Chapter 382

The Swordless Union was the hegemon of the South Sea.

Hainan Island, where they had established themselves, was like a giant fortress in itself.

One had to take a ship to enter Hainan Island, and the Swordless Union controlled all the waterways and ports.

Because of this, no one could approach Hainan Island, or even pass nearby, without the Swordless Union’s permission.

This tendency grew stronger after the Sea King Sword, Jeon Mu-ok, rose to the position of Swordless Union Lord.

Many harbored discontent over this, but no one was bold enough to voice such words in front of Jeon Mu-ok.

Jeon Mu-ok was, in name and reality, the hegemon of the South Sea. But from a certain point on, he no longer showed himself in public.

To be precise, it was after his disciple, Dokgo Hwang, won the battle for succession. After that, he entrusted all the major and minor affairs of the Swordless Union to Dokgo Hwang and went into isolated training. Although he had vanished from the public eye, his influence still dominated the South Sea region.

The Swordless Union was largely composed of one sect, the Three Clans, and the Five Halls.

The central sect was the Hainan Sect, and below it, the three sects of the White Blood Gate, the Bright Moon Gate, and the Five Crimson Gate were called the Three Clans.

The five martial arts academies—Taemu Academy, Oho Academy, Jinmu Academy, Sangwol Academy, and Jungcheon Academy—were collectively referred to as the Five Halls.

These nine sects were the core that formed the Swordless Union. Of course, it went without saying that the Hainan Sect was at its center.

Martial Artists from the Hainan Sect traditionally favored blue martial arts uniforms, distinguishing themselves from those of other sects.

Viewed positively, it meant they were firmly maintaining their identity, but viewed negatively, it meant they were expressing their superiority through their clothing. But that, too, was a story from decades ago.

Now, to eliminate discrimination, all Martial Artists were made to wear blue martial arts uniforms. Thanks to such measures, much of the severe discrimination had disappeared.

The Swordless Union was situated at the foot of Mount Wuzhi, which could be called the symbol of Hainan.

Over the past few decades, the Swordless Union had undergone repeated expansions. Thanks to this, its scale was large enough to be called the world’s best.

The residence of the Vice Lord, Dokgo Hwang, was in a high Grand Hall with a panoramic view of the Swordless Union.

Dokgo Hwang stared down at the Swordless Union with his arms crossed. Eom So-so stood by his side.

The Swordless Union itself looked like a single, giant living creature.

The roads stretching out in all directions were like a person’s blood vessels, and countless people bustled back and forth upon them.

The destination for all of them was the Union Lord’s Hall, located at the very peak.

It was a structure where the one who sat in the Union Lord’s Hall monopolized everything on this vast land.

Suddenly, Dokgo Hwang opened his mouth.

“I like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it magnificent? This whole sight…”

“It is magnificent.”

Dokgo Hwang let out a smirk at Eom So-so’s calm reply.

She was a strange woman.

Though she could sit in any key position in the Swordless Union if she so desired, she had no interest in such material wealth.

The only thing she wanted was Dokgo Hwang.

She paid no attention to anything else.

To Dokgo Hwang, she was the best of allies.

A natural smile graced Dokgo Hwang’s face as he looked at Eom So-so.

It was then.

Flap, flap, flap!

Suddenly, a hawk flew to the window.

The hawk, which landed on the windowsill with a rough flapping of its wings, was unusually covered in feathers as red as if they were ablaze.

It was the Swordless Union’s Mystical Creature, the Thousand-Mile Sea Eagle.

This Mystical Creature, said to easily travel a thousand miles in a day, was only used to report urgent matters from the outside.

The arrival of the Thousand-Mile Sea Eagle meant the matter was of great importance.

Eom So-so took out a letter from the message tube tied to the Thousand-Mile Sea Eagle’s ankle.

Eom So-so handed the rolled-up letter to Dokgo Hwang.

“Hmph!”

Dokgo Hwang’s expression hardened as he read the letter.

“What is it?”

Eom So-so asked with a puzzled look.

The Dokgo Hwang she knew had a resolute character, one who wouldn’t bat an eye at most things.

For him to show this much agitation meant the contents of the letter were no ordinary matter.

“Read it.”

Dokgo Hwang handed the letter to Eom So-so instead of answering.

Eom So-so quickly read the contents of the letter.

“Mmm!”

Her reaction was no different from Dokgo Hwang’s.

The contents of the letter were that shocking.

“My goodness! The Jade of No Regret was attacked and fell?”

“Yes! It says it was attacked by someone, and those guarding it chose mutual destruction.”

“That’s a relief, at least.”

“A relief?”

A chill crept into Dokgo Hwang’s eyes. But Eom So-so answered calmly.

“In any case, there are no survivors. He must be dead, too.”

“We didn’t see it with our own eyes.”

“That’s…”

“You know it too. What Second Senior Martial Brother means to the Swordless Union. If he’s alive, my legitimacy could be shaken.”

“It’s a matter we must confirm for certain before moving on.”

“Right! I can’t entrust this to anyone else. You know that, right?”

“Yes! Then I suppose I’ll have to go.”

“Yes! You’re the only one I can trust.”

It was Dokgo Hwang who had sent Yoo Soo-hwan to the Jade of No Regret.

To hide the fact that he was involved, he had deliberately contacted So Gyeoksan in Runan, far from Hainan, and assigned him the job.

He couldn’t entrust the task to anyone else. The fact that he was involved in this matter had to be kept an absolute secret.

Knowing this, Eom So-so also said that she would have to go herself.

“Take the Sea Mist Unit with you.”

The Sea Mist Unit was the Swordless Union’s hidden secret weapon.

They were Martial Artists that the Sea King Sword, Jeon Mu-ok, had poured his heart and soul into raising, possessing enough power to annihilate a mid-to-small-sized sect in an instant.

Eom So-so shook her head.

“I’m enough on my own.”

“I know! But we must be fully prepared. So take the Sea Mist Unit. That’s the only way I can be at ease.”

“Alright. If that is the Young Master’s will…”

Eom So-so nodded her head as if she had no choice.

“Leave right now!”

“Yes! I’ll be on my way, then.”

Eom So-so made a Fist-Palm Salute and immediately went outside.

Left alone, Dokgo Hwang’s face contorted.

Irritation surged up from the depths of his chest.

Though he appeared bold and magnanimous on the outside, he was, in fact, a perfectionist. He was only satisfied when everything went according to his will.

Discord like this, occurring out of his sight, angered him.

Grind!

After grinding his teeth for a moment, Dokgo Hwang suddenly approached a decorative wall cabinet.

When he caressed a certain part, the cabinet slid aside, revealing a hidden secret space.

The dark space, like the maw of a giant beast, was a staircase leading down to a basement.

No one knew that such an underground space existed in Dokgo Hwang’s residence.

Dokgo Hwang kept this place a complete secret. The only other person who knew of its existence was Eom So-so.

Dokgo Hwang took the stairs down to the basement.

He descended hundreds of steps and finally reached the bottom.

The basement, where not a single ray of light entered, was filled with pitch-black darkness.

Suddenly, Dokgo Hwang reached out and fumbled along the wall.

His hand grasped a stick.

Flick!

Dokgo Hwang lit the end of the stick with his Samadhi True Fire. The dark basement brightened, revealing the interior scene.

It was a huge underground space, about ten-odd zhang square.

It was not a naturally formed cave but an artificially created space. However, Dokgo Hwang was not the only one in the basement.

“Kugh!”

A monstrous man sat in the middle of the underground space.

His arms were bound in iron chains thicker than his own forearms, and both his legs had been severed below the knees.

It was unknown how long he had been trapped here, but his wildly overgrown hair not only covered his face but reached down to his navel.

At the sudden light, the monstrous man groaned as if his eyes were in pain. But that was only for a moment; he soon spewed a ghastly, Frenzied Gleam.

Dokgo Hwang approached him. The light in the monstrous man’s eyes grew even more ferocious.

Dokgo Hwang spoke to the monstrous man.

“It’s been a while, Master!”

“You bastard!”

The monstrous man’s voice echoed throughout the underground space.

“You seem to be doing well enough. Your voice is still booming…”

“You son of a bitch who deserves to be fried in oil! How dare you do this to your Master. Can you even call yourself human after this?”

“Isn’t all of this your Karmic Retribution, Master?”

“Karmic Retribution?”

“That’s right! Karmic Retribution! Weren’t you the one who first turned me into a beast, Master? So I have no choice but to bite and tear like a beast…”

A foul smile hung on Dokgo Hwang’s lips.

The monstrous man, exuding killing intent in the sealed underground space, was none other than his Master and the absolute ruler of the Swordless Union, the Sea King Sword, Jeon Mu-ok.

He was known to the world to be in seclusion for isolated training, but in truth, he was trapped here in a lightless basement.

Clang!

Jeon Mu-ok stretched his arms forward and shouted.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you. To conspire with Jang Mu-guk and reduce your Master to this state.”

If he could, he wanted to strangle Dokgo Hwang right now. But the iron chains binding his arms prevented his hands from reaching any further.

Watching Jeon Mu-ok flail his hands right in front of his nose, Dokgo Hwang showed no pity whatsoever.

“Have you forgotten? It was you, Master, who pushed me and my martial brothers into a pit under the pretext of competition. You, Master, learned your martial arts gently from Grand Master, yet you forced competition upon us. Thanks to you, these hands are stained with the blood of my martial brothers.”

“That was for your own good. To make you stronger…”

“And so I grew strong like this, didn’t I? Just as you wanted, Master, I became a beast with no blood or tears. Hehe!”

“Hwang! Don’t do this. I am your Master.”

“Isn’t that why I’ve kept you alive? I killed all my other martial brothers. Ah, I did send Second Senior Martial Brother to the Jade of No Regret.”

“Why Soo-hwan?”

“Because he was the only one who was ever good to me. I didn’t want to stain my own hands with his blood. So I sent him to the Jade of No Regret, but I hear it has fallen. Now, I have nothing left. Ah, I do have So-so, I suppose.”

“Do not associate with that Demoness. That bitch is a Demoness who will lead you down the path of ruin.”

Jeon Mu-ok advised, but Dokgo Hwang responded with a scoff.

“How could she be worse than you, Master? You, Master, led us down the path of ruin long ago.”

“It was all for your own good. To make you stronger. Why can’t you understand my true intentions?”

“Hehe! And so I grew strong like this, didn’t I? You must be proud, no? That your disciple grew up just as you wished.”

“Hwang!”

“Do not speak my name with that filthy mouth, Master. Do you know how much I wanted to kill you every time you called my name back then?”

A terrifying, Frenzied Gleam shot out from Dokgo Hwang’s eyes.

Every day since becoming Jeon Mu-ok’s disciple had been like hell.

He had never slept peacefully for even a single day.

He had to worry about raids from his martial brothers and feared failing to meet his Master’s standards.

As he grew older, his body grew bigger and stronger, but conversely, his mind grew sick.

The two people he met then were Eom So-so and Jang Mu-guk.

If not for them, he would have died day by day under his Master’s abuse.

From then on, Dokgo Hwang changed.

He began to learn Martial Arts not simply to survive the competition, but with a much grander goal in mind.

The foundation was sufficient.

He possessed formidable Insight and an indomitable will.

He delved into Martial Arts like a man possessed.

As a result, he was able to achieve an astonishing level of accomplishment. Far more than what his Master, Jeon Mu-ok, had wanted.

Only then did Dokgo Hwang execute the plan he had been honing for so long.

It was to subdue his Master, Jeon Mu-ok.

Jeon Mu-ok was a Martial Artist known as the Sea King Sword.

He possessed a mighty power befitting the years he had lived.

It would have been an impossible task alone. But he had a friend who shared his will.

Jang Mu-guk.

He had joined forces with Dokgo Hwang.

Jeon Mu-ok was certainly a great Martial Artist. His Sword Art was more than enough to part the sea. But ridiculously, he did not know how to utilize his Sword Art to its full potential.

Despite forcing ferocity and competition on his disciples, Jeon Mu-ok himself lacked a fierce fighting spirit.

In the end, after a fierce battle, Dokgo Hwang and Jang Mu-guk were able to subdue Jeon Mu-ok.

Dokgo Hwang had no intention of killing Jeon Mu-ok easily.

He would keep him alive to the very end and return to him more pain than he had ever suffered.

Dokgo Hwang smiled as he took a specially made dagger from his robes.

The dagger, with serrated edges like a shark’s teeth, was an object specially crafted to inflict pain on people.

“Well then, Master, shall we begin today’s session?”

“You bastard! Aaargh!”

Jeon Mu-ok’s desperate scream echoed in the darkness.