Chapter 374

Thud! Roll!

A head with wide-open eyes tumbled across the floor.

It wore a look full of disbelief, as if it couldn’t accept its own death.

The head rolled across the floor and came to a stop at Pyo Wol’s feet.

Pyo Wol silently looked down at Gu Ja-hwang’s face.

The life gradually faded from Gu Ja-hwang’s wide-open eyes.

Whack!

Pyo Wol kicked Gu Ja-hwang’s head. The head flew through the air and disappeared into the inferno.

“He’s… insane!”

Yoo Soo-hwan shook his head.

Though unknown in the Jianghu, Gu Ja-hwang was an Expert who could have dominated an era.

His body, harder than steel, would have been a struggle for even an Expert like himself. But Pyo Wol had killed him so easily.

It wasn’t simply a matter of a bad matchup or an Ambush Attack.

Pyo Wol’s Martial Arts were just that powerful.

“He has already transcended the limits of an Assassin. How terrifying! To think such a Martial Artist exists in All Under Heaven.”

Yoo Soo-hwan clenched his fists.

His palms were already soaked with sweat.

The Martial Arts of Pyo Wol he had witnessed firsthand were that shocking.

In his entire life, only two people had delivered such a powerful shock.

One was his Junior Martial Brother, Dokgo Hwang, and the other was Pyo Wol.

Although they had shocked him in different ways, it was true that his values had been shaken because of them.

Just then, So Gyeoksan spoke bluntly.

“This is no time to be spouting idle impressions. If we stay like this, we’ll all burn to death.”

Because of Gu Ja-hwang’s mad act, the entire underground cavern was filled with crimson flames and acrid smoke.

If they stayed here any longer, they would surely suffocate to death, let alone burn.

In fact, Gu Ja-hwang’s subordinates had failed to escape the flames and had all burned to death.

Pyo Wol looked around and said,

“It’s too late to get out anyway.”

The flames were a problem, but the biggest obstacle was the black smoke. The moment they inhaled the high-temperature smoke, their lungs would melt, and they would die instantly.

The black smoke filled the vertical cave, the only passage to the outside. It would take a considerable amount of time for that smoke to clear.

If he were alone, he could somehow hold his breath and escape, but taking the others with him was impossible.

“Then what do we do?”

“For now, we have no choice but to lock the iron door and wait for all the smoke to clear.”

Pyo Wol looked at the Cave where Hong Yushin and the others had been trapped until now.

A huge iron door stood at the entrance of the Cave.

If they closed the iron door, they could at least escape the flames and smoke.

Hong Yushin agreed with Pyo Wol’s opinion.

“There are still people inside who haven’t been able to get out. We must save them too. I will follow Great Hero Pyo’s will.”

“We have no choice.”

“Damn it!”

In the end, the other two had no choice but to follow Pyo Wol’s opinion.

The four of them entered the Cave again.

“Ugh!”

“Save me!”

As they sensed movement outside, the people trapped inside the iron door began to clamor.

They too had noticed that something had gone wrong in the underground cavern.

Once inside the Cave, Pyo Wol closed the iron door.

Kwoong!

With a heavy sound, the iron door shut firmly, and darkness fell.

＊＊＊

Black smoke billowed out through the vertical cave.

“What?”

“What is this?”

The Martial Artists guarding the entrance to the Jade of No Regret wore bewildered expressions.

Black smoke had suddenly started pouring out without any warning.

They had heard that volcanoes emit smoke like this before erupting. But this was Mount Longhu.

It wasn’t a volcano like Mount Hua.

For black smoke to be emitted like this, there could only be one reason.

Something had happened inside the Jade of No Regret.

“Hurry, lower the basket. We have to save the people inside.”

“Unwind the rope.”

It was then.

“Cut the rope.”

A voice as cold as ice stopped the Martial Artists in their tracks.

“What?”

The Martial Artists, who had been busy preparing to lower the basket, cautiously looked back.

In their line of sight was a grotesque man dressed in a dark red martial arts uniform.

Disheveled hair and a beard that covered his chest.

The only things visible on his face were two eerie eyes and a nose.

For a moment, the Martial Artists froze.

‘Slayer of Ten Thousand!’

They instantly recognized the grotesque man’s identity.

The man who had killed the most people in All Under Heaven.

His Alias was even the Slayer of Ten Thousand because he was said to have killed ten thousand people.

He hadn’t really killed ten thousand, but it was certain that an innumerable number of people had died at his hands.

As the Slayer of Ten Thousand approached, the Martial Artists quickly made way.

The Martial Artists smelled the stench of death wafting from the Slayer of Ten Thousand. His scent made even his allies fearful.

The Slayer of Ten Thousand strode toward the vertical passage.

Sniff, sniff!

The Slayer of Ten Thousand smelled the black smoke that was billowing out.

He frowned and said,

“The oil that caught fire is no ordinary oil.”

“Yes! It is a specially formulated oil to produce strong firepower with a small amount. Once it catches fire, it does not extinguish easily.”

“How much oil is inside?”

“There are twenty barrels in total.”

“How long will that amount burn?”

“It will burn for at least twenty days without going out.”

“Twenty days?”

The Slayer of Ten Thousand furrowed his brow.

He had never in his life heard of a fire that burned for more than twenty days without going out. But he thought that with the capabilities of the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild, they could certainly create such a Devilish Creature.

“It seems I was late. I wondered why that Gu bastard was asking for help.”

When he received Gu Ja-hwang’s letter, the Slayer of Ten Thousand was in a situation where he couldn’t leave immediately.

No matter how urgent it was, it was a matter that had to be dealt with.

Above all, he trusted Gu Ja-hwang.

Although his temper was foul, he was a man who had every right to be.

The Vajra Blood Demon Art that Gu Ja-hwang had mastered was a Martial Art that even the Slayer of Ten Thousand was reluctant to face.

It was because they were a bad matchup.

The Slayer of Ten Thousand’s Martial Arts was a Hand Art that maximized destructive power.

On the other hand, Gu Ja-hwang’s body was the World’s best in terms of toughness. It was impossible to inflict a decisive blow at once.

Even the Slayer of Ten Thousand would have to put in quite an effort to take down Gu Ja-hwang. That was why he held Gu Ja-hwang in high regard.

He thought that no matter what enemy invaded, or what problem arose, Gu Ja-hwang could hold out until he arrived. But contrary to his calculations, it seemed an unmanageable enemy had intruded.

Otherwise, Gu Ja-hwang would never have allowed the oil to catch fire.

“Was he aiming for mutual destruction?”

The Slayer of Ten Thousand’s eyes narrowed.

For an Expert of Gu Ja-hwang’s caliber to aim for mutual destruction, the opponent was clearly no ordinary foe.

If he had his way, he wanted to see the face of the one who killed Gu Ja-hwang himself. But in this situation, going down the vertical cave was no different from a suicide mission, even for him.

He gave a cruel command.

“Cut the rope and seal the entrance.”

“But inside…”

“Do you think anyone could survive in those flames? They’re all dead. Seal the entrance to erase the traces.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

The Martial Artists replied with expressions of resignation.

The people inside were all like brothers to them. The fact that they had to cut their only lifeline with their own hands was heartbreaking, but they had no choice.

Slice!

The rope with the basket attached was cut.

Next, the Martial Artists prepared the Thunderbolt Bombs.

They intended to completely collapse the entrance with the Thunderbolt Bombs.

These were items prepared since the Jade of No Regret was built here.

It was to completely bury the evidence if the secret was ever leaked. They had believed they would never have to use them, but now was the time.

The Martial Artists who had set the Thunderbolt Bombs looked at the Slayer of Ten Thousand.

The Slayer of Ten Thousand nodded.

“Detonate them!”

“Yes, sir!”

With their reply, the Subordinates detonated the Thunderbolt Bombs.

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

With a roar, the entrance collapsed.

The black smoke that had been billowing out was cut off abruptly. The entrance was completely sealed.

There was no way to climb the vertical cave, and even the entrance was buried.

Now, there was no way for the people trapped inside to get out. Even if there were survivors, they would starve to death or suffocate in the flames.

The Slayer of Ten Thousand gave an order to the Martial Artists.

“Clean this place up and withdraw.”

“Understood.”

“Remember. All evidence related to us must be thoroughly erased.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Martial Artists began to move busily in response.

At their hands, the traces of the Jade of No Regret’s existence on Mount Longhu were erased.

Watching the scene, the Slayer of Ten Thousand muttered to himself.

“Just who the hell is he?”

The Jade of No Regret was in the most perfectly isolated place in All Under Heaven.

Even if someone had discovered the existence of the Jade of No Regret, it was impossible to infiltrate it secretly.

Even the Slayer of Ten Thousand himself would rather choose a frontal assault than try to sneak in unnoticed.

Judging by the reactions of the Martial Artists guarding this place, it seemed they also didn’t know who had infiltrated or what had happened inside the Jade of No Regret.

That meant an intruder had hidden inside the Jade of No Regret without their knowledge.

“Was there such a person in All Under Heaven?”

Suddenly, the name of one man came to his mind.

“The Reaper, if it’s him, it might be possible…”

If he was as great an Assassin as the rumors in the Jianghu claimed, sneaking into the Jade of No Regret would be a piece of cake.

“If it’s really him, then we’ve caught a big one! Kuhaha!”

The Slayer of Ten Thousand burst into a mad laugh.

This was the only entrance to the Jade of No Regret.

Since the entrance was buried by the Thunderbolt Bombs, it was impossible to get out from inside.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the Reaper or someone else. As long as they’re trapped in here, they’ll never be able to get out.”

The rocks blocking the entrance formed a massive mound.

It was impossible for any Martial Artist to break through this. But the Slayer of Ten Thousand was never one to be complacent.

He sat down in a cross-legged position on the spot and guarded the entrance to the Jade of No Regret.

It was a month later that the Slayer of Ten Thousand left the Jade of No Regret.

“The bastard is dead.”

＊＊＊

The Nohye Stream was a large river that wound around Mount Longhu.

The river was clear and deep, and its current was not rough, so the fishermen who lived here would float rafts to catch fish.

The scenery of Mount Longhu as seen from the Nohye Stream was truly a masterpiece, so it was usually visited by many poets and scholars.

But on this day, neither fishermen nor people who came to see the spectacular view were to be seen.

The weather had been ominous since morning, and a downpour like a torrential rain had been falling all day.

Rainwater poured down from the cliffs connected to the Nohye Stream like a waterfall. Because of that, the usually calm waters of the Nohye Stream flowed ferociously like an angry bison.

Floating a raft on a day like this was no different from a suicide mission, so people didn’t even approach the Nohye Stream at all.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

The long stretch of cliffs had become a giant waterfall, pouring out an enormous amount of water. However, not all the cliffs were wet.

In a hollowed-out area at the bottom of the cliff, miraculously, not a single drop of water fell.

Below the hollowed-out cliff was a hole barely big enough for a finger to fit through. Something seemed to squirm in the hole, and then it suddenly revealed itself.

It was a small snake, about the thickness of a child’s finger.

Unusually, the snake’s scales were a burning red color.

The snake, having poked its head out, looked left and right before coming completely out.

Pssss!

Right after that, the hole the snake came out of crumbled like sand, and a hand shot out. Following it, a mud-caked face and shoulders appeared in succession.

“Hoo!”

He knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.

The red snake slithered up the man’s arm and coiled itself.

After catching his breath for a moment, the man washed his face and hair in the falling waterfall.

As the mud washed away, his true appearance was revealed.

There was only one person in All Under Heaven with such pale skin and a bewitching face.

Pyo Wol, he had come out into the world.

He was not the only one who had come out into the world.

“Hah!”

“A-Are we outside?”

“We’re alive.”

Following him, a dozen or so men were emerging from the narrow rock cave.