Chapter 207: Chapter 207

Dan Woo-hyun stopped the carriage at Mount Kunlun and climbed the mountain.

As if the words calling it a spiritual mountain were by no means a lie, the mountain path of Kunlun was rugged enough that an ordinary person could not easily climb it.

Because of this, they had to leave Dan So-mi behind, and only three people… Namgung Cheon, Sa Do-hak, and Dan Woo-hyun… climbed the mountain path and moved toward the Kunlun Sect.

Namgung Cheon looked around this way and that to find a clue about the culprit that might be there, but he could not obtain any great harvest.

Soon, the moment they arrived at the Kunlun Sect, a hollow sigh burst from Namgung Cheon’s mouth.

“Indeed, nothing at all is left.”

There was a big difference between hearing about it in stories and confirming the situation with one’s own two eyes. Namgung Cheon caught his breath several times as he walked through the Kunlun Sect, which had turned into ashes.

Kunlun of the Nine Great Sects and One Association.

It was a place that had been a great strength to the orthodox Martial World by its name alone, but even after seeing with his eyes that the place had turned to ashes and disappeared, he could not fully realize it.

If it were a dream, he wanted to wake up immediately, but all the sensations he felt reminded him that it was reality.

“Is this also that fellow’s doing?”

Sa Do-hak frowned as he looked around the scene of Kunlun.

Although it was a place hostile to the Demonic Cult, Sa Do-hak also by no means looked down on the spirit of Kunlun.

Even though their number was smaller than the Demonic Cult, which was called the Hundred Thousand Demonic Path, the fact that they had protected the land of Qinghai for a long time meant that they had that much strength and mettle.

Therefore, Sa Do-hak also did not ignore Kunlun, and rather, in a certain sense, he even respected it.

Although they did not produce anyone who rose to the position of the Five Emperors, in his heart, he rated them even higher than places like Wudang or Shaolin.

The gazes of the two men scanned the burned scene of Kunlun as if closely observing it.

It seemed as if they had a shred of expectation that they might find even a little bit about the culprit, or if any trace at all might remain.

“…….”

However, on the contrary, Dan Woo-hyun cast a mechanical look.

The pavilions that had turned to ashes and the bloodstains seen everywhere.

Even the scene, which had become desolate to the point where one could tell how many people had died, did not attract his interest.

He merely looked at it and then opened his mouth.

“It is an amazing internal energy. He cut the pillar in a single breath.”

At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon hurriedly approached.

The place he was pointing to was one of the pillars that had been supporting the pavilion of the Kunlun Sect, and the cut surface was extremely smooth.

It was impossible for an ordinary level.

At the very least, one could tell that he had displayed sword gang.

With a slide, Dan Woo-hyun caressed the cut surface.

“It is a trace of a sword passing by. Judging by internal energy alone, he would be similar to you, Namgung Cheon.”

“Is it to that extent?”

“Or he might be even more superior.”

Dan Woo-hyun let out a chuckle.

The words that came out of his mouth were by no means a lie.

To swing a sword and make such a clean cut in this manner, one must have not only internal energy but also considerable expertise in sword arts.

In that sense, the person who attacked this place called the Kunlun Sect was by no means an ordinary person.

“They say there are as many strange and eccentric people in the Central Plains as there are grains of sand. Is he one of those fellows?”

Sa Do-hak let out a laugh as if he found it enjoyable.

This was why he could not stop fighting.

Since martial artists were a breed who naturally sought those similar to or stronger than themselves and thought only of making them their stepping stones, Sa Do-hak also felt his heroic spirit soaring without his knowledge.

“It is not necessarily like that.”

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun muttered as he looked at the sword traces visible nearby.

Traces of corpses having been around the pillar were visible. Also, in that vicinity, sword traces remained here and there, and at a glance, they were familiar traces.

However, because they were transformed somewhat strangely, even if those who knew this saw it, wouldn’t it be quite difficult to grasp?

It had become that much of a bizarre art.

“Did you catch onto something?”

Namgung Cheon asked, narrowing his eyes.

Looking at Dan Woo-hyun’s expression, it seemed as if he had caught onto something. But he shook his head side to side without saying anything, and because of that, Namgung Cheon let out a sigh.

“If there is something you know, please tell me!”

“Well….”

“Did that man called Black Wind Demonic Devil really do it?”

When the story about the Black Wind Demonic Devil came up, killing intent lingered in Sa Do-hak’s eyes.

It was a fierce momentum as if he would tear him to pieces right now if he were before his eyes.

“The Black Wind Demonic Devil’s swordplay is not like this. It is a slightly more chaotic and dizzying feeling. It is very different from this.”

“That means, in the end, there is one more person. A strong person who is similar to us or even greater?”

“Perhaps.”

Sa Do-hak nodded.

He was already someone who had been stabbed in the back by the one called the Black Wind Demonic Devil.

As said before, since it was said that countless strong people existed in the world, it might be someone who had a strong hatred for them enough to destroy Kunlun.

Thinking of that, his body progressively itched more and more.

However, the reason he did not recklessly say to chase the fellow’s back was because his top priority goal right now was none other than the man called the Black Wind Demonic Devil.

He did not know how strong the fellow was, or how amazing he was, but he expressed a firm determination that he would definitely succeed in getting revenge for killing Dongfang Gu.

“Haha… it is not good… it is really not good.”

Namgung Cheon sighed, shaking his head side to side.

Not only was the orthodox path divided in half, but Kunlun was destroyed. Since this was by no means a story he could spit out with a laugh, his mind was even more complicated.

He could not help his bitter heart at the thought that the orthodox Martial World itself might really disappear at this rate.

“I thought it might be a martial monk of the Potala Palace…”

Sa Do-hak muttered as he examined other traces. Actually, the most suspicious was the Potala Palace, the hegemon of the Western Regions.

Because it was suspicious that those fellows had come all the way here.

However, no traces of their martial arts being used were visible.

Those fellows, like Shaolin, mainly used staffs and fists, but the traces left here were definitely by a sword.

Moreover, although Namgung Cheon also might have noticed to some extent, it was a sword trace that gave a somewhat familiar feeling.

“Aren’t they the orthodox path bastards?”

“There is no way that is true!”

“Why are you shouting? I’m saying it could be so.”

“….?”

Namgung Cheon shut his mouth firmly.

Although he refuted by shouting, he resented himself for suspecting that maybe it really could be so.

It seemed that the wound from being hit by the close friend he believed in had not healed yet.

Without his knowledge, he wore a bitter smile.

“No… I made a slip of the tongue. Maybe it could be so. One must think broadly to not miss things…”

“Tsk…”

Seeing Namgung Cheon wearing a bitter expression, Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue. It was an expression he really did not like, but he was even more irritated by the situation where he could not get angry either.

“Let us go. It seems useless to stay longer.”

At Namgung Cheon’s words, Dan Woo-hyun nodded.

The Martial Alliance would have already entered this place and finished their investigation.

If something important remained, they would have taken it all, so even if they stayed, there would be nothing they could obtain.

Rather, it was better from Namgung Cheon’s standpoint to finish this journey even a little faster and go back to cool his head.

“…….”

Namgung Cheon, who was leading the way, glanced at the sword traces engraved on the wall. He, who narrowed his eyes, thought about something for a long time, and then soon let out a wry laugh and shook his head.

‘No way… there is no way…’

He denied the vague thought that came up.

It was then that Sa Do-hak’s voice was heard from behind.

“Come to think of it, there is a place I want to go.”

“If it is Mount Tianshan, we are already going there…?”

“No, not there. It is Dongfang Gu’s main house.”

“If it is Dongfang Gu, do you mean the man who is called your right hand?”

Sa Do-hak nodded.

Whether he liked it or not, he must go. It was not Sa Do-hak who killed Dongfang Gu, but in consequence, it was Sa Do-hak who created all those situations.

At the very least, he felt he should see the faces of the family.

“Anyway, it is on the way to Mount Tianshan, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“Indeed.”

As Dan Woo-hyun nodded, Sa Do-hak let out a sigh.

The closer they got to Mount Tianshan, the greater the weight of the sigh flowing from his mouth. His momentum stood sharp as if it had been sharpened blue.

* * *

“Putting the situations together, it seems to be certain.”

“It looks that way to me too. So, you…”

At the Beggar Emperor’s words, Zhuge Un shook his head.

In the future, the Martial World will fall into even greater chaos.

At the point when Murong Hyeok-mun destroyed Kunlun and disappeared, it was not strange even if the forces of the Nine Great Sects or another orthodox path received an attack again.

Even the Heavenly Way Association, which had practically discarded the Murong Clan, would also have no less anxiety.

Since it was this kind of situation, from the Beggar Emperor’s standpoint, it was his hope that Zhuge Un would return to the Martial Alliance and resolve all these matters.

Because if that succeeded, a possibility to make one Martial Alliance, or one orthodox path again, would arise.

However, Zhuge Un shook his head.

“Thank you for the proposal, but I will not leave this place.”

“You rascal, why on earth are you being like this? Is there honey spread on this Dan family house?”

“It is not like that, but… there are some things I am concerned about, and because I thought this is the place where I should be.”

“…….”

The Beggar Emperor Bang No-baek let out a sigh again.

It did not seem that he could turn him back even if he said any words more than this.

Seeing the resolute expression that he would not bend his will, Bang No-baek finally raised both hands in surrender.

“Then, can you at least give me some advice?”

“Of course. If it is that much, I will lend this Zhuge Un’s wisdom anytime.”

Bang No-baek brightened and readily nodded.

It meant Zhuge Un would lend his wisdom to the Martial Alliance, not the Heavenly Way Association. Since he had achieved a satisfactory result with that alone, he burst into a hearty laugh.

Zhuge Un, who was watching it, also wore a pleasant smile, but in his mind, various thoughts were already crossing.

‘According to what I heard, they destroyed Murong Hyeok-mun’s dantian and cut his arm…’

Was it not strange?

It was not that he was hit by poison, and if his dantian was destroyed, he could no longer live as a martial artist.

Yet, Murong Hyeok-mun rose again and destroyed Kunlun.

And that too within not even a year.

Zhuge Un could not understand it at all.

‘There is someone. A person of great ability enough to restore a destroyed dantian… perhaps Man Hu-ryang might be related…’

He did not know who it was, but if they restored the dantian and helped Murong Hyeok-mun regain strength in a short time, he judged that it was a truly threatening figure.

Also, considering the trace of Man Hu-ryang who disappeared starting from the day the trouble broke out in the Martial Alliance, it was almost certain that someone was behind.

‘If they are watching this place, the reason the Dan Family Head left me behind is also explained…’

Since countless experts stayed in this place, they would not have been able to approach closely and could only watch from afar.

Since they could not grasp how many people were inside, or who was there unless they went outside, accurate information collection was also impossible.

But for already two or three months, there had been no people going in and out, and unlike the usual noisy times, it was quiet, so perhaps they might have noticed soon.

Zhuge Un cleared his throat with a loud cough, stood up from his seat, quickly rolled his brain, and disappeared somewhere.

The Beggar Emperor just sat in his seat blankly.

After about fifteen minutes, Zhuge Un returned.

In his hand, a suit of clothes and a mask were held.

“What is this again?”

“For a moment… I would like you to help me.”

“Huh?”

The Beggar Emperor Bang No-baek tilted his head, looking at the objects placed before his eyes.

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