Chapter 72

Ha Jeon-ik watched Cheol Myeong-ho rise again and felt the urge to kill him right then. But killing Cheol Myeong-ho would mean the annihilation of the Palryong Gate.

Ha Jeon-ik said.

“Well now, what a bloody marvel he is.”

As Ha Jeon-ik reached out to his subordinate again, the perfectly intact wooden sword was placed back in his hand.

Cheol Myeong-ho lowered his sword to the lower right, as if preparing for Ha Jeon-ik’s attack. There was no particular reason. He simply assumed the most comfortable stance for transitioning into a downward strike, a horizontal slash, or a thrust. It was a posture formed out of necessity in a standoff situation.

Though it began with the Samjae Sword Technique, the variations stemming from it were instinctively grasped. Cheol Myeong-ho glared at Ha Jeon-ik.

He wasn’t afraid of being hit.

And he wasn’t afraid of Ha Jeon-ik either.

Because I once nearly died from being beaten by a friend.

Moreover, losing decisively didn’t bother him at all. Because Cheolmyeongho…

“You’re taking this Samjae Sword Technique match incredibly seriously. Ha, Moon-ju, hahahahaha.”

Cheol Myeong-ho abruptly stopped laughing and bellowed.

“Come in!”

Ha Jeon-ik charged forward, infusing his wooden sword with energy. He had underestimated the strength of the Ink Iron Umbrella. Now, the situation was different.

The moment the wooden sword and the black iron umbrella clashed, Cheol Myeong-ho launched a kick. If it was a surprise attack, it was a surprise attack.

Ha Jeon-ik blocked the kick with his hand, then struck Cheol Myeong-ho’s crown with his wooden sword. But faster than expected, Cheol Myeong-ho’s iron-tipped umbrella swept out horizontally, successfully defending the blow.

Thud!

Cheol Myeong-ho unleashed a series of downward strikes, charging forward like a madman. Yet each strike targeted a different point: first the crown of the head, then the wooden sword itself, and finally, Ha Jeon-ik’s shoulder. Moreover, the last strike was a double-edged blow.

He didn’t dodge the wooden sword flying toward his head.

An act of wanting to take the blow together…

Ha Jeon-ik, who hadn’t wanted a two-handed strike, was startled. He pulled back his wooden sword and assumed a defensive stance.

Slap!

As soon as Ha Jeon-ik assumed a defensive stance, Jangryeok unleashed a torrent of energy. It was a force potent enough to kill Cheolmyeong-ho if mishandled.

In that instant, Cheol Myeong-ho’s eyes snapped open. Without even distinguishing whether it was a palm strike or a palm blast, he fiercely executed a horizontal slash.

CRASH!

Cheol Myeong-ho, struck by the force, flew all the way to the wall of the underground training chamber, crashed into it, and then passed out.

The underground training hall fell silent in an instant.

When Ha Jeon-ik looked at his subordinates, they rushed to the unconscious Cheol Myeong-ho.

Ha Jeon-ik, seemingly parched, gulped down the water on the table in large swallows. His subordinates reported.

“He’s still breathing.”

Ha Jeon-ik, looking uneasy, pondered something before giving an order to the officer who had been watching him all this time.

“It doesn’t matter if it costs a lot. Get me some healing potions.”

The officer replied.

“Understood.”

As the officer moved to return to the Palryong Gate, Ha Jeon-ik added in a subdued tone.

“Cheolmyeong-ho will take it.”

The officer replied without much surprise.

“Yes, I will look into it and make the purchase.”

Ha Jeon-ik stared at Cheol Myeong-ho, who still hadn’t regained consciousness, for a long moment before telling his subordinates:

“He’s a real man.”

Ha Jeon-ik had this thought: Wasn’t a man like Cheol Myeong-ho growing stronger faster than any of the countless subordinates he commanded? It wasn’t a matter of effort, character, or current skill level.

Cheol Myeong-ho was a strong man.

Even in the eyes of Ha Jeon-ik, the leader of the Palryong Sect…

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Unchoru.

It was a brothel not far from the Namgung family estate. The owner of Yunchao Pavilion had appeared here after a long absence to receive the backlog of reports and review the documents piled high on the desk.

The Heavenly Demon, who had returned first after absorbing the youngest of the Twelve Demon Swords, was none other than the owner of Yunchao Pavilion.

It is truly absurd that Cheonma is the owner of Giryu.

His friend, the Sword Demon, led a faction called the Heavenly Sword Sect, but the Heavenly Demon possessed no such power.

All he possessed were a few brothels and small inns scattered throughout the Central Plains, along with fairly large-scale businesses like battlefields and iron workshops. The common thread was that martial arts sects were never far from these enterprises. There were white-cloak factions and black-cloak factions. He even paid tribute to certain black-cloak sects.

He was a thoroughly cautious man.

That’s why the true identity of the Heavenly Demon had never been revealed.

Because he acted as if he never existed in the world. Just as no one knows who the leader of the Golden and Silver Murder Society is.

All of it was business ventures Cheonma had built up single-handedly while roaming the world.

Of course, he made a considerable amount of money.

But there was one common thread running through it all.

Whether it was his subordinates, his businesses, or his money… they were all things he could discard at any time.

Cheonma trusted no one but himself.

The Ten Thousand Demon Palace was an enemy; other demonic cultivators were merely tools; and black and white cultivators were people he could kill at any time without a second thought.

He didn’t even trust money.

Not believing in it meant he didn’t bother saving money either. When he had a place to spend it, he splurged like the wealthiest man in the Central Plains. He was the sort of man who thought money was just something to be taken away anyway.

Amidst all this, Cheonma never married, nor did he ever pour his affection into any particular woman.

His entire life was devoted solely to scheming, working, making money, and absorbing people by killing them.

Yet this man lived well.

He lived with ease, often indulging in drink and women.

For Cheonma, seizing brothels was the easiest thing of all.

One day, the owner of the brothel, who had been perfectly fine, vanished as if evaporated, and a celestial horse claiming to be the owner’s successor took his place. If the original owner’s subordinates found this strange, they too would soon disappear from the world.

Due to his demonic arts, the bodies of those he killed were never found.

Cheonma was the darkness of this world, a man like a shadow.

However, he ran the business well.

He treated people well, raised wages for most, and when bribes were needed, he handed over sums exceeding their wildest expectations without hesitation.

Nevertheless, the overall ledger consistently showed a substantial surplus.

He was a man so skilled he could be called the god of business. While reading the reports piled up in the Yuncho-ru, that genius kept an eye out for anything meaningful.

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▒ The Eight Dragon Lords of the Black Path are stirring things up to uncover the headquarters of the Gold-Silver Murderers’ Association. This Eight Dragon Lords faction has been investigated and found to be subordinate to a man named Lee Jin-eon, the eldest son of the Galaxy Trading Company.

The three assassins from the Golden Blade faction—the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Assassins—who attempted to assassinate the Great Prince of the Eunha Trading Guild have been completely wiped out. Traces of Ice Magic were found on their corpses. Judging by the differing states of the other bodies, it appears there is an accomplice who uses Ice Magic.

▒ The family of the Young Master of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace has not emerged for over twenty days since visiting the Martial Alliance. They appear to be either dead or captured.

▒ The leader of the Black Path faction is tracking the Golden Silver Assassin Society and has gathered Black Path factions to lead a meeting.

▒ The Master of the Ten Thousand Demons Palace has emerged from seclusion and begun interfering in major affairs. He has publicly reprimanded the Junior Palace Master multiple times in front of other demonic sect masters.

The Imperial Council dispatched troops to investigate Murong Chui’s death.

After reading the report, Cheonma stacked it and burned it over the candle flame. There was a report concerning the Galaxy Alliance, but it wasn’t one that caught his eye at the moment.

A rough knock sounded at the door, followed by the voice of the Sword Demon.

“It’s me. May I enter?”

“Come in.”

Gemma entered with a flushed expression and sat across from him.

“Did you receive the report?”

Cheonma nodded.

“I hear Leader Yoo Jeong-hong came.”

Not only did the Alliance Leader arrive, but the Ironblood Sword Master came too. That bastard seemed to be relentlessly chasing the Twelve Demon Swords to the death. Probably the Sword Master tipped off the Martial Alliance, which is why the troops stormed in. Amidst the chaos, seeing that the youngest and the Ten Swords hadn’t returned, it seems they fell victim too. Damn it…

The youngest was killed by the Heavenly Demon, and the Ten Swords were killed by Danwooseong.

Cheonma, who had killed the youngest with his own hands, spoke with a bitter expression.

“A tremendous loss. Couldn’t you even recover the bodies or the swords?”

Gemma nodded wearily.

Cheonma tilted his head.

“You say the Sword Master revealed the location of the Ten Sword Refinement?”

“Then how would the Martial Alliance have found us?”

Cheonma narrowed his eyes.

“You’re saying the fugitive completely deceived you and me, following us all along? That’s impossible.”

The Sword Demon narrowed his eyes.

“Then?”

“I pondered it on the way here. There must be another informant. Someone who wants the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Sword Sect to clash.”

In the martial world, if one ranked strategists by cunning, Cheonma would be counted among the top ten strategists—he was sharp-witted and adept at schemes. Therefore, he had almost precisely grasped how the situation had unfolded.

A murderous glint flashed in the Sword Demon’s eyes.

“The Ten Thousand Demons Palace?”

Cheonma never gave a definitive answer. He used a conversational style that gave Geomma ample time to think.

“That could be the case. Or it might be the work of another demonic sect.”

The Sword Demon inquired about the plan moving forward.

“What do you intend to do? Should we strike the disciple now? Seeing the documents burned, it seems they received a report.”

“The Emperor’s Association split their forces as expected. But since Yoo Jeong-hong moved, they might have been tipped off. Let’s call off the attack on the apprentice. It doesn’t feel right.”

The Sword Demon frowned as he spoke.

“Are you suggesting we go into hiding again? I know it’s best to proceed slowly and cautiously, but… I’m sick of this hiding business. My martial arts aren’t improving either.”

Cheonma shook his head.

“We never went into hiding. We were just roaming around, looking for where the prey was.”

The Sword Demon tapped his fingers on the desk.

“So where is that prey? I’m done capturing people like the Sword King and stealing their martial arts. I’ll kill them all. Ignoring your advice was my grave mistake.”

Cheonma smiled.

“Oh, come on. Anyway, it was a method I was planning to consider after the apprentice exam…”

“Tell me.”

Cheonma stood up, then returned with the liquor from the small table and said.

“We must kill every last one of the Ten Thousand Horse Palace and the demons who follow them. However, I will only participate in planning and executing their deaths. I will not absorb them. I will only assist so that you and the surviving Twelve Demon Swords can absorb them all. As you know, just absorbing the Lord of the Ten Thousand Demons Palace alone will make you strong enough that I won’t be able to treat you lightly in the future. Of course, I’ve never treated you lightly once

…

The Sword Demon asked with a dazed expression.

“Are you serious?”

Cheonma replied while pouring and drinking the liquor.

“I felt I had to go this far for you to trust me. Perhaps once this matter concludes, the first and second of the Twelve Demon Swords might surpass me. I believe our friendship can only endure if I refrain from wielding my power. It’s somewhat sad, but that’s the reality. Did you think everything I’ve said all this time was a lie? If you did, that’s an insult to me.”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“Not exactly.”

“Or do you think I might have left some hidden plan to subdue you later? There is no such method. Especially if you grow strong enough to be called a demon, not only I, but the entire martial world would be powerless. I merely wish to witness the end of this martial world and the righteous path. It is the end of the world, brought about by our own hands, those who grew up together in the Ten Thousand Demons Palace.”

The Sword Demon said.

“Manmagung… If only I could absorb them, how could I ever doubt you? When that time comes, you won’t need to doubt me either. I’m human too. I need at least one friend by my side.”

The man who had been cast out by the world spoke to his friend with a strange expression, as if he were about to become a hero.

“You become a god. I will plan the apocalypse.”

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