Chapter 591: Side Story 91

Chapter side_91

Rumble!

Another pavilion collapsed and shattered as people wailed. The Martial Sovereign Castle, the symbol of the Unorthodox Faction, was collapsing miserably, to the point that one wondered if this was all it amounted to.

At the same time, flames, originating from who knew where, soared up. Because the wind was also blowing strongly, the flames spread quickly, growing in intensity.

It would not take long to swallow up the surroundings in an instant.

In the midst of the demonic fire that was gradually growing in intensity, Dan Woo-hyun stood blankly.

“…”

The figure of him standing there completely alone was truly that of an absolute ruler.

Although he did not release even a shred of momentum, as if that very ordinariness represented the strongest, no one could move, nor could they even meet his gaze properly.

“Ugh… Ugh…!”

“M-Madness, t-this makes no sense…!”

No one could draw their sword in front of him, only collapsing, and there were not a few who fainted just from looking at him.

To them, the existence of Dan Woo-hyun was simply a disaster.

Something that could not be stopped by human strength.

That was exactly the state of mind of those who had Dan Woo-hyun before their eyes.

“It brings back old memories.”

And at that moment, he smirked.

The burning flames and the screaming voices of the people.

Those who had taken up swords to survive but collapsed without daring to attack.

Dan Woo-hyun looked at them and realized that he was at the very top of the food chain. Since it was not much different now than in the past, his gaze looking around the surroundings was also no different from the past.

Under the gaze of such a nonchalant predator, everyone held their breath.

Dan Woo-hyun slowly raised his sword.

Some could be seen running away, while others stood frozen like stone statues, unable to move. In this situation, it was obvious that if he made up his mind to swing his sword, it would become a field of corpses.

However, he withdrew the raised sword and turned his head.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun’s expression changed slightly, looking like that of a child who had found a more interesting toy.

“They are finally coming.”

Turning his head, Dan Woo-hyun looked in the direction the wind was blowing.

Strange presences were felt not too far away. Not just one or two, but it seemed it could be hundreds or even thousands. Radiating a momentum that seemed to pierce the sky, they were narrowing the distance toward this place faster and faster.

“It really… brings back old memories.”

Chuckling to himself, Dan Woo-hyun shook his head. Then he slowly began to move toward the place where the presences were felt.

Surely, had there not been a similar event in the past?

The steps taken to face tens of thousands of martial artists. That very moment when he raised his sword solely to welcome them.

Was it a reconstruction of the past?

Dan Woo-hyun smiled without realizing it.

Even so, he had no intention of easily letting those immortals get the better of him this time.

* * *

“No, where on earth is this guy?”

“Gack?!”

Sado Hak walked with a deep frown.

The fact that he did not seem to care in the least about those who rushed at him was enough to make one think that he was indeed the great Sado Hak.

If anyone blocked his path, he did not hesitate.

Every single one of them was rammed, slammed down, and beaten up.

Scratching his head, he let out a long sigh, completely unconcerned about those splayed out around him. It was because he had already searched nearly half the place, but had no idea where the missing Jeok Mu-seong was.

“Ah… what a troublesome guy, indeed.”

“Hoho. What else can we do? We still have to save him.”

“…T-The Castle Lord’s residence is around here, but…”

“That’s why I’m saying he’s not here, right?”

Gwon Mu-jin broke into a cold sweat and turned his head.

Coming into Jeok Mu-seong’s residence to look for him was all well and good, but no matter how much they searched, there was no trace of anyone having been there.

According to Geum Ji-ran, he was supposed to be imprisoned inside the Martial Sovereign Castle, but it was frustrating because they could not specify the location.

Seeing that even after capturing many people and forcing them to talk, only words of ignorance came out, it seemed correct to assume that there was a passage nearby that only the Castle Lord knew about.

“Sigh… another one is collapsing… Aren’t we going to get caught up in this too?”

At that time, Namgung So-hye, who was keeping an eye on the situation outside, rolled her eyes anxiously. Dan Woo-hyun, left alone, was smashing the Martial Sovereign Castle here and there, as if venting his pent-up resentment.

The collapsed pavilions alone reached about ten.

The strange screams heard here and there were enough to evoke hell. It was to the point of showing what happened when an existence like Dan Woo-hyun became angry.

However, the problem was that there was no guarantee they would not get swept up in it. Although they thought he would be careful on his own since he was the great Dan Woo-hyun, they could not help but feel anxious seeing the collapses happening all over the place.

“Hoho. Do not worry. He said he would take care of it, so we have no choice but to trust him.”

“I’m really worried we’ll get crushed to death… Sigh…”

Despite the positive words, a sigh leaked from Namgung So-hye’s mouth. That was how unusual the outside situation was, and Dan Woo-hyun, who was exerting his strength, also seemed to have no mercy.

“Here! There is a path this way!”

At that moment, Gwon Mu-jin shouted loudly.

As everyone turned their heads toward that direction, a path could be seen in a hard-to-see spot. The narrow path was so well hidden by utilizing the surrounding scenery that it could not be found unless one looked closely.

The four of them glanced at each other and walked toward the path. Since nothing had appeared even after they had searched Jeok Mu-seong’s residence thoroughly, it meant it was hidden somewhere else.

Furthermore, Geum Ji-ran had said so.

That he was hidden inside the Martial Sovereign Castle.

Although they did not know the exact location, if her words were true, perhaps he might be at the end of this extremely narrow path.

“Ha, this is the place.”

Soon, reaching the end of the path, Sado Hak drew in a sharp breath. Although it was clearly a dead end, he felt that a formation had been set up.

As he gently reached out his hand, his hand was sucked into the space.

As Sado Hak took a step forward with confidence, the forest-like scenery vanished from sight, and the appearance of a large cave came into view.

“E-Elder?!”

“Castle Lord!”

Soon, what first came into their view was none other than the shabby appearance of Jeok Mu-seong. He was leaning weakly against the wall, looking like a mummy, to the point that no one would think of him as Jeok Mu-seong, one of the Five Emperors.

Namgung So-hye covered her mouth in shock.

Namgung Cheon and Sado Hak also turned their eyes away, clicking their tongues and frowning.

From their childhood until now.

Had they not been peers who traversed the Central Plains’ Murim, fighting each other?

Whether through hatred or affection, it was a relationship where they could not help but develop a bond.

Seeing such a person leaning weakly against the wall in a shabby state, although they did not show it, the two old men could not help but feel angry.

Namgung Cheon trembled with bloodshot eyes, as if remembering something, while Sado Hak knit his brows with clenched fists.

The energy of the two fiercely dominated the surroundings.

Not only Namgung So-hye but even Gwon Mu-jin had to tremble all over under the energy of the two.

“Heh, hehe… Who are you trying to k-kill, you rascals…?”

At that moment, Jeok Mu-seong showed a faint, half-closed smile.

He raised his hand with difficulty as if to show he was still fine and alive. However, it soon fell with a thud, as even the act of raising his hand was difficult due to his already severely depleted energy.

Surprised, Gwon Mu-jin hurriedly approached and supported him.

“A-Are you all right?!”

“Heh… hehe… As… as expected, there is only you.”

“Elder…!”

“Don’t look at me with those eyes, rascal. It is all my karma.”

Jeok Mu-seong raised his body, supported by Gwon Mu-jin.

Although he staggered greatly due to his condition deteriorating to the point where standing was impossible, he barely managed to balance himself and smiled bitterly.

“I… knew you guys would come!”

“Have some shame, you punk. If I were you, I wouldn’t even be able to lift my head.”

“Hahaha. I have nothing to say.”

Sado Hak and Namgung Cheon approached, letting out long sighs.

Namgung Cheon, who had already experienced a similar event once, smiled bitterly and sighed deeply, as if recalling the memories of that day.

It was a memory he did not want to recall that much.

“So, how did you end up like this? It’s not like you set off a Thunder-Shattering Bomb like this guy, right…?”

“Poison… I took poison. Without even knowing it.”

At the word poison, both of them had dumbfounded expressions.

For a man called one of the Five Emperors of the world, how distracted must he have been to be caught by poison? It would have been better if Thunder-Shattering Bombs were pouring down.

Thus, the two let out hollow laughs in disbelief.

“Idiot…”

“Hoho, dear…”

Rough curses came out of Sado Hak’s mouth, while on the contrary, Namgung Cheon looked at Jeok Mu-seong as if he were pathetic. It was only natural since a figure ranked among the top five in the Central Plains had been done in by mere poison.

Instantly, Jeok Mu-seong’s face turned beet red.

He, too, knew that it was embarrassing.

“First, let’s take him out. We can’t carry a mummy around. He smells, too…”

“I-I cannot go like this. There are… those I must k-kill with my own eyes… and my own hands.”

Jeok Mu-seong could not return like this.

With his own hands, he had to decapitate those who had betrayed him. Since he had been done in by those he had trusted so much, it felt like his resentment would only be resolved if he at least saw them die.

Therefore, returning like this was out of the question.

Rumble!

At that moment, the ground shook violently again.

The cave shook, and debris fell from the ceiling. Looking closely, cracks were visible here and there on the walls, appearing to barely hold up due to the repeated shaking.

“Kill what? They’re probably all dead already.”

“…W-What do you mean by that…?”

Jeok Mu-seong could not help but be puzzled by the incomprehensible words.

Did saying they were dead mean Namgung Cheon and Sado Hak had already dealt with them? Indeed, if these two old men had moved, those guys would never have been safe.

“Did you guys… repay them for me?”

“Hoho. Repay them? We merely came to find you.”

“…? T-Then, what do you mean they are dead…?”

“Since Family Head Dan is… moving on our behalf… shouldn’t their breath have been cut off by now?”

At Namgung Cheon’s words that followed, Jeok Mu-seong turned pale. The fact that Dan Woo-hyun, of all people, was moving meant it would not end simply with repaying those guys.

Without realizing it, he turned his head to look at Gwon Mu-jin and Namgung So-hye. However, as the two turned their heads to avoid his gaze, he gulped and looked toward Sado Hak.

“The Unorthodox Faction is already finished, you punk. I doubt if even a trace of the Martial Sovereign Castle will remain.”

“Gack?!”

With his mouth wide open, Jeok Mu-seong was speechless.

Then, was the vibration that had been heard since earlier because of that?

Was it a signal that Dan Woo-hyun was going around destroying everything?

The moment he thought of that, his vision turned black, and his head spun.

“E-Elder?!”

Gwon Mu-jin barely supported Jeok Mu-seong, who fell over.

Enjoyed the chapter?

If you like our work, consider supporting us on Ko-fi. This site solely runs on donations. Every donation helps us keep translating!

Support on Ko-fi