Chapter 437 Ghost Blade (1)

Wicked Granny.

It was a title completely forgotten by the current martial arts world.

For those who knew even a little about the old martial arts world, it was closer to a name of terror than one of greatness, and it could even be called an evil reputation.

‘The evil among evils…’

Even for Cheong-ryeong, who had lived during the founding of the Heaven and Earth Society, the era before the day of great calamity was shrouded in mystery.

Most things related to that era had been almost completely lost.

However, despite this, she was from an older time than now, so she had heard some stories of the old martial arts world through oral tradition.

One of these was about the Wicked Granny.

She was known as an evil among evils who had already lived for hundreds of years even in the old martial arts world and had committed many evil deeds.

‘Impossible.’

At first, she denied this.

Could that young woman really be the Wicked Granny?

Although her not being aged could be explained by cases like Dam Baek-ha of the Nine Blood Sect, Cheong-ryeong had heard that the Wicked Granny, an old monster who had lived for hundreds of years, was dead.

-… Nonsense. The Wicked Granny is dead.

[Oh? I thought it might be, but you really do know me?]

-What exactly are you?

[I told you. I’m the Wicked Granny.]

-Then the oral tradition must be wrong…

[Oral tradition? Didn’t you experience that era yourself?]

-… If you’re talking about the old martial arts world, let me tell you I didn’t. But this much I’m sure of.

[What’s that?]

-The Wicked Granny died at the hands of the world’s greatest martial artist.

[… Is that how it was known?]

-Yes.

[Well, that’s not wrong.]

-What?

[Huhuhu. This is good. You seem to know quite a lot, so I won’t be bored if I keep you around to do various experiments.]

‘!?’

And with the Wicked Granny’s outstretched hand, she lost consciousness.

When she regained consciousness, she was trapped in this jade window made of silver wood.

Cheong-ryeong bit her lip hard.

She needed to obtain the forbidden technique that could unite the soul and spirit to lure him and complete her revenge, but she couldn’t believe the situation she was in.

‘… Is she really the Wicked Granny?’

If the identity of that woman who had captured her was truly the Wicked Granny, it meant she had been alive all this time, contrary to the oral tradition.

It meant she had lived even longer than Dam Baek-ha of the Nine Blood Sect.

-Squeak!

Even in the midst of pain that felt like her spirit body was burning within the formation made of silver wood and talismans, she was dumbfounded.

What kind of coincidence is this?

To be entangled like this again, as if she had some connection to the old martial arts world.

-Grip!

Cheong-ryeong clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.

There was no time to waste like this.

Time would continue to pass, and if she remained here, she would eventually end up as that Bi Yong-heon wanted.

Before that happens, she needs to either persuade that woman who calls herself the Wicked Granny or somehow escape from here.

No matter how well-made the formation of talismans on silver wood is, like all formations, it can’t be perfect.

She needs to find the living gate.

She stood up and looked around.

First, she needed to memorize the talismans, then break the silver wood, and then pass through the living gate of the spell formation immediately.

As she stood up, she couldn’t help but wonder at the strange form inside this thatched cottage.

In the middle of the cottage stood something like a thick pillar, with numerous joints on it, and countless phrases were engraved on them.

As she stared at this, her eyes sparkled.

‘Could that be the center of this place?’

It might be the medium connecting this hidden space within the bamboo forest.

Come to think of it, since entering this place, it had been difficult to properly exert her spiritual power.

It seemed there were many secrets to this formation.

As she was carefully examining this, she suddenly discovered something attached to one of the walls.

A scroll with a painting was hanging there.

The scroll depicted what looked like the Peach Blossom Spring, and it was the only thing that didn’t fit with the other things in this thatched cottage.

She soon turned her attention away from it and looked around for other potential clues.

But then,

-Thud!

The door of the thatched cottage opened, and the Wicked Granny came in.

In the Wicked Granny’s hands were what appeared to be medicinal herbs.

Placing them on the table, she spoke with gleaming eyes.

“Oh? You’ve regained consciousness already?”

-… What do you intend to do with me?

“Well. What do you think I’ll do? Should I use you to experiment with new techniques, or since I’ve obtained a rare po, should I try embedding it in an object like those demonic swords?”

She seemed excited, like a child who had just gotten a new toy.

Seeing her like this, Cheong-ryeong became more wary and, after some consideration, spoke.

-… You’ll regret it if you keep this seat confined here.

“Regret?”

-Yes. If you don’t release me right now, troublesome things will happen.

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, the Wicked Granny sneered.

“Even if it’s troublesome, what could be so troublesome? Kekeke.”

-People like that bamboo-hatted man from earlier will keep coming. Can you handle that?

“You mean people like that guy from earlier will come?”

-Yes. Even that guy kept stubbornly coming back inside even after you erased his memory. What will you do if someone even more persistent appears?

Cheong-ryeong tried to persuade her somehow.

For some unknown reason, she seemed to avoid killing living people.

Judging by how she merely erased memories and sent them out instead of killing them.

However, considering that she sent them out and had been living alone in such a place for hundreds of years, she probably wouldn’t welcome someone visiting or bothering her.

But,

“Kekeke. It’s the first time I’ve seen a vengeful spirit full of resentment use their head like this. Indeed, a high rank does strengthen one’s sense of self.”

-What?

“But you know what? It doesn’t matter whether they come or not. The period of the promise is almost over.”

-The period of the promise?

“It means this wearisome solitude is finally ending.”

Cheong-ryeong frowned.

What is happened is she talking about?

She had thought the Wicked Granny was here because she had voluntarily cut off her ties with the outside world.

That’s why she thought she erased the memories of those who entered here and sent them out, but is that not all there is to it?

As she wondered, the Wicked Granny brought her face close and said with a grin,

“It’s regrettable that not everything went according to that person’s arrangements, but I’ve kept my promise and paid enough for my karma, so I’ll be going to that place soon. You, vengeful spirit, just need to alleviate this body’s boredom until then.”

‘!?’

***

Meanwhile, outside the bamboo forest.

The bamboo-hatted man presumed to be Ghost Blade, who had come out of the bamboo forest, looked at his palm with an incomprehensible gaze.

His palm was torn.

What is happened is this mark?

It wasn’t in his memory, but he couldn’t understand why there was a wound.

‘For a wound like this to occur…’

It could only happen if one forcibly endured a power they couldn’t handle while gripping a sword hilt.

But he had no memory of anyone pushing him to this extent recently.

In fact, he hadn’t fought anyone on his way here.

‘What is this?’

Come to think of it, when he thought about sending a secret message to the Society Leader, he had been gripped by a strange sense of déjà vu.

As if this wasn’t unfamiliar.

Because of this, the bamboo-hatted man couldn’t help but fall into deep thought while looking at his palm.

His instincts were telling him.

When he entered that bamboo forest made of highly advanced formation patterns, something he couldn’t remember had happened.

For some reason, that memory had disappeared.

‘Is it the effect of the formation?’

For whatever reason, it seemed he should refrain from hastily entering the bamboo forest until he figured this out.

First, let’s send the secret message.

Just as the bamboo-hatted man was about to take a step,

-Flinch!

The bamboo-hatted man slowly turned his head at the oppressive feeling surrounding the area.

There, a young man with white hair and white eyebrows, despite his unwrinkled young face, was walking towards him with his hands behind his back.

Despite walking slowly, the moment the bamboo-hatted man saw him, his gaze changed.

‘This is the worst.’

Has he finally found this place?

The moment he saw the white-haired and white-browed young man, the bamboo-hatted man instantly recognized who he was.

Even within the Secret Society, there were beings who had served by the Society Leader’s side for the longest time.

Among them, there was a highest-ranking executive who was considered almost the best when it came to destroying something, and that was Destruction Emperor.

-Step! Step!

With each of his steps, the ground cracked and split.

The aura flowing from him was extraordinary, like the majesty of an emperor encompassing everything.

“Destruction Emperor.”

As he opened his mouth, the white-haired and white-browed young man, or rather Destruction Emperor, also spoke.

“How strange. This command was given to me, yet why are you here?”

“… I can’t say.”

“You can’t say?”

“That’s right.”

At the bamboo-hatted man’s words, Destruction Emperor stopped ten steps in front of him with an expressionless face.

Then he spoke again.

“This is my leniency as a colleague who has served that person together for a long time. I’ll ask again. Why are you here?”

“I said I can’t…”

Before he could finish speaking.

Destruction Emperor had already extended his index finger towards him.

Along with this, in the blink of an eye, an intense finger force flew accurately towards the bamboo-hatted man’s face.

The bamboo-hatted man hurriedly tilted his head back.

-Swoosh!

The finger force pierced through the front of the bamboo hat and passed by.

But that wasn’t the end.

-Shing!

The bamboo-hatted man, who had drawn his sword, flew his body backward and swung his sword with lightning speed, imbuing it with sword energy.

-Clang clang clang clang!

Blue sparks flew as the finger forces that touched the sword blade were split or deflected by the strong energy.

Having blocked all of this, the bamboo-hatted man hurriedly tried to send a rebounding sword force towards where Destruction Emperor was.

However,

-Clang!

Suddenly closing in, Destruction Emperor blocked the sword blade that was about to release the rebounding sword force with the side of his hand and extended his fingers, imbued with strong energy, towards the bamboo-hatted man’s face.

Sensing he couldn’t avoid it, the bamboo-hatted man aimed for Destruction Emperor’s chin with his leg technique.

At this, just as the bamboo-hatted man’s foot was about to touch,

-Pak!

Destruction Emperor retreated about two steps.

The same was true for the bamboo-hatted man.

However, as he couldn’t completely avoid the finger technique imbued with strong energy, the bamboo hat he was wearing started to split.

Looking at him, Destruction Emperor said,

“Mok Gan no longer desires the Society Leader’s body. Stop acting against that person’s will…”

-Crack!

Before he could finish speaking, the split bamboo hat fell to the ground.

The expressionless face of Destruction Emperor, upon seeing the face revealed by the fallen bamboo hat, showed ripples of emotion.

Destruction Emperor looked at the bamboo-hatted man, or rather Ghost Blade, and said,

“You… What is that?”

The place Destruction Emperor pointed to with his hand was Ghost Blade’s forehead.

His forehead area was sunken inwards, as if something had been there and then healed.

Destruction Emperor’s voice rose slightly.

“You… What happened to your eyes?”

“Who knows.”

As soon as Ghost Blade’s half-hearted answer fell, each of Destruction Emperor’s fingers began to be enveloped in blue strong energy.

-Rumble!

“I faintly sense demonic energy, and I wondered why you weren’t faithful to the command, so it was because of that…”

Before he could finish speaking.

Believing in striking first for victory, Ghost Blade suddenly thrust his sword towards Destruction Emperor’s neck.

Despite it being a lightning-fast sword strike, Destruction Emperor easily avoided the thrust by simply tilting his neck to the side, then instantly closed the distance and tried to drive his five fingers, dyed with strong energy, into Ghost Blade’s abdomen.

At that very moment.

-Clang!

Destruction Emperor’s fingers, dyed with strong energy, were blocked by something.

It was the form of an extremely transparent sword.

‘This is?’

-Flinch!

Destruction Emperor hurriedly flew his body backward.

Along with this,

-Boom!

Something fell from the sky onto where he had been standing, shattering the ground and causing dust to rise in all directions from the impact.

At this, Destruction Emperor, who had created some distance, lightly waved his hand.

As the dust instantly cleared with the wind pressure, the being that had almost crushed him in an instant revealed itself.

It was someone carrying two swords at their waist.

‘Who on earth is this?’

Destruction Emperor’s eyes filled with wariness at the extraordinary and fierce aura flowing from him.

Then, that person half-turned his head and spoke.

“This one is mine.”

It was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.