After reading the contents of the letter, Pae Munho looked directly at Lee Sungmin.
Lee Sungmin and Pae Munho, who clenched and unfolded his hand holding the letter, met his eyes.
Although he did not talk about the contents of the letter out loud, he could feel that Lee Sungmin would act according to the content of the search in Lee Sungmin’s attitude.
“……what kind of prank is this?”
“I have no way of knowing what my eccentric master intended to write on that letter, but I intend on following his instructions.”
Lee Sungmin grumbled and strode forwards. Pae Munho raised his shaking hand, and motioned at Lee Sungmin with his eyebrows.
Then, the warriors of the Sinsu Clan who were armed, standing behind Pae Munho, strode forward.
“The Lord Sima Ryunju, has always been mischievous. I think this is all just a joke or misunderstanding…….”
“No.”
Lee Sungmin shook his head.
“It’s not a joke. He told me to beat you down to know your position.…. Though, I don’t know why he wants me to do it.”
“Are you serious?”
After listening to Lee Sungmin’s murmur, Pae Munho laughed in vain. Sima Ryunju didn’t even come himself, to give the reason for this obnoxious letter.
Lee Sungmin, who was notoriously known as the Ghost Spear, was talked about as being quite the powerful martial artist, but considering the time he made his name, he was only in his mid twenties and at the Peak Realm.
Of course age and skill were not proportional, but Pae Munho didn’t even think Lee Sungmin was a Peak Realm Martial Artist like the rumors, he thought he even might be a First Rate Martial Artist at the Pinnacle of the threshold between First Rate and Peak Realm! Never did he think Lee Sungmin could possibly be a Transcendent. He was greatly underestimating him.
It was simply a natural arrogant nature he had developed in his time as the Vice Leader of the Sama Order.
“No matter how many times you flaunt Lord Sima Ryunju’s Dark Storm Arts in front of me, it won’t matter if the best martial art technique is being used in front of me as long as it’s not Lord Sima Ryunju himself, using it…….”
Pae Munho started to burst into laughter, until a sharp cracking sound was heard in the courtyard.
Creeaaack!
Lee Sungmin jumped through the space with the Dark Storm Arts and stood in front of Pae Munho.
Pae Munho opened his eyes wide when he saw Lee Sungmin suddenly appear in front of him.
His astonishment of Lee Sungmin’s ridiculous speed would have to come later as his vision suddenly tilted sideways out of the blue.
Crack!
A fist swung violently and made contact with the bottom of his chin, ringing his ears and making his brain shake. The fist from Lee Sungmin knocked Pae Munho to the side as blood and teeth popped right out.
Crack- Pa-Pak!
Lee Sungmin brutally continued the beating, as Pae Munho’s body rolled around the ground. He was also a master at the pinnacle of the Peak Realm, but he could not respond to the speed of the Dark Storm Arts, which contained the depth of the Transcendence in its very core. The Demonic Emperor’s Dark Storm Arts : Storm Walking (黑雷天)
“Patriarch?!”
The Sinsu Clan’s warriors screamed. Lee Sungmin ignored them and approached them with black lightning crackling all around him .
After being hit in the face all of a sudden, Pae Munho was losing his mind. The attack was carried out so fast, that he didn’t even have time to properly coat himself with his internal energy.
In fact, it would have been useless to draw out his internal energy and coat it around himself. Lee Sungmin kicked Pae Munho’s body after he let out a painful groan whilst rolling around.
Boomf-
The sound of the Vice Leader’s body, rolling around on the dirt, groaning in pain after one strike, bleeding profusely from the mouth, caused everyone in the courtyard freeze in shock, fear and admiration in some.
Lee Sungmin had properly beaten down Pae Munho in front of everyone present. He had properly fulfilled the wishes of his new master’s letter.
Lee Sungmin did not care for Pae Munho’s screams as he stomped down on his face once more. Pae Munho tried to scream and raise his internal energy but was thoroughly beaten down without a chance to resist.
“Stop!”
The Sinsu Clan warriors rushed in. However, they could not even get the chance to wield their weapons against Lee Sungmin.
Lee Sungmin’s exuding pressure of the Dragon Fear, crushed their wills and bodies mercilessly.
When he confirmed that the Sinsu Clan warriors were unable to move and immobile, he stopped stomping on Pae Munho.
Except for the Sinsu Clan’s warriors, The Sama Order’s warriors saw the display of strength with admiration, fear and reverence.
It was something none of the warriors that were unaffiliated with the Sinsu Clan could imagine. They had been the leading faction for so long in the Sama Order in terms of politics and physical might.
They had been reigning tall ever since their Lord, Sima Ryunju, had gone into seclusion over a century ago.
Yet such a political and militant force was crushed by one man alone. And so easily at that. It was an incredible sight to see, yet one that would instinctively make one flinch in fright.
Yet, this was all something that was coming back to Pae Munho, who had reigned as the Patriarch of the Sinsu Clan and an arrogant, power-hungry Vice Leader of the Sama Order.
“That…please…stop…….”
Pae Munho, who was swelling up from the bleeding, begged in an earnest voice.
Lee Sungmin nodded and raised his feet.
Splatter-
Lee Sungmin’s foot fell down with a flash and Pae Munho’s skull was crushed and his brain matter splattered all over the area.
“Oh my God… my Lord…….”
The Sinsu Clan warriors murmured with pale faces. It was because none of them, here today, imagined that the Vice Leader and Patriarch of the Sinsu Clan, Pae Munho, would die in that kind of pitiful way.
At the same time, they had no choice but to be shocked. How many people in the world could kill a master of the Peak Realm on the threshold of transcendence with such ease?
“Gahaha! You really beat that crazy bastard to death.”
It was before Lee Sungmin had a chance to even speak. A voice mixed with laughter came from not far away. Lee Sungmin knew the voice instinctively.
“……You weren’t staying in the woods?”
Lee Sungmin turned his head and stared on the roof of a nearby building.
Sima Ryunju, who was standing with his hands behind his back, smiled through the mask as he looked down at the courtyard, and more specifically at Lee Sungmin’s entrance.
Whoosh-
Sima Ryunju’s body wrapped itself in a black current of lightning, and appeared next to Lee Sungmin. He said as he glanced down at the dead body of Pae Munho.
“I gave you those instructions to make an example.”
Said Sima Ryunju. The shoulders of the Sinsu Clan warriors gathered at the courtyard were shaking. Lee Sungmin looked at Sima Ryunju standing next to him.
It wasn’t one of Lord Sima Ryunju’s incarnations. For the first time ever in 100 years, Sima Ryunju had stepped out of the Forest of the Fairies with his real and true body.
Lee Sungmin had asked Sima Ryunju what he planned on doing as Lee Sungmin left the forest, but Sima Ryunju at the time had stated he had no intention of leaving the forest then. If so, then why was Sima Ryunju here right now, and with his real body at that?
“Well, you all must have been playing around quite a bit as I was gone.”
Sima Ryunju spoke as he looked around at the several warriors in the courtyard. Especially, at the Sinsu Clan warriors in particular.
“I can tell if that’s all you have to offer, it’s no wonder the Sama Order must have been struggling till now.”
“That’s… ridiculous. It can’t be… Wasn’t the Lord gone.…?”
“Is there any reason for this old man to lie?”
Sima Ryunju asked with a smirk. The words left the warriors speechless.
These were the words of the Demonic Emperor, and their Lord. Sima Ryunju. There was nobody in the world for them they would recognize as a true powerhouse capable of wielding such power other than him.
[Ah, sorry for the late response my disciple.] (T/N : Italicized because this is Sima Ryunju talking to Lee Sungmin with mental transmission and I didn’t want to mix it with Heoju’s way of speaking….though they are similar in referring themselves to old men.]
‘Did you honestly want me to make an example like this? Is this why you didn’t want to leave?’
[It’s no longer the time for me to be staying hidden in a forest.]
‘Then for what reason?’
Lee Sungmin didn’t want to go to the Sama Order Headquarters to be recognized as the successor, since he found it troublesome. But, if it was his new master, he didn’t see a reason to refuse as Sima Ryunju rarely asked for things.
‘Wait… You were kicked out, weren’t you?’
[It’s not like there’s not a reason, but I was asked to leave for a reason.]
[Don’t tell me you already missed me, my little disciple?]
Lee Sungmin grumbled and averted his eyes at his master’s teasing, but Sima Ryunju simply chuckled behind the mask at Lee Sungmin’s pouty behavior.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back here.”
Sima Ryunju looked around and murmured. He had said it like so, but there was no sign of welcome or happiness in his voice.
“Follow me.”
Sima Ryunju twirled around and spoke. His tone and attitude were blatantly revealing that he had been forced to come, and really did not want to be there at that moment.
Lee Sungmin did not react much to Sima Ryunju’s cold attitude since he knew that was merely how his master was, but the other warriors in the courtyard made dumbfounded expressions at their Lord’s sudden appearance and clear disdain for them.
“You’re too cold-hearted, aren’t you?”
“What does it matter?”
Lee Sungmin asked Sima Ryunju as he followed behind him diligently.
“In the first place, I don’t have much attachment to the organization and internal structure of the Order anymore. I used to be quite attached to things like those, but not anymore.”
“Then why don’t you just step back from it all?”
“Even if I have regrets about creating such an organization, I should take some responsibility as the umbrella for some of these practitioners. If this old man left and stepped down, The Murim Alliance would immediately declare and wage war on the weakened organization.”
“But do you even care if that happens?”
“You seem to see this old man as cold-blooded. Of course I care.”
Sima Ryunju grumbled. Even though he had said he didn’t act much, he had established terminals of communication with the Branch Heads through Oslo, and relayed his commands and reports through them,
[He says he has no attachments with the organization, but I can tell he’s not being very straightforward with his words.]
Heoju said with a smirk. Lee Sungmin also felt the same as Heoju. If he didn’t have any lingering attachments, he wouldn’t have had Lee Sungmin kill Pae Munho who was most likely conspiring with the Murim Alliance to weaken the Sama Order.
“Why did the Fairy Queen suddenly let you leave?”
“She said it’s time….”
Sima Ryunju murmured. He glanced away and looked at Lee Sungmin.
“I don’t know exactly what this… time is that she was talking about. She said it was almost time for me to fulfill my promise with her, and that in order to do so, I would need to leave the Forest.”
“……so that’s why you left the Forest of the Fairies?”
“Yes.”
Sima Ryunju opened the closed door. His spacious office was neat because there had been no one using it while he was gone, but a little dust was piled up.
He flopped on the chair behind his desk and looked up at Lee Sungmin.
“Well, it’s not a bad thing. I didn’t like leaving the forest very much, but it’s true that coming back to Sama Order has made things easier for me in the sense of our enemies’ movements.”
“What do you mean?”
“You proved your succession by beating down the Vice Leader and killing him effortlessly. Rumors will spread undoubtedly and your identity as the Ghost Spear will be in the same sentence as the successor to the Sama Order. With this, it’ll be easier to predict Beyond the Heavens and the Murim Alliance’s movements.”
Sima Ryunju murmured and caressed the mask on his face.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do or what they’re planning, but we’re not going to stay still. And neither will you anymore, since now you’re openly going against their plans with this. They definitely will become more aggressive in their movements.”
“I suppose so.”
“Stay in the Order’s Headquarters for a while. We need to see what they’re going to do.”
“How long am I supposed to stay here?”
“I’m not giving you an order or anything, you’re free to your own autonomy.”
Sima Ryunju spoke in an emotionless tone.
“It’s up to you to decide on what you want to do. I don’t intend to restrain your freedom. As you have now officially become the successor to this old man, you are going to be under the limelight no matter where you go now. So you’re free to do whatever you want, but I doubt it will be easy for you to move.”
Lee Sungmin nodded his head. There was nothing truly urgent to do right now for him anyways.
Wijihoyeon also said that she would come to Sama Order’s Headquarters to visit him when her business was finished, so there was no real downside to staying in the Headquarters until then.
I may have to go to Dwarf’s village someday, but it’s not urgent enough to go right away.
There was no set date that Wijihoyeon and Lee Sungmin had made for her to return, but it wasn’t something either of them were impatient about.
Even as Lee Sungmin had been resting himself within the headquarters of the Sama Order within the mountains of Hadras, there was not much going on. Sima Ryunju would occasionally stop by and check on his progress with his martial arts, and there was never a dull moment with Heoju inside his shared conscience with him.
There were no others within the order that would visit, see or even talk to Lee Sungmin other than the two, since he had been secluding himself to training.
However, Lee Sungmin heard about the rumors circulating within Eria right now. Sima Ryunju had told him the updates as to what had happened, and it was as both of them had predicted.
It was quickly spread that the ‘Ghost Spear’, Lee Sungmin had formally become the successor to the Sama Order.
And it was often mentioned in the same sentence that something incredible had happened. And that was the fact that Sima Ryunju, who had not been seen for the past century, had returned with his new disciple!
However…. There was one more odd rumor that had started rearing its ugly head.
The ‘Devil of the North’.
Kim Jonghyun.
He was starting to become active again.