chapter 274

The Great Fire (2)

“How?”

“We need to put out the fire.”

“How do we put it out?”

The residents of Chaohu stomped their feet anxiously as they watched the terrifying red flames spread rapidly.

The fire had started in the slums of Chaohu.

In an instant, the flames engulfed the entire slum. Most of the houses there were shacks made of wood, and the fire quickly reduced them to ashes. Not only did the fire turn the entire slum into ashes in an instant, but it also spread to the areas where ordinary citizens lived.

Everything was burning.

People tried to put out the fire by fetching water in buckets, but it was impossible to extinguish such enormous flames.

The fire quickly spread through the roofs and into neighboring houses, and more than a dozen mansions were destroyed.

“Our house…”

“Ahhh!”

People stared blankly at the spreading flames.

Those who lost their homes to the fire sat down in despair, while those who hadn’t yet been affected tried desperately to control the flames.However, their efforts were in vain.

From the start, such an enormous fire couldn’t be extinguished by human hands. The flames rapidly spread across all of Chaohu.

People despaired as they watched the fire grow.

Everything they had worked for their whole lives was turning into a handful of ash.

Some cried, while others couldn’t bear to watch and turned their heads away.

All of Chaohu was being swallowed by a sea of red.

Amidst the horrific scene, a man stood, smiling.

“Will you not come out even after all this?”

It was none other than Go Jeon-ok.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he watched the flames that painted the sky red.

Behind him, his subordinates watched with fearful expressions.

The flames that threatened to consume all of Chaohu were not natural.

It was started on Go Jeon-ok’s orders.

When they started the fire, they didn’t realize it would threaten all of Chaohu, expecting it to burn through the slums and then die down.

But the flames had exceeded their expectations. At this rate, it seemed like the entire Chaohu would be engulfed.

Signs of that were already becoming evident in various parts of Chaohu.

The residents frantically ran in all directions, trying to stop the fire from spreading, but their efforts were futile.

To control flames of this magnitude, the help of skilled martial artists was essential. In Chaohu, most martial artists of that caliber belonged to the Jade Heaven Alliance. But Go Jeon-ok had no intention of putting out the fire.

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to watch their houses burn down, or are you going to come out and put out the fire?”

Either way, there was no loss for Go Jeon-ok and the Jade Heaven Alliance.

Of course, the residents of Chaohu would curse and resent them, but they were already doing so anyway, so it didn’t matter much.

On the other hand, the situation was different for Thousand Kingdom School.

They had long shared a bond with the residents of Chaohu. Their relationship was inseparable.

If Thousand Kingdom School turned a blind eye to this disaster, the residents might sever their ties with them, or worse, develop hostility.

Thousand Kingdom School found themselves in a dilemma, caught between two impossible choices.

A cold smile deepened on Go Jeon-ok’s lips.

“Namgung Jin! Decide now. The fate of Chaohu rests on your decision.”

Yesterday, he had been helpless because he was ambushed, but today was different.

Not only did he have the Dark Moon Pavilion, but he also received elite reinforcements from the main headquarters and deployed them throughout Chaohu.

Meanwhile, the fire continued to spread with terrifying force.

If it was left any longer, they would miss their last chance to contain it.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

With a sharp tearing sound, an enormous force exploded toward Go Jeon-ok. But he neither flinched nor panicked.

He had expected this.

“Chaah!”

At that moment, a man dressed in red martial robes leaped out from behind Go Jeon-ok and swung his blade at the wave-like force surging in.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, a shockwave swept through the area.

Go Jeon-ok’s body trembled slightly, but that was all. The impact that should have hit him was mostly absorbed by the martial artist in red.

The man in red was Seop Yeol, the leader of the Blood Martial Squad, sent from the main court to support him.

The Blood Martial Squad was an elite force that had carried out numerous dangerous missions. Their martial arts were outstanding, but more than anything, their ruthless methods made them feared by many.

Especially, Squad Leader Seop Yeol was a top-level master renowned even within the main court.

Though he hadn’t yet reached the level of creating sword qi, his vast experience and quick thinking made him a dangerous opponent for any master.

“At last, you’ve shown yourself.”

Seop Yeol muttered as he glared in the direction from which the sword aura had come.

Through the thick smoke, a group emerged, led by Namgung Jin.

The sword aura just now had been launched by Namgung Jin.

Behind him stood the surviving members of the Nameless Iron Sword Squad.

Namgung Jin briefly glanced at Seop Yeol, then shifted his gaze to Go Jeon-ok.

“You vermin! You’re the one who set the fire, aren’t you?”

“Hmph, nothing like fire to bring a sneaky little rat out of its burrow.”

“What are you going to do about the aftermath of setting Chaohu on fire? Put it out at once!”

“If you want to put it out so badly, you do it. That is, if you’re still alive.”

Go Jeon-ok raised his hand. Then, martial artists of the Jade Heaven Alliance, who had been stationed throughout, revealed themselves.

Namgung Jin’s expression hardened like stone.

“I should have taken your head last night, no matter the cost.”

If only he had killed Go Jeon-ok then, none of this would have happened.

Originally, he had planned to reorganize the Nameless Iron Sword Squad at the safe house and wait for support from the Thousand Kingdom School. He realized that ordinary methods wouldn’t break through a formation that included poison.

But the raging fire that threatened to consume all of Chaohu was something he couldn’t ignore.

If Chaohu were reduced to ashes, the Thousand Kingdom School would suffer great losses and lose the trust of the people.

Namgung Jin had no choice but to emerge from hiding.

‘I still don’t know if Yeon-hwa is alive or dead.’

He bit his lip in frustration.

He hadn’t realized his sister, Namgung Yeon-hwa, had gone missing until they had reached the safehouse. As the young master of the Thousand Kingdom School, it was an unforgivable oversight.

But now, more than worrying about his sister, he had to stop the fire spreading through Chaohu.

To do that, he had to defeat the Jade Heaven Alliance’s martial artists.

Namgung ln pointed his sword at Go Jeon-ok.

“You will pay for this, vermin!”

“Do as you wish.”

Go Jeon-ok picked his ear with his pinky finger.

Even knowing it was a deliberate provocation, Namgung Jin couldn’t suppress his anger.

“No matter what, I’ll make sure to slit your throat myself.”

“Kek!”

Go Jeon-ok suddenly burst into laughter.

He felt strangely proud of himself.

In the past, he had been nothing more than a low-ranking martial artist in the outer hall with no presence. He had wanted to rise to a higher position, but saw no way to do so. That’s why he moved to the Heavenly Intelligence Hall, where he took on dangerous missions.

After moving to the Heavenly Intelligence Hall, he carried out numerous missions. Among them were many dirty tasks that he could never reveal to others.

Go Jeon-ok carried out all those missions without hesitation. He crawled like a dog and endured any humiliation.

Even after catching the attention of Yong Cheon-myeong, he never forgot his place as a dog. If he was told to roll, he rolled; if he was told to bark, he barked.

People called him a dog, but Go Jeon-ok took it as a compliment.

That’s how he had come this far.

He had crossed the filthy river of disgrace, drenched in humiliation.

A few years ago, he could never have imagined having such a conversation with Namgung Jin, a member of the Ten Lesser Skies.

Even though the hatred in Namgung Jin’s eyes was unsettling, the fact remained that they were now looking each other in the eye at the same level.

‘You’ve really made it, Go Jeon-ok. Truly admirable.’

But this wasn’t enough.

He wanted an even higher position.

He didn’t know the source of this thirst, but in any case, his insatiable desire was still unsatisfied.

The fact that Namgung Jin was directing such intense killing intent towards him meant he had become someone important.

The moment he saw the smile on Go Jeon-ok’s lips, Namgung Jin felt something well up in his chest.

“You bastard!”

Namgung Jin charged at him, but he never reached his target. Seop Yeol intercepted him.

Clang!

The two clashed.

“Out of my way!”

Namgung Jin’s angry shout echoed across the battlefield.

“Kuh! As if I’ll let you.”

Seop Yeol grimaced, but still managed a smile.

With just two clashes, he could tell the vast difference between himself and Namgung Jin.

Namgung Jin was a master worthy of being one of the Ten lesser skies, clearly on a level beyond Seop Yeol. But Seop Yeol wasn’t afraid—he wasn’t alone.

Even so, Seop Yeol didn’t feel fear because he wasn’t alone.

“Squad Leader!”

The Blood Martial Squad, who had been quietly waiting until now, rushed in.

Normally, a martial artist of Seop Yeol’s caliber extremely disliked others interfering in their fights. They thought it damaged their honor. But not Seop Yeol.

He didn’t care about the process or the means.

What mattered was the result.

To achieve the desired outcome, he didn’t hesitate to join forces with his subordinates. Some even called the Blood Martial Squad he led the Mad Wolf Squad.

The fangs of the bloodthirsty mad wolves aimed at Namgung Jin.

“Assist the Squad Leader!”

“Kill that man!”

“Uwaah!”

The Nameless Iron Sword Squad and the masters of Dark Moon Pavilion joined the fight.

Even at that moment, the inferno was steadily devouring Chaohu.

“Heh! Heh!”

Within it, Go Jeon-ok’s mad laughter spread out.

***

“What is happened?”

Yoo Gang-ui had a completely dazed expression.

Chaohu was his home.

He was born here and had lived here all his life. To him, Chaohu wasn’t just a place to live. Chaohu was his everything.

And now, Chaohu was burning.

This was a great fire, unlike anything he had ever witnessed. The flames seemed as though they would burn the sky itself. If left unchecked, every home in Chaohu would turn to ash.

Yoo Gang-ui quickly looked at Lee Gwak.

“Lee… master Lee! I’ll go ahead!”

Without even waiting for Lee Gwak’s response, he hurriedly ran off.

He intended to gather all the Hao Clan members in Chaohu to somehow put out the fire.

In an instant, Yoo Gang-ui disappeared.

“What is happened?”

Lee Gwak frowned deeply as he looked at the burning Chaohu. Lee Cheong, on the verge of tears, looked up at him.

“Father!”

“This doesn’t seem like a natural fire.”

“Then… someone set it on purpose?”

“Seems that way.”

“Who would do such a thing? Could it be… the Jade Heaven Alliance?”

Lee Cheong shuddered at his own words.

There was no evidence, but the possibility that the Jade Heaven Alliance had started the fire crossed his mind.

“Why would the Jade Heaven Alliance start a fire…? Could they be after my brother?”

As the thought occurred to Nangong Yeon-hwa, her face turned pale.

Ki Jin-hwi spoke with an incredulous expression,  “There’s no way… Even if Jeon-ok is a madman, he wouldn’t go that far… would he?”

Lee Gwak let out a soft sigh.

He also hoped that Go Jeon-ok wasn’t responsible for such madness, but his instincts told him otherwise. His mind leaned toward the idea that Go Jeon-ok was indeed behind it all.

‘Jeon-ok!’

A shadow fell over Lee Gwak’s eyes.

A strong wind blew.

Due to the wind blowing from the lake, the flames grew even fiercer. If nothing was done, even the hut where Lee Gwak and the others were staying would soon be consumed by the fire.

“Phew…”

Swish!

With a soft sigh, Lee Gwak unsheathed his blade.

Ki-jin-hwi and Namgung Yeon-hwa looked on in confusion.

They knew Lee Gwak was strong, but what could he possibly do in the face of such a massive fire?

Ignoring the stares of those around him, Lee Gwak raised his blade and aimed it at the flames.

Lee Cheong held his breath as he watched Lee Gwak.

He was the only one among the people here who could guess what Lee Gwak was about to do.

Swish!

Lee Gwak’s blade cut through the air.

The onlookers’ eyes widened.

An enormous gust of wind, incomparable to the breeze from the lake, swept through the flames.

The sheer force from the wind created a temporary vacuum, sucking the air from the fire.

Whoosh!

With a sound like a candle being extinguished, the flames in the area vanished instantly.

“Ah!”

Namgung Yeon-hwa gaped at the unbelievable sight.

The fire that had raged so fiercely was now completely extinguished, leaving only blackened ruins behind.

All of this had happened with just a single swing of Lee Gwak’s blade.

The mere thought of what would happen if that blade had been swung at a person sent shivers down her spine.

Lee Gwak sheathed his blade and began walking again.

‘Jeon-ok…’