Chapter 197

Pyo Wol had thought he was the only one who knew about the Life-Death Blood Point. But on second thought, with the long history of Jianghu, it was nothing but arrogance to believe he was the only one.

Assassins had existed since the beginning of Jianghu.

It wouldn’t be strange at all if one of them had discovered the Life-Death Blood Point.

If they had researched it for generations, they might have even found a way to detect the changes in the location of the Life-Death Blood Point.

There was only one group in Jianghu with such a time-honored art of assassination.

“Hundred Wraith Union.”

Besides himself, the only other place that possessed such an advanced Killing Method was the Hundred Wraith Union. However, he couldn’t claim the culprit was from the Hundred Wraith Union based on a single Silver Needle.

The evidence was too weak.

In any case, just by identifying Lee Soyeol’s cause of death, he had achieved a small part of his goal. But Pyo Wol had no intention of being satisfied with just this.

He had asked for Lee Soyeol’s body to be moved to the Scripture Depository for another reason.

Pyo Wol approached the bookshelves of the Scripture Depository. He scanned the titles of the books.

Jianghu Sect Activity Report.

Demonic Heaven Great War Secret Records.

Blood Heaven War Records.

Jianghu Secret History.

The shelves were lined with rare books that could never be found on the market.

Pyo Wol paid no attention to the other books, pulling out those related to the history of Jianghu and beginning to read them at a rapid pace.

Flip! Flip-flip!

The pages turned quickly.

It was a speed made possible not by reading to understand, but by forcibly cramming the contents of the books into his head.

These books were the very reason Pyo Wol had come to the Wudang Sect.

Flip-flip-flip!

Pyo Wol exerted extreme mental power and read the books at a terrifying speed.

The time allowed to him was not very long.

He had to read all the books he had marked within the given time.

He read without even blinking an eye.

Thud! Thud!

Books were pulled from the shelves and put back again and again.

Pyo Wol read nearly a dozen books in a single Shichen. It was a truly frightening speed.

He wanted to read more, but it was impossible to stay inside the Scripture Depository any longer.

A loud commotion had been audible from outside the Scripture Depository for a little while now.

The rising voices of the people suggested that the patience of the Wudang Sect’s Daoist Masters was reaching its limit.

Thud!

After placing the Blood Heaven War Records back on the shelf as the last book, Pyo Wol stepped out of the Scripture Depository.

“You bastard! What were you doing to waste so much time?”

As soon as he came out, Woo Seong Dojang approached, his eyes wide with anger.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off the Scripture Depository for a single moment while Pyo Wol was inside, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.

“Junior Martial Brother! Stop it.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang tried to stop him, but Woo Seong Dojang did not back down.

The other Daoist Masters’ faces were also full of anger.

They all glared at Pyo Wol as if they wanted to eat him alive. But Pyo Wol himself didn’t even spare them a glance.

Pyo Wol’s attitude infuriated the Daoist Masters even more.

“That man…”

“How dare he!”

They thought Pyo Wol was ignoring them.

Their thoughts were correct.

At that moment, they were not in Pyo Wol’s sight.

Pyo Wol’s gaze was directed behind Woo Seong Dojang.

To be precise, it was where the stairs leading up to the Scripture Depository were.

Whooosh!

A wind was blowing up from the bottom of the stairs.

More accurately, someone was walking up, bringing the wind with them.

Woo Seong Dojang and the other Daoist Masters had not yet noticed this fact.

Their great anger towards Pyo Wol had paralyzed their nerves and senses.

Only the relatively clear-headed Woo Pyeong Dojang felt something was strange and looked back.

Kuuuu!

The wind grew stronger.

Only after a wind strong enough to make everyone’s clothes flutter blew in did Woo Seong Dojang and the Daoist Masters realize that something unusual was happening.

They quickly turned around. Then they saw an old Daoist Master climbing the stairs.

The moment they saw the old Daoist Master, the Daoist Masters of the Wudang Sect felt as if their entire bodies were being mercilessly pierced by awls, and their faces turned pale.

“Huk! Martial Uncle!”

“Why is Martial Grand-Uncle Sangjin here?”

“Ah!”

They instantly recognized the old Daoist Master’s identity.

The old Daoist Master was Sangjin Jin-in, known as the number one sword of Wudang.

Sangjin Jin-in climbed the stairs with the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword held behind his back. A blade-like aura flowed from his entire body.

“Disciple Woo-pyeong greets Martial Uncle.”

“Woo-sung pays his respects to Martial Uncle.”

“We greet Martial Grand-Uncle.”

All the Daoist Masters gathered in front of the Scripture Depository performed a Fist-Palm Salute to Sangjin Jin-in.

Among them, the only ones who remained still were Pyo Wol and Soma.

Soma hid behind Pyo Wol and glared at Sangjin Jin-in. But Sangjin Jin-in didn’t even glance at Soma.

His gaze was fixed on Pyo Wol.

“So you’re that murderous demon.”

Sangjin Jin-in said abruptly.

His voice was thick with killing intent.

Sangjin Jin-in hated letting an assassin into the pure grounds of the Wudang Sect more than death itself.

“Consider yourself lucky, you murderous demon! If it weren’t for the matter of finding So-yeol’s cause of death, I would have torn you into a thousand, ten thousand pieces right now. If you don’t want to die a miserable death at my hands, you’d better pray you find the cause of death.”

At Sangjin Jin-in’s threat, Woo Pyeong Dojang quickly stepped forward.

“Martial Uncle! Great Hero Pyo is here to help us.”

“Shut up, Woo-pyeong! Have you no pride? How dare you let a murderous demon like him into the lands of Wudang. Once the Sect Master’s birthday celebration is over, I will give you a stern punishment.”

At Sangjin Jin-in’s roar, Woo Pyeong Dojang closed his eyes.

Sangjin Jin-in was famous for being rigid even in normal times.

His thinking all revolved around Wudang.

He could never tolerate any existence that harmed the prestige of Wudang in the slightest, which had caused many incidents. But paradoxically, that obsession of his made him strive even harder in his Martial Arts.

He delved into Wudang’s Martial Arts with the sole intention of not forgiving Wudang’s enemies. Thanks to that, he earned the reputation of being Wudang’s number one sword, and achieved a level where, with the exception of Ilgeom Jin-in, he had no rival in the Wudang Sect.

If Sangjin Jin-in had possessed a slightly more flexible way of thinking, the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect would have been him, not Cheongjin Jin-in.

In any case, in terms of Martial Arts alone, Sangjin Jin-in could be called the top Expert in Wudang. When he openly showed his hostility, the air in the area began to boil frighteningly.

“Keuk!”

“Huk!”

The Daoist Masters were pushed back by Sangjin Jin-in’s formidable aura. But Pyo Wol, who was at the center of the killing intent, showed no reaction at all.

Sangjin Jin-in’s eyebrow twitched.

His pride was hurt by Pyo Wol’s lack of reaction to him.

When he revealed this much of his aura, one should show a reaction, whether they liked it or not, but Pyo Wol showed none of that.

Sangjin Jin-in strode towards Pyo Wol and said.

“Are you ignoring me right now?”

“No!”

“Then why don’t you answer?”

“I was calculating.”

Pyo Wol answered indifferently.

That attitude made Sangjin Jin-in’s anger explode even more.

“What kind of calculation are you talking about?”

“How to kill you easily. And how to escape the Wudang Sect after killing you.”

“You?”

Sangjin Jin-in’s eyebrows shot up to the sky.

His anger had reached its peak.

“It seems you look down on the Wudang Sect. How dare a mere assassin say such outrageous things.”

“It’s not that Wudang is laughable. It’s you who’s laughable.”

A Crimson Light flickered in Pyo Wol’s still eyes.

For a moment, Sangjin Jin-in felt a chill in his chest and unknowingly took a step back.

“Whatever your feelings about me, I am a guest invited by the Wudang Sect. If I bothered you that much, you should have just not let me in from the beginning. Once you’ve let me in, if you act like that, who would trust a sect called Wudang?”

“How dare you…”

Hwak!

With Sangjin Jin-in’s roar, his robes swelled as if they would burst. His Carefree Headband also came undone, and his hair flew about wildly like seaweed.

The disciples of the Wudang Sect wore expressions of awe at the sight, as if the True Martial Great Emperor himself had descended. But Pyo Wol, who was directly in front of Sangjin Jin-in, continued to speak without a single change in his expression.

“Attack me if you want. It will only tarnish the reputation of the Wudang Sect.”

“There’s nothing a man with only a mouth can’t say.”

“You think I’m all talk? I’ll tell you what will happen after I count to ten. First, I’ll escape. I’ll leave the Wudang Sect and hide deep in Mount Wudang.”

Pyo Wol boldly declared that he would escape.

It was a statement that the martial artists of the Orthodox Faction, who valued their honor, would never dare to make.

Especially for the Daoist Masters of the Wudang Sect, who considered turning their backs on an enemy a disgrace, it was something they couldn’t even imagine.

Because of that, the Daoist Masters wore expressions of shame at Pyo Wol’s words. He had completely deviated from their image of a Martial Artist.

But as Pyo Wol’s words continued, their faces hardened.

“My Stealth Skill is quite excellent. I can endure for days, just like a dead person. You’ll have a hard time finding me. No, you won’t be able to find me. No matter how familiar you are with Mount Wudang, if I decide to hide, you will never find me. You’ll get tired of searching for me. Then, I will quietly come out of my hiding place and infiltrate the Wudang Sect. And I will slit your throats one by one.”

“……”

“I’ll kill, hide, kill again, and hide again. Defend yourselves well. I’m an expert at being patient. How long do you think you can stop me? Unless you kill me, the hellish days will never end.”

“……”

For a moment, the air in the area froze solid.

The Daoist Masters of the Wudang Sect were so breathless they couldn’t even make a small sound.

It was the same for Sangjin Jin-in.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

He wanted to swing his sword right now and cut off that wicked tongue. But he couldn’t move rashly.

Attacking Pyo Wol was not difficult. But if by some chance he let him escape, the consequences would be endless.

If he possessed even half the abilities that the Wudang Sect’s intelligence reported, the disciples of the Wudang Sect would never be able to find him.

Even when the martial artists of the Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect were fully mobilized, they only suffered casualties and failed to find Pyo Wol.

The Daoist Masters of the Wudang Sect were no better than them. Their Martial Arts might be profound, but they had not received training in finding assassins.

If Pyo Wol decided to hide, no one could find him. In that case, he had to be subdued in a single blow so that he couldn’t escape.

The problem was that he wasn’t confident he could subdue Pyo Wol in one go.

Sangjin Jin-in was confident he wouldn’t lose to anyone in a fair duel, but the problem was that Pyo Wol was an assassin.

He didn’t consider escaping a disgrace, nor was he ashamed of ambushing.

If such a Pyo Wol decided to carry out ambushes, he couldn’t even guess how great the damage would be.

Sangjin Jin-in’s jaw muscle twitched.

He had to make a decision.

Either attack or retreat.

He was afraid of the consequences of attacking, and his pride wouldn’t allow him to retreat as things stood.

The one who saved him from his dilemma was Woo Pyeong Dojang.

He quickly stood in front of Sangjin Jin-in and said.

“I fully understand Martial Uncle’s anger. But you cannot disobey the Sect Master’s order, can you? Please give him time. Right now, what’s most important is finding So-yeol’s cause of death, isn’t it? Martial Uncle, this Woo-pyeong begs you like this. If the result is not good, then you can take your anger out on this Woo-pyeong.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang went so far as to kneel before Sangjin Jin-in and beg.

Sangjin Jin-in looked back and forth between Woo Pyeong Dojang and Pyo Wol for a moment before speaking.

“Fine! Since you beg me so, I will let it go for today.”

“Thank you, Martial Uncle!”

“You, murderous demon! I am backing down because of Woo-pyeong’s plea, but be aware that my eyes will always be on you. If you harbor any other thoughts, my sword will be the first to strike your neck.”

Wuuuung!

At his lion’s roar, the roof tiles covering the Scripture Depository all vibrated in unison.

The Daoist Masters of the Wudang Sect all let out exclamations of admiration at Sangjin Jin-in’s divine might.

“Woah!”

“As expected of Martial Grand-Uncle. Such profound Internal Energy.”

Sangjin Jin-in didn’t even wait for Pyo Wol’s reply and turned to go back down the stairs.

“Huu!”

Thinking that a crisis had been averted, Woo Pyeong Dojang let out a sigh of relief.

His back was soaked with cold sweat.

He also apologized to Pyo Wol.

“I’m sorry. To have you suffer such humiliation after inviting you.”

“The Wudang Sect has both wise men and foolish ones coexisting.”

It was clear who was the wise man and who was the foolish one.

Woo Pyeong Dojang’s face turned red with shame.

“Huu!”

His sigh scattered in the wind.