Chapter 315: The Unprecedented Crisis Sweeping Through the Murim (1)
In truth, the fact that the Evil Overlords of Heaven had been attacked had already reached me several weeks ago.
However, the content was so outrageous that not only the Hao Sect, but even the Beggars' Sect had gotten involved in verifying the information.
And the result was this.
"In fact, it’s been confirmed that there were a total of five intruders who broke into the Evil Overlords of Heaven at that time."
Only five had broken through the main base of the Evil Overlords of Heaven, guarded by thousands of elite warriors, and had taken down the Evil Overlord himself.
"I heard that the Ten Thousand Evil King, Gu Yomyeong, initially fought one-on-one with someone, but was ultimately killed after being attacked by the four others who suddenly joined the fight."
Sama Eun’s face turned deathly pale.
"How… how could that possibly happen?"
The Evil Overlords of Heaven were not just some minor or medium sect gathering a few dozen or hundreds of members.
They were a dominant force that had practically unified the entire Qinghai Province with an army numbering in the tens of thousands.
"I can’t believe it either, but… it seems to be true."
Even if five Peak Master Level experts had pushed their way through, it should have been impossible.
No, even if they somehow made it in front of the Evil Overlord, killing Gu Yomyeong itself was near impossible.
"Even if it was five against one…"
"Exactly. Normally, you wouldn’t be taken down so easily, even when outnumbered."
For such a situation to occur, there was only one possibility.
Sama Eun let out a bitter sigh.
"An internal traitor…"
"That’s right. The Beggars' Sect and the Hao Sect are both saying that’s the most likely explanation."
"There might be more than just one or two traitors, then."
At the very least, they had to be people capable of deeply interfering with the deployment of the main base’s forces to open the way straight to Gu Yomyeong.
"I heard the one who has now risen as the new Evil Overlord is someone named Lee Jaseong, known as the Blazing Heavenly King. The Beggars' Sect and the Hao Sect are said to be gathering every piece of information they can about him."
"……."
"And… though it’s still just a rumor, there’s talk that the Sect Leader of the Jeomchang Sect has also fallen."
The Jeomchang Sect was technically one of the Nine Orthodox Sects, but it was located in the treacherous regions of Yunnan, even farther out than Sichuan.
Naturally, news from them would rarely make it to the Central Plains so quickly.
But as they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
After a moment of thought, she spoke to Baek Sang-ah.
"It’s almost certainly them."
"…It must be."
Ever since getting involved with Jin Yeomyung, the Heaven-Defying Society had lost a significant number of its top brass, including many of the Ten Heavenly Lords.
Yet they still had the strength to pull something like this. It was utterly shocking.
"Summon the Black Sky Meeting immediately."
"……!"
Baek Sang-ah’s expression hardened.
"Eun-ah. Don’t tell me…"
"Yes, if the Evil Overlords of Heaven have been attacked, then there’s no telling when our Black Lotus Union might be next."
Though the Black Lotus Union had grown rapidly in recent times, they were still no match for the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
On top of that, their organizational structure was far more porous, making it easier for enemies to infiltrate compared to the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
"More importantly… the Saber King… no, the Ten Thousand Evil Blade Emperor is currently away at the main house, so we must reinforce our defenses even more."
"…You’re right."
It was then.
"Uwaaagh!"
"Intruders!"
"Stop them!!"
"……!!"
The screams from below froze both of their expressions.
The timing was far too perfect to be a coincidence.
Amidst the shouts of countless warriors drawing their weapons, the sound of something being smashed and broken echoed up as well.
Baek Sang-ah grabbed her sword and spoke.
"I’ll go out. Eun, you stay here."
"Unni?!"
"There’s no reason for us to hold this position without the Saber King. Going out to face them head-on is the best course."
From her bosom, she took out the black mask that Cheon Yura had once handed her.
The mask, now known as the Black Sky Master Mask, the symbol of the leader of the Black Lotus Union, was pressed to her face without a moment of hesitation.
Click!
And with that, she kicked open the window and leapt toward the ground.
"L-Lotus Mistress!"
"It’s the Lotus Mistress!"
Boom!
The moment she landed heavily on the ground with immense weight, she was met with the sight of dozens of fallen Lotus Hall members, their bodies ripped to shreds.
Seeing that, her eyes twitched.
"Heh? I didn’t expect the Lotus Mistress to come out so quickly."
The culprits behind the carnage were three masked men and women.
However, I instantly recognized a physical trait that gave away their true nature….
"Awakened Bodies?"
All three of them had appearances that no longer looked human.
"Oh? You recognize us?"
The woman, who appeared to be the leader and the only female among them, let out a whistle.
"I thought the Awakened Bodies of the Heaven-Defying Society couldn’t operate during the day… what’s going on here?"
"Fufu, you know well. Of course, if you can recognize Awakened Bodies, you’d naturally know that much too."
Shlick!
The woman’s ten fingernails extended like claws.
The problem was that each claw radiated power comparable to Qi Projection.
"I am called Dark Sky Flower, Woo Hwayoung. That’s the name bestowed upon me by our lord."
Fwoosh!
The moment she finished speaking, her five claws shot toward Baek Sang-ah’s forehead.
"L-Lotus Mistress!"
In that instant, Baek Sang-ah’s figure dispersed into sand.
"……!"
Woo Hwayoung’s eyes twitched for a moment.
"Ugly face, but what an impressive title you’ve got there."
One of Baek Sang-ah’s twin swords slashed through Woo Hwayoung’s mask like a lightning bolt.
Rip!
The mask was torn apart in an instant, revealing a face twisted with viciousness.
"Kh!"
"To think you killed one of the Five Kings of the Central Plains with skills like that? Why don’t you try a bit harder?"
Well, I supposed extreme regenerative power was typical of Awakened Bodies, so I wasn’t surprised.
But the fact that she had failed to counter the earlier strike was nothing short of disappointing.
‘If possible, I wanted to see what tricks you’ve been hiding… should I just kill you now?’
From deep within her heart, the killing intent that So Jeong had planted quietly began to bloom.
In just a fleeting moment, I evaluated their strength and concluded that, at best, they were no more than Peak Master Level.
It seemed better to simply kill them cleanly here, no matter what hidden cards they might have, if only to prevent unnecessary casualties on our side.
‘Yes, let’s kill them.’
The moment I made up my mind, I sensed something foreign emerging from the floor right behind me.
There had been no prior signs, no murderous intent.
From the shadow cast by my tilted body, a sharp black spike suddenly sprang forth.
Had my reaction been even a second slower, it would have pierced straight through my heart.
However.
In an instant, I activated the Displacement Illusion beneath my feet, causing the black spike to miss its mark.
Woo Hwayoung’s expression twisted slightly.
"…You dodged that?"
"……."
"Even that old man, the Ten Thousand Evil King, barely avoided having his heart pierced. You’re better than I thought."
"……."
Woo Hwayoung sneered with a chilling grin.
"But do you think you can keep dodging forever? As long as there are shadows, your back, your ankles, your legs, even your most hidden places will be constantly targeted."
The ability itself was certainly threatening.
It was an assassination technique that transcended the boundaries of traditional martial arts, capable of exploiting even the slightest opening, no matter how great the expert.
However.
I let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Is this it? This cheap trick you lot have been relying on?"
"……What?"
"I expected something impressive. Well, I’ll give you this much—you caught me off guard."
"You filthy wench, how dare you act all high and mighty?!"
Papapapap!
Dozens of spikes shot out at once, aiming to skewer my entire body.
These weren’t simple thrusts.
They moved with unnerving flexibility, seeking to bind my movements entirely.
Just as they were about to pierce through me like a skewer—
Thunk!
"…Huh?"
Before I knew it, my sword had already pierced through Woo Hwayoung’s collarbone.
"Thi… this…."
She seemed to struggle, but all she could do was tremble violently.
Looking at her, I smiled gently.
"You can’t move, can you?"
"……."
"I noticed something. Unlike normal Dantians, your Qi seems to be concentrated around your neck bones."
"How… how did you…"
"Well, it’s thanks to some special training, but still, it’s fascinating. Your body may look human on the outside, but structurally, you’re completely different."
…Gulp.
At last, I could see the change in her expression.
"I can more or less see your strategy now. You used that special ability to pin him down somehow… and then took the Ten Thousand Evil King down in a mutual death strike, didn’t you?"
Though not entirely accurate, my guess was frighteningly close to the truth.
"No need to hold back! Kill this wench right now!"
Woo Hwayoung screamed at the two standing behind her.
"……."
But for some reason, there was no response from them.
"I said kill her! Can’t you hear me?!"
Just as she raised her voice in desperation—
"Yaaawn… what’s with all this noise?"
"……?!"
Instead of her allies’ voices, a lazy and completely unmotivated voice echoed from behind her.
With strained, trembling muscles, Woo Hwayoung turned her head with great effort.
And there, standing behind her—
"…How?"
A long-haired young man I had never seen before was casually holding both of her subordinates by the neck, yawning without a care in the world.
"Ah, did I interrupt?"
"No, Young Master So Cheon. In fact, your timing was perfect."
Though those two had fallen rather easily to So Cheon, I suspected they had possessed some other special abilities.
But honestly, they just had terrible luck.
If this had been before, perhaps it would have been different, but now, I was no longer a mere martial artist.
"Unbelievable… to think our completed forms would fall so easily… to someone who looks like just a kid…"
Woo Hwayoung stammered, mumbling as if in denial.
"W-We… we are… the new humanity… surpassing the Ten Heavenly Lords…."
"What the hell is she babbling about?"
Slash!
Before she could finish whatever nonsense she was about to spout, her head was cleanly severed from her body.
Even with their transcendent vitality, it seemed that not even Awakened Bodies could survive with their heads separated from their torsos.
"Waaaaahhhh!"
"Long live the Lotus Mistress!"
Having crushed the three intruders who had massacred dozens of warriors in an instant, the Black Lotus Union warriors erupted in cheers.
"So, who the hell are these guys?"
"I’m not completely certain yet, but they appear to be new forces of the Heaven-Defying Society."
"Heaven-Defying Society?"
So Cheon glanced down at the severed head in his hand and frowned slightly.
"They look pretty weak…."
"…That’s just because you’ve gotten way too strong, Young Master So Cheon."
I stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
He showed no emotion whatsoever. It was one of the highest states an assassin could reach—the state of No Intent.
Having perfectly embodied the teachings of So Jeong, the Death Demon, So Cheon now stood as the single greatest asymmetric force in all of the Central Plains.
"Still, we were lucky this time. Military Advisor Seo."
Seo Muwon, who had arrived late, bowed his head.
"Yes, Mistress."
"I’d like to install a formation across the entire main base. Do we have the budget for it?"
Seo Muwon smiled lightly as he answered.
"Please don’t worry. This year, I dare say that the Black Lotus Union is wealthier than even the Murim Alliance."
It was the kind of statement that would make that greedy bastard Jin drool.
"Good. There might be more attacks coming. Start the preparations as quickly as possible."
"Understood."
Though we had narrowly avoided disaster, I still couldn’t shake the unease from my face.
That so-called Blazing Heavenly King, who was said to have killed the Ten Thousand Evil King, hadn’t even shown up this time.
He must have thought that these three were more than enough to handle the Black Lotus Union, which had less power than the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
Just imagining what kind of monsters they might send next already gave me a headache.
‘Master… no, that damn bastard always said that in situations like this, I shouldn’t wait but strike first….’
So Jeong had always hammered into me that assassins were meant to hunt, not to wait.
‘If I trace their movements through the Hao Sect…?’
It seemed entirely possible.
Just then—
"Unni! I mean, Mistress!"
Sama Eun, who had been hiding in the office, suddenly rushed out, looking panicked.
"J-Just now, a letter arrived from the Ten Thousand Evil Blade Emperor…."
"From Grandfather? What’s the news?"
Soon, I heard some truly unwelcome news.
"T-The Patriarch of the Bukcheon Geom Clan has been attacked and is in critical condition… It seems the Ten Thousand Evil Blade Emperor won’t be able to return to the Black Lotus Union for a while!"
"……!"