Chapter 24

The location of the Bloody Shadows Guild’s base was top secret.

No matter how notorious the Bloody Shadows Guild was in Sichuan Province, they were, in the end, nothing more than a group of assassins.

The number of people who held a grudge against them was as countless as the grains of sand on a riverbank.

For the Bloody Shadows Guild, it was a matter of survival, but for the families of their victims, it created a grudge that could never be washed away.

Those who wanted revenge on the Bloody Shadows Guild were everywhere. As many as the grains of sand on a riverbank wanted to tear the Bloody Shadows Guild to shreds.

Knowing this, the Bloody Shadows Guild never let the location of their base be known to the outside world. Because of that, no one in the Jianghu knew where their base was.

Most people thought the Bloody Shadows Guild’s base was in a quiet, deserted country village or existed in the form of a Mountain Keep, like the Green Forest. But contrary to their expectations, the Bloody Shadows Guild was located in the middle of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and right on a main street at that.

It was a dreary-looking mansion made of stacked red bricks.

People simply thought of the mansion as the home of a wealthy man who had made some money and retired.

A mansion that didn’t stand out, nothing special, where ordinary people lived. That was the impression the neighbors had of the mansion.

The mansion’s owner was named Gu Juyang.

His other identity, known to people as a retired magnate, was the Unit Leader of the Bloody Shadows Guild.

Gu Juyang was in his residence, listening to a report from Death Sword.

“…And so, only my subordinates and I managed to slip out in secret.”

“The children?”

“The Celestial Net has been deployed. It is impossible for them to escape.”

“A waste! To have raised them with such effort, only to discard them like this.”

Gu Juyang clicked his tongue.

A look of genuine regret appeared on his face.

That was how outstanding the children’s abilities were.

He had thought of them as disposable pawns, but he never dreamed they would be discarded without even being used.

He looked at the letter on his desk.

Only a single character was written on the letter.

[Close (Close).]

It meant to abort all operations.

The sender of the letter was the client who had originally requested the assassination.

As soon as he received the letter, Gu Juyang had ordered Death Sword and the assassins to secretly withdraw. The children, who were in Stealth using the Breath Concealment Art, did not notice them leaving.

Right after Death Sword and the assassins slipped away, the Celestial Net was deployed.

It was something that even the great Gu Juyang had not anticipated.

If the Celestial Net had been fully activated, it would have been impossible for even Death Sword and his subordinates to escape.

Death Sword spoke.

“Will this place not be dangerous as well?”

“Because of the client?”

“I do not know the reason, but they chose to Kill and Silence. If they wish to keep the secret perfectly, wouldn’t it be much safer for them to eliminate us as well?”

“That makes sense. But they will never be able to find this place. It’s impossible to find this place through normal means.”

This was not the only base the Bloody Shadows Guild had in Chengdu.

There was another one about fifty zhang to the north, and one more seventy zhang to the west. They were a kind of safe house.

The safe houses were all registered under the names of people unrelated to the Bloody Shadows Guild. And the safe houses were connected to this place through underground passages.

If an enemy were to appear, they could escape at any time through the underground. No matter how deep-scheming an enemy was, they would never be able to connect the safe houses to the Bloody Shadows Guild.

“We just need to wait here for this storm of blood to pass. They won’t want to rashly escalate things and make the problem bigger, either.”

“Do you truly not know the client’s identity?”

“I could find out anytime I wanted. But one must observe the line. I can’t be the first to cross the line with someone who at least sent a letter to warn me, can I?”

Gu Juyang held the letter and shook it.

In that moment, Death Sword caught a strange scent.

The shaking letter was emitting a peculiar fragrance.

Instantly, his complexion changed.

“It is Tracking Incense.”

“What?”

“Someone has applied Tracking Incense to the letter.”

It was a scent so subtle that he would never have smelled it if Gu Juyang hadn’t shaken the letter. It was only because Death Sword’s sense of smell was highly developed that he could catch it; an ordinary person would not even have been aware that such a scent existed.

Even the extremely cautious Gu Juyang had not noticed that Tracking Incense was on the letter.

“Who? Don’t tell me, the client?”

It was the moment Gu Juyang shot up from his seat.

“Kugh!”

“Gaaack!”

The screams of assassins erupted from outside.

Gu Juyang and Death Sword hurried outside.

The scene they saw was a group of martial artists who had broken into the mansion, mercilessly slaughtering the assassins.

All those who worked at the mansion were assassins.

Though they looked like ordinary workers on the outside, each and every one of them was a highly skilled expert. And yet, such formidable assassins were collapsing without being able to put up much of a fight.

Kwang!

“Keoheok!”

One of the intruders swung his bare fist, and a sound like a cannon firing rang out. An assassin of the Bloody Shadows Guild was crushed like minced meat and died.

It was a terrifying power.

“Everyone, retreat! You’re no match for them.”

There was one man fighting a lone battle.

It was Il-geom, Im Sayeol.

He clung to the enemies to save as many assassins as he could. But even with his abilities, he couldn’t properly kill a single intruder.

That was how formidable the intruders’ abilities were.

Those with cleanly shaven heads, gray monk robes, and prayer beads around their necks stood out. They were monks.

It wasn’t just monks. There were also men in ordinary martial arts uniforms mixed in.

The assassins of the Bloody Shadows Guild were seasoned martial artists who had been through all sorts of battles, but they were no match for these martial artists.

Moreover, it was broad daylight.

This was not the assassins’ time.

“Wipe out every last one of these filthy assassins.”

“Open the gates of slaughter.”

The monks pushed forward with an even more terrifying momentum.

The corpses of assassins piled up everywhere.

“We must flee at once.”

Death Sword grabbed Gu Juyang’s arm and pulled.

“Where am I supposed to flee to?”

“You must flee, anywhere.”

“Ha! Don’t you get it? I’m the one they’re after. Do you think they would have left a place for me to escape when they came for me?”

Flames seemed to flicker in Gu Juyang’s eyes.

Gdeuk!

He ground his teeth.

He could tell without needing to confirm their identity.

The client had made their move.

“To cross the line…”

His eyes became bloodshot.

Even between an assassin and a client, there was a line that must be observed. They had crossed the line, and by a long shot.

Gu Juyang drew the blade he wore at his waist.

It was the crimson Blood Moon Blade.

“Unit Leader, for now, we should retreat…”

“How far should I retreat? Can’t you see? They came here determined. They’ve probably already secured any place we could escape to.”

“…”

Death Sword could not answer.

Gu Juyang shook off Death Sword’s hand and stepped forward.

“Now is the time to show them. That if they want to bite us, they’ll get bitten back just as hard.”

His eyes glinted chillingly.

He knew it was a disadvantageous fight. Still, he had to fight now.

“Chaaat!”

Gu Juyang, along with his Blood Moon Blade, threw himself toward the attackers.

A long trail of Sword Qi had already formed on his Blood Moon Blade. He didn’t usually use conspicuous techniques like Sword Qi, but he was giving it his all from the start to overcome the unfavorable situation.

“Gaaack!”

A young monk lost his life to Gu Juyang’s Blood Moon Blade.

One Blade Certain Kill, Blood Point Mark.

Wherever his blade swung past, a corpse was surely created, and a drop of blood left its mark.

Although it had been quite some time since he had been active on the front lines, his Killing Method was still powerful.

When he and Death Sword joined forces, the battlefield roiled greatly.

The assassins regained their composure and began to use the terrain to deal with the monks. At that, the momentum of the martial artists who had been pushing in like a tidal wave faltered slightly.

“Everyone, just hold on a little longer. If we hold on, we can win.”

Gu Juyang fought fiercely, encouraging the assassins.

“You will have no such opportunity.”

Hwoong!

At that moment, along with a woman’s cold voice, a tremendous amount of Internal Power flew at him.

Kaaang!

Gu Juyang swung his Blood Moon Blade by a hair’s breadth to protect his entire body.

Fortunately, he avoided a major injury, but Gu Juyang’s complexion turned noticeably pale. The shock had rattled his internal organs.

“Who are you?”

Gu Juyang shouted, forcibly swallowing the blood that rose to his throat.

“Hmph! To think a mere assassin dares to speak so carelessly with that open mouth of yours.”

A woman in her forties leaped over the wall and landed in front of Gu Juyang.

Her overall appearance was beautiful, but the upward slant of her eyes made her look exceedingly malicious.

The woman glared at Gu Juyang with fierce eyes.

At the woman’s extraordinary Qi, Gu Juyang’s expression grew grave.

“You are…”

Gu Juyang recognized the woman’s identity at a glance.

Among the renowned martial artists in Sichuan Province, at the very least, there was no one he did not know.

“Poison Heart Life-Cutting, Jeong Hwa. Why are you here? Then the client, don’t tell me, ah…”

“That’s enough. If you move that mouth any further, I will rip out your tongue.”

The woman called Jeong Hwa shouted as she took out the Buddha’s Duster from her waist.

In that instant, a shadow fell over Gu Juyang’s eyes.

‘To think the one who made the request was them. It will be hard to escape this disaster.’

Jeong Hwa was by no means an ordinary martial artist.

Her martial arts were one thing, but she was famous for her meticulous yet venomous mind.

Wasn’t her alias Poison Heart Life-Cutting for a reason?

But the truly fearsome one was not Jeong Hwa.

It was the background standing behind Jeong Hwa that was fearsome.

Only then did Gu Juyang realize the true entity that had made such an absurd request to the Bloody Shadows Guild.

A flicker of fear passed through his eyes.

There was almost nothing in the world he feared, but the force behind Jeong Hwa was terrifying beyond measure.

‘I should have realized they were involved sooner…’

Gu Juyang blamed his own complacency for not looking into the client’s identity, claiming he would observe the line.

Today’s catastrophe was all brought about by his own carelessness.

If they were involved, they would have surely followed up with a Kill and Silence even if the great task had succeeded.

“This Gu’s misjudgment has brought about a disaster. But even if I die, I will by no means die alone.”

Gu Juyang shouted loudly and rushed toward Jeong Hwa.

From the Blood Moon Blade in his hand, a red Sword Qi stretched out.

Even before the Sword Qi that dyed the surroundings completely red, Jeong Hwa’s expression did not change one bit.

“Hmph! How dare a mere assassin…”

She swung her Buddha’s Duster.

At that, a storm-like Qi arose and neutralized Gu Juyang’s Qi.

Kakakang!

The Blood Moon Blade and the Buddha’s Duster clashed repeatedly.

Gu Juyang used all his strength.

If he couldn’t subdue Jeong Hwa, there was no future for him anyway.

Under his relentless assault, Jeong Hwa’s figure was pushed back little by little.

A look of admiration appeared on her face.

‘For the leader of a mere assassin group to possess this level of martial prowess. Truly amazing.’

She had diligently learned the martial arts of a prestigious Orthodox Faction since she was young. She couldn’t be called a great genius, but she had diligently learned the insights her master had passed down and became a renowned expert in Sichuan Province.

Even with her martial arts, Gu Juyang’s martial prowess was so outstanding that she couldn’t subdue him in a short time.

It was only this much because it was a frontal confrontation in broad daylight; if Gu Juyang had attacked under the cover of night, she could not have guaranteed her life.

Jeong Hwa once again felt keenly that she must annihilate Gu Juyang and the Bloody Shadows Guild.

“Die!”

Jeong Hwa unleashed the Great Stillness Zen Art, which contained the principles of Evil-Destroying.

It was an attack infused with all her Internal Power.

Gu Juyang did not dare to face her attack head-on and tried to dodge.

Pit!

At that moment, something minuscule flew and pierced his ankle. One of Jeong Hwa’s companions had thrown a Hidden Weapon.

Gu Juyang, whose nerves were stretched taut in his confrontation with Jeong Hwa, was unable to avoid the surprise attack.

Because of the wound on his ankle, Gu Juyang’s balance crumbled. And the Buddha’s Duster, containing the profound Internal Energy of the Great Stillness Zen Art, exploded against his body.

Kwang!

“Gaaack!”

With a scream, Gu Juyang’s body collapsed.

With this single attack, Gu Juyang was rendered unable to resist.

His chest was caved in, as if he had been struck by a large sledgehammer.

“Kkeueu!”

Gu Juyang lay on the ground, only able to gasp for breath.

“Gaaack!”

“Ack!”

As he fell, the other assassins who had been barely holding on also began to collapse rapidly.

As the tide of battle turned, the monks and martial artists began to slaughter the assassins even more explosively.

‘Ah, no!’

Gu Juyang shed tears of blood as he watched the Bloody Shadows Guild fall.

Jeobeok! Jeobeok!

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed loudly.

Jeong Hwa made a Fist-Palm Salute toward the owner of the footsteps.

“Disciple Jeong Hwa greets Master.”

“Hmph! Why are you wasting so much time subduing mere lowly assassins?”

“My apologies, Master! Their resistance was formidable, so it took some time.”

It was an old woman reminiscent of a carrion crow.

An immense aura could be felt from the entire body of the old woman, who walked with a Bludgeon Palm.

The old woman looked down at Gu Juyang with cold eyes.

Gu Juyang shouted at the old woman.

“Guhwa Satae! How could you do this to me? How could the Emei Sect… to the Bloody Shadows Guild… We took on your request…”

Peo-eok!

In that instant, the old woman swung her Bludgeon Palm and shattered Gu Juyang’s head.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Looking at the blood and brain matter flowing from between the shattered fragments of his skull, the old woman, Guhwa Satae, muttered coldly.