Chapter 178

Hwa Yu-cheon’s eyebrows shot toward the sky.

It was not the gentle expression he usually wore. Just the raising of his eyebrows changed his entire impression.

The moment they saw his eyes, filled with killing intent, and his fierce expression, his trusted subordinates froze like ice.

If Hwa Yu-cheon had been a merely good person, the Heavenly Eunuch Clan would not have grown to this extent. He was a tyrant disguised as a good man.

His subordinates, who knew his true nature, didn’t dare to even breathe loudly at this rare sight of his real self.

“So you’re telling me the Outer Hall has collapsed and they’ve fled?”

“That is correct.”

“Without my command, they dared to abandon the Forest of the Dead on their own?”

“I apologize.”

The martial artist reporting bowed his head and apologized as if it were his own fault. But that did not appease Hwa Yu-cheon’s anger.

“What was the Outer Hall Leader doing that he couldn’t stop his subordinates from fleeing?”

“That is…”

“Speak!”

“Circumstantially, it seems he has lost his life.”

“Circumstantially? What kind of bullshit is that?”

“According to those who fled, the Outer Hall Leader remained until the very end.”

“And?”

“That was the last of him. The Outer Hall Leader was nowhere to be found.”

“This is driving me crazy! What in the world is going on?”

Hwa Yu-cheon’s anger finally exploded.

A short while ago, the martial artists of the Outer Hall had suddenly broken rank and fled.

It was impossible from the start to stop all of them as they fled in all directions, terrified. So they had caught a martial artist passing nearby to question him, but all he could manage to say was that there was a demon in the Forest of the Dead.

It was impossible to get any accurate information from him, who was babbling incoherently with a face full of terror.

One thing was certain: someone had intervened, and he had inflicted extreme terror upon the martial artists of the Outer Hall.

Hwa Yu-cheon looked at Mae Bul-gun.

“Steward Mae!”

“Your command, Manor Lord!”

“You find the Outer Hall Leader. And find out who caused this mess.”

“I will carry out your order.”

Mae Bul-gun replied, bowing his head deeply.

He was the one being Hwa Yu-cheon could trust the most.

He didn’t hold the position of Steward simply because he was quick with calculations and skilled in administration.

Aside from Hwa Yu-cheon, the strongest person in the Heavenly Eunuch Clan was Mae Bul-gun. The only person who knew this fact was Hwa Yu-cheon himself. That was why he could entrust him with dangerous missions.

Mae Bul-gun selected a few trustworthy subordinates and left the ranks.

His figure soon disappeared into the bushes.

“Of all times, at this important moment…”

Hwa Yu-cheon clicked his tongue.

He had unexpectedly clashed with Juk Hae-jang.

He was flustered at first, but later thought it was for the best.

Until now, he had expanded his influence by nibbling away at Juk Hae-jang’s territory, but he had eventually reached a limit.

To expand his territory any further, he had to clash head-on with Juk Hae-jang.

It was burdensome and he had no justification, so he had only been testing the waters, but unexpectedly, Yeo Hwa-yeong had moved her troops and attacked.

For Hwa Yu-cheon, it was as if an itch on his back had been scratched by the other party.

It was a golden opportunity to obtain the Gongpo Sword and inflict a major blow on Juk Hae-jang if he played his cards right.

If he missed this moment, he didn’t know when such an opportunity would come again. That was why he had committed additional troops, but he hadn’t expected things to go awry like this before he had even secured the Gongpo Sword.

Hwa Yu-cheon looked around.

His subordinates were just looking at him.

This was the problem.

Without Hwa Yu-cheon and Mae Bul-gun, the rest were like useless scarecrows. They only moved when given specific instructions; they never acted on their own initiative.

It was a chronic problem for new sects like the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, which had risen on the powerful presence and leadership of their head.

But he couldn’t take his anger out on his subordinates. After all, they were the precious foundation that had built the Heavenly Eunuch Clan of today.

Instead, he looked for someone else.

“Why is Ok-gi not here?”

“The Young Master left earlier, saying he would move separately.”

“Alone?”

“His friends, Young Master Im Tae-mun and Miss Geum Ju-hwa, went with him.”

“Then I can rest easy.”

No matter how much he disliked him, he was his only blood relative. The reason he was expanding the Heavenly Eunuch Clan like a madman was to pass on a proper foundation to his son.

It was then.

Whoooosh!

A particularly eerie wind blew, caressing Hwa Yu-cheon and the martial artists of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan.

“Ugh!”

One of the martial artists shivered.

Mok Ga-hye clenched her teeth.

A single sword was held in her arms.

It was the Gongpo Sword, which all the martial artists who entered the forest were so desperately seeking.

Because of this one sword, countless martial artists were frantically searching the Forest of the Dead.

‘Martial Sword Orabeoni!’

Mok Ga-hye endured by thinking of Shin Mu-geom.

To let her escape, Shin Mu-geom had remained in the middle of the Forest of the Dead.

In her heart, she didn’t want to leave his side. But if she was there, Shin Mu-geom would be distracted and unable to display his full skills.

So, holding back tears, she fled alone.

‘Just stay alive. I’ll find a way to save you.’

Just a few days ago, Mok Ga-hye had a very gentle disposition. But after suffering one hardship after another, she had become hard-bitten.

Her eyes were filled with Poison Qi.

She couldn’t trust anyone but Shin Mu-geom.

In this isolated situation, the only one she could trust was herself.

She was swallowing her tears and steadfastly pushing her way through the bushes.

Shhhik!

Suddenly, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out from ahead.

Mok Ga-hye dropped to the ground almost instinctively. That action saved her life.

Thwack!

A rather large saber was stuck in a tree trunk, quivering. Someone had thrown the saber like a hidden weapon.

Mok Ga-hye raised her head and looked in the direction the saber had flown from.

“Miss Mok! Is that you?”

Seven martial artists were approaching her.

They were martial artists from Juk Hae-jang, each one of them exuding a sharp aura.

Their gazes were fixed on the Gongpo Sword that Mok Ga-hye was holding.

“Hand over that sword, and we’ll spare your life.”

The lead martial artist said, holding out his hand. But Mok Ga-hye didn’t believe his words.

He was the one who had thrown a saber at her without warning. It was fortunate she had dodged it; if her reaction had been even a little slower, she would have lost her life.

Mok Ga-hye was not naive enough to trust someone who had thrown a saber with the intent to kill.

Mok Ga-hye hid the Gongpo Sword behind her back and retreated. At that, an irritated look appeared on the lead martial artist’s face.

“Can’t you see that many people are suffering because of you? It would be in your best interest to hand over the sword at once.”

Yeo Hwa-yeong had repeatedly warned the martial artists of Juk Hae-jang not to take Mok Ga-hye’s life. Just taking the Gongpo Sword would be a huge blow to her. As a fellow woman, she had shown her some consideration.

The martial artists of Juk Hae-jang had initially tried to follow her orders. But as the clashes with the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s martial artists intensified and numerous casualties occurred, their minds changed.

They thought that Mok Ga-hye was the cause of this whole situation.

If Mok Ga-hye hadn’t escaped the Heavenly Eunuch Clan with the Gongpo Sword in the first place, this disaster wouldn’t have happened.

Thinking that they had lost their comrades because of Mok Ga-hye, a fire raged within them.

Although they had participated in the fight for the Gongpo Sword because of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s greed, as the damage grew, Mok Ga-hye also became an object of their hatred.

They glared at Mok Ga-hye with eyes full of killing intent.

In the past, Mok Ga-hye would not have dared to meet their eyes. But now was different.

“This sword is my family’s heirloom. What right do you have to demand it?”

“Not having the strength to protect a treasure is a sin in itself. You are not qualified to possess that sword.”

“I thought only the Heavenly Eunuch Clan was a den of wolves, but Juk Hae-jang is no different. Did Miss Yeo order you to take the sword by force? If so, then she is just as wicked as the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s Manor Lord, Hwa Yu-cheon.”

“How dare you insult our Miss.”

The lead martial artist shouted in anger.

Mok Ga-hye found the scene quite amusing.

They spewed insults at her without hesitation, yet they got so angry when their master heard something slightly unpleasant.

Her powerlessness was her sin. That was why she was being shaken and insulted like this.

Chwaang!

Mok Ga-hye drew her own sword and pointed it at the lead martial artist.

“I can insult your Miss as much as I want. If you don’t want to hear insults from me, you’ll have to take my life.”

“Fine! I was planning to do just that anyway.”

The lead martial artist and his subordinates attacked Mok Ga-hye.

Mok Ga-hye swung her sword with all her might, fighting back.

Kagagagang!

Sparks flew in all directions as swords clashed.

Mok Ga-hye fought back with all her strength. But she was at a disadvantage not only in martial arts but also in numbers.

“Aack!”

She couldn’t last even twenty seconds before she was grievously wounded.

Mok Ga-hye collapsed, bleeding profusely.

The lead martial artist approached her.

“It would have been so much better if you had just handed over the Gongpo Sword obediently.”

He pointed his sword at Mok Ga-hye’s neck.

Mok Ga-hye couldn’t offer any resistance.

She felt no fear or shame. She was just furious. She was furious at the reality of having to suffer like this because she had no power.

“Tsk! I wondered who it was, but it was the vermin of Juk Hae-jang.”

Just then, a cold voice came from within the bushes.

“Who goes there?”

The lead martial artist took his sword from Mok Ga-hye’s neck and glared in the direction the voice came from.

At that moment, two men and one woman emerged, parting the bushes.

The moment he saw the person in the lead, the lead martial artist’s expression twisted.

“Hwa Ok-gi?”

“How dare you be rude to a guest of this clan.”

The man at the front was none other than Hwa Ok-gi, the young lord of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan. Following behind him were Im Tae-mun and Geum Ju-hwa.

His subordinates were on standby nearby.

If they were alright, they would have alerted him when Hwa Ok-gi and the others approached. The lack of contact meant they had already been wiped out.

The bloodstains dotting their clothes must have belonged to his subordinates.

“Don’t think you’ll be leaving here alive today.”

The lead martial artist pointed his sword at Hwa Ok-gi.

In that instant, killing intent filled Hwa Ok-gi’s eyes.

“I don’t know who should be saying that to whom.”

Although his reputation had been tarnished by the incident of abandoning Hwangbo Chiseung, Hwa Ok-gi’s martial arts were not to be trifled with.

Hwa Ok-gi thought that if he achieved something significant this time, he could regain Hwa Yu-cheon’s trust.

Geum Ju-hwa moved to Hwa Ok-gi’s side.

“I’ll help too.”

“Mm!”

Hwa Ok-gi nodded.

Im Tae-mun took a subtle step back and said,

“Then I’ll secure Mok Ga-hye and the Gongpo Sword.”

No matter how well Hwa Ok-gi and Geum Ju-hwa subdued the Juk Hae-jang martial artists, if they let Mok Ga-hye get away, it would all be for nothing.

“Charge!”

At that moment, the Juk Hae-jang martial artists attacked Hwa Ok-gi and Geum Ju-hwa.

Kagagagang!

A fierce two-versus-seven battle unfolded.

Hwa Ok-gi and Geum Ju-hwa’s martial arts were formidable, but the seven from Juk Hae-jang were elite martial artists. They used their numerical advantage to attack the two.

While the two forces fought fiercely, Im Tae-mun approached Mok Ga-hye.

Mok Ga-hye stood up and pointed her sword.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Heh heh! Putting on a brave face when you’re already injured…”

Im Tae-mun scoffed and approached her without hesitation.

“Hiyat!”

Mok Ga-hye gathered her remaining strength and swung her sword. But Im Tae-mun easily snatched her wrist and pulled her in.

“Ack!”

Mok Ga-hye screamed as she was pulled into Im Tae-mun’s embrace.

While holding her, Im Tae-mun took the Gongpo Sword that was on her back.

“No!”

Mok Ga-hye flailed her hands, trying to take back the Gongpo Sword, but she was no match for the man’s brute strength.

Not content with just taking the Gongpo Sword, Im Tae-mun began to grope Mok Ga-hye’s body as he held her.

“Heuk!”

Mok Ga-hye felt like she wanted to die from the shame.

She tried to resist, but she couldn’t muster any strength due to the wounds inflicted by the Juk Hae-jang martial artists.

“Heh heh!”

Im Tae-mun’s hands grew bolder.

While Hwa Ok-gi and Geum Ju-hwa were fighting for their lives, he was preoccupied with satisfying his own desires.

‘Who cares? She’s a bitch who’s going to die soon anyway.’

He acted this way because he thought Hwa Yu-cheon would never let Mok Ga-hye live.

Naturally, there was no guilt whatsoever.

Jureureuk!

It was the moment a thick teardrop rolled down Mok Ga-hye’s cheek.

“Noona! Should I kill him for you?”

A playful voice was heard.