-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Cheongsung Sect (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"S-Sorcery!! It's sorcery!!"
An event beyond his common sense had unfolded.
As Ju Seong-chae cried out in shock, Dang Yu-wol's hand moved.
-Chae-aeng!!
"Kuh?!"
"Are you done? Then it's my turn."
Dang Yu-wol moved.
The moment his body vanished like a mirage, Ju Seong-chae swung his sword to block the attack.
His mind was still reeling from the incomprehensible event.
"Haaap!!"
"Oh. Not shouting the technique name anymore?"
'But I know what it is.'
Cheongsung Sect's Kunlun Sword, Third Form: Noble Reversal.
Sword qi targeting all directions, followed by a powerful qi strike down the center.
Dang Yu-wol effortlessly dodged the sword qi from all sides.
And even evaded the final sword beam.
"Impossible!! This can't be!!"
'This... this... why?'
It was as if...
As if...
'He knows the Kunlun Sword better than I do! He's precisely exploiting the flaws in the form!!'
Ju Seong-chae's flustered sword wavered.
Dang Yu-wol sneered coldly.
"You still lack experience."
Baring his teeth, Dang Yu-wol's shortsword slashed deeply across his throat.
"In the martial world, impossible things happen all the time."
Everyone was left speechless.
This was Cheongsung Sect.
Though it lagged behind Wudang or Huashan, it was one of the ten pillars of the orthodox faction.
And he was the current greatest swordsman of Cheongsung Sect.
"S-Senior Brother...?"
Yet he had died to a first-rate expert not even in his thirties.
Who would believe this?
"Senior Brother!!!"
The first Cheongsung Sect Taoist to regain his senses let out a tearing scream.
'How did this happen? What the hell?!'
"Senior Brother!! Senior Brother!!"
His throat was more than half severed.
Not even the Great Immortal could save him now.
Still, he desperately clutched Ju Seong-chae and sobbed.
"...Young Master. What about that one?"
"Capture him."
Dang Yu-wol handed the bloodied shortsword to Ji Gong and turned away nonchalantly.
"Y-Young Master!!"
"Waaaaah!!"
"As expected of the Young Clan Head!!"
"I believed in you!!"
"Who is it?! Who dared call our Young Clan Head the Sacheon wastrel!!"
The Tang Clan disciples' eyes rolled back in frenzy.
It was only natural.
-They're thrilled.
'Ever since the fight with the Five Poisons Sect, the clan has been in a deep slump.'
But the Tang Clan's Young Clan Head had taken down the top swordsman of the massive Cheongsung Sect.
Of course they were ecstatic.
"Quiet down. It's nothing special."
"Ooooooh!!"
"So coooool!!"
-Don't be too harsh. Their excitement looks good on them.
'If they get this worked up over this, what'll they do later... Tsk.'
-How about waving to them at least?
'Better to stuff one more character from those documents into your head.'
Saying that, Dang Yu-wol still waved roughly.
The Tang Clan disciples' cheers grew even louder at his response.
Ignoring them, Dang Yu-wol returned to his room and focused back on the documents.
There was still a lot to review.
"My lord."
"Mm."
Ji Gong had returned.
His face still held traces of excitement and shock.
"I've secured him. Peak level, as expected."
"Did he resist?"
"Yes."
"Keep him well restrained. And that... who was it again?"
"Ju Seong-chae."
"Right. Package that Taoist's body properly and send it to Cheongsung Sect."
"Pardon? No corpse fee?"
"No need for that. They were paid to do the job anyway."
-Not going to strike Cheongsung Sect?
'Cheongsung Sect will be helpful against the Blood Cult.'
And they had been, in fact.
When the Blood Cult attacked Sacheon, Ami Sect and Cheongsung Sect had been sharp spears blocking their advance desperately.
Of course, both had been wiped out in the process.
"Cheongsung Sect won't stay quiet."
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
"Understood."
"And keep a close eye on Gu Won-il. Make sure he doesn't escape."
"Understood."
He didn't know what Dang Yu-wol planned to do.
But if Dang Yu-wol said so, what choice did he have?
Ji Gong bowed politely and left.
-By the way, what was that earlier?
'Hm? What?'
-Slicing through the swordsman with sword qi... No, it wasn't quite a slice. More like brushing it aside.
'Ah, that. Simple. An application of counter techniques.'
Nothing in the world is perfect.
Only things striving for perfection.
Naturally, martial arts have flaws.
Exploiting them to easily defeat the opponent—that's a counter technique.
-Even applying a counter technique, that shouldn't have been easy.
There's a clear gap in their levels.
Transcendent vs. first-rate.
Like adult versus child.
'You think I was called Martial God for nothing?'
Dang Yu-wol chuckled lightly.
-True enough. So? They came on Yangji Merchant House's request, right?
'Yeah.'
-What now? Going to hit Yangji Merchant House?
'Of course. If they mess with us, we repay it a hundredfold.'
-Need poison?
'Not this time.'
-Why not?
'This is a chance to put Cheongsung Sect in their place too.'
They were useful against the Blood Cult, true.
But he had no intention of letting those who touched him off scot-free.
'First, handle that matter.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Bad news reached Cheongsung Sect.
Ju Seong-chae had returned as a cold corpse.
"How?! How could this happen!!"
"It was just a minor mission...!!"
"How could such a thing...!!"
Cheongsung Sect disciples didn't hide their grief.
Nor their rage.
Daring to kill a Cheongsung Sect disciple.
Unforgivable.
"Aaaah!! Seong-chae! My Seong-chae!"
And naturally, so did the grief of his master—Cheon Yu, the current Sect Leader of Cheongsung Sect and a Harmony Realm expert.
"Summon the Cheongsung Sword Guards immediately!!"
"Yes!!"
Elders and disciples left.
Staring sadly at the coffin holding his disciple, Cheon Yu slowly opened it.
Inside was his disciple's body with a massive wound on the throat.
"Aaaah... How did I raise you... Huh?"
A letter lay beside the corpse.
Puzzled, Cheon Yu picked it up.
'To the Cheongsung Sect Leader. Ha! Planning to apologize?'
Dang Yu-wol.
A letter from his disciple's killer.
'Blood debt must be paid in blood...!! The sin of killing a Cheongsung disciple. I won't forgive it...!!'
He wanted to burn the letter on the spot.
But he held back.
He had to see what nonsense was written.
Ripping open the envelope roughly, he was stunned.
[In the beginning, there was heaven. Because there was a heaven encompassing all, the earth was formed, and thus the world took shape. Likewise, Kunlun is the center and origin of all things. Thus, the dantian...]
"Th-This, this, this!!"
He knew it.
No one knew it better than Cheon Yu.
For that very reason.
'How is the Kunlun Divine Art manual here?!'
Cheongsung Sect's supreme secret art, passed only to the Sect Leader.
It was the content of the Kunlun Divine Art manual.
The words on the letter matched the manual stroke for stroke.
"How?! Why?! How did that bastard...?!"
The first half of the Kunlun Divine Art was laid bare.
If he knew this, did he know the rest too?
He rushed to the Sect Leader's quarters.
'No signs of tampering...!!'
Of course not.
Who could enter the Cheongsung Sect Leader's room at will?
Let alone the perfectly hidden safe.
'Then how did this guy...?'
Cheon Yu ground his teeth.
Then he read the final page.
'Let's meet face to face.'
It was Dang Yu-wol's invitation.
"..."
"Sect Leader! All Cheongsung Sect disciples are ready!!!"
He had to choose.
Show Cheongsung Sect's wrath?
Or resolve this mystery?
'Cheon Yu. Are you going to betray your sect?'
His disciple's death was tragic.
But protecting the sect was more important.
Nothing was more dangerous than a martial arts manual leaking.
'What if he trades it to the unorthodox factions right now?'
So.
He had to endure.
"...Tell the disciples to stand by without acting rashly."
"Pardon? Yes. Understood."
As the puzzled disciples withdrew, Cheon Yu gripped his sword.
Time for a rare outing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Several days after Cheongsung Sect's raid.
As the commotion died down, an emergency bell rang at the Tang Clan.
A big shot had arrived.
"Th-The Cheongsung Sect Leader has come to see you, Young Master!!"
-Perfect timing. You've been buried in documents lately. Time for a break.
'Meeting the master of the disciple I killed is a break, huh.'
Chuckling, Dang Yu-wol headed to the reception hall.
A middle-aged man sat in the Tang Clan's reception hall.
"You're the Cheongsung Sect Leader?"
"..."
"Pathetic. Martial artists fight and sometimes kill each other, but the master stepping in? Come on."
"..."
"Don't pity those without a master."
"...You speak informally."
"Why show respect to someone who couldn't teach his disciple properly?"
His blood boiled at the taunt from his disciple's killer.
But he endured.
"...Clear the room."
"You do it. Everyone, withdraw."
At Dang Yu-wol's command, Ji Gong and the Tang Clan warriors left.
The opponent was a Harmony Realm expert.
Escorts meant nothing if he harbored killing intent.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Of what?"
"You. How much do you know?"
"Hm... Heaven's net is vast but appears sparse, yet it catches all. Likewise, human true qi..."
"Great Kunlun Art...!!"
"Ah. Not that one? Something else?"
A clear sneer curled on Dang Yu-wol's lips.
"The sword can embody the meaning of a thousand changes myriad transformations. Thus, it is divided into seventy-two forms..."
"Even the Seventy-Two Wave Sword..."
Dang Yu-wol didn't stop.
Every word from his mouth was Cheongsung's secret manual content.
Cheon Yu felt his mind reeling.
'Not just one! All of them!! He has everything of Cheongsung!!'
His stomach churned.
Cold sweat dripped down his back.
He barely regained his composure.
"H-How did you learn all this?"
He had to kill him now.
Killing intent filled Cheon Yu's eyes.
"That's not important. The issue is what I'll do with it."
"...Kuh...!!"
"What if Cheongsung Sect's martial arts spread to the world?"
"..."
"If the unorthodox get it? The demonic cult? No, even orthodox factions would covet it..."
"You think you can pull that off? I could kill you with a flick of my wrist...!"
"Why assume I kept it just in my head?"
Facing a Harmony Realm expert's killing intent head-on, Dang Yu-wol remained nonchalant.
It wasn't mere guts.
"I could lead the clan right now and wipe out Cheongsung Sect without much trouble."
"You think Cheongsung would crumble over some leaked martial arts?!"
"Wanna try? If I release what I know to the Black Alliance first... Cheongsung's done for. Then what?"
Cheon Yu shut his mouth.
Because that was his worst nightmare.
"Cheon Yu. What you should do now isn't waving a sword in my face."
"...Kuh...!!"
"So. What can Cheongsung Sect offer to shut my mouth?"
"...What do you want?"
"I asked first."
Dang Yu-wol grinned.
He desperately wanted to punch that smug face.
But here, he was the sinner.
The sinner who failed to protect his sect's martial arts.
"...We'll withdraw from this matter. And also..."
It felt like swallowing burning coals.
But he had to.
"...We'll forgo追究ing the sin of killing my disciple."
"Ridiculous. You're the ones who trashed our house, and you think that's enough payment? Ha. Nine Great Sects privilege?"
"...Then what do you want?"
"Nothing much. Just sign here."
Dang Yu-wol handed over the prepared document.
Seeing it, Cheon Yu finally screamed.
"This is no different from a slave contract!!!"
At his shout, Dang Yu-wol laughed.
"Wrong."
"What's wrong?!"
"It's not 'no different.'"
"..."
"It is a slave contract."