Chapter 335: The Mastermind (2)

[How did it go? What about Grandmaster Mun-no and that person?]

To the question of Ye Song-ah, the granddaughter of the Holy Fire Priestess, Tang In-hae, the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, casually replied,

[As you said, I informed them. Fortunately, it seems they arrived before those people could find them.]

[Ah, that’s really fortunate.]

[Didn’t I tell you not to worry too much? Thanks to your early warning, we prevented a tragedy, so it’s fortunate.]

[Yes… You’re right.]

[But why aren’t you informing the other order members? For example, your grandmother or those in high positions in the order?]

At his question, Ye Song-ah shook her head.

And with a voice mixed with a sigh, she said,

[…The fact that this power possessed by Grandmother has passed on to me is because Grandmother has betrayed the will of Holy Fire.]

[The will of Holy Fire?]

[Yes. The order members, regardless of their position, will have to pay a price if they betray the will of Holy Fire.]

[A price… So that’s why you told me not to inform your grandmother?]

[Yes. I don’t know why Grandmother betrayed Holy Fire’s expectations, but she must have crossed a line that shouldn’t have been crossed, so this happened.]

‘A line that shouldn’t be crossed…’

What could that be?

She was so obsessed with the cult that came from Persia.

But did she suddenly change her mind in her old age?

As he was puzzled, Ye Song-ah carefully asked him,

[By the way, Clan Leader. When will I be able to meet that person and Grandmaster Mun-no?]

[Ah. When, you ask? Well, let’s see. Since I’ve evacuated them to a safe place, I think it would be fine to bring them back depending on the situation or when there’s an opportunity.]

[Can I know where they have been evacuated to?]

At her persistent questioning, Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae unknowingly sighed and replied in an irritated voice,

[I had them take refuge in the outskirts, so even I, the Clan Leader, don’t know the exact location.]

At his answer, Ye Song-ah looked at him for a moment with a suspicious gaze.

Realizing his mistake, the Clan Leader changed his expression and spoke in a gentle voice,

[The exact location could be leaked in the process, so those who escorted them to the outskirts didn’t even inform me. But once they have taken refuge, I will soon find out, so don’t worry.]

He thought he had handled it well.

However, once suspicion started, it couldn’t be easily quelled.

After that, Ye Song-ah frequently visited Tang In-hae and kept urging him to find out when she could hear from them.

With this, Tang In-hae was looking for an opportunity.

Originally, he had intended to inform them that they had failed to avoid the pursuit of the Secret Society and eventually lost their lives.

However, since she had become suspicious of him due to a single mistake, he had been delaying it.

***

Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae couldn’t hide his perplexity with a stiffened face.

She, who possessed the power of prophecy, referred to that unidentified person as “him” while looking at him.

How could this happen?

Why did that person appear here and fight against the Yoo Family, who could be considered the Tang Clan’s protectors?

Tang In-hae’s eyes trembled.

‘…Could it be that he knows something?’

No.

That can’t be.

What Ye Song-ah was concerned about was that the person referred to as “him” in the prophecy was so weak that he could be described as feeble.

But is that feeble?

No, in the first place, it’s a mystery how he even survived.

Mun-no, the only protector he could rely on, had also died from the Formless Poison, and he had deliberately left a mark to make him find the Secret Society on his own.

How could that bastard, who should have been dead, appear here?

The only one who knew this truth was himself.

To ensure that no one would know, he had acted alone, so there was no risk of it being revealed.

Only one guy got involved, but since he was also addicted to the Formless Poison and fell off a cliff, he was practically dead.

Then why was that bastard here?

As he was puzzled, Ye Song-ah’s voice was heard.

“Clan Leader?”

“…”

At her call, Tang In-hae’s mind became even more complicated for a moment.

What should he do in this situation?

That person, no, that monster-like bastard, was clearly targeting the Tang Clan, seeing him fight the protector like that.

But the Tang Clan had no particular grudge against that bastard.

If that’s the case…

‘He knows something.’

If not, there would be no reason for him to come here like this.

Tang In-hae’s hand trembled slightly.

It was because he was extremely tense.

Even though the Formless Poison Technique had nearly been perfected after three generations, the opponent was a monster who had surpassed the peak of peaks and reached the level of a Grand Master.

Even with the advantage of poison, he had no confidence in defeating such a monster.

If that bastard was determined to kill him…

-Gulp!

Tang In-hae swallowed his dry saliva and slowly turned his head to look at the Tang Clan’s executives and warriors clinging to the wall.

They seemed unaware of how much danger they were in.

It was natural since they didn’t know the reason.

‘…Is it at least fortunate that I sent that fellow to the Righteous Alliance?’

The people here were not all of the Tang Clan’s forces.

According to the alliance agreement, each sect and martial arts family had to send about 30% of their forces to the main hall and branches of the Righteous Alliance.

Because of this, his son Tang Ren Yoo, the young elite disciples of the Tang Clan, and his younger brother, the Internal Head Tang Yoo-in, had gone to the Righteous Alliance.

-Clench!

Tang In-hae bit his lip tightly as he looked at the Tang Clan’s warriors.

‘I’m sorry.’

No matter how much he racked his brain, there were only two paths that came to mind now.

If the protector of the Yoo Family wins by luck, they could get through this without any incidents, but if the opposite situation occurs, the Tang Clan would face their worst enemy.

If that happens, they might face the crisis of annihilation.

With this, he had to choose whether to risk his life and fight that monster bastard together with them, or quietly escape alone while that bastard was still fighting the former member of the Yoo Family, hoping for the future.

If that monster bastard had come here with a desire for revenge against Mun-no, no one here might be able to survive.

-Swish!

Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae turned his head and looked at Ye Song-ah.

He had already made his choice.

“Deputy Head. Take this child Song-ah to the villa for a moment and come back. Keep an eye on the situation.”

“Understood!”

***

‘He’s being troublesome.’

Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae clicked his tongue as he loaded the unconscious Ye Song-ah, whose acupoint had been sealed, into the carriage.

She had realized that something was wrong and tried to escape.

As a result, he had no choice but to knock her unconscious.

“Sleep for a while. It will only make things more complicated if you’re awake. Go!”

Tang In-hae personally took the coachman’s seat and grabbed the reins.

Fortunately, thanks to all the Green Forest bandits retreating, almost all of the Tang Clan’s forces had gathered at the main gate.

Since he had sent the remaining guard warriors to the front, there was no need to be cautious.

He had to hurry and get out of here.

-Clop clop!

With that, Tang In-hae drove the carriage and left through the back gate.

The carriage had only gone about ten jang when,

-Clop clop!

At that moment, the sound of rough hoofbeats and wheels was heard from somewhere.

Wondering what it was,

The bushes rustled, and then a horse that looked much larger than an ordinary horse appeared, and then a bald monk-like person appeared, driving a carriage.

At first, he was puzzled, but then he tried to turn the reins to change direction.

However,

“Go!”

The carriage that had burst through the bushes changed direction as well and blocked the path.

Angered by this, Tang In-hae was about to raise his voice at the person driving the carriage, but then he frowned.

‘That person, could it be the Demonic Demon Fist Sage Ja Geum-jeong?’

He realized who it was by looking at his appearance.

Since the notoriety of the Three Madmen was so high, most martial artists were familiar with their appearance.

This was also the case for Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae.

‘Why has Ja Geum-jeong come here?’

Except for one of the Three Madmen, the other two were close to being neutral, but their conduct itself was not very good, so most martial artists treated them as part of the evil faction.

Tang In-hae also felt the same way.

Following the Green Forest bandits, even that crazy bald monk had come. He had no idea what was going on.

Then, someone jumped down from the carriage.

-Tap tap tap!

There were three people, none other than Mok Gyeong-un’s subordinates: the masked Ma Ra-hyeon, Seop Chun, and Mong Mu-yak.

Ja Geum-jeong also got up from the coachman’s seat and opened his mouth.

“Is that guy really the Clan Leader or whatever that the lord wants to catch?”

‘Clan Leader or whatever?’

Tang In-hae was dumbfounded by his rough expression.

Although he was notorious as one of the Three Madmen, he was the head of the great Sichuan Tang Clan and one of the Eight Stars, who could be considered the top experts of the martial arts world.

Regardless of the righteous or evil factions, their status itself was different.

However,

‘…What?’

Tang In-hae frowned as he looked at Ma Ra-hyeon, who was wearing a mask.

The crazy bald monk wasn’t the problem.

No matter how he looked at it, that masked guy seemed to have surpassed the peak, even though he was trying his best to restrain his energy.

This level could be considered comparable to the elders of the Nine Great Sects.

Moreover,

‘Those two are also not ordinary.’

Both of them were experts who had reached the extreme peak of the Transcendent Realm.

Tang In-hae’s eyes were filled with wariness.

If it was just Ja Geum-jeong alone, he could have dealt with him with his overwhelming martial prowess, but if there was someone who had reached the realm of a superhuman beyond the peak, the situation was different.

“Who are you guys?”

-Rumble!

Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae deliberately revealed his energy and spoke to them.

The purpose was to show an overwhelming appearance and make them retreat on their own.

Although it was quite annoying to have an expert who had surpassed the peak and three experts who had reached the extreme peak of the Transcendent Realm, there was nothing he couldn’t handle as someone who had reached the pinnacle of poison techniques.

“…Indeed worthy of being one of the Eight Stars.”

Seop Chun clicked his tongue at Tang In-hae’s overwhelming aura.

His level was completely different from his own.

But he wasn’t afraid.

It was because he was serving a true monster up close.

He still couldn’t forget the aura that Mok Gyeong-un had shown at that time.

It was like death and fear itself.

Compared to that, even though the aura of Thousand Poison Hand Tang In-hae, one of the Eight Stars, was impressive enough to make his skin tingle, it was tolerable.

Then, Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae opened his mouth again.

“I won’t say it twice. If you want to save your lives, leave now.”

-Sizzle! Sizzle!

It was a warning filled with murderous intent.

Faced with Tang In-hae’s aura that surged like waves, they drew out their energy and assumed a formation stance.

Seeing their behavior, Tang In-hae was inwardly exasperated.

Even though he was revealing his energy to this extent and warning them, they showed no sign of retreating at all?

Just who were these bastards?

-Hiss hiss hiss!

Tang In-hae, who was dumbfounded, released purple poison energy from both hands and spoke in a threatening tone.

“You truly have lost your fear. In the hands of this Clan Leader…”

“The bald monk’s master is abandoning his family and running away in fear, yet his tongue is long.”

“…”

Ja Geum-jeong’s sarcastic remark, cutting off his words, left Tang In-hae momentarily speechless.

He had wondered who these bastards were, but could it be that they were related to that monster?

‘He had subordinates too?’

what the .... was going on?

Wasn’t it said that Mun-no and he were living in seclusion alone?

But why were these guys with him?

Tang In-hae’s mind became complicated.

Then, his mind became clear as he heard the sound of a huge boom coming from behind.

-Boom!

If he didn’t run away right now, he might be caught by that monster-like bastard and go to the netherworld.

With this, Tang In-hae brought his hand behind his waist.

Among the secrets of the Sichuan Tang Clan, there were many secret weapons for dealing with multiple opponents.

One of them was the Thousand Flower Rain.

The Thousand Flower Rain infused with his poison energy could temporarily incapacitate those guys.

He had to take that opportunity to escape with Ye Song-ah.

‘Even if there’s a gap in martial prowess, I should be able to escape from these bastards.’

Having made this decision, Tang In-hae was about to take out needles from inside his waist.

But at that very moment,

-Swish!

At that moment, Ma Ra-hyeon’s figure blurred and disappeared.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of him.

‘What speed does this guy have?’

Tang In-hae was surprised and tilted his head back as Ma Ra-hyeon’s speed was so tremendous that even he momentarily lost sight of his figure.

-Swish!

At that moment, a kick brushed past where his face had been.

It was an extremely fast kicking technique.

With this, Tang In-hae released a handful of needles he was holding and launched a palm strike infused with poison energy to make Ma Ra-hyeon retreat.

-Boom!

Faced with his powerful palm strike, Ma Ra-hyeon somersaulted backward to avoid it.

-Tap tap!

Then, he kicked the ground twice and was about to unleash a proper technique when,

“Wait a moment, stop!”

Someone stopped Ma Ra-hyeon.

Tang In-hae, who was about to respond, also turned his gaze to that direction at the familiar voice.

It was none other than the carriage they had brought.

At that moment, the carriage door opened.

-Creak!

Then, a man in his mid-thirties holding a snake-shaped staff appeared from inside the carriage.

It was a face he had never seen before, but the moment he saw the staff, Tang In-hae’s eyes widened.

‘!!!!!!’

It was because that staff belonged to Guyang Sa-oh, the head of the Guyang Family, who could be considered his archrival, known as the Eight Poison Snake Staff.