After that, Seomun Kyung returned to the Seomun family.
From then on, he shut himself away and never showed his face to the world again.
‘In that case.’
Could it be that after that day, Seomun Kyung became twisted in his thinking, began abducting young girls, and committed horrific acts?
“That man named Seomun Kyung,” Wu Gyeong said, looking at Wi Cheongyeong with a grave expression. “It is a fact widely known within the family that he became a cripple.”
“Cripple.”
“Yes.” He continued in a low voice. “However, the family head ordered strict secrecy, so it has not spread much outside.”
“Hmm.”
“In my opinion, Seomun Kyung probably could not endure the immense pressure in the end and lost his mind.”
“Have you found any evidence?”
“I’m sorry. The Seomun family’s formations are formidable so our agents have not yet fully infiltrated.”
Death Spirit Corps member Wu Gyeong bowed his head as he spoke.
“Within ten days at the latest, the agents should be able to break through the formations, infiltrate, and secure evidence.”
‘Ten days.’
Wi Cheongyeong shook his head.
If the abductions had been going on for several years already, then the methods for disposing of evidence would have become highly sophisticated by now. Once ten days passed, not only the child’s life but also the probability of the evidence being perfectly eliminated would be very high.
“Immediately order the Death Spirit Corps to halt the infiltration.”
Wi Cheongyeong spoke decisively.
“I will go myself.”
“Captain Wi himself?” The shocked Wu Gyeong immediately shook his head. “If something goes wrong after the Captain goes, there will be no way to handle the aftermath. If you are discovered, even if the Martial Soul Command Lord steps in, it will be impossible to clean up.”
The agents of the Death Spirit Corps all possessed perfect dual identities. Even if they were exposed, no harm would come to Majeon or Bu Eunseol.
But Wi Cheongyeong was different.
No matter how much he disguised his face or wore a mask, he was not an intelligence operative—he was unmistakably a corps captain of Majeon.
If he were discovered, the problem would spiral out of control.
“There is no time to delay.”
Cutting off Wu Gyeong’s words firmly, Wi Cheongyeong rose from his seat.
After much hesitation, Wu Gyeong spoke.
“Then, in preparation for an emergency, we will deploy all nearby agents to the Seomun family grounds.”
“A place like the Seomun family surely has an extraordinary information network. Gathering agents carelessly could lead to detection or suspicion.”
“Captain.”
“Either way, the outcome will be the same. Even if I am discovered, the Death Spirit Corps cannot wage an all-out war against the Seomun family, can they?” Wi Cheongyeong shook his head. “I’ll handle it myself, so don’t worry about it.”
With a slight shake of his head, a mask that covered his face was instantly donned.
Paang!
Before Wu Gyeong could say anything to stop him, he immediately left the annex.
Shuuuk.
Wi Cheongyeong unleashed his movement technique at full power.
‘A sense of justice has nothing to do with it.’
In truth, he was a genuine demonic cultivator so he possessed no such thing as a sense of justice.
He even had an indifferent personality that cared nothing for the affairs of those around him.
Moreover, having always been compared to the Cheonsal Leader throughout his life, he had grown increasingly cynical over time. The only thing he kept in his heart… were his comrades from the Rootless Brigade who shared the same circumstances as him.
As long as he was with them, there would be no more comparisons. There would be no complicated matters.
He had thought it would be enough to live carelessly, crashing into everything alongside these ruffians without a single thought.
But ever since Bu Eunseol—the Ten Demon Warrior of Nangyang Pavilion—suddenly became the Rootless Brigade Leader… his life changed completely.
Hellish training that had never existed before began and he stopped caring about others’ gazes.
No—he could no longer even afford to care.
Because the hellish training was accompanied by all kinds of trials and persecution.
Even from the so-called righteous demonic sects—the Ten Demonic Gates.
“Whether it’s demonic or righteous—what does it matter?”
Moreover, the Ten Demon Warrior of Nangyang Pavilion who came as the Rootless Brigade Leader did not consider himself a demonic cultivator.
No—he lacked even the awareness of being a martial artist.
Yet while enduring every kind of ordeal, he still tried to survive, and in the midst of it all, he struggled so that his subordinates would not be injured.
“Well… he’s become human, hasn’t he.”
Before long, even the unrestrained ruffians of the Rootless Brigade became completely captivated by the Ten Demon Warrior of Nangyang Pavilion’s humanity. Wi Cheongyeong himself was changing into someone more human, coming to understand what “morality” meant.
Not deep bonds of affection, just plain morality.
Simply the principle of how people should live.
The principle that must absolutely be upheld.
“Who cares about the division between righteous and demonic?”
Let’s live upholding principles like the Command Lord does. Just live humanly like proper people.
Even after learning that Bu Eunseol possessed a dual identity, the unit members continued to follow him with unwavering loyalty.
As time passed like that, the way he viewed the world, and his heart, changed completely.
Sunlight entered the dark and gloomy emotions and before he knew it, he was no longer merely a martial artist—he had become a complete human being.
‘I just…’
Wi Cheongyeong, who was unleashing his movement technique with all his strength, bit his lip.
‘I’m just trying to live like a proper human being.’
Kwarung! Shwaaaaak!
With the sound of exploding air, a hazy band of water vapor formed in front of Wi Cheongyeong.
‘So… please be safe!’
Kwarung!
Before long, Wi Cheongyeong had become a single streak of lightning tearing through the sky.
***
The underground torture prison reeked of musty rot.
Somewhere, the drip-drip of sticky water echoed, and the damp moisture mixed with the smell of mold stabbed at the nose.
Kiiiiiik.
With a loud metallic screech, the thick iron door opened.
Instantly, the air in the underground prison condensed like ice.
Tremble tremble.
The small girls imprisoned in the cells shuddered. They knew all too well that whenever someone entered this place, hellish torture would begin.
“Hmm.”
The large shadow that opened the iron door and entered paced slowly back and forth in front of the cells, peering inside.
Inside the cells, a tiny bean-sized lantern flickered, so most of the space was shrouded in darkness.
“Hmm.”
The shadow peering through the bars let out a low groan.
Inside were nothing but young girls, all imprisoned.
Whenever he walked past their cells, the girls bowed their heads and trembled.
Thud. Thud.
When the shadow finally reached the last cell, his steps stopped.
There, a girl in shabby clothes was shivering. Her skin was extremely pale, and she had large, long eyes; even in the dim darkness, her appearance stood out clearly.
“She resembles her.”
A red gleam rose in the shadow’s eyes.
In this world, the only ones who resembled that detestable bastard he wanted to tear apart were pretty young girls.
Unable to suppress the rage in his heart, he committed these horrific crimes.
“Today, that child will do.”
Click.
He unlocked the cell door.
The girl immediately knelt, clasped her hands together, and begged.
“My lord. Please spare me. Please.”
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” The shadow bared his white teeth in a smile. “People don’t die easily. Even if their hands or feet are cut off, they can live. No—even if everything is gone, they can still remain perfectly alive.”
Tremble tremble.
The girl could only shed tears with unfocused, terrified eyes; she could not utter a single word.
Kiiik.
At that moment, the entrance door of the prison opened, and a martial artist in yellow robes rushed down breathlessly and prostrated himself beside the shadow.
“There is an intruder.”
“An intruder?”
“Yes. Judging by the fact that he broke through the Iron Bridge Delusion Formation and immediately entered the fake prison… it is likely a pursuer from the government or a bounty hunter.”
“Butterflies drawn to the flame. They manage to find their way here year after year.” The shadow chuckled lowly, then spoke coldly. “Activate the Underworld Prison Formation and deal with him.”
As the shadow turned to walk back toward the cells, the unarmed martial artist spoke.
“It has already been activated.”
“What?”
The martial artist bowed his head and said, “That person’s skill is truly exceptional. Even though the outer guards deployed the Underworld Prison Formation to trap him, he has dealt with them all and is breaking out of the fake prison.”
The shadow, who had been caressing the torture tools on the table, spoke irritably.
“Useless fools. They can’t even handle a single intruder.”
Tang.
Throwing down the iron tongs he was holding, the shadow opened his mouth.
“Activate the Overlapping Chain Prison Formation to completely conceal this cell.”
Then he turned and walked out of the prison.
“Summon the Twelve Fierce Dragons. I will command them personally.”
Pa-at! Chwaaak!
Blood endlessly spurted forth.
Having entered the narrow underground cavern, Wi Cheongyeong was continuously dealing with the pouring martial artists and hidden weapons.
Strange formations were laid throughout the interior, preventing him from displaying his full power. Yet he did not retreat and valiantly fought back.
Thud thud thud.
Though he felled the pouring martial artists, more were immediately replenished.
As the endless stream of martial artists continued, Wi Cheongyeong eventually launched himself toward the exit.
But at the exit, martial artists had already installed several formation checkpoints, blocking his escape.
‘They prepared a fake prison.’
The moment Wi Cheongyeong arrived at the Seomun family, he immediately deployed pursuit techniques to search for a likely location where children might be held.
Finally, near the rear garden, he discovered traces of children being dragged away.
After carefully examining the surroundings for a long time, he found the secretly hidden underground prison. However, no matter how thoroughly he searched the prison, the abducted girls were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, fierce battle traces remained everywhere.
—Ah.
Only then did Wi Cheongyeong realize the situation and let out a groan of realization.
—It was an elaborate trap.
Over the years, countless mercenaries must have infiltrated the Seomun family either to find the abducted children or to claim the bounty.
They would have searched every inch of the interior for solid evidence.
Taking advantage of that fact, the Seomun family created a fake prison with obvious traces of abduction.
They had set up a perfect death trap capable of wiping out all pursuers.
Evidence could never be found anyway and since unauthorized intrusion into the Seomun family—one of the Eight Great Families that stored the most treasures—meant instant death was justified, there was nothing to argue.
In that way… the Seomun family had long been eliminating evidence and evading pursuit.
‘That means the family head, or at least some of the core elders, knew of Seomun Kyung’s crimes and condoned them.’
He had thought it was merely Seomun Kyung’s personal deviation.
But now it was clear: the entire family was systematically covering up the crimes using the clan’s power.
Even with Wi Cheongyeong’s outstanding mind, predicting such a thing was difficult.
In the end, he too had infiltrated the fake prison, clashed fiercely with the waiting Seomun family experts, and sustained serious injuries.
‘No chance.’
Wi Cheongyeong possessed the supreme footwork technique Bu Eunseol had taught him—the ancient secret art called Shadowless Mystery.
It maximized the concealment mystery of Swift Beyond Shadow along with penetrating force.
When unleashed at full power, the body entered a state of perfect emptiness for an instant. Even through the tiniest gap of space, the body could pass in a single breath—a miraculous footwork art.
“Haaap!” Wi Cheongyeong unleashed Shadowless Mystery with everything he had.
The Seomun family martial artists did their utmost to capture him.
Shuuk!
Thanks to the ability of Shadowless Mystery to pass through even the smallest opening, he slipped past them in an instant.
Kwaang!
Finally breaking through the last line of defense, Wi Cheongyeong escaped the fake prison.
Chachachachak.
But the moment he emerged outside, another hundred or so martial artists surrounded him.
Judging by the strange light flowing from the entire rear garden ground where Wi Cheongyeong stood, they had already laid formations to seal his retreat.
“Huu… huu.” Wi Cheongyeong breathed heavily.
He had already defeated over two hundred experts and broken fifteen formations inside the fake prison. Moreover, the Seomun family martial artists were using formations whose functions drained stamina and internal energy.
Though Wi Cheongyeong’s footwork and internal cultivation had surpassed the level of the new generation of masters, he had not yet reached the extreme origin realm like Bu Eunseol, nor did he possess the martial prowess to single-handedly crush hundreds like the Cloud Dragon or the Mysterious Heaven Ox.
Chwararak.
At that moment, the line of martial artists parted, and a sturdy, middle-aged elderly man walked forward.
It was none other than the current family head of the Seomun family—Seomun Gwang.
“From the looks of it, another seed of the demonic path.”
Seomun Gwang frowned as he looked at the masked Wi Cheongyeong.
“Why have you entered our house?”
Wi Cheongyeong remained silent.
Speaking carelessly would only increase the chance of his identity being exposed. Moreover, since they had prepared a fake prison within the family grounds, Seomun Gwang must already know of his son’s evil deeds and was covering them up.
There was nothing to be gained from conversing with him.
Srrk.
Wi Cheongyeong gripped the two daggers at his waist in both hands.
Then, with lightning-like footwork, he charged toward Seomun Gwang’s neck, twenty zhang away.
Ziiing.
But Wi Cheongyeong fell from midair like a bird with broken wings.
A transparent barrier resembling strong qi surrounded Seomun Gwang—a formation.
“Vile bastard. Strike him down.”
At Seomun Gwang’s command, the hundred martial artists spun in circles, unleashing bizarre power.
In the martial world, it was said that while the Seomun family’s formations could not match the subtlety of the Zhuge family, in terms of killing power alone, they were evaluated as one step above the Zhuge family’s formations.
Because the Seomun family’s formations were specialized solely in killing the enemy.
Flash! Flash!
Wi Cheongyeong left red afterimages in the air as he cut down the charging martial artists.
But his attacks were slightly slower.
Due to the strange function of the formation flowing from the ground, his internal energy was restricted, and his techniques were released a beat late. The martial artists seized that opportunity to try to kill Wi Cheongyeong.
Whirrr.
Even in this life-or-death moment, Wi Cheongyeong did not give up; he unleashed a gale-like footwork and continued to fight.
Pat pat!
Before long, his clothes were stained red in many places from wounds.
Yet he refused to surrender and kept attacking relentlessly.
Watching this, Seomun Gwang let out a sigh.
“A young man who has mastered truly remarkable movement arts.”
All martial artists trained in qinggong.
Among them were some called great masters of qinggong. But wasn’t the masked man before him displaying movement arts so astonishing and profound that the term “great master of qinggong” fell short?
“Not just fast—his movements contain the principles of heaven.”
As a formation master, he instantly recognized that Wi Cheongyeong’s footwork had reached an extremely high level and even incorporated the mysterious orbits of the constellations.
“With that level, he cannot be some nameless pawn. We must kill him quickly to avoid future trouble.”
It was impossible for someone of such skill to infiltrate the Seomun family alone.
To leave no trace or evidence, he must be eliminated.
“Even if he were the emperor’s son, since he climbed our walls and was killed in the act, no one can complain.”
Muttering lowly, Seomun Gwang shouted loudly.
“Deploy the Heaven-Filling Human Blood Formation!”
At his shout, twelve martial artists in yellow robes descended around Wi Cheongyeong.
Judging by their aura, they were quite skilled.
Ziiing.
As they raised their swords and chaotically formed their array, Wi Cheongyeong felt nauseating, extreme pressure.
The ultimate killing formation deployed by twelve formation masters—the Heaven-Filling Human Blood Formation—had been activated.
Pa-at. Tak!
Once the Heaven-Filling Human Blood Formation activated, Wi Cheongyeong’s body became as heavy as a thousand pounds. As his movements slowed, the Seomun family experts seized the openings and poured out lethal palm force without cease.
Kwaang!
The combined palm force of the twelve experts struck Wi Cheongyeong’s body relentlessly.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
With explosive sounds, Wi Cheongyeong finally spat blood and retreated more than ten steps.
‘No chance.’
Pat!
Yet, as if his body were made of steel, ignoring his injuries, Wi Cheongyeong once again left afterimages and began tearing through the inside of the blood formation.
“Keuk!”
“Aaack!”
Finally, he cut down two martial artists,
Kwaang!
But once again struck by palm force, he dropped to one knee, unable to maintain his footwork.
“We’ve caught him.”
Though Seomun Gwang smiled, inwardly he wiped the sweat from his brow.
This young man’s martial arts were so outstanding that not only did he defeat the elite waiting in the fake prison, he even beheaded two of the twelve disciples Seomun Gwang had personally trained before falling.
“I will dismember you into five pieces, then make those behind you pay compensation for the damage done to our family.”
There must surely be a powerful force behind this masked man.
Seomun Gwang intended to kill him to silence him forever, then demand recompense for the harm done to the family’s forces.
After all, the dead tell no tales, and no evidence remains.
“Farewell.”
At Seomun Gwang’s nod, the remaining ten experts raised powerful palm force in both hands.
Huuuung.
A faint light began to shimmer around their palms.
Knowing Wi Cheongyeong was an extraordinary master, they hid no openings until the very last moment, intending to kill him perfectly.
Kwaaang!
But an explosion erupted from an unexpected place.
From the direction of the Seomun family’s main gate came the sound of something collapsing.
Purrut.
At the same time, a single martial artist in black robes rushed toward Seomun Gwang.
“What is it?”
When Seomun Gwang asked, the martial artist urgently reported,
“There is another intruder.”
Kung! Kung! Kung!
With earth-shaking sounds, two massive shadows were charging straight toward the place where Wi Cheongyeong was surrounded.
“What are those things!”
Though the Seomun family martial artists tried to block them, the two figures ignored all attacks, charging forward like cannonballs in a straight line.
Kwaang!
Finally breaking through even the Heaven-Filling Human Blood Formation, the two shadows stood beside Wi Cheongyeong.
Though masked, their fierce bulging eyes and protruding beards could not be hidden.
It was none other than Won Semun and Jo Namcheon.
“Why are you two here?”
When Wi Cheongyeong asked, Won Semun grinned.
“If our patron disappears, how are we supposed to drink?”
Brushing dust off his body, Jo Namcheon said, “You were gone so long we asked Wu Gyeong. He said you came here.”
Wi Cheongyeong could not hide his dumbfounded expression.
“You came here just because you heard I was here?”
“A guy who should have come back long ago didn’t… so of course we had to come.”
As Won Semun and Jo Namcheon grinned, Wi Cheongyeong’s eyes wavered.
‘These guys…’
Even though they knew exactly why Wi Cheongyeong had come to the Seomun family, they came with just the two of them, with no troops.
If they had brought forces, it could turn into a war between Majeon and the Seomun family.
Sensing instinctively that Wi Cheongyeong was in danger, they strictly ordered the Death Spirit Corps not to intervene, and personally smashed through the Seomun family’s main gate to reach this place.
“If even you two come here, who will protect that person?” Wi Cheongyeong frowned and shouted lowly. “There is no way to survive from here.”
Then Jo Namcheon and Won Semun snorted and spoke.
“He will understand. We… weren’t we rootless bastards from the very beginning?”
“Back then, we made a promise, didn’t we? When the time to die comes… the three of us must die together on the battlefield.”
Wi Cheongyeong’s eyes rippled like water.
Even though they had become trusted confidants of Bu Eunseol who embraced the world…
Even though they had attained a status with nothing lacking…
The Rootless Brigade was still the Rootless Brigade.
Back in those days when no one acknowledged the reckless and wild trio, when they relied only on each other to endure…
They had come, staking their lives for a comrade from those rough times.
Together with Wi Cheongyeong.
To die at the same moment, on the same day.
Comments