Chapter 75

Everyone stared blankly at the coffin placed in the middle of the Training Ground.

Inside the coffin, which Cheong-yeop and a few other disciples had carried up from the foot of the mountain, lay the body of Cheong-yeop, the great disciple of the Qingcheng Sect.

Muryeong Jin-in stared at Cheong-yeop’s body in the coffin with an expression of disbelief.

“Cheong… yeop!”

His voice trembled uncontrollably.

A storm was raging in the heart of the old Taoist, who had trained for so long that his mind was supposed to be unshakable.

It felt as if his heart was being torn to shreds.

“Cheong-yeop!”

Muryeong Jin-in called Cheong-yeop’s Sword Cry as he approached the coffin.

He looked so precarious, as if he might collapse at any moment.

“Sect Master!”

“Sob!”

Seeing this, the Martial Artists of the Qingcheng Sect burst into tears.

Muryeong Jin-in took one heavy step, then another, toward Cheong-yeop’s body.

Cheong-yeop had his eyes closed, as if he were merely asleep. But the wounds covering his entire body were so gruesome that one could hardly bear to look.

They were the marks of the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm.

Muryeong Jin-in carefully caressed Cheong-yeop’s body.

Just then, Cheong-san fell to his knees and slammed his forehead to the ground.

“Please punish me for failing to protect my Senior Martial Brother.”

“Please punish us.”

The Martial Artists who had carried Cheong-yeop’s body with Cheong-san all slammed their heads to the ground in unison.

Their foreheads broke, and Fresh Blood splattered everywhere, but not a single one of them showed any sign of pain.

They were sinners.

Grave sinners who had failed to protect the great disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. They didn’t even have the right to feel pain.

Although they had raided the Hundred Flowers Room and inflicted great damage on the Emei Sect, it did not erase their sin.

Muryeong Jin-in did not blame them.

He knew they had done their best.

“Senior Martial Brother!”

Muhwa Jin-in approached Muryeong Jin-in’s side.

He silently placed a hand on Muryeong Jin-in’s shoulder. That alone was a considerable comfort to Muryeong Jin-in.

The Fourth Elder, Mu-il Jin-in, also came to Muryeong Jin-in’s side.

Their faces were filled with sorrow.

No matter how deeply they had studied the Taoist path and become detached from worldly affairs, they could not help but feel the heart-wrenching pain of a beloved disciple’s death.

It was then.

BOOM!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from within the Qingcheng Sect.

Startled, Muryeong Jin-in and the others rushed toward the source of the sound. The epicenter of the explosion was the pavilion where the honored guests of the Qingcheng Sect were staying.

In the Training Ground in front of the pavilion, Mujeong Jin-in stood tall, and the Martial Artists of the Thunder Clan were staring at him with terrified expressions.

An extraordinary aura flowed from Mujeong Jin-in.

Faced with an aura as fierce as a storm, the Martial Artists of the Thunder Clan trembled all over like sheep meeting a lion.

“Junior Martial Brother! What is the meaning of this?”

“Senior Martial Brother!”

Muryeong Jin-in and Muhwa Jin-in called out to Mujeong Jin-in. But Mujeong Jin-in simply stared straight ahead without answering.

Looking where Mujeong Jin-in’s gaze was fixed, Muryeong Jin-in and Muhwa Jin-in squeezed their eyes shut without realizing it.

“Yuanshi Tianzun…”

“Ugh!”

In front of Mujeong Jin-in lay a horribly mangled corpse.

It did not take long to recognize the body as that of Tae Yeonho, the Sect Leader of the Thunder Clan.

“Why on earth did you do it?”

“Senior Martial Brother! Why did you kill Sect Leader Tae?”

In the Qingcheng Sect, there was only one person capable of killing the Thunder Clan’s Sect Leader, Tae Yeonho, in a single blow.

It was Mujeong Jin-in.

A blue Ghost Fire seemed to flicker in Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes.

He glared at Tae Yeonho’s body and said.

“Cheong-yeop died because of this man.”

“Cheong-yeop’s death was not Sect Leader Tae’s fault.”

“He was the one who provided the cause.”

“Junior Martial Brother Mujeong!”

“Senior Martial Brother! I will not let a single person related to this matter live.”

Words that one could not imagine coming from a Taoist flowed from Mujeong Jin-in’s mouth.

A dark Killing intent clouded his eyes.

‘Hah! Junior Martial Brother Mujeong’s Killing intent has reached its peak.’

After returning from the underground cavern seven years ago, Mujeong Jin-in’s Killing intent had grown progressively stronger. But no one knew the reason why.

They could only vaguely guess that he had fallen prey to an Inner Demon.

The problem was that no one in the Qingcheng Sect could control Mujeong Jin-in.

Mujeong Jin-in was, in name and reality, the number one Expert of the Qingcheng Sect’s current generation.

Only someone of the caliber of the previous generation’s top Expert, Goyeop Jin-in, could possibly subdue him. But Goyeop Jin-in had gone into Seclusion long ago and had not shown himself.

It was to the point that no one even knew if he was still alive, or if he was even staying on Mount Qingcheng.

“Calm down, Junior Martial Brother Mujeong.”

“Cheong-yeop is dead. Do you expect me to be calm?”

“Let us calmly examine the cause and effect. There must be a reason why the situation has deteriorated like this.”

“Cheong-yeop lost his life to the Emei Sect’s machinations. The wounds on his body are clearly from the Emei Sect’s Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm.”

“But…”

“Seven years ago, we lost Gun-sang because of them. And today, we have lost Cheong-yeop as well. The future of the Qingcheng Sect has been broken. And yet, I am supposed to endure?”

“Junior Martial Brother.”

“I cannot endure it. I stayed in the background and only watched because you told me to be patient, Senior Martial Brother. And what is the result?”

“…”

“Do not stop me, Senior Martial Brother! I will take this opportunity to teach the Emei Sect what Righteousness is. Taishang Laojun will surely understand my murderous tribulation.”

“There is still plenty of time. Just calm down a little.”

“No, while we are dawdling like this, the wicked fiends of the Emei Sect will be preparing to strike us. We can no longer turn a blind eye to their provocations.”

Suddenly, Mujeong Jin-in kicked off the ground and soared into the air. Then, seven swordsmen launched themselves after Mujeong Jin-in.

They were the Qingcheng Seven Swords, personally trained by Mujeong Jin-in.

Before anyone could stop them, Mujeong Jin-in and the Qingcheng Seven Swords used their Lightness Art to dash down the mountain.

Muhwa Jin-in spoke with a worried expression.

“This is a disaster. What if he joins up with Senior Martial Brother U? Wouldn’t that be a catastrophe?”

“Surely he won’t meet Junior Martial Brother U? It’s been over seven years since he went into seclusion.”

Junior Martial Brother U was U Jin-pyeong, the father of U Gun-sang.

He was a genius who had laid the foundation for the Qingcheng Sect’s leap forward, but after his son U Gun-sang’s death, he had cut himself off from the world.

Mujeong Jin-in had visited him several times to bring him back to the Qingcheng Sect, but was rejected each time.

If only U Jin-pyeong had been in the Qingcheng Sect, the tedious war with the Emei Sect would have been brought to an end long ago.

“Who can know the ways of the world? If those two truly join forces, a storm of blood will sweep through Sichuan Province.”

“Ugh!”

“We must send someone to stop them at once. What we truly want is for the Emei Sect to kneel and apologize, not to annihilate them, is it not?”

“You are right, Junior Martial Brother. Then who should we send down?”

“I will go down myself.”

“You will?”

“Somehow, the cause and effect of this incident don’t seem right. This series of events is unfolding too rapidly.”

Muhwa Jin-in had his suspicions about the events unfolding at the foot of the mountain. To uncover the truth, someone had to go down the mountain.

Muryeong Jin-in let out a sigh.

“Sigh! It can’t be helped. Take the Martial Artists of the Enforcement Hall with you. If necessary, you may use force to subdue Junior Martial Brother Mujeong.”

“Thank you.”

Muhwa Jin-in bowed his head deeply to Muryeong Jin-in.

The Enforcement Hall, responsible for managing the discipline of the Qingcheng Sect, possessed the strongest martial power.

The Enforcement Hall Leader, Muyeong Jin-in, was an Expert second only to Mujeong Jin-in, and the Martial Artists he led possessed martial power comparable to the Qingcheng Seven Swords.

Giving him the Enforcement Hall was tantamount to giving Muhwa Jin-in full authority.

“I will not disappoint you, Senior Martial Brother!”

“The fate of the Qingcheng Sect rests on you. And…”

“Yes?”

“You must also find out why Mujeong has fallen so deeply into his Inner Demon. If we let his Inner Demon grow like this, he could endanger the entirety of Sichuan Province.”

“I understand, Senior Martial Brother!”

Muhwa Jin-in replied with a grim expression. Muryeong Jin-in’s face, as he watched him, was filled with worry.

“I don’t know how things came to this.”

His lament scattered in the wind.

Pyo Wol returned to Chengdu.

The atmosphere in Chengdu was still murderous.

The streets were nearly deserted, and most shops were closed. There were hardly any inns open either.

Because of this, Pyo Wol had to waste a considerable amount of time finding an Inn. But his efforts were not in vain, and he eventually managed to find a shabby Inn.

The Inn owner was hell-bent on making money even in such a murderous time.

He charged double the usual price for a room, and sold terrible food at an expensive price.

Though it was unfair, the guests had to endure the owner’s tyranny. This was because there were only a few inns available to stay in Chengdu at the moment.

Merchants who had paid a high price for the Inn complained.

“This is crazy. To think I have to pay five Copper Coins to stay one night in an Inn like this.”

“What can we do? It’s not like we can sleep on the streets.”

“Damn it! What kind of mess is this because of the Emei and Qingcheng Sects? Haven’t we been caught in the crossfire?”

“Shh! Keep it down. What if they hear you?”

“You think the Emei or Qingcheng Sects would come here?”

“I’m just saying to be careful, as someone associated with them might be around. Don’t you know that birds hear the words of the day, and rats hear the words of the night?”

“Sigh!”

The merchants had lowered their voices, but Pyo Wol heard them clearly. He had no intention of blaming them, though.

In a way, this whole incident had happened because of him.

If he had just stayed put, things would not have escalated this far, and there would have been no reason for so many casualties.

Still, Pyo Wol did not regret it.

The concept of good and evil had long since vanished for him.

Everything that hindered his survival was evil, and everything that had ever harmed him was absolute evil.

Forced to live in darkness for a full fourteen years against his will, his disposition was twisted from its very roots.

For fourteen years, his nature had twisted and twisted again, to a point where it could never be straightened by ordinary means.

Pyo Wol knew this fact as well.

That he was by no means normal.

That he was on a different track from ordinary people.

Even so, he had no intention of changing.

He didn’t think changing himself now would change his fate.

He didn’t know where this fate would end, but he would run with all his might as far as his strength would take him. Even if his strength gave out and he collapsed along the way.

“Your meal.”

Just then, the Inn owner brought out a meal.

It was food that looked terrible at a single glance.

The Inn owner simply placed the food on Pyo Wol’s table and trudged back to the kitchen.

Pyo Wol didn’t even glance at the food and took out a booklet from his bosom.

The seven characters for Capital Martial Artists Registry were clearly written on the cover.

It was the booklet he had taken after killing O San-gyeong, the branch manager of the Hao Clan.

Until now, Pyo Wol had been busy maneuvering between the Emei and Qingcheng Sects and had no time to examine the Capital Martial Artists Registry. Therefore, this was the first time he was looking at it seriously.

The Capital Martial Artists Registry was, as the name suggested, a booklet in which the Hao Clan had recorded the Martial Artists in Chengdu.

The Hao Clan’s information network was truly formidable, unconditionally recording any Martial Artist who had so much as set foot in Chengdu.

Pyo Wol’s name on the first page was proof of that.

Pyo Wol was not known in the Jianghu, and it had only been a few days since he entered Chengdu, yet they had already identified and recorded him.

It was proof that the eyes and ears of the Hao Clan were spread throughout Chengdu.

Pyo Wol quietly flipped through the Capital Martial Artists Registry.

Flip! Flip-flip!*

A smile touched the corners of Pyo Wol’s lips as he read the booklet.

This was because the Capital Martial Artists Registry contained detailed information not only about himself but also about the Black Cloud Corps.

[Black Cloud Corps

Expanded its power by accepting cavalrymen from the Outer Regions.

Believed to have connections with the tribes of the Outer Regions, with the goal of establishing a foothold within Sichuan Province.

Unit Leader Jang Muryang is quick-witted and highly ambitious.

His specialty is walking a tightrope between both sides in conflict zones, thus requiring extreme caution.

Wherever the Black Cloud Corps enters, it is almost certain to become embroiled in conflict.

Individuals to be wary of include Daoshi Go and the Blood Monk.

Daoshi Go is…]

Pyo Wol committed every single character of the contents of the Capital Martial Artists Registry to memory.

In the Jianghu, information held a precious value that could not be exchanged for any treasure. Information identified by a group like the Hao Clan, in particular, could not be obtained even for a thousand pieces of gold.

Although the title of the booklet was the Capital Martial Artists Registry, its contents encompassed not just Chengdu, but the entirety of Sichuan Province.