Chapter 594: Side Story 94

Chapter side_94

“Arghhhhh!”

Yuk Cheol-wan screamed, smashing all kinds of things. Throwing and kicking everything he could lay his hands on, whether they were expensive or not, he vented his rage.

“C-Cult Leader…!”

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How… how could this happen?!”

He then slammed his fists repeatedly against the wall, frowning.

He still could not understand the situation that had unfolded before his eyes. Yuk Cheol-wan had intended to engrave the overwhelming power of the Heavenly Earth Sect in the eyes of the unorthodox martial artists, and by rescuing them from threat, create a situation where the Heavenly Earth Sect brought the Martial Sovereign Castle to its knees.

But what on earth was that guy?

By himself, he had cut down not only the unorthodox bastards but even the Heavenly Earth Sect cultists. And it was not just dozens, but a number exceeding several hundred that he turned into corpses in the blink of an eye.

Did someone who could do such a thing exist in this world?

No.

Perhaps it might be possible if the Five Emperors all gathered, but in the end, they would not be able to handle the continuously swarming numbers and would be defeated.

That was what having large numbers meant.

However, that man was different.

Despite cutting down over several hundred people, his sword speed did not decline at all. Far from it, he actually became faster and more ferocious.

Whether it was a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand.

It felt as if he was going to cut down every single one of them.

Just like him in the past!

“…Him?”

Instantly, Yuk Cheol-wan began to tremble violently.

The words written inside the secret manual of the Great Dharma King.

The one who stood tall alone after cutting down tens of thousands of experts. But because he did not notice the ambush of the immortals, he was captured by ten-thousand-year ice and sealed in the deepest part of Dongting Lake.

The Martial God.

-…He will surely return.

Yuk Cheol-wan was speechless.

He had recalled a single sentence that he had already forgotten and erased from his head. Because the very fact that a human who had been trapped in the deepest part of Dongting Lake for a thousand years would return alive was absurd.

Thus, he had thought that perhaps the Great Dharma King had gone senile in his later years.

However, no matter how much he thought about it…

“There is… no way!”

“Cult Leader? What on earth…!”

Yuk Cheol-wan erased the ridiculous thought from his mind.

For a human, it was absolutely impossible.

No matter how much of a legend he was called, there was no way he could return alive after being trapped in ice for a thousand years.

However, the lingering discomfort was complicating his mind.

“That place… What is the name of that family clan in Hunan?”

“Are you referring to the place where we ordered the attack last time?”

“Yes, there!”

“It is surely… the Hunan Dan Family…”

“The Dan… Family?”

“Yes, according to the intelligence, it is.”

The Dan Family? The Dan Family, you say?

Yuk Cheol-wan’s face tightened with an even deeper sense of foreboding.

As if unable to believe it, or violently denying it, the spark of anxiety that had bloomed still did not easily disappear.

“…What is the name of the family head?”

“It is surely… Dan Woo-hyun…?”

“…?!”

-Dan Woo-hyun… he will surely return.

Instantly, Yuk Cheol-wan’s complexion turned deathly pale.

As if the strength had left his legs, he slumped down and stared blankly at the ground. Soon, he began to chuckle like a madman.

“Ha… haha… ha…”

“C-Cult Leader?! What is wrong with you!”

The one who was flustered was rather Hwang Do-jin.

The Cult Leader, who was always confident, showed a dazed appearance. In fact, with his shoulders slumped, he looked as if he had given up on everything.

What on earth was it?

Seeing that he did not answer no matter how many times he called and only looked devastated, a creeping anxiety could not help but sprout in Hwang Do-jin as well.

“H-How could this happen…!”

“Cult Leader?!”

“Shut up! Shut up! Didn’t I tell you to shut up?!”

“…?!”

At the rough outburst that followed, bewilderment settled on Hwang Do-jin’s face. Like a person who had lost his mind, nothing seemed to reach Yuk Cheol-wan’s ears right now.

Because of that, Hwang Do-jin knew.

That following such a person meant death.

Without realizing it, he stealthily backed away and headed for the door.

While it could not be denied that their relationship was built on loyalty, was it to the point of sacrificing his life? If asked, Hwang Do-jin would shake his head.

Baek Man-ryang would have supported the Cult Leader by sacrificing his life, but in the first place, Hwang Do-jin had only needed the power and authority the Cult Leader possessed.

Thus, he carefully opened the door and went outside.

And at that moment.

Boom!

Along with a sound that shook the earth, a loud explosion was heard.

“Ha, haha…”

Yuk Cheol-wan knew what that meant.

If his thoughts were correct, this was a death from which he could never escape. The kind of death where any struggle or resistance with any amount of strength was useless.

Therefore, simply waiting blankly for the coming death was all he could do right now.

* * *

The headquarters of the Heavenly Earth Sect was a natural fortress.

Besides large cliffs surrounding all sides, the path leading into it was famous for being rugged and dense with vegetation.

In addition, because all kinds of venomous snakes and wild beasts had settled around the area, even nearby residents did not approach it. Thus, it could be said to be an optimal place for a large number of people to hide and operate secretly.

There was only one entrance to go in.

Since even that entrance could barely be found after circling around a precarious cliff, it was not strange to call it a natural fortress.

It had never been invaded once and was that safe of a place.

However, that could not last forever.

Boom!

“Argh?!”

“A-All the way here…!”

The cultists of the Heavenly Earth Sect who had fled to escape Dan Woo-hyun were speechless as they stared at him, who had appeared along with a sudden explosion.

To think he would chase them all the way into such a place?

They trembled all over in inexpressible fear.

Those whose legs had lost strength slumped before him, waiting for death, but strangely, Dan Woo-hyun only stared and did not swing his sword.

Rather, that was even more terrifying.

“Where is the Cult Leader?”

At the voice that soon followed, everyone flinched and trembled. Without realizing it, their gazes looked toward the Cult Leader’s pavilion, and their hands naturally pointed there.

It was like an action that came naturally in order to survive.

“I see…”

Dan Woo-hyun glanced at them and walked away without paying them any mind. As if considering the fact that the Cult Leader was there to be enough, he did not care about the people nearby.

It was clearly a completely different situation from just a moment ago.

“Excuse… Excuse me for a moment…”

Soon, Namgung So-hye followed behind.

Since she saw that countless people were still gathered all around, she tried to put on a smile, as if to not provoke them.

Even such a smile was enough to capture the eyes of men, but what use was that to those facing death?

They only had to strive not to block the path of Dan Woo-hyun as he walked.

“It seems to be here.”

The Cult Leader’s residence where they eventually arrived indeed felt quite different from other places. Opening the large door and stepping inside, the Cult Leader’s throne revealed itself along with a wide space.

This place, which seemed capable of accommodating at least several thousand, appeared to have been built for gatherings or to decide the affairs of the Heavenly Earth Sect.

“Night-luminescent pearls… Heavens, how much is all of this worth?”

Namgung So-hye looked around the space and was speechless.

A night-luminescent pearl was said to be worth dozens of taels each. Since such things were hanging all over the walls to brightly light the interior, it felt like they must have poured in at least several thousand taels.

“Are they expensive?”

“If you combine all of this, it would easily be several thousand taels, you know?”

“…”

At her words, Dan Woo-hyun glanced around at the night-luminescent pearls. So numerous that they could not even be counted by hand, it seemed one would have to suffer immensely just to pry them out one by one.

However, he thought that Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin would probably be more than capable of doing it.

“Don’t even think about it. Once night-luminescent pearls are pried out after being embedded, they lose their light and become worthless.”

“…”

At the words that followed, Dan Woo-hyun smacked his lips.

Then, looking at the large door behind the throne, he walked. As he approached and flung the door wide open again, a room so grand and magnificent that it made one’s head spin revealed itself, and there, a person sat powerlessly.

“Ha… haha. Y-You have finally… arrived…”

“…”

The person sitting there looked devoid of strength.

As if he had no intention of even resisting, he just stared at Dan Woo-hyun with a dumbfounded look and chuckled. The laughter and expression filled with despair made one feel that he had already given up on life.

“Are you the Cult Leader?”

“Y-Yes, indeed… Then, are you Dan Woo-hyun?”

“Yes.”

“Haha… This is really… absurd.”

Yuk Cheol-wan stared intently at Dan Woo-hyun’s face.

Was he… the Martial God?

Perhaps he was just a person with the same name. However, if such a person possessed martial power that made one think of legends, it was bound not to end simply with having the same name.

Furthermore, the moment Yuk Cheol-wan saw Dan Woo-hyun’s face, he realized.

He was indeed the Martial God.

The one who had reached the very peak that he so desperately wanted to ascend.

The absolute ruler whom not only the Eight Immortals but even the martial artists of that era could do nothing against. Even now, many grit their teeth and devote themselves to training to obtain the title of Martial God, but he was the sole existence who held the title that no one had reached, nor could ever reach.

“Heaven… was not on my side…”

“Is that so?”

Dan Woo-hyun had a visibly indifferent expression.

Because whether he poured curses toward heaven or lamented his life, such things did not even interest him.

It was only important that Yuk Cheol-wan’s Heavenly Earth Sect had been extremely bothersome during the past journey, and that he had pointed a blade at Dan Woo-hyun by attacking the Hunan Dan Family.

Therefore, he did not hesitate.

“I…”

He extended his sword toward Yuk Cheol-wan, who was trying to say something.

The moment a line was lightly drawn, the neck of the helpless Yuk Cheol-wan flew into the air, and his headless torso slumped, pouring out a fountain of blood.

Watching that, Namgung So-hye broke into a cold sweat.

“You could have… at least let him say his last words.”

“It would only make the talk longer.”

Dan Woo-hyun glanced at Yuk Cheol-wan’s head rolling on the floor and turned his back. As if having no desire to stay any longer, there was no hesitation in his steps as he walked back either.

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