heavy order.
He knew why.
This Beggars' Sect crisis brought one person to Gong Ya Jang-cheon's mind.
A Four Seas Network top secret.
Someone struck by Destruction Merit's curse but didn't become a Dark Blood Strong Corpse.
One such person existed in Four Seas.
A woman who, at the curse's onset, tried suppressing it—and if failed, chose death.
Astoundingly, she overcame it.
But that was her limit.
She continued her grueling battle against the curse.
Confined where she could end it anytime.
"When was the last report?"
Gong Ya Jang-cheon asked gravely.
"A month ago."
Mun In Baek-song was somber.
"It's about time for the next, but something feels ominous."
Gong Ya Jang-cheon's gaze lingered on the Beggars' Sect report.
"Better to investigate proactively than wait."
"I'll handle it."
Mun In Baek-song bowed deeply.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!!
Ha Mu-baek raced at full speed, leaving a harsh air-tearing whoosh behind.
Nothing could block his straight path to Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
Unstoppable charge.
Finally, he reached the outskirts of Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
No, it was no longer Demonic Forest.
Mountain-Crossing Woods.
The old name restored.
Locals already called it woods, not forest.
Gaps pierced the Great Wall, forming passages for people.
Some sections had collapsed.
Far more herbalists came and went than before.
Ha Mu-baek's senses immediately picked up countless presences.
Woodcutters, herbalists, etc.
Folk sustaining livelihoods in Mountain-Crossing Woods.
Ha Mu-baek infused his senses with dark energy, extending across the entire woods.
Nothing snagged.
He kept racing swiftly, but slowed slightly.
The air-shredding whoosh might terrify those inside.
Thus, Ha Mu-baek arrived at the Blood Cult's former main base.
No human presences nearby.
It made sense.
Even restored to woods, few dared the infamous Blood Cult site that spawned countless demons.
Common folk shunned what even martial artists avoided.
Besides, livelihood seekers had no reason to enter ominous spots.
Unless rare herbs appeared.
"Nothing, as expected."
Ha Mu-baek murmured, gazing underground.
His senses delved deep into the Blood Cult ruins' earth.
One hundred zhang? Three hundred?
Even deeper.
His senses probed as far as possible—nothing.
Even infused with dark energy.
On a hunch, he spread them wide.
Three hundred zhang.
He scoured the woods' depths—no trace.
Faint lingering dark energy occasionally, but negligible.
"Expected it, but still a headache."
Ha Mu-baek grimaced.
Even he couldn't blanket the Central Plains with senses.
Gae Se-aak.
No telling where that bastard lurked, building power.
Or when and how he'd emerge.
"Guess I need to get even stronger."
Simple conclusion.
Overwhelming power to crush any foe.
Ha Mu-baek need only grow that strong.
He'd come far on a whim, but no results.
Ha Mu-baek turned.
Now to Righteous Heaven Alliance headquarters in Luoyang.
To retrieve his disciples from Iron Pillar Beggar.