Episode 434

​​The world undergoes upheaval, and the warrior seeks the truth(2)

 

The fierce, sharp wave of qi belonged to none other than Ja Hong-cheon.

 

With his hands clasped behind his back, Ja Hong-cheon stared at Eun Won-ho.

 

Eun Won-ho’s eyelids trembled faintly.

 

The fact that Ja Hong-cheon had invaded and wreaked such havoc without him noticing was devastating.

 

No matter how deep his thoughts had been, failing to detect Ja Hong-cheon’s intrusion was an inexcusable mistake.

 

Eun Won-ho’s killing intent flared.

 

“Ja Hong-cheon! How dare you show your face here?”

 

“It was quite difficult tracking you down. I thought you were hiding in some shabby hut, but it seems you’ve been living luxuriously even while on the run.”

 

Ja Hong-cheon clicked his tongue.

 

His demeanor deeply humiliated Eun Won-ho.

 

Eun Won-ho’s face twisted in disgust for a moment before he regained his usual composure.

 

“How did you find this place?”

 

“If you hadn’t shown yourself at the Bang Clan’s Inn, I’d still be searching in the wrong places.”

 

“So that’s how it was.”

 

“The Heavenly Intelligence Hall went through quite some trouble tracking you.”

 

Ja Hong-cheon smirked coldly.

 

Finding Eun Won-ho had been a stroke of luck. Had he not attended the gathering at Bang Clan’s Inn, Ja Hong-cheon would never have located him.

 

Eun Won-ho gritted his teeth.

 

This disaster had happened because he had attended that gathering.

 

Among those who had attended, Po Cheon-wol had been defeated by Lee Gwak and retired, Namgung Jin-geom had been killed by Dan Li-yeon, and now only he remained, and Ja Hong-cheon had come for him.

 

Because of Namgung Jin-geom’s death, all of Myriad Merchant Troupe’s surveillance had been focused on Dan Li-yeon.

 

Everyone had assumed that if anyone were targeting Eun Won-ho, it would likely be Dan Li-yeon. But defying all expectations, Ja Hong-cheon had made his move instead.

 

“I’ve been tricked by a diversion.”

 

“To catch an old fox like you, I had no choice but to scatter your attention.”

 

Ja Hong-cheon’s smirk deepened.

 

Had Dan Li-yeon not drawn Myriad Merchant Troupe’s focus, Eun Won-ho would have detected Ja Hong-cheon’s movements and fled elsewhere. In that case, finding him in such a short time would have been impossible.

 

Eun Won-ho glared at Ja Hong-cheon with terrifying eyes.

 

“I’ll admit, you got me this time. But you made a mistake. Do you know what it is?”

 

“I’m curious.”

 

“I know you’re strong, but you should never have come here alone.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, martial artists from the Myriad Merchant Troupe emerged from all corners of the Lotus Family Manor.

 

Though much of their strength was dispersed among secret bases, the ones stationed here were all elite warriors.

 

Most notably, the Reaper squad was stationed here.

 

The Reaper Squad was an elite unit created to eliminate the Myriad Merchant Troupe’s enemies. Their leader, Sa O-yul, possessed strength rivaling even the Eight Great Martial Artists.

 

Seeing the Reaper squad and Sa O-yul, Eun Won-ho smiled.

 

Now that he thought about it, this was an opportunity.

 

A perfect chance to eliminate Ja Hong-cheon, one of the most formidable figures in the Jianghu.

 

If he could kill Ja Hong-cheon here, recovering from past losses would be easy.

 

But, even as the Reaper squad appeared, Ja Hong-cheon’s expression remained unchanged.

 

“Who said I came alone?”

 

“You’re not alone?”

 

Swish!

 

In that instant, dark shadows appeared beside Ja Hong-cheon.

 

There were seven martial artists, each dressed differently and with distinct appearances.

 

At a glance, they seemed to have nothing in common. However, the moment Eun Won-ho saw them, a chill crawled down his spine.

 

As someone who had reached the Absolute Realm, he could feel their overwhelming strength.

 

“Who are they?”

 

“They are the Heavenly Martial Corps.”

 

“Heavenly Martial Corps? The legendary death squad that followed Master Cho Yeon-un?”

 

“That’s right. The current Heavenly Martial Corps are their descendants.”

 

Unbelievable…

 

Though affiliated with the Jade Heaven Alliance, very few even knew of Heavenly Martial Corps’s existence. And the only one who could mobilize them was the leader of the Alliance.

 

Even then, they could deny his requests if they deemed them unjust. But none here defied Ja Hong-cheon.

 

They were here by their own judgment, believing in his decision.

 

Though only seven were here, the remaining ten also stood with Ja Hong-cheon.

 

With their support, no one dared challenge his authority.

 

That was the power of the Heavenly Martial Corps.

 

Each member possessed immense power, and together, they could annihilate entire sects in an instant.

 

And because their existence was unknown to the Jianghu, not even the Myriad Merchant Troupe’s intelligence network could detect them.

 

And with all surveillance focused on Dan Li-yeon, tracking the Heavenly Martial Corps had been impossible.

 

Eun Won-ho forced a sneer.

 

“Heavenly Martial Corps? What does that matter? They’re nothing but relics of a bygone era.”

 

No matter how strong, they were only seven.

 

Surely the Reaper Squad could handle them.

 

“Reaper Squad! Kill the Havenly Martial Corps!”

 

“At your command!”

 

Sa O-yul and the Reaper Squad charged.

 

Click!

 

“In the end, people only cry when they see the coffin.”

 

The oldest among the Heavenly Martial Corps clicked his tongue.

 

His name was Seok Pa-cheon.

 

The longest-serving member of the Heavenly Martial Corps.

 

He believed that unifying the Jianghu under the Jade Heaven Alliance was the way to peace, which is why he followed Ja Hong-cheon.

 

But recently, his conviction had begun to waver.

 

Seeing so many die and suffer made him question whether his choice was right. Still, with the war already underway, the best thing to do now was to end it quickly to minimize further loss.

 

He had hoped for Myriad Merchant Troupe’s surrender. However, unlike him, the rest of the Heavenly Martial Corps were warriors eager for battle and unafraid of bloodshed.

 

“We’ll kill them all.”

 

“Charge!”

 

The Heavenly Martial Corps moved.

 

Their eyes burned with killing intent.

 

Shhiing!

 

“Kraaah!”

 

With a single sweep of their weapons, the Reaper Squad martial artists fell, bleeding.

 

Though elite, the Reaper Squad was like children before the Heavenly Martial Corps.

 

“This can’t be!”

 

Sa O-yul’s beard trembled in fury.

 

Each Reaper Squad martial artist costs tens of thousands of nyang to train. They were fed the best elixirs and taught rare martial arts.

 

They weren’t bought—they were forged through countless missions.

 

Sa O-yul had believed the Reaper Squad could defeat any force, even the Seven sects.

 

But his confidence was shattered.

 

The Heavenly Martial Corps’s strength surpassed his wildest imagination.

 

“Where did these monsters come from…?”

 

“Calling fellow humans monsters is a bit much, don’t you think?”

 

Seok Pa-cheon approached.

 

“Die!”

 

In a flash, Sa O-yul drew his sword and struck with a full-force attack.

 

A blow that could reduce a boulder to sand.

 

Kwang!

 

Seok Pa-cheon, however, blocked it effortlessly with a blunt bamboo staff.

 

The recoil sent shockwaves through Sa O-yul’s arm.

 

Before he could react, Seok Pa-cheon thrust the staff forward.

 

Thud!

 

“Keuk!”

 

A coin-sized hole pierced Sa O-yul’s left shoulder.

 

He stumbled back in pain.

 

He couldn’t even withstand a single strike.

 

‘What a monster!’

 

As he tried to retreat and regroup, Seok Pa-cheon didn’t let him escape.

 

Pop!

 

He kicked off the ground and was instantly in front of Sa O-yul.

 

Sa O-yul’s shocked face reflected in Seok Pa-cheon’s eyes.

 

With a flick, Seok Pa-cheon swung his stick.

 

“Farewell.”

 

Sa O-yul’s head flew off.

 

Seok Pa-cheon had sliced through his neck with a single stroke.

 

The severed head rolled on the ground. His eyes still blinked, unaware of death.

 

Only when his body collapsed did his consciousness fade.

 

“Aaargh!”

 

Screams erupted everywhere.

 

The Heavenly Martial Corps was butchering the Reaper Squad.

 

The one-sided massacre made Eun Won-ho tremble.

 

“Ugh… this can’t be…!”

 

Everything he had built was crumbling.

 

His pride was shattered.

 

Eun Won-ho screamed and charged at Ja Hong-cheon.

 

“I won’t forgive you, Ja Hong-cheon!”

 

Though a merchant by trade, he was still a high-level martial artist.

 

A supreme master, worthy of the title Merchant King.

 

Kwaaa!

 

A violent surge of qi erupted from his palms and crashed toward Ja Hong-cheon like a tidal wave.

 

But with a single swing of his sword, Ja Hong-cheon effortlessly dispersed it.

 

“Old man!”

 

Bam! Bam! Bam!

 

Boom boom boom boom!

 

Enraged, Eun Won-ho unleashed eighteen palm strikes.

 

This was his ultimate technique: Thunderclap Palm.

 

A devastating technique, with all strikes landing near-simultaneously for maximum destructive force.

 

Even someone like Ja Hong-cheon would struggle to withstand it.

 

Eun Won-ho didn’t expect victory. Ja Hong-cheon was nearly the greatest martial artist alive.

 

But if this could just put him in danger, there might be hope.

 

Then—

 

Shriiiip!

 

A sound like tearing silk echoed.

 

Eun Won-ho instinctively leaped back.

 

All eighteen palm strikes had been sliced apart.

 

Ja Hong-cheon emerged unscathed.

 

Swoosh!

 

He closed the distance in a blink.

 

No signs of damage on his body.

 

“Impossible! How did you break the Thunderclap Strikes so easily?”

 

Eun Won-ho felt pure fear.

 

Ja Hong-cheon didn’t seem human.

 

Swish!

 

His sword flew toward Eun Won-ho.

 

But Eun Won-ho couldn’t move, as if he were bound by invisible chains.

 

Ja Hong-cheon had immobilized him with his qi.

 

Had Eun Won-ho been calmer or more experienced, he could have broken free with sheer will.

 

But he was a merchant first, a martial artist second.

 

Merchants calculate gains. Fighting personally rarely made sense.

 

So despite his level, he lacked real combat experience.

 

That difference sealed his fate.

 

Thud!

 

Ja Hong-cheon’s sword pierced his heart.

 

“Gah!”

 

Eun Won-ho coughed up blood.

 

Ja Hong-cheon stared at him with cold indifference.

 

Not like one martial artist to another—

 

But like a hunter staring at fallen prey.

 

To Ja Hong-cheon, that’s all Eun Won-ho was.

 

Eun Won-ho hadn’t forged himself into strength like Ja Hong-cheon.

 

He had merely been born into the right family, benefiting from its resources and plans.

 

He had barely reached the Absolute Realm.

 

He was just a plant grown in a greenhouse, beautiful but fragile, unable to survive the wild.

 

Finding him had been the hard part.

 

Killing him was easy.

 

Shhk.

 

Ja Hong-cheon sheathed his sword and spoke.

 

“Farewell.”

 

“Y-You…? Kugh!”

 

“I’ll make good use of Myriad Merchant Troupe’s wealth.”

 

“Wh-What’s here… is not even a third… You’ll never… obtain it all…”

 

“I’ll kill your son and take the rest.”

 

“Heh heh! Your… greed… is too great… You’ll never… achieve it…”

 

The light vanished from Eun Won-ho’s eyes.

 

He was dead.

 

Ja Hong-cheon looked down at the crumpled body of Eun Won-ho with indifference.

 

“Well! We’ll see soon enough.”

 

Lifting his head, Ja Hong-cheon surveyed the Lotus Family Manor.

 

It had been utterly destroyed by the Heavenly Martial Corps.

 

Before word of Lotus Family Manor’s annihilation spread, he had to move toward the next target.

 

“We’ve cut off the enemy’s funding. Next—intelligence network.”