Chapter 595: Side Story 95

Chapter side_95

“D-Divine Maiden…”

“Do not say a word.”

Geum Ji-ran panted continuously with a pale complexion. Her mind was so confused that she still could not distinguish whether what she had seen with her eyes was a dream or reality.

The sight she had seen before coming here was still vivid.

Namely, the Martial Sovereign Castle collapsing and the pavilions being shattered.

Even that alone was a situation that should be called shocking, but the things she had seen here now were of the kind that transcended her imagination.

“Pant, pant, pant…”

That sight of all the cultists of the Heavenly Earth Sect rushing toward the Martial Sovereign Castle at once, yet they were blocked before only a single person and could not advance.

Corpses piled up like mountains, and the screams of the dying people seemed to be heard.

Look even now.

Even just by looking toward the place where the Martial Sovereign Castle was from here, one could see the wretched sight of countless corpses lying scattered, tangled together.

“Does this… make any sense?”

“I saw it too, but to think it would be to this extent…”

In truth, Jin Tae-gong’s shock was even greater, not lesser.

If she had merely seen the hazy figure of a person from a long distance, Jin Tae-gong had strained his vision as much as possible to look, thus encountering the situation vividly.

Dan Woo-hyun.

It was surely him.

He had seen something far too absurd.

To think that such a thing was possible with human strength.

Was it not something that even Namgung Cheon and Sado Hak could not do?

“…Is there something there?”

At that moment, an extremely chilly voice was heard.

Geum Ji-ran, who managed to lift her head, flinched. Had he not been clinging to Dan So-mi’s side, blocking her vision and preventing her from looking elsewhere?

How was he before her eyes now?

But she could not think of anything else.

Jin Tae-gong bowed his head, and Geum Ji-ran’s lips trembled.

“No… there is nothing.”

“…Wise decision.”

“…?!”

“Ugh!”

At Bi Cheon-ung’s words that followed, both of them could not hide their shock.

He, who had even less expression than Dan Woo-hyun, wore a faint smile. However, they knew that it was by no means a smile of good mood.

Meaning he would kill them at any moment.

Or it felt as if he was glad they claimed not to know since he had intended to kill them.

Their bodies trembled naturally, because the killing intent he shot toward them while smiling did not subside easily.

“…I do not know how long you will remain with them, but I will give you a piece of advice.”

“Yes…”

“Pretend you didn’t see even if you did, and pretend you didn’t hear even if you did. If you want to live…”

Looking at his gaze and expression filled with warning, it was a situation where they had no choice but to nod. If they refused, Bi Cheon-ung would slice off their necks without hesitation.

“Ah! What are you doing? Didn’t you say we were going over there?”

At that time, Dan So-mi ran over in a hurry and pointed to the northwest. Because it was said that a pond would appear if they followed the small forest path, she wanted to sightsee.

As she urged like that, Bi Cheon-ung naturally moved his steps, and the two also followed behind with their heads hung low.

Since they had agreed to enter as Jang Sam-tae’s successors in the first place, they could not run away, nor could they retrieve that promise now. If they offended the people of this household, they probably would not be able to live anywhere in the Central Plains unless it was hell.

“Do not think about anything. Because we… cannot turn back.”

“Ha, haha. It is a relief as long as we do not die.”

Jin Tae-gong, sweating cold sweat, showed a bitter smile.

What kind of life on earth had Jang Sam-tae lived among such people? Shaking his head, he shuddered just thinking about it.

The moment they followed Dan So-mi and Bi Cheon-ung and arrived at the pond. Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the front, and they soon encountered a figure running in a hurry.

“…!?”

“…”

The three faced each other, their eyes widening.

A face so familiar that they could never claim not to know it. Therefore, bewilderment could not help but settle on their faces.

“H-How is the Divine Maiden…?”

“Why are you here…?”

* * *

Hwang Do-jin could not hide his bewilderment.

After seeing the Cult Leader’s devastated appearance, he decided that he could not go on and resolved to flee. The Heavenly Earth Sect was ruined and could not be restored, so there was no need to risk his life on a collapsing place.

Thus, he packed everything he had and came out.

The reason his bundle was so full was also because he had brought out everything that could be worth money without exception. Shouldn’t he at least receive this kind of compensation to live easily in the future?

He was moving along the fastest path out of the cult’s headquarters, but why on earth were Geum Ji-ran and Jin Tae-gong in such a place?

Glancing to the side, he saw another mysterious young woman, and a black-clad man of unknown identity standing as if protecting her.

Were they companions?

It was a situation he could not understand at all.

“You! Where are you going?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I am trying to leave without lingering in a place that is going to collapse.”

At the single statement he let out, Jin Tae-gong frowned.

Hwang Do-jin was someone who had enjoyed wealth and power under the Cult Leader’s favor, so Jin Tae-gong was not pleased with his behavior of fleeing now as if it were none of his business.

Gritting his teeth, he asked.

“Are you… betraying us?”

“Betrayal? What betrayal… Is there such a thing as betrayal in a place that is already ruined? If we talk about betrayal… it would rather be you guys.”

Hwang Do-jin twisted the corners of his mouth to the maximum.

The sudden collapse of the Martial Sovereign Castle and the intrusion of the enemy into the tightly hidden interior of the Heavenly Earth Sect were things that would never have been revealed unless someone informed them.

Since that happened immediately after the disappearance of the Divine Maiden, wouldn’t Geum Ji-ran and Jin Tae-gong be the true betrayers?

Hwang Do-jin, letting out a sigh, put down his bundle and cracked his joints.

“Still, since I owe a debt of gratitude to the Cult Leader, I should at least avenge him before I go.”

“W… What?”

“I mean I will kill you bastards.”

Hwang Do-jin released his momentum and gripped his sword. In truth, he wanted to flee as far away as possible in this time, but since the two bastards he already disliked were before his eyes, he could not just leave them be, could he?

Squinting his eyes, Hwang Do-jin took a stance.

He would kill them all in a single stroke.

“You… had better think carefully. Because a really big trouble will occur.”

“Haha, the Divine Maiden is excellent at wordplay, both in the past and now. Hasn’t the big trouble already occurred over there?”

“…”

“Such jokes do not work on me. Especially now…!”

Hwang Do-jin wore a face full of confidence.

Geum Ji-ran was just a girl who was no different from ordinary people. On the contrary, although Jin Tae-gong held the honor of being one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he was merely at a level where he could barely defeat someone like Chu Jak.

Therefore, if he made up his mind to swing his sword, no one among those present here could block it.

He threw himself forward just like that.

It was a speed truly fitting the description of being like a shooting arrow. Just like Baek Man-ryang, since it was a high-grade martial art personally bestowed by the Cult Leader, its power was bound to be terrifying, needless to say.

Soon, the moment he raised his sword to slice off Geum Ji-ran’s neck.

Thud!

“Gack?!”

The fist of the black-clad man who suddenly appeared slammed into his face. It could not be seen as a very strong swing, but strangely, Hwang Do-jin’s body crashed straight to the ground.

“…”

“Ah…”

“I… told you to stop…”

Geum Ji-ran sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

If Bi Cheon-ung had not been in this place, things would have gone smoothly as he wished.

However, with one of the Five Emperors of the world, the Slaughter Emperor, present, how could someone like Hwang Do-jin achieve his purpose?

“Is that person okay?”

At that time, Dan So-mi, who was in the distance, approached with quick steps and asked.

Her face was filled with worry, and her expression as she glanced down at the fallen man carried the question of whether he might be dead.

“…He will be fine. He is not dead.”

“Ugh…”

Bi Cheon-ung’s words were by no means wrong.

He was not dead.

However, perhaps because the impact was very large, teeth poured out along with blood from his mouth. Looking at it, it was not just one or two, making it seem that chewing anything in the future was out of the question.

“Sigh… What a relief. I wondered what would happen if he died. But by the way, do you know each other?”

“He is… Hwang Do-jin, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Earth Sect.”

At the question, Jin Tae-gong spoke more politely than ever, since the reliable background of one of the Five Emperors of the world was protecting her, and her father was a martial artist at a level that surpassed even that.

If he acted carelessly, it was obvious that not even his bone dust would remain.

“If it’s the Heavenly Earth Sect… surely… there are bad people…?”

Dan So-mi asked, looking at Geum Ji-ran and Jin Tae-gong with spotlessly clear eyes.

Although she appeared to speak carefully because she knew that they too had been part of it, there was no change in their hearts being stung.

Geum Ji-ran turned her head slightly and forced a smile, while Jin Tae-gong hesitated, trying to figure out what to say, before closing his eyes tightly and nodding.

“Sigh, anyway, it’s a relief. Since sister almost got into big trouble. Let’s just leave this person alone. He will leave on his own when he opens his eyes.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Then let’s keep going on our way! Did you say it was that way?”

Dan So-mi did not seem to care much even though there was a fallen man. If it were her childhood, she would have cried and made a fuss, saying they must rescue him, but growing up by Dan Woo-hyun’s side, her personality seemed to have changed slightly in that direction.

Bi Cheon-ung let out a long sigh as he watched her.

Although she was still an innocent child, she constantly reminded him of Dan Woo-hyun. Whether in a good way or a bad way.

It was a situation where a sigh leaked out naturally, but he did not have the confidence to argue about Dan Woo-hyun’s educational policy.

Soon, he turned his head and lightly kicked Hwang Do-jin’s bundle. Instantly, the bundle unravelled, revealing all kinds of rare objects inside.

It was an amount that even Geum Ji-ran and Jin Tae-gong were surprised at.

“…Take it to Family Head Dan.”

“T-This is Hwang Do-jin’s…”

“…Doing so will make your future comfortable.”

At the sudden words, Geum Ji-ran packed the items that had flowed out between the loose bundle one by one again, and then tied the string tightly again, looking at Jin Tae-gong.

Then, as if Jin Tae-gong understood her gaze, he nodded and lifted the bundle. Although it boasted a significant weight due to the presence of so many rare items, he hugged it tightly with both hands as if considering it a lifeline, so as not to lose even one.

“Come quickly!”

“I-I am going! Coming!”

At Dan So-mi’s voice that soon followed, the two began to run hurriedly.

“…”

Left alone, Bi Cheon-ung glanced at the ground once Dan So-mi was no longer visible. He saw the figure of Hwang Do-jin lying splayed out, still unable to open his eyes.

Probably, this guy was one of the cores of the Heavenly Earth Sect.

Since they heard talk of being one of the Four Heavenly Kings or whatever, it was surely so.

Although he had already become a human who was no longer worth dealing with, a relationship bound by ill-fate was bound to remain an ill-fate no matter when.

It was regrettable, but the sprout had to be cut away.

Wasn’t that why Dan Woo-hyun also stepped forward?

Crunch!

And Bi Cheon-ung did not hesitate. The moment the blade extending from his sleeve drove into Hwang Do-jin’s head, his body, which had been breathing, trembled and stopped at some point.

Confirming that, Bi Cheon-ung walked away.

Just indifferently.

As if he had killed a person who naturally deserved to die.

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