Chapter 101

“There’s no need for lengthy words between those who already know each other.”

My cold gaze pierced straight into Yang Jongmyeong and Yeop Munjung’s chests.

“Explain.”

***

The air in Cheongpunggak was heavy.

“I said to explain, yet you’ve kept your mouths shut this whole time.”

At Unwi’s words, the two men gulped nervously.

It was only natural.

Why, exactly, does merely possessing the Heukcheon Pill cause such problems?

Why had Sim Munryong, upon seeing the Heukcheon Pill, spoken as if certain they had betrayed Seolgung?

Why was Unwi dispensing with all courtesy?

There is always a reason for everything that happens in this world.

The Heukcheon Pill is not an ordinary elixir.

Unwi had once heard that the blood disciples of the Original Blood Sect receive a special grand art—but of course, not all blood disciples were eligible to receive it.

Martial artists who practiced blood qi without receiving the art inevitably experienced side effects during cultivation. The Heukcheon Pill was a medicine that not only suppressed the rampage of blood qi, but also allowed it to settle more deeply into one’s meridians.

In other words, for martial artists cultivating blood qi, it was the most essential of essentials.

And there was another effect as well.

Taking the Heukcheon Pill made it comparatively easier to conceal the presence of blood qi.

However, ingesting the pill once did not grant a permanent effect. Only with regular consumption could the presence be perfectly hidden.

From the moment he had discovered the Heukcheon Pill, Unwi had been certain.

The Yang Family Manor had spies from the Original Blood Sect.

“A martial artist cultivating blood qi must consume one Heukcheon Pill per month.”

“......”

“Twelve a year, and inside this container are about fifty pills. Even if we assume it’s a reserve supply, this amount is enough to support at least ten cultivators of blood qi... and right now, I see at least two before me.”

“Lord Hyeon Seollin... that is...”

Unwi shook his head.

“Cheonpung.”

At Unwi’s call, Cheonpung, who had been standing by behind him, grinned slyly and stepped forward.

“Yes, Branch Lord.”

“From now on, I will ask each of them one question. If their answer is anything but ‘yes’ or ‘that’s correct,’ behead them immediately. Understood?”

“Under-stood!”

Unwi’s chilling eyes turned to Yang Jongmyeong.

“Yang Jongmyeong, are you a spy from the Original Blood Sect?”

He was quick-witted.

“...Yes...”

Cheonpung’s hand tightened slightly on his massive sword. A little disappointed, perhaps.

Unwi’s next question followed immediately.

“Yeop Munjung, are you a spy from the Original Blood Sect?”

“...I truly cannot tolerate this! This is completely outrageous...”

Before he could even finish speaking, a deafening sonic boom split the air as Yeop Munjung hastily drew the sword at his waist and swung it. It lacked power, since it was swung from a seated position, but Cheonpung was merely at the stage of Dual Light Manifestation.

That level of sword?

He could block it easily.

Yeop Munjung, after all, was at the Five Dragon Blooming Star stage.

However—

KWAANG—!!

With a thunderous crash, Yeop Munjung’s body was hurled across the room and slammed into the wall.

“Gahk...”

What kind of power... what kind of absurd...

Staggering in shock, Yeop Munjung tried to rise. Beside his ear, Cheonpung’s muttered words drifted in.

“You blocked that?”

Cheonpung dashed forward, and Yeop Munjung clenched his teeth and responded.

Just then, the division members of Yakju waiting outside tried to rush in.

“If anyone dares interfere with that fight, they will die.”

Unwi’s icy voice stabbed into their ears.

“I swear it. I will tear their limbs and heads apart with everything I have, so unless you’re prepared to bear that, step forward.”

The division members froze in place. Unwi’s killing intent was real.

Unwi turned his gaze back to ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Yang Jongmyeong.

“Let’s continue our conversation. Who recruited you?”

“...That is...”

“Was it Yuhwarin or Seohwabaek?”

At the mention of those two names, Yang Jongmyeong’s eyes widened, but he soon shook his head.

“...I don’t know his name. We called him Baekho—White Tiger.”

“His appearance?”

“He always wore a black gat and a face covering, so I never saw him clearly, but his eyes were extremely sharp, and his voice was like rusted metal scraping. His build... a little under six cheok... thinking about it carefully, perhaps five cheok and seven chon.”

That was enough.

Yuhwarin.

The image forming in his mind matched almost exactly.

Naturally, there were many sects that followed the Original Blood Sect.

Among them was one group that was both a subdivision and not—a peculiar unit called Yuhonmun.

An assassin organization that also handled intelligence for the Original Blood Sect, they specialized in infiltrating sects and recruiting spies.

According to Unwi’s knowledge, there were four of them.

Yuhwarin and Seohwabaek, who managed the outer regions of Jungwon and foreign Murim; Jeon Makkum and Hyeon Usam, who operated within Jungwon itself.

All four were martial artists at the Celestial Earth Death Realm.

Though their primary task was recruitment, they were fundamentally assassins—experts in stealth, disguise, and intelligence gathering.

Unwi asked:

“What did he promise you?”

“......”

“You’re still hesitating, I see.”

So he decided to help a little.

“What you say next will determine the fate of the Yang Family Manor.”

His voice was frigid.

“You know full well how precious time is. Even this very moment I’m wasting is worth more than can be calculated. But this is something I must clarify.”

Unwi looked Yang Jongmyeong dead in the eye.

“If you answer truthfully, we’ll settle this with only your life and that of the directly involved parties. However...”

His gaze grew sharper.

“If we find out later that you lied, every single person connected to you will die. Understood?”

Yang Jongmyeong’s face turned pale.

“So—what did the one calling himself ‘White Tiger’ promise you?”

“H-he...”

Yang Jongmyeong swallowed hard.

“He promised to pass down martial arts of the Original Blood Sect. And... he said he’d give us power within Seolgung’s territory and raise our status as a sect to the next level...”

“The price?”

“To report on internal movements within Seolgung each month. Especially the activities of the Extreme North descendants...”

“And what did you receive in return?”

“We were taught Blood Killing Divine Art... given a method to obtain the Heukcheon Pill...”

His voice grew quieter.

“...And taught how to control blood qi.”

“How did you report back?”

“On the first of every month... we met at Sanghwa Pavilion outside Yakju.”

Unwi stroked his chin.

“Sanghwa Pavilion, huh...”

He murmured to himself, turning his head slightly.

The fight between Cheonpung and Yeop Munjung was still raging.

***

Cheonpung’s greatsword sliced through the air. Yeop Munjung widened his eyes and twisted his body sharply to the side.

Whooong—!

The greatsword cleaved the empty space.

No matter how extraordinary his physical power might be, the difference in realm was undeniable.

“A mere Dual Light Manifestation brat...!”

He had no reason to hold back.

He would kill Cheonpung right here and escape.

It was the best choice Yeop Munjung could make.

Red smoke began to rise from his fingertips.

It was unmistakably blood qi.

Blood Killing Divine Art.

It instantly enveloped his entire body.

Though faint, anyone could tell from the red smoke surrounding him that he was a blood cultivator.

But Cheonpung neither flinched nor shrank back from it.

Gripping the greatsword tightly, he brought it crashing down.

Thinking it would be different this time, Yeop Munjung also swung his sword.

KWAANG—!!

A tremendous impact rang out as Yeop Munjung was pushed backward, skidding across the floor.

‘What... is this monstrous strength...?’

It was absurd.

Then it happened.

Yeop Munjung’s eyes flew open.

Like a mountain crashing down, that massive greatsword was descending again.

He flattened his blade and took a defensive stance.

KWAANG—!!

His body was slammed into the ground, gouging a trench into the floor.

This incomprehensible power... he no longer wanted to understand.

He twisted his body sideways, and Cheonpung’s sword struck the earth.

At that moment, Yeop Munjung’s sword lunged toward Cheonpung’s shoulder.

SLAK—!

A tearing sound rang out as flesh split, and blood sprayed into the air.

It had to hurt, and yet—Cheonpung was laughing strangely.

In Cheonpung’s mind at that moment...

One day—

He remembered Seol Unwi personally demonstrating Heavenly Wolf Star Execution.

—The line between success and failure is thinner than a single kalpa, and the heavens and earth have passed through countless kalpas to reach this point.

He gripped the greatsword with both hands.

—The cry of a lone wolf echoes beneath the moonlight, and cold frost falls, slicing the sky.

Yeop Munjung slashed his sword toward Cheonpung.

Blood Killing Divine Art.

Descent from Hell.

It was a fatal strike—but Cheonpung’s smile only deepened.

In that moment, he was becoming one with the memory of Unwi.

—This is...

“This is Heavenly Wolf Star Execution.”

He swung his greatsword with all his might.

It cleaved through Yeop Munjung’s exploding red aura—the power of blood qi overwhelmed by pure divine strength.

The air itself erupted in the process.

KWA-RRRRRRRNG—!

The sweeping blade tore deep into Yeop Munjung’s shoulder.

And then, in that instant—

KWA-AANG—!!

Yeop Munjung’s shoulder exploded, and the right arm he had been wielding his sword with was blasted into the air.

The second stance, Howl Beneath the Moon, and the third stance, Cold Star Piercing the Sky, had both been unleashed simultaneously.

Yeop Munjung’s body slumped.

“Hehehehehe...”

Cheonpung laughed as he approached, grabbed Yeop Munjung by the hair, and slammed his elbow down—crushing his face into pulp.

It wasn’t over.

Cheonpung then tore his head clean off and laid it before Unwi.

“Branch Lord. I’ve brought it.”

Unwi, who had been silently watching Cheonpung, gave a faint smile.

He had said it many times: Cheonpung had the potential to reach at least the level of the Five Banner Generals.

If this momentum continued, and his blazing talent wasn’t consumed by something greater, he could certainly go even further.

He spoke with genuine sincerity.

“Well done.”

At that brief praise, Cheonpung grinned slyly.

***

Unwi wasn’t the only one who had been watching the fight. Yang Jongmyeong had too.

He couldn’t make sense of it.

All the more because he himself was a Dual Light Manifestation martial artist.

How could a fellow Dual Light Manifestation kill someone in the Five Dragon Blooming Star realm?

Unwi spoke to Yang Jongmyeong, who was now trembling in fear.

“Let’s finish our talk.”

“Ah... y-yes, of course...”

“Then you and the late Yeop Munjung must have thought ‘White Tiger’ cleaned up the merchant caravan that was slaughtered by the Black Bear of Snow Mountain.”

“...That’s correct. That’s why we didn’t investigate it further and just buried them...”

“But even so, you should’ve verified it. Did you contact him?”

“...We did. We were already supposed to meet him today at Sanghwa Pavilion. The time was at sulsi... yes, sulsi.”

Sulsi...