Chapter 110: Chapter 110
Cheon Woo-jin was startled upon seeing the middle-aged man kneeling on the floor. Of course, it was nothing compared to how startled the middle-aged man was.
“Ch-Cheon Woo-jin?”
The middle-aged man was none other than Gu Yong-baek, the Head of the Gu Clan.
Back when taking the Martial Alliance selection examination, he had clashed with an arrogant rising talent named Gu Jin-seok. In the end, that fellow made the mistake of bringing in unorthodox martial artists and ended up imprisoned in the Martial Alliance’s dungeon.
The one who had shown his face back then was none other than his father and the Head of the Gu Clan, Gu Yong-baek.
“Wh-Why are you here…?”
Before Gu Yong-baek’s question could even fully conclude.
Cheon Woo-jin instinctively stepped back. Immediately after, the fingers of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, who had suddenly appeared in the spot where he had been standing, lightly tapped Cheon Woo-jin’s shoulder.
The Lord of the Black Overlord Castle had tried to wrap his arm around Cheon Woo-jin’s shoulder out of gladness, but because he dodged faster than expected, only his fingertips barely grazed him.
“…You dodged this?”
The Lord of the Black Overlord Castle was surprised thinking he had dodged, but on the contrary, Cheon Woo-jin was surprised at having allowed even a fingertip.
Even though he had reacted somewhat casually because there was no murderous intent contained in it, Cheon Woo-jin was someone who had never allowed physical contact to anyone except his masters in his entire life.
The words of his masters came to mind anew.
– Aside from the Three Pillars Under Heaven, the entire world will walk on eggshells around you, Woo-jin.
Conversely, it meant that the martial artists called the Three Pillars Under Heaven were strong enough not to fear Cheon Woo-jin.
Unlike the other two who had ascended to become rulers of the already formidable Martial Alliance and Heavenly Demon Cult, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle was a self-made martial artist who had built his own faction from the ground up.
“Is it truly you, Woo-jin? Have you already grown this big?”
Saying so, the gaze of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle drifted toward the Crescent Moon Staff mounted on Cheon Woo-jin’s back. With the utmost polite attitude, Cheon Woo-jin cupped his fists in salute and bowed his head.
“It has been a long time, Uncle.”
When Cheon Woo-jin abruptly addressed him as ‘Uncle,’ a chilly air settled over the hall. The Thirteen Black Wolves were the only thirteen martial artists who had ascended to the pinnacle among the tens of thousands of unorthodox martial artists across the land. They could not tolerate someone addressing their lord so lightly in their presence.
However, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle did not bother reprimanding them. They were people just as precious to him as senior Black Elder, and above all, there was no way Cheon Woo-jin would be intimidated by mere momentum of this degree.
Just as the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle expected, Cheon Woo-jin wore a thoroughly placid expression. At that, the Thirteen Black Wolves became flustered instead and exchanged glances.
– Isn’t this a bit strange?
– Indeed. Normally, a martial artist of that age should find it difficult even to breathe.
– Put some proper pressure on him.
They were transmitting sound not to a specific person, but so that all of them could hear. That alone revealed that their realm was not inferior in any way to the martial artists called the Realm Beyond the Heavens of the Righteous Path.
While words were busily being exchanged, an unfamiliar yet calm sound transmission abruptly cut in.
– I apologize. It is a childhood habit. From now on, I will address you as Castle Lord.
“…!”
Everyone was startled. Intercepting someone else’s sound transmission was a realm worthy of being called a divine feat. Even though it was not a secret one-on-one transmission but one shared among many, it was no less astonishing.
It was around that time that laughter suddenly burst out.
“Hahaha! Truly extraordinary as expected. Well, since he is that person’s disciple, being surprised by this much might rather be a discourtesy.”
The one who burst into laughter was a man seated right below the seat of honor. He appeared to be the youngest among the Thirteen Black Wolves, yet surprisingly, his rank was the highest.
Muk Si-rang. The third-in-command of the Black Overlord Castle and the man called the Castle Lord’s right hand.
Whenever the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle visited Black Elder during his lifetime, he had always accompanied him, attending to him at his side.
Naturally, he knew Cheon Woo-jin. Cheon Woo-jin also remembered Muk Si-rang’s face.
Cheon Woo-jin bowed his head slightly. Muk Si-rang responded with a pleasant laugh, as if looking upon a nephew.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin’s gaze turned toward Gu Yong-baek, who had been kneeling and was now slyly rising from his spot.
The Gu Clan had belonged to the middle ground between orthodox and unorthodox for a long time, but was said to have completely turned to the Righteous Path recently. However, it seemed that due to the previous incident, he had incurred the Alliance Leader’s disfavor and converted back to the Unorthodox Path.
Of course, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, the hegemon of the Unorthodox Path, would never look favorably upon such a Gu Yong-baek. While sects of the Righteous Path were bound by the affection of master-disciple relationships akin to parents and children, unorthodox factions were bound by loyalty like sworn brothers.
And the contemporary Black Overlord Castle was an organization with the highest cohesion in the history of the Central Plains’ Unorthodox Path.
‘Even so, for Gu Yong-baek to dare be present here…’
It meant that the Gu Clan had never completely turned to the Righteous Path in the first place. Had they done so, they wouldn’t have even been able to set foot inside the Black Overlord Castle like this.
“Shall I come back later?”
Cheon Woo-jin asked the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle. Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed there were issues between Gu Yong-baek and the Castle Lord that needed resolving.
Glancing briefly at Gu Yong-baek, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle spoke.
“I will summon you again later. In the meantime, close your entire clan’s gates and wait.”
“But Castle Lord…!”
“Muk Si-rang.”
At the low tone of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, Muk Si-rang soundlessly drew a pitch-black straight saber. It was a renowned blade that felt as though it could cut through anything with its sharp aura alone.
Gu Yong-baek glared at Muk Si-rang for a moment. It seemed Gu Yong-baek’s status in the Unorthodox Path was considerably high. To think that with such a background, he dared act like a member of the Righteous Path.
Cheon Woo-jin was internally appalled.
In any case, the one who gave the command to Muk Si-rang was the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle. The moment one laid even a single finger in the Unorthodox Path, one could not defy him.
Soon, Gu Yong-baek retracted his gaze from Muk Si-rang, bowed slightly to the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, and left the hall.
Once he disappeared, the atmosphere grew considerably lighter.
Returning to his seat, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle observed Cheon Woo-jin for a moment before speaking.
“I heard the news that you entered the Martial Alliance after Senior passed away. In fact, I have been keeping an eye on you since quite some time ago.”
The first time he heard news of Cheon Woo-jin was from Muk Si-rang’s report.
When ordered to retrieve the corpse of Giant Stone Monster, he had returned empty-handed with pride, saying that Lust Demon, Blood Immortal, and even an elder of the Demonic Cult were present. Amid that absurdity, he mentioned having seen Cheon Woo-jin.
And a short while later.
News that Demonic Cult Elder Ma Cheong-seok, Blood Immortal, and Lust Demon had died was delivered to the entire martial world.
“Was it you who killed Lust Demon?”
At the question of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, Cheon Woo-jin nodded calmly.
At that, the Thirteen Black Wolves, excluding Muk Si-rang, were thoroughly shocked.
Because even for them, contending against Lust Demon would require bearing considerable damage.
However, the words that followed were even more shocking.
“Ma Cheong-seok and that fellow Blood Immortal as well?”
“I killed Ma Cheong-seok. He was the weakest of the three. But the one who killed Blood Immortal was not me.”
“Was it the Sword King as expected?”
A faint disappointment flitted across the face of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle.
He had heard the news that the Sword King and the White Sword Hall Master, the right hand of the Alliance Leader, had belatedly joined that scene.
“No. Because the Sword Demon intervened midway, Blood Immortal escaped.”
“Understandable. If the Sword Demon and Blood Immortal threw a frenzy, even the Sword King could not have protected the alliance members present there.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded. After a brief silence, unable to hold back his curiosity, Muk Si-rang pressed him.
“Then who killed Blood Immortal?”
Cheon Woo-jin looked at Ha In-seong. When his turn came, Ha In-seong took a step forward.
“A few days ago, we encountered the culprit presumed to have killed Blood Immortal. He was a man with waist-length silver hair, and his martial prowess was estimated to be at least above Transcendence. His martial arts were something I had never seen before.”
He deliberately refrained from mentioning that it resembled the martial art Cheon Woo-jin executed with a fan. Ha In-seong already considered Cheon Woo-jin half a friend.
Narrowing his brow slightly, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle asked.
“Where did you encounter him?”
“It was Tianshui Stronghold, the headquarters of the Green Forest.”
“Why did you go there again?”
“To seize the Spirit Green Pill.”
“…”
“Not me, but this fellow.”
Ha In-seong pointed his index finger at Cheon Woo-jin.
At that, everyone looked at Cheon Woo-jin with dumbfounded faces. After all, the Green King was undeniably an expert who had reached the Realm Beyond the Heavens.
“So, did you seize it?”
“Yes, the Green King is dead.”
“…!”
The Thirteen Black Wolves were startled. Who would have thought that greedy and cautious Green King had died?
Ha In-seong’s words continued.
“Of course, we didn’t kill him; the silver-haired man killed him. We had seized the Spirit Green Pill and were returning with light and excited steps, but after sensing that energy, we went back to Tianshui Stronghold.”
Then how on earth did you seize the Spirit Green Pill? And if you sensed such a fierce energy, you should run away, so why go back there? Why?
Such questions rose right up to the throat of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, but he swallowed them down. In the first place, his son Ha In-seong did not avoid danger as long as he had sufficient reason of his own. While someone might praise it as valor worthy of the Young Castle Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, in the Castle Lord’s eyes, it was merely the immature bravado of a young martial artist.
At any rate, that son of his had met Black Elder’s disciple.
How? And why?
He didn’t even feel the will to ask such things.
“At that time, the silver-haired man and Cheon Woo-jin here exchanged this kind of conversation. ‘You killed the Demon Physician. Right, then you killed Blood Immortal.’ Ridiculous, isn’t it? I thought so too.”
Now, even the Thirteen Black Wolves gave up being surprised. At the same time, a natural question arose. Just who on earth was that fellow’s master?
Judging by the reactions of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle and Muk Si-rang, he seemed to be a venerable elder of the Unorthodox Path.
Yet, in the contemporary Unorthodox Path, the concept of a venerable elder did not exist.
Before the Black Overlord Castle, the Unorthodox Path was merely a relationship of killing and being killed, and they rarely respected each other’s seniority. They simply bowed their heads if someone was strong or had lots of money.
Therefore, the most venerable elder of the contemporary Unorthodox Path was effectively none other than the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle. For such a Lord of the Black Overlord Castle to treat someone as a senior…
In an instant, a few of the older members among the Thirteen Black Wolves were startled. Because a moniker they had lived while forgetting for a time flashed through their minds.
“C-Could it be…?”
Terror tinged their eyes, even if only for a moment.
Ha In-seong did not miss that reaction in the slightest and took it into his eyes. Just who was his master for martial artists of the Thirteen Wolves to show such a reaction?
Meanwhile, tapping the armrest with his fingers, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle murmured as if to himself.
“Perhaps that silver-haired man did not go there to kill the Green King, but might have been pursuing Woo-jin.”
“That is likely the case. Because I exchanged the bead taken from the Demon Physician’s heart for the Spirit Green Pill, and the silver-haired man took that bead after killing the Green King.”
“Muk Si-rang. How was Giant Stone Monster’s corpse?”
“His chest was torn wide open. Just as if it had been gouged out by a wild beast.”
The eyes of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle narrowed. Cutting through Giant Stone Monster’s skin was only possible for those called the Three Pillars Under Heaven, or swordsmen on the level of the Sword Demon and Sword King.
Being attacked by a wild beast made no sense.
“A bead taken from the Demon Physician’s heart, and Giant Stone Monster dead with his chest torn open.”
“Blood Immortal’s corpse was in a similar state, and above all…”
– I saw the same sight at my master Black Elder’s unearthed burial mound.
As Cheon Woo-jin’s sound transmission followed, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle jumped to his feet. Immediately, a deep shadow cast over the Castle Lord’s face.
At that sight, everyone swallowed dryly. Their leader was a man who never lost his composure under any circumstances.
Even if he heard news while eating that the Martial Alliance Leader or the Demonic Cult Leader was invading right at that moment, he was a gentleman who would say, ‘Right, it is about time we determine who the number one under heaven is. But who cooked these noodles? Why are they so bland?’ and continue moving his chopsticks. Yet such a man was wearing an extremely tense expression.
Soon, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle asked Cheon Woo-jin with a voice carrying a very faint tremor.
“Are your thoughts the same as mine?”
Everyone stared only at Cheon Woo-jin’s lips.
After a brief silence.
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head slightly and spoke.
“The Dark Emperor.”
“…!!”
“It seems he has returned.”