Chapter 384 Sudden Change (1)

In a training ground within the inner court of Heaven and Earth Society.

Yeop Wi-seon, the second disciple of Son Yun, the Bright Blade King of the Five Kings and a high-ranking official of Heaven and Earth Society, wore an expression of disbelief.

“Huff…… Huff……”

A man in his mid-thirties with short facial hair was exhaling rough breaths.

He was Woo Ho-rang, Yeop Wi-seon’s senior brother, the Grand Chief of the Gyeogwol Clan, and one of the Five Tigers, considered the top expert of the younger generation within Heaven and Earth Society.

-Drip!

Blood dripped from Woo Ho-rang’s right hand holding a saber.

‘…… Impossible.’

Senior brother had lost.

What seemed unthinkable had become reality.

“Excellent.”

A middle-aged man covered in scars opened his mouth.

He was none other than Son Yun, the Bright Blade King.

Son Yun also wore a quite surprised expression, and for good reason. The newly accepted youngest disciple had defeated his senior brother Woo Ho-rang, overturning expectations for the duel.

That new disciple was none other than Mok Yu-cheon.

‘…… I’ve been putting in a lot of effort lately, but to this extent?’

Mok Yu-cheon was the one he had brought in as a ‘card’ to forcibly restrain that guy in place of Mok Gyeong-un from Corpse Blood Valley.

Of course, he had chosen him because he possessed talent and spirit no less than that guy, and that choice had not been wrong.

This guy was also a genius whose talent had not yet fully blossomed.

He never imagined he would be able to defeat even Woo Ho-rang, whom he had designated as his successor, in just a few months.

‘Interesting.’

It was truly a curious thing.

To think that both of the guys from Yeon Mok Sword Manor he had brought as hostages would end up defeating his disciples.

If they weren’t from the righteous faction, he would want to designate them as successors.

It was regrettable, but he would have to be satisfied with taking them as disciples.

-Crunch crunch!

Mok Yu-cheon’s right arm, which had swollen black, returned to its original state.

Since he became able to somewhat control the great technique of reversed blood through his teachings, he had improved rapidly, and Son Yun became curious about where his limits might be.

-Clench!

As the master looked at Mok Yu-cheon with a satisfied expression, Woo Ho-rang bit his lip hard.

How had it come to this?

He had been putting even more effort into cultivating his martial arts to get revenge on that guy.

But he never thought he would end up losing even to that guy’s younger brother.

That expression on his master’s face only appeared when he was truly pleased.

‘Ah. This is the worst.’

It felt like the Mok family had taken everything from him.

That guy’s brother had taken his master’s favor, and that guy had taken the heart of the woman he loved.

Since he had said he would establish a hierarchy, Young Lady Wi So-yeon had been keeping her distance and not meeting subordinates privately.

She had relied on him before that guy appeared.

-Grind!

Woo Ho-rang, who had been biting his lip so hard that blood flowed, finally cupped his hands in salute to his master, Bright Blade King Son Yun, and left the training ground with large strides.

Son Yun watched him go with a faint sigh.

Although he understood his defeated disciple’s feelings, he had no comfort to offer in his teachings.

For someone who would become his successor, he only hoped they would overcome it themselves.

And,

‘A close rival will make you grow even more.’

***

-Ta ta ta tak!

Yeop Wi-seon hurriedly ran to catch up with his senior brother Woo Ho-rang.

“Senior Brother!”

Despite Yeop Wi-seon’s call, Woo Ho-rang kept walking, but he had to stop when Yeop Wi-seon blocked his path.

Woo Ho-rang opened his mouth with an unpleasant voice.

“What are you doing?”

“Senior Brother. No matter how I think about it, this isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?”

“How could Master do this to you unless he’s lost his mind?”

“……”

So this is what he wanted to say.

Although Woo Ho-rang had lost to that guy today, Yeop Wi-seon had already lost to Mok Yu-cheon before.

He seemed to have been holding back his complaints out of pride since then.

But now that even he had lost to that guy, was he using this as a pretext to voice his complaints?

“…… If that’s what you want to talk about, step aside.”

“Senior Brother!”

“A duel is just a duel.”

With those words, Woo Ho-rang tried to walk past Yeop Wi-seon.

Then Yeop Wi-seon raised his voice.

“Are you some kind of saint to keep enduring every time, Senior Brother?”

“What?”

“We’re about to lose everything we have to those damn Mok bastards, and you’re trying to endure it? This isn’t patience, it’s foolishness.”

-Grab!

No sooner had those words ended than Woo Ho-rang grabbed his collar.

“Do you really want to die……”

“Why are you trying to take out your anger on me? Isn’t there someone else you should really be angry at?”

“What?”

“I mean those Mok bastards.”

“…… You’re really being insufferable.”

“It’s not about being insufferable. If we don’t deal with them, we senior and junior brothers will really lose everything. Do you intend to regret it when that time comes?”

At Yeop Wi-seon’s words, Woo Ho-rang’s pupils shook slightly.

He had ignored it, thinking it was just the outburst of an immature junior brother, but he too was human.

Of course, his discontent had reached its limit.

How could he not have the urge to strike down the two Mok brothers right now?

But,

‘No.’

His pride wouldn’t allow it.

Overwhelming someone with skill is one thing, but using underhanded tactics or scheming is what lesser people do.

And if he did that, would his master or Young Lady Wi So-yeon, whom he serves as his lord, truly acknowledge him?

They wouldn’t.

Rather, they would be deeply disappointed.

That’s why he needs to use this bitterness as nourishment to become stronger.

He can only achieve what he wants by overwhelming the Mok brothers with skill.

-Smack!

Woo Ho-rang let go of the collar he was holding and roughly pushed Yeop Wi-seon away, saying,

“Stop talking nonsense and put more effort into cultivating your martial arts.”

“Senior Brother!”

“I can listen to your complaints all you want, but give up on thinking of doing anything beyond that. If you can’t do it with your own strength, it’s all meaningless. That’s all the advice I can give you.”

“How……”

“I’m leaving.”

With those words, Woo Ho-rang left without even pretending to listen.

Yeop Wi-seon glared at him with resentful eyes.

He thought his senior brother would understand his feelings since they were in similar situations, but being pushed away like this made him incredibly resentful.

-Bang!

Yeop Wi-seon, angry, kicked the wall and then went somewhere.

Someone was watching him from behind.

It was Mok Yu-cheon.

“Huu.”

Mok Yu-cheon shook his head.

He had followed, thinking Yeop Wi-seon might try something when he saw him following his senior brother.

But fortunately, Senior Brother Woo Ho-rang’s pride was too strong to fall for his tricks.

If he had joined hands with Yeop Wi-seon, it would have become quite uncomfortable.

‘I need to get stronger, I can’t be hindered now.’

His goal wasn’t these two senior and junior brothers.

Although they were half-brothers, he had believed they shared the same blood, but his goal was to take revenge on Mok Gyeong-un, who had stabbed him in the back, and to set justice right again.

‘It won’t be long. I’ll take you down with my own hands.’

***

-Ta ta ta tak!

Yeop Wi-seon, who had been using his lightness skill to head somewhere for a while, stopped and surveyed his surroundings.

Then he headed towards what looked like a warehouse building with few people around.

Once inside, Yeop Wi-seon,

-Clap clap! Clap! Clap clap!

Clapped his hands in a regular pattern.

Then the dark warehouse lit up, and someone revealed themselves.

That person was,

“Brother Mo.”

It was Mo Yak, who could be called the right-hand man of Na Yul-ryang, the First Disciple of the Heaven and Earth Society Head.

How was he waiting for Yeop Wi-seon in such a secretive place?

The reason was soon revealed.

Mo Yak, holding a lantern, smiled and asked,

“So, did you succeed in persuading Brother Woo?”

“……”

At this question, Yeop Wi-seon shook his head with a sigh.

As if he had expected this response, Mo Yak shrugged his shoulders.

From the start, he had predicted that Yeop Wi-seon would fail.

Having contacted Woo Ho-rang several times before to persuade him to serve the First Disciple Na Yul-ryang, he knew well how stubborn he was.

He had somewhat guessed that someone with such strong pride would never join them.

But with the variable of Mok Yu-cheon, he thought there might be a possibility, but even that didn’t seem to be of much use.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Woo Ho-rang was dispensable anyway.

“Brother Mo…… If you give me a little more time……”

-Pat pat!

Mo Yak patted his shoulder as if comforting him and said,

“It’s alright. You can persuade Brother Wu slowly. More importantly, the First Disciple has high expectations for you.”

“…… Is that true?”

“Of course it is.”

Mo Yak’s mouth corners twitched upwards at Yeop Wi-seon’s face full of expectation.

In truth, Woo Ho-rang was a troublesome piece due to his stubbornness.

On the other hand, there was no better piece to use than someone overflowing with greed and jealousy.

You could paint any picture you wanted with such a person.

***

Late at night.

Someone was pouring alcohol on a tombstone.

It was Ho Jong-hyeok, the Grand Chief of the Destruction Clan.

He was the child of Ho Tae-gang, the Axe-Destroying King, one of the Five Kings and the true First Peak of the Five Peaks Society led by Jang Neung-ak, the Second Disciple of the Heaven and Earth Society Head.

Of course, this was the case a few months ago.

What was inside that body now was not Ho Jong-hyeok himself, but Wi Maeng-cheon, the Second Peak who had become a vengeful spirit.

“Huu……”

Wi Maeng-cheon, who had taken over Ho Jong-hyeok’s body, let out a long sigh.

He always felt uneasy whenever he came here.

This was because the name engraved on the tombstone was Wi Maeng-cheon.

‘To think I’d be looking at my own dead body’s grave with these two eyes I’ve longed for all my life……’

-Gulp gulp!

Wi Maeng-cheon drank from the bottle he had been pouring on the tombstone.

His wish as a blind person had been to see.

But who could have imagined he would end up seeing like this?

‘Should I be satisfied with living like this, even though I’ve lost my body?’

He always felt complicated whenever he saw the tombstone.

Even so, he had no choice.

Having become Mok Gyeong-un’s spirit servant and formed a connection, he had to follow his orders.

As he was drinking the remaining alcohol, it happened.

-Clink!

Wi Maeng-cheon put down the bottle and tilted his head back.

-Swish!

A sharp blade energy brushed past over his tilted head.

It was saber energy.

Wi Maeng-cheon, who had avoided the saber energy, hurriedly used his movement technique to create distance behind him.

His eyes flickered as he created distance.

‘!?’

The one who had sent the saber energy towards him was none other than,

“First Disciple?”

It was First Disciple Na Yul-ryang.

Na Yul-ryang smiled and said,

“No matter how much you miss your dead old comrade, it’s dangerous to wander alone in times like these.”

Despite his smiling face, his words were utterly brutal.

Wi Maeng-cheon’s gaze sharpened as he glared at Na Yul-ryang.

‘As bold as ever.’

He had been inwardly worried about his recent movements to properly establish a succession structure, but he didn’t expect him to target him so openly.

At this, Wi Maeng-cheon gripped the handle of the axe on his back and said,

“If I die, you’ll have to face the alliance of your two junior brothers head-on. Are you sufficiently prepared?”

“Well. That’s not for you to worry about.”

No sooner had those words ended than Na Yul-ryang’s figure scattered like smoke.

***

“Isn’t this convincing enough?”

-Pat!

First Disciple Na Yul-ryang put his arm around someone’s shoulder as he spoke.

That someone was looking at the corpse of the dead Ho Jong-hyeok (Wi Maeng-cheon) with bewildered eyes.

It was none other than Yeop Wi-seon, the second disciple of Bright Blade King Son Yun.

‘He, he really killed him.’

Yeop Wi-seon was inwardly at a loss.

Just this evening at the dinner, he had been in such a good mood.

This was because First Disciple Na Yul-ryang had said he would accept him into his ranks and even held a drinking party.

But now, by his hand, a subordinate of the Second Disciple Jang Neung-ak had died.

This alone was a huge matter, but the problem was that behind Ho Jong-hyeok was not only the Second Disciple but also his father, Axe-Destroying King Ho Tae-gang.

‘…… To kill the child of one of the Eight Stars.’

Axe-Destroying King Ho Tae-gang.

He was one of the Eight Stars, who could be called the highest experts in the current martial arts world.

He never thought he would kill the child of such a person so recklessly.

What was even more bewildering was,

‘Was this why he asked me to show him my saber technique?’

Na Yul-ryang had killed Ho Jong-hyeok by imitating part of the saber technique he had shown.

To anyone watching, it would look like it was done by someone from his sect.

Yeop Wi-seon now realized his true purpose.

‘…… It’s to break up the alliance between Master and the Axe-Destroying King, no, between Disciple Jang Neung-ak and Young Lady Wi So-yeon.’

-Clench!

Strength entered Yeop Wi-seon’s hand.

He regretted it, thinking ‘Oh no,’ but it was already too late.

What had happened couldn’t be undone, and if he tried to reveal the truth now, his life would be as good as forfeit.

-Swish!

While he was in this bewildered state, the vengeful spirit that had been possessing the dead Ho Jong-hyeok’s body slipped out.

This vengeful spirit was Wi Maeng-cheon.

Wi Maeng-cheon, forced to come out due to the death of the physical body, clicked his tongue.

This was because he understood First Disciple Na Yul-ryang’s purpose.

‘He’s made it look like the Axe-Destroying King’s child died at the hands of the Bright Blade King’s disciples, so the two Kings will surely clash. If that happens, the power of the alliance will be dispersed.’

He had thought it strange that he was using saber techniques instead of sword techniques.

Although he had thought Na Yul-ryang wasn’t the type to sit back and watch, he truly was a formidable person.

But even he had failed to predict one thing.

It was his own possession.

If he informed Go Chan, who was possessing Second Disciple Jang Neung-ak’s body, he could reveal the truth.

If that happened, First Disciple Na Yul-ryang would have to face the anger of the two Kings instead.

‘All his carefully laid schemes will have been in vain……’

It was at that very moment.

-Swish!

‘Huh?’

Something sliced through Wi Maeng-cheon’s body.

Panicking, he turned his head, and there he saw First Disciple Na Yul-ryang, who had removed the eye patch on his right eye.

An eye with a golden hue and a pupil as small as a dot.

It exuded the ferocity of a savage beast rather than a human, and that small focal point of the eye was directed at him.

‘He can see me?’

He was perceiving him accurately.