Chapter 270: Those Who Have Become One with Darkness
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KKUMTEULKKUMTEUL, KKUMTEULKKUMTEUL…
Something quietly moved.
In the darkness of the forest that spread behind the tall middle-aged man standing at the edge of the high precipice.
The stirring of a secretive presence.
Following that, soft sounds could be heard one by one.
“Keureuk…”
“Keureureu…”
Was it a pack of starving beasts?
However, the middle-aged man paid no mind.
No.
Rather, he muttered while welcoming the group in that darkness.
“There, there. I’ll give you something to eat soon. Just wait a little.”
At that, the group in the darkness made even louder sounds, as if being petulant.
“KAK!”
“KIHAAK!”
“KIAK, KIAK!”
“KYAEK, KYAKYAEK!”
“KIHAK!”
Fierce screams beat against the eardrums.
They were like the howls of wild beasts.
Anyone who heard this sound would get goosebumps all over their body.
Suddenly.
“Tsk.”
The middle-aged man, having clicked his tongue, turned around with a cold expression.
PARARRAK-
Following his movement, his dark clothing spread in a circle and swayed, then soon settled.
CHYUCHYUT…
The middle-aged man’s grayish-white pupils, gazing at the darkness, underwent a change.
His two eyes had turned dark green.
Moreover, haze even spread out in wisps.
“Those who can’t understand my words should be caught and killed, shouldn’t they?”
His ten fingers extended dark tendrils.
His fingernails had lengthened on their own.
Each one was as sharp and pointed as a blade.
It was a bizarre supernatural ability that defied common sense.
At the same time, silence arrived.
The spine-chilling sounds from the forest abruptly stopped.
As if terrified by the changed gaze of the middle-aged man.
Thus, as the surroundings instantly became quiet, even the pressure of the atmosphere felt heavy.
Adding to that, the solemn intangible aura the middle-aged man emitted pressed down on and constricted the surroundings.
Eventually, new sounds seeped through the darkness.
Whimpering cries.
They sounded exactly like dogs trembling in fear.
The long-extended fingernails shrank back again.
“Good, that’s right.”
The middle-aged man smiled quietly along with those words, then pivoted his body.
Thus his gaze once again dropped down toward the ground.
A vast forest where moonlight and darkness were mixed together.
Among them, dim lights were revealed.
Red but with a warm feeling.
The over thirty martial artists who had set foot here earlier must have each lit torches.
Right at that moment.
SEUT, SEUSEUT-
A faint sound arose as three figures appeared.
They stood in a triangular formation right behind the dark-clad middle-aged man who was looking down.
They were a group of swordsmen.
Covering their appearances with black capes that extended from head to toe…
Perhaps because of that, they gave off a feeling of having become one with this darkness.
But why?
The middle-aged man with his back to the group didn’t move even slightly.
As if he knew who those three were without needing to turn around.
The appearances of the three who had appeared like the wind seemed alike yet different.
The contrast of clothes slightly visible through the capes.
A gap in status, perhaps.
Among the three forming the triangular formation, the two in the rear were in very ragged attire.
Practically no different from rags.
In contrast, the caped figure at the very front wore neat clothing.
Even at a glance, it was clothing made from expensive fabric.
Moreover, it was completely identical high-quality attire to the caped figure who had appeared at Mount Zhongnan today.
Also.
The two caped figures in the rear wore the same clothes as the mutes who had been annihilated by Cheol Ryu-heun’s hand while targeting Namgung Heon-rin and Jeon Kwae.
That implied one thing.
The fact that they were the subordinate group commanded by the unidentified wanderer who had killed Sagong Woon and shattered the Divine Martial Sword…
Soon, the caped figure positioned at the front of the triangular formation spoke.
“Stopped by briefly to check on the way back. Have you dealt with Nak-nyeong?”
That was the name of the person whom Namgung Heon-rin and Jeon Kwae’s party had been pursuing.
The middle-aged man answered without looking back.
“Of course.”
At that, the caped figure who had asked the question raised an eyebrow.
Because of the voice, which was completely different from an ordinary person’s.
Something like a metallic quality that was uncomfortable to hear, perhaps.
‘That voice is not easy to get used to. Though we haven’t met many times…’
The caped figure, having muttered internally, asked again.
“Has he also changed?”
“Of course. I saw the red-lined wooden token he possessed. That means I can do as I please with him. So I didn’t kill him…”
The middle-aged man, having trailed off, continued quietly:
“…I made him a slave of this body. He’s mixed in with the group in that darkness behind you. Suffering from the madness of hunger. Huhu.”
“Greedy… there will be more soon anyway.”
“The more the better. Has your master departed?”
“He returned to that place early on.”
“I’m curious where your hiding nest is.”
“Watch your words. There’s no need to know. And you must not know.”
“Hm, what if I can’t bear my curiosity and try to dig around?”
“You die.”
The caped figure’s fierce warning.
“Hm, is that so.”
Before long, as the lights receded into the darkness, the middle-aged man finally withdrew his gaze and quietly turned around.
And continued in a voice similar to a metallic sound.
“By your hand?”
“…”
Immediately after, the caped figure answered with a gesture instead of words.
He briefly stroked the hilt of the four-chi-long iron sword hanging at his waist.
But the middle-aged man wasn’t intimidated at all.
“Your rank is Young General, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. It’s an alias used externally.”
“When your master told me, he said a Young General rank is no different from a master who dominates a region.”
“So… are you trying to test my martial power under the pretense of curiosity?”
“Test?”
The middle-aged man pulled up one corner of his mouth along with those words.
It was mockery.
Meaning it was laughable.
Sure enough, the middle-aged man immediately said:
“Even the Middle General rank above you is unqualified… at minimum, it would have to be Great General rank to be a testing subject, wouldn’t it?”
Simultaneously, the Young General caped figure let out an angry shout.
“Heuk Ma-yung! How insolent!”
That was the middle-aged man’s name.
Immediately after.
“KAK!”
“KIHAAK!”
“KAHAK!”
Fierce screams burst from the forest.
The group in the darkness had wildly revealed madness and killing intent toward the caped figure party.
As if a warning not to be rude to their master.
In the instant the Young General caped figure tensed up.
“Hoo.”
The middle-aged man – no, Heuk Ma-yung – waved his hand with a laugh.
At that, the screams that had been ringing loudly subsided at once and stopped.
Heuk Ma-yung’s voice followed.
“Don’t take a joke so seriously.”
The riled up Young General caped figure flashed his eye light.
“That was excessive for a joke.”
“It was to awaken your vigilance.”
“What?”
“As I said. You apparently don’t know yet, but those who were chasing Nak-nyeong tracked him all the way here.”
At those words, not only the Young General caped figure but also the mute caped figures under him seemed surprised.
“Hah, that can’t be…”
“Are you saying I’m lying?”
“Hmm… no.”
“You should have cut off the tail Nak-nyeong brought in advance.”
“So what happened?”
“I killed them all.”
“Ah… fortunate.”
“It was definitely military martial arts.”
“…”
“If the military secures some kind of justification and actively intervenes in martial world affairs, that would be troublesome.”
“Yes, I know. It would be equally troublesome for us. But that won’t happen. In any case, regarding that part… I apologize. Some error must have occurred.”
“Not the occurrence of a major variable?”
“Those words are no different than doubting the Lord.”
“Huhu. Fine, I’ll trust you.”
“Anyway, you killed them all, right? Did you personally confirm?”
“I did. Except for two.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They fell while fleeing from me. Below a high cliff. So I wasn’t able to directly confirm their deaths. However, both would have died immediately.”
“Hah! Isn’t that too complacent a judgment?”
“What for, there’s no possibility of survival.”
“Why?”
“Because that place is infamous as one of the most dangerous places in the Shiwan Mountains.”
“Hm… where is it?”
“Why, are you going to check yourself? You’re looking for trouble.”
When Heuk Ma-yung maintained his nonchalant attitude, the Young General caped figure reacted sensitively.
“Just answer me already!”
“Life-Stealing Mist Cliff.”
“…!”
“You know too. That the only martial artist who has emerged alive from that place is the Sword Emperor from eight hundred years ago.”
“Indeed. If it’s Life-Stealing Mist Cliff… still, since I came all the way here, I should go take a look. Just in case.”
“Suit yourself.”
Heuk Ma-yung pointed far in the distance along with those words.
“It’s five hundred zhang.”
“Mm, I roughly know where it is. Then we’ll take our leave. Make sure to proceed without a hitch. When the work is done, the Lord will bestow a very great reward.”
“I look forward to it. Is your mission completely finished?”
“Yes. I intend to return directly.”
“Hoo. Right, see you again.”
The moment Heuk Ma-yung slightly nodded his head, the caped figure group quickly vanished.
Immediately after.
Heuk Ma-yung, having approached the edge of the cliff, let his gaze rest on one spot.
The torches faintly fading away.
Seeing that, Heuk Ma-yung turned his steps.
‘Foolish ones. Not knowing how terrifying the darkness of this place is, yet fearlessly setting foot here… Soon you will discover. The feast of blood I have prepared.’
He conjured in his mind the voice of the wanderer who had given him orders.
-Use the Divine Martial Sword to build your own world.
‘He was truly a strong one. Even Extreme Heaven Demon Emperor would have difficulty facing him… keukkeuk. If he’s an opponent I can’t beat, it’s only proper to bow my head. Anyway, I look forward to that person’s reward.’
Thus Heuk Ma-yung disappeared into the space of darkness.
* * *
Three caped figures quickly piercing through the darkness.
PAPAPAPA, PAPAPAPA-
At some point, the Young General caped figure at the very front spoke.
“You must have felt it too. Heuk Ma-yung’s tremendous internal power.”
At that, the two mute caped figures following behind nodded.
“As that fellow said earlier, it would take at least Great General rank to exchange blows with him. Of course, if the Four Divine Generals stepped in, they would overwhelmingly win, but… anyway, he will be of great help. And the martial world will suffer great ruin.”
* * *
CHABAKCHABAK, CHABAKCHABAK…
The sound of footsteps advancing through the darkness and bushes.
Over thirty martial artists, each holding a torch in one hand, walked and walked while surveying their surroundings.
Their attire was identical for all.
Blue clothing reminiscent of the sea.
Also, the form of the weapons each possessed was the same.
Swords.
The pattern depicting a long sword embroidered on the party’s martial uniforms.
That signified membership in the Righteous Sea Martial Gate, a prestigious faction of the orthodox martial world in the Guangdong region.
However, among them, two people had much larger long sword patterns.
They were the young man and woman at the front.
Danli Hyeok and Danli So, siblings who were famous martial talents of the Guangdong region and direct disciples of the Righteous Sea Martial Gate.
After a while.
Danli Hyeok stopped walking and slightly furrowed his brow.
“Hmm… the traces are being discovered too easily.”
At that, his younger sister Danli So also wore a puzzled expression.
“Brother, I have a strange feeling. The way they deliberately left clear traces everywhere… besides, we’ve come in too deep.”
“But it’s too late to turn back. Let’s go just a little further.”
“Yes, let’s do that. We can’t give up after coming this far.”
The Righteous Sea Martial Gate party, including Danli Hyeok and Danli So, began advancing again.
CHABAKCHABAK, CHABAKCHABAK…
* * *
Around a similar time, Divine Wind and Cheol Ryu-heun arrived in front of a cave in the mountains.
“This is the place.”
Having released the reins and dismounted, he took out a fire starter and strode inside.
How much time had passed?
UUDDUK.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having suddenly stopped walking, gazed expressionlessly ahead and muttered.
“Ohoh, what’s this?”