chapter 322

The Invisible Enemy, The Emerging Threat (1)

Like a worm skewered on a stick, Oh Cheol-geuk screamed in agony as he was impaled by the blade.

“Argh!”

His appearance was so shabby that he could hardly be seen as the master of a Martial Arts Sect.

Oh Cheol-geuk’s face twisted in pain, tears and snot streaming from his eyes and nose.

“S-Spare me!”

He begged, looking up at Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak twisted the blade that had pierced Oh Cheol-geuk’s leg, intensifying the pain.

“Grrgh!”

Oh Cheol-geuk gaped in silent torment.

Lee Gwak looked down at him and asked,

“Who is it?”

“W-What?”

“Who put you up to this?”

“T-There’s no one…”

Oh Cheol-geuk denied it, but Lee Gwak did not believe him, knowing a man as ambitious as him wouldn’t block his path without reason.

Ssswiik!

Lee Gwak pushed the blade deeper, and Oh Cheol-geuk’s eyes rolled back in agony.

“S-Stop…”

Unable to bear the pain, Oh Cheol-geuk shook his hand.

Though accustomed to inflicting pain on others, he was not used to enduring it himself.

“Who hired you?” Lee Gwak asked again.

“It’s Jin…”

Swoosh!

A sharp sound pierced the air.

Sensing danger, Lee Gwak quickly withdrew his blade and swung it forward.

‘An arrow?’

He instantly realized the noise was coming from a small arrow, the size of an adult’s palm.

Boom!

An explosion erupted as the arrowhead collided with Lee Gwak’s blade.

As the flames burst forth, Lee Gwak retreated swiftly, his clothes slightly singed but otherwise unscathed.

On the other hand, the wounded Oh Cheol-geuk was unable to move and was swallowed up by the flames.

‘Aaaah!’

Oh Cheol-geuk let out a pitiful scream and threw himself to the ground. But once the fire was lit, it was impossible to extinguish.

Lee Gwak stretched out his palm towards him. He meant to extinguish the flames with a blast of qi.

Hwoooosh!

Yet even the wave of qi could not put out the flames; they only flared up more violently. In an instant, the pure-white fire swallowed up Oh Cheol-geuk.

It was no ordinary blaze.

It resembled the punishing fires of hell.

Lee Gwak recalled hearing about such a flame from Nam Woo-gyeong.

‘White Phosphorus Flames.’

A hellish fire, said to never go out once ignited, devouring everything until there was nothing left to burn.

Had Lee Gwak not pulled away just in time, he would have been consumed by it as well.

Lee Gwak turned toward the direction from which the White Phosphorus Flames had come.

Shoo-wang!

Another piercing sound echoed through the air.

Instead of blocking with his blade, Lee Gwak flung his body backward to dodge the arrow.

Kwaaang!

It detonated where he had just been standing, followed by another surge of pure-white flames that quickly spread across the entire ship. Even from nearly fifty feet away, Lee Gwak could feel the scorching heat radiating from it.

Lee Gwak turned his head to look across the river.

Atop the winding cliffs, a figure covered his face with a long cloth. In his hands, he held a bow, half the size of a regular one.

It was clear that he had fired the phosphorus-laden arrow.

The distance from the cliff where he stood to the ship Lee Gwak was on was a staggering 100 jang. The fact that such a small bow could accurately cover such a distance was astonishing.

Lee Gwak intuitively knew that this figure was an ally of Oh Cheol-geuk.

Despite the distance, the intensity of his gaze felt vividly hostile—a testament to his profound internal energy.

His gaze carried a hostility and killing intent that spanned the hundred-jang gap.

“Lee Gwak!”

It was Jin Woo-seon who glared at Lee Gwak from the cliff.

His lips, covered by the cloth, were bleeding. He had bitten his lip hard without realising it.

The bow in Jin Woo-seon’s hand was an extremely rare artifact procured from a faraway land in the east. Though barely half the size of a normal bow, its range was twice as far, and its power was several times greater. He had also modified the arrowhead to carry a catalyst for the White Phosphorus Flames.

Moments earlier, Jin Woo-seon had poured all of his internal energy into the arrow. He had hoped at least to wound Lee Gwak, even if he couldn’t deal him a fatal blow. Yet his surprise attack failed to leave so much as a scratch.

Lee Gwak’s martial prowess far exceeded Jin Woo-seon’s expectations.

‘Was he always this strong? Lee Gwak…!’

Three years ago, Jin Woo-seon had observed Lee Gwak. Since Go Geom-wol paid him special attention, Jin Woo-seon had taken note—but never had he felt Lee Gwak was stronger than himself. So he chose to ignore him. But now, three years later, he realized just how wrong he had been.

Lee Gwak was strong.

At least in terms of martial skill, he was far above Jin Woo-seon, who had once been counted among the Ten Lesser Skies.

He could not fathom how someone who had once been a mere outer hall martial artist of the Jade Heaven Alliance had developed such prowess. Yet for Jin Woo-seon, Lee Gwak represented a serious threat.

‘Indeed… He will be the greatest obstacle standing in Go Geom-wol’s way.’

Now he understood why Go Geom-wol had kept such a close eye on Lee Gwak all along.

Go Geom-wol must have known:

That Lee Gwak would someday grow into his destined rival.

‘For Go Geom-wol’s sake, I must eliminate him.’

Jin Woo-seon reaffirmed his resolve to remove Lee Gwak at any cost. Since the annihilation of his own faction, Zealous Justice Clan, by the Jade Heaven Alliance, Jin Woo-seon had harbored a burning desire for vengeance against all of the Jianghu. And Lee Gwak stood as a major obstacle.

Just then, Jin Woo-seon saw Lee Gwak bend his knees slightly.

Jin Woo-seon knew exactly what that meant.

Lee Gwak was preparing to leap across the cliff to where he stood.

No ordinary martial artist could clear such a distance, but at Lee Gwak’s level, it was a different story.

With a supreme qigong skill like the Crossing a River on a Single Reed, Treading on Floating Leaves, or even Sword Flight, he could close that gap in an instant.

Though Jin Woo-seon was confident in his own skills, he had no desire for a direct clash with Lee Gwak.

Thud!

The moment Lee Gwak kicked off, Jin Woo-seon raised his bow once more—this time aiming at a different target.

Shoo-wang!

The last phosphorus-laden arrow flew towards the boat carrying Lee Cheong.

Just before it reached, Lee Gwak kicked off with his right foot in midair, changing direction.

Catching Jin Woo-seon and understanding why he acted was important, but it paled in comparison to saving his son’s life.

Ssswiit!

Just before the phosphorus arrow struck the boat carrying Lee Cheong, Lee Gwak unleashed a burst of blade qi.

Puh-errng!

The arrow exploded in midair, and the pure-white flames blossomed like fireworks. Burning fragments of the White Phosphorus rained onto the surface of the water.

Even without a medium to sustain it, the White Phosphorus flickered upon the river’s surface for a while.

Lee Gwak felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight of it. He shuddered to think what it would have been like if it had hit the boat carrying Lee Cheong.

Thud!

Lee Gwak landed on the small swift boat carrying Lee Cheong.

“Father!”

Luckily, Lee Cheong was safe, unharmed.

When Lee Gwak turned to look back at the cliff, Jin Woo-seon was already gone.

“Hoo…”

Lee Gwak let out a long sigh.

With such a level of qigong, even if he pursued, he couldn’t be sure of catching him.

Disappointed at not uncovering his identity, Lee Gwak had no other choice at the moment.

Creak, creak!

Kuu-kunk!

Meanwhile, the ship consumed by White Phosphorus fire began to sink.

Those who had not yet been burned jumped into the Jang River, and nearby boats rescued them. Oh Cheol-geuk was not among the survivors.

He had already been burned to ashes, sinking into the river along with the vessel.

There were still nine other ships intact, but none dared attack Lee Gwak again. With Oh Cheol-geuk—their captain—gone, their unity broke, and they scattered in all directions.

Thus ended Oh Cheol-geuk and the Green Heaven Society.

***

A great ruin appeared in the middle of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

It was the site of Jin Gwang Hon’s residence, the Divine Demon Temple.

Now a gigantic crater stretched where the Divine Demon Temple had been, resembling the mouth of a volcano.

This was the aftermath of Jin Gwang-hon’s duel with Go Geom-wol.

Their battle, transcending human limits, had instilled fear even in the elite martial artists of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

All of the Divine Demon Temple was destroyed, save for a single object:

The Heavenly Throne.

Only the leader, the Ruler of the Celestial Demon Troupe, had the right to sit upon this exalted seat.

Though many things changed with each succession of leadership, the one constant was the  Heavenly Throne itself—the owner of the  Heavenly Throne was the master of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

Despite the devastation of the Divine Demon Temple, the Heavenly Throne remained perfectly intact.

Having lost its place, the Heavenly Throne was moved to the largest hall within the Celestial Demon Troupe, the Demon Lord’s Hall.

The Demon Lord’s Hall, where the leadership of the Celestial Demon Troupe gathered to discuss major and minor matters, was usually firmly closed, as gatherings of the leaders were rare. However, today was different.

Inside the Demon Lord’s Hall, the leadership of the Celestial Demon Troupe was densely packed.

Among them were the Ten Blood Demons of the True Martial Palace, Goo Moon-hye and Moon Shadow Six Fairies from the Celestial Lunar Palace.

Ghost Shadow Demon Sword, Yook Jin-hon of the Sword Forest Institute, responsible for the internal laws.

Demon Conqueror Sword, Joo Cheon-gwang the head of the Sword Mountain Institute, who dealt with external provocations.

Thousand Mile Eyes, Jin Ui-hon the leader of the Blood Heaven Institute, considered the brain of the Celestial Demon Troupe,

In addition, masters who rarely showed their faces, such as Goo Yang-su Mun of the Iron Blood Pavilion, Ham Gun-sang of the Shadowless Pavilion, Cheol Moo-hon of the Soul Pavilion, and Jeung San-wi of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, gathered in one place and gazed at the Heavenly Throne.

On the Heavenly Throne sat a man.

A young man with decadently beautiful features.

Even though it was not Jin Gwang Hon who sat on the Heavenly Throne, not a single martial artist in the Demon Lord’s Hall raised an objection.

The young martial artist sitting before them was no ordinary man.

This young martial artist had defeated Jin Gwang-hon, the supreme leader of the Celestial Demon Troupe, and had become the new Ruler.

His name was Go Geom-wol, the chief disciple of Jin Gwang-hon.

He could have naturally ascended to the position of Ruler over time without fighting Jin Gwang-hon. Yet, he chose to challenge him and won after a bloody battle.

No one present knew why Go Geom-wol had made such a difficult choice, except for one, the Saintess Goo Moon-hye.

Goo Moon-hye looked at Go Geom-wol sitting on the Heavenly Throne with deep, sunken eyes.

Go Geom-wol, curled up in the Heavenly Throne with his eyes closed, naturally exuded an overwhelming aura.

Yang Guang-baek, the palace master of True Martial Palace and leader of the Ten Blood Demons, murmured in admiration.

“Ha! Go Geom-wol has already transcended the realm of humans. What exactly has happened to him in these past three years?”

Yang Guang-baek had observed Go Geom-wol longer than anyone else.

He thought he knew Go Geom-wol well, but now he could no longer say so. Go Geom-wol’s demeanor and aura far surpassed his imagination.

Jin Gwang-hon himself had never possessed such an overwhelming presence, which the young warrior now naturally emitted.

In a way, Go Geom-wol had committed a rebellion against the heavens.

It was the first time in the history of the Celestial Demon Troupe that a disciple had ousted his master and taken the throne himself.

All the leaders of the current Celestial Demon Troupe were loyal to Jin Gwang-hon. Thus, it could have been natural for them to resist Go Geom-wol forcefully taking over after

overpowering Jin Gwang-hon.

However, no one present dared harbor such thoughts. Such was the aura and demeanor exhibited by Go Geom-wol seated on the Heavenly Throne.

Although many were gathered in one place, no one dared to breathe loudly. Because of this, only silence filled the hall.

It was Go Geom-wol who broke the suffocating silence.

“As you all know, the master’s health has deteriorated, making it impossible for him to continue as Ruler. Therefore, I intend to take over the responsibilities of Ruler. Does anyone object?”

The leadership exchanged glances, but no one dared to express opposition.

Then, Yang Guang-baek, the leader of the Ten Blood Demons, raised his hand.

“May I speak freely, even though it seems disrespectful?

Though Go Geom-wol was like a grandson to him in private, Yang Guang-baek addressed him with courtesy in this public setting.

“Ask whatever you please.”

“How do you, our newly appointed Lord, plan to lead the Celestial Demon Troupe from this point forward?”

“I will run it as it should be run.”

“And by that, you mean…?”

“The Path of Conquest.”

Everyone held their breath.

There was no one present who did not know the meaning behind Go Geom-wol’s words.