Chapter 33

The martial artists of the Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect were relentless.

Like well-trained hounds, they clung to Pyo Wol. Their tenacity and tracking skills were on a different level from the other martial artists who had formed the Celestial Net.

The Qingcheng Sect’s tracking skills, having lost Gun-sang to Pyo Wol, were formidable, but it was the Emei Sect that made things more difficult for him.

The martial artists of the Emei Sect seemed to supernaturally predict and block his path.

‘There must be someone with an exceptionally brilliant mind in the Emei Sect.’

Otherwise, they couldn’t have blocked his way time and time again like this.

He was curious about who was predicting his path, but he had no time to leisurely satisfy his curiosity.

“Chyaat!”

A Daoist from the Qingcheng Sect, who had closed the distance in an instant, was attacking.

The Daoist’s name was Cheong-seo.

He was an Expert registered as a first-generation disciple of the Qingcheng Sect.

A bluish Qi was coalescing on his sword.

It was Sword Qi.

It wasn’t just Cheong-seo.

All the first-generation disciples of the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect were freely wielding Sword Qi.

They were all Experts who had learned their martial arts through proper, conventional stages.

Their fundamentals and Internal Energy were that solid.

It was a huge difference from Pyo Wol, who had primarily learned Killing Methods through accelerated training.

It was only because Pyo Wol had deeply mastered the Thunderclap Mind Method, making his body’s reactions unusually fast, that he was able to hold on. If he had only learned the Poison Dragon Mind Method, he would have lost his life long ago.

Sshiiik!

By a hair’s breadth, the Sword Qi grazed Pyo Wol’s cheek.

His flesh split and blood welled up, but Pyo Wol didn’t even dare to perform Hemostasis and rolled on the ground.

Thud-thud-thud!

Swords stabbed into the spot where he had just been rolling.

“I will avenge Junior Martial Brother Gun-sang.”

“There is no place in All Under Heaven for you to run. Give up, you villain!”

The martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect attacked Pyo Wol with sheer malice.

Instead of clashing with their attacks head-on, Pyo Wol dodged them by a hair’s breadth and dashed down the mountain path.

The pursuit that began in Padang was now continuing all the way to the western highlands.

If not for the densely packed, large trees that blocked out the light and served as a shield, he would have been caught long ago.

In this environment, Pyo Wol’s abilities were maximized.

He moved, using the large trees and dense undergrowth as cover.

The martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect did everything in their power to catch him. But just when it seemed he was about to be caught, Pyo Wol would slip from their grasp by a hair’s breadth.

Shwoooong!

At that moment, a sound of tearing air, on a different level from before, echoed out.

Pyo Wol instinctively knew it was Mujeong Jin-in’s attack.

Not daring to counter, Pyo Wol flattened himself on the ground. In that instant, something with an intense Qi grazed past his head.

The Qi that grazed past Pyo Wol’s head split a massive tree in two.

It was the Sword Qi unleashed by Mujeong Jin-in.

‘Crazy bastard!’

At the terrifying power of the Sword Qi, Pyo Wol felt the hair on his head stand on end.

“Die! You villain!”

As if dealing with Mujeong Jin-in alone wasn’t hard enough, Jeong Hwa joined in.

She attacked Pyo Wol as if he were her mortal enemy. However, her attack actually helped Pyo Wol.

Since it wasn’t a coordinated joint attack, her assault ended up obstructing Mujeong Jin-in’s path.

“Tsk!”

Mujeong Jin-in clicked his tongue at Jeong Hwa’s intervention.

If possible, he wanted to capture Pyo Wol alive and drag him to the Qingcheng Sect to uncover the mastermind who had ordered the assassination. That was why he had restrained himself from using Killing Moves when attacking Pyo Wol.

The attacks that Pyo Wol had found threatening were, in fact, him holding back considerably. But Jeong Hwa’s intervention had started to get on his nerves.

Jeong Hwa mercilessly unleashed her Killing Moves.

She continuously launched attacks that would take his life if they landed.

Pyo Wol looked as precarious as a dry leaf fluttering in the wind. But he managed to dodge all the attacks by a hair’s breadth and escape into the mountains.

Mujeong Jin-in furrowed his brow.

He had doubts about Pyo Wol’s path.

Pyo Wol was clearly on the run.

The Experts of the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect were hot on his heels, and the martial artists who had formed the Celestial Net were also converging on the mountain.

No matter how deep he went into the mountains, there was no safe place for Pyo Wol to hide.

‘He can’t be unaware of that fact… Does he have a plan?’

It was then.

Sshiiik!

Suddenly, the bushes rustled and someone leaped out, attacking Pyo Wol.

It was an Ambush Attack by Cheong-myeong, Mujeong Jin-in’s disciple.

Pyo Wol failed to dodge his attack in time and took a blow to the shoulder.

“Keuk!”

Pyo Wol let out a pained groan.

He had been so focused on Mujeong Jin-in’s and Jeong Hwa’s attacks that he hadn’t noticed Cheong-myeong’s ambush.

“He’s seriously injured. He won’t last long, so press him harder.”

Cheong-myeong shouted, brandishing his sword stained with Pyo Wol’s blood.

Seeing Pyo Wol seriously injured, the martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect charged at him like rabid hounds.

“Ah!”

Watching Pyo Wol, Yong Seol Lan let out an involuntary gasp.

It wasn’t because Pyo Wol was cornered.

It was because his eyes were so cold, even though he was cornered.

Those were not the eyes of someone in an extreme situation.

Even amidst the overlapping crises, his eyes were desperately searching for a path to life, and his body moved toward it.

‘Could I have done that?’

Yong Seol Lan shook her head.

She knew she couldn’t do that, not even if she died and came back to life.

That kind of venomous spirit and tenacity for life, never giving up despite being wounded countless times and cornered, was something Yong Seol Lan could never possess.

BOOM!

A powerful explosion erupted.

The palm energy Jeong Hwa had unleashed had struck Pyo Wol in the back.

Pyo Wol flew through the air, vomiting blood.

“Die!”

Jeong Hwa, her eyes flashing with their characteristic viciousness, pursued Pyo Wol. She intended to take this chance to definitively end Pyo Wol’s life and eliminate any future trouble.

Pyo Wol flew limply, like a kite with its string cut.

His head was slumped, as if he had lost consciousness.

Because of this, Jeong Hwa let her guard down slightly. She thought he was a fish already caught.

Just before he crashed to the ground, Pyo Wol’s eyes opened and he flipped his body over. Then, in an instant, he vanished from sight.

“What?”

“He’s gone.”

The martial artists couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions as Pyo Wol disappeared right before their eyes.

“Where did he hide?”

Jeong Hwa ground her teeth and looked around. But Pyo Wol was nowhere to be seen.

In the meantime, Mujeong Jin-in approached and said,

“He must be in Stealth somewhere around here. Search every inch.”

“Yes!”

The martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect searched the area where Pyo Wol had disappeared.

The secret was not hidden for long.

“There’s an entrance leading underground here.”

A martial artist from the Qingcheng Sect had discovered an entrance hidden by the undergrowth.

It was a vertical cave of indeterminable depth.

At the cave’s entrance, a thick rope for descending was tied firmly to a large rock.

“A place like this existed?”

Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes gleamed.

From the circumstances, it was clear that Pyo Wol had gone down here.

He shouted without hesitation.

“Everyone, descend using the rope. We must catch him.”

“As you command!”

The disciples of the Qingcheng Sect descended the vertical cave via the rope without a moment’s hesitation.

Jeong Hwa also gave an order.

“We’re going down too. We must take the assassin’s life.”

“Yes!”

The disciples of the Emei Sect also threw themselves into the darkness.

Finally, Mujeong Jin-in threw himself into the vertical cave.

‘It feels as if I am entering hell of my own accord.’

The endless darkness made even an Expert like Mujeong Jin-in feel fear.

If not for the rope connecting them to the surface, he would never have come down here.

He didn’t know how far down he had actually gone, but it felt like he had descended at least several hundred Zhang underground.

“Hah!”

Finally landing on the bottom, Mujeong Jin-in let out an involuntary exclamation of awe.

The disciples who had descended before him were lighting torches, so the outline of a massive underground cavern was faintly visible.

Mujeong Jin-in was utterly astonished by the vast space, whose size was impossible to gauge.

“To think such a space existed. What in the world…”

The martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect who had come down before him were similarly overwhelmed by the sight, something they had never seen before in their lives.

“My goodness!”

“How can a place like this exist?”

They shone their torches around, but the space was so vast that they couldn’t see the end.

Jeong Hwa let out a low groan.

‘Did the Bloody Shadows Guild train their assassins here? No wonder we couldn’t find them, if they were in a place like this.’

She immediately understood the nature of this place.

Jeong Hwa’s eyes wavered as she scanned the underground cavern. She had discovered a huge Hall Complex.

The moment she saw the Hall Complex, she knew.

‘The Qingcheng Sect!’

She realized that the place was a replica of the Qingcheng Sect’s Hall Complex.

Jeong Hwa unconsciously looked at Mujeong Jin-in.

“How dare they!”

As she had expected, Mujeong Jin-in had also realized that the Hall Complex was a replica of the Qingcheng Sect.

“These madmen…”

“They’ve replicated our sect exactly. This must have been prepared for a long time.”

“It’s impossible to maintain a facility like this without someone’s support. Someone must have instigated and protected them. We must root them out completely.”

The anger of the Qingcheng Sect martial artists pierced the heavens.

On the other hand, Jeong Hwa, having something to hide, subtly turned her head to avoid their gazes.

Cheong-myeong spoke to Mujeong Jin-in in a voice filled with righteous indignation.

“Master! We absolutely cannot let this situation stand. We must find and punish the mastermind behind this act.”

“Of course. But before that, catching the assassin is the priority. We must capture him and escort him to our sect. Do you understand? You must capture him alive.”

“Yes! Master!”

“From now on, we will search this place thoroughly for the assassin. This place is like his home turf, so be especially careful.”

“Even so, he’s nothing more than a mere assassin. If we maintain a tight guard, he won’t be able to do anything.”

“Still, you must be careful. He is no ordinary foe.”

“I understand.”

Cheong-myeong bowed his head to Mujeong Jin-in, then led the disciples away.

Jeong Hwa approached Mujeong Jin-in, who was left alone.

“I will take my sect’s disciples and search another area.”

“Be sure to capture the assassin alive.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t care if you cut off both his arms, and it’s fine if you cripple him, but you must capture him alive. You can do that for me, can’t you?”

“Of course… I can.”

“If the assassin loses his life, I will be very angry. As you can see, someone has dared to insult my sect. I will find the one who insulted my sect and hold them responsible. Even if the target is one of the Five Great Sects.”

Jeong Hwa swallowed dryly at the intense killing intent radiating from Mujeong Jin-in.

Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes, shining like lanterns even in the darkness, instilled fear even in an Expert like Jeong Hwa.

‘He already suspects our sect.’

His specific mention of the Five Great Sects was proof.

They used to be called the Nine Great Sects, but now, with several sects destroyed, they had dwindled to the Five Great Sects.

Mujeong Jin-in’s deliberate mention of the Five Great Sects meant he suspected the Emei Sect.

Her heart pounded, but Jeong Hwa forced a composed expression. Fortunately, the darkness concealed her face to some extent.

“The matter the True Person is concerned about will not happen. Then, I shall take my leave.”

“Do so.”

Mujeong Jin-in waved his hand dismissively.

Jeong Hwa gave him a Fist-Palm Salute, then left with the Emei Sect disciples.

‘I must kill him. I can absolutely not leave any future trouble behind.’

If she killed him first and then made the excuse that she had no choice because his resistance was too fierce, even Mujeong Jin-in would be powerless to do anything.

Jeong Hwa said to the Emei Sect disciples,

“We must find and eliminate him before the Qingcheng Sect does.”

“Yes!”

The Emei Sect disciples answered with grim expressions.

Only a few, including Cheol-sim and Yong Seol Lan, knew the truth. The rest were merely responding to the grave atmosphere of the situation.

Yong Seol Lan slightly shook her head.

A deep shadow was cast over her face.

‘Everyone is being too optimistic.’

After entering the underground cavern, she had been feeling an intense sense of crisis that she couldn’t put into words.

It was a chilling feeling, as if the entire darkness was staring at her, making it hard to even breathe properly.

‘This is his domain. We are not the hunters here. He is.’