Chapter 77

Dan Wooseong kept his mouth shut, sensing if there were any other masters nearby. As Dan Wooseong remained silent and the man just stared blankly at him, the entire spacious mansion fell silent.

It seemed no one else was nearby. Dan Wooseong asked in a low, hushed voice.

“Why are you alone?”

The man replied in a polite tone.

“I always work alone.”

Dan Woo-sung approached the table and said.

“Move your feet.”

“Right.”

The man lowered his feet and looked at Dan Wooseong, who sat facing him. When Dan Wooseong placed a judge’s brush on the table, the man stared at it blankly and said.

“Why do you have that?”

“Did you kill him?”

“Yes. There’s no body.”

The man maintained formal speech throughout, making Dan Woo-sung feel uneasy. He wondered if the man might be mistaking him for someone else.

His facial expression didn’t suggest a man who deserved such respect, and his physical strength didn’t seem lacking either.

He was a man with a broad forehead and a large mouth. His face wore a smile with his lips closed, and he was looking at Dan Wooseong as if he found him interesting.

The man spoke.

“Ah, I have no idea who it could be. I know every major master like the back of my hand. Doesn’t seem to be a disciple of Master Eunpil either. Could it be a disciple of Master Yujeonghong? Unlikely. His disciples all died in the Five Tombs Tournament. I’m curious, so let’s try to figure it out piece by piece. First, ask any questions you have.”

Dan Woo-seong glared at the man before asking.

“Does your superior favor wearing purple robes?”

The man jumped in fright, tumbling backward over his chair before scrambling up in a fluster.

“Damn it, you scared the hell out of me.”

The man scratched his head, genuinely startled, then sat back down.

“How did you know? If that’s your question, yes. Now, may I proceed with my questions?”

The man pondered for a moment before asking Danwooseong.

“You’re a senior from the Ten Thousand Horse Palace, aren’t you?”

This was precisely why the man had remained so polite. He had suspected Danwooseong might be a master sent by the Ten Thousand Horse Palace.

Dan Wooseong recalled the name Manmagung and replied.

“No.”

“No? No! I got all worked up for nothing. You son of a bitch. Ugh, why are you making such a big deal out of this? Oh my god…”

His speech switched from polite language to curses.

The man raised his hand as if to strike him.

“I’ll just kill you right now.”

“······.”

Danwooseong sighed as he looked at the man. He seemed like some kind of psychopath. Or perhaps this was characteristic of the demonic arts.

The man was gradually feeling more at ease.

All the demonic cultivators were gathered at the Ten Thousand Demon Palace. Even he couldn’t fully grasp what kind of masters were there. Anyway, he was curious how Dan Woo-sung, who wasn’t affiliated with the Ten Thousand Demon Palace, knew about its master, the ‘Heavenly Demon’.

He had been caught in a maze while trying to enjoy the game of questions and answers. As far as the man knew, the only faction in the world aware of the Heavenly Demon’s existence was the Ten Thousand Demons Palace. After all, the Sword Demon’s Heavenly Sword Sect was also, outwardly, a group that had emerged from the Ten Thousand Demons Palace.

The man asked.

“I got it. Now ask your next question.”

To Dan Woosung, the man appeared peculiarly insane. He seemed like a natural-born sorcerer, rooted in it, born with it, his very essence a dark magic.

Dan Woosung asked.

“Your position.”

When asked for his position rather than his name, the man frowned.

“Position, you say… Ha ha ha. I don’t have one yet. Ah, saying it like that isn’t fair. My lord calls me the Left Envoy. That’s my position.”

The man muttered with a bitter expression, as if regretting it.

“Ugh, I shouldn’t have told you. Whatever, I’ll just kill him anyway.”

Dan Woo-sung pointed at the Left Envoy with his finger.

“Left Envoy, we’ll just kill each other anyway.”

The Left Envoy nodded and retorted in a polite tone.

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. Ask your question.”

“Where is your master?”

“I don’t know either. Since you’re the one who travels around, I’ll ask my question. If it’s not the Ten Thousand Horse Palace, then where on earth did such a master appear?”

Josa pointed at Danwooseong with his finger as he spoke.

“Did my master die at the hands of my lord? Look at his expression. Caught red-handed. What a vicious bastard. Coming all the way here. Answer me quickly.”

“That’s right.”

“See? I told you so. That’s the only way it makes sense. Ask your question.”

“Did your parents die in the Five Tombs Great Battle?”

“That’s correct. Now, here comes the question. Are you the disciple of the Green Forest King? Did he even have disciples? I killed them all.”

Dan Woo-sung let out a short sigh. When exactly did he kill the Green Forest King?

“No.”

Josa struck his own forehead as he spoke.

“Damn it. So you were that bastard Kwonwang’s disciple. When did he even train one? That’s something. No, listen here. If you’re Kwonwang’s disciple, you should’ve gone to the Thousand Swords Sect. Why come find me? And you say your master just stood by and watched? Go find the Twelve Demon Swords. Care to explain how he died? First, the Sword Demon plunged his blade straight into his abdomen. Then, all twelve of the Twelve Demon Swords plunged their own blades into Kwonwang’s body. After that, they competed to suck out his vital energy. So, honestly, I don’t even know who killed him. All thirteen killed him simultaneously. His soul must have shattered and scattered into pieces…”

He was a man of many doubts. While deliberately embellishing his explanation of the King’s death, he studied Dan Woo-sung’s expression. Reports had indicated unusual movements at the Manma Palace, so the man was racking his own brain.

Dan Woosung replied in a flat tone.

“Where is the Heavenly Sword Sect?”

“Where would they be? The leader wiped them out. Slow on the news. They scattered. With so many bases scattered about, they won’t suffer much damage. You lot might want to wipe them out completely, but…”

Josa shook his finger.

“The world has changed. Decisive battles like the Five Tombs War won’t settle things anymore. That era is over.”

The talkative left-hand man suddenly fell silent. As if he’d said something he shouldn’t have.

Danwooseong remembered every word of that conversation, both ordinary and strange. After all, the man was Cheonma’s left-hand man—as indispensable as his own left arm. Though they’d conversed due to his mental instability, there was no denying he was a man who must be killed.

The left-hand man spoke.

“Hey, if you’re a disciple of the Kwonwang, you must be pretty weak…”

Facing this pre-fight provocation, Dan Woo-seong calmed his mind.

Dan Wooseong also taunted his opponent.

“Talking so much before death was helpful. If you’re weak to torture, I’ll ask again later.”

The left official retorted.

“Whatever you say… Using thunder energy?”

When Danwooseong nodded, Jusa chuckled.

“This should be interesting.”

Jusa also possessed the inner strength of Gyeokyang.

A moment of silence passed…

The moment Dan Woo-sung picked up the judge’s brush from the table, he thrust it toward Jwa Sa’s eyes.

Clang!

As Jusa grasped the judge’s brush in his left hand and infused it with his qi…

The thunder energy collided with the Left Minister’s poisonous martial arts, whose true nature was unknown.

With a crackling sound, the judge’s brush turned reddish and melted away in an instant.

What on earth should I call this…

It was the extreme yang fire energy concentrated at a single point.

The extreme yang energy unleashed by the two caused the Judge’s Brush to vanish without a trace, then collided directly with the force of the strike.

CRASH!

Both men simultaneously rose to their feet, then walked sideways while glaring at each other. Amidst this, Zuo Sha shed his loose-fitting robe and tossed it aside carelessly. Beneath lay a plain black robe, devoid of pattern or distinguishing features.

After witnessing Jusa’s martial prowess, Danwooseong remarked,

“The martial arts of the Fire Wheel Demon Emperor? They say he charged at the Mad God and fell into the Five Graves Abyss, his limbs torn to shreds… Did you find the body?”

The left-hand man chuckled and retorted.

“Shut your mouth.”

“If you’re the Demon Emperor’s descendant, you should be fighting for independence… Instead, you’re raiding merchant caravans to amass wealth? Is that what a Zusa should be doing? Do you really think you can avenge yourself against the Mad God like that? If you’re confident, say so. I’ll guide you to the Mad God’s hideout.”

“Ah, it’s a shame, but now isn’t the time. I’ll pass. Gwangshin can wait…”

It seemed to be the descendant of the Wheel Demon. Zha Sha charged forward, intent on silencing Dan Wuxing.

Without any weaponry, Jusa charged forward, striking Danwooseong with his capital strike. He primarily used physical techniques, but the problem was that his martial energy erupted unpredictably. It was the same energy that had melted Judge Pan’s sword. In a way, it was a martial art positioned directly opposite Baekyak’s Baekhwa Divine Skill.

Zuo Sha’s hands were stained crimson by the True Crimson Hand.

It was a martial art that only required grabbing the opponent. A glancing blow sufficed, or one could stab like a weapon. Recognizing the technique’s nature during combat, Danwooseong employed the Golden Water Technique to avoid contact with Jusa’s hands.

Josa kicked away Danwooseong’s Golden Water Technique, then pointed at Danwooseong’s face with two fingers.

Two crimson streaks shot out with a sharp whistling sound, smashing through the main hall’s door. Simultaneously, Dan Wooseong, who had dodged by tilting his head back, thrust out his right foot. With a thud, Jusa was sent flying backward a considerable distance.

Zuo Sa frowned.

His reaction had suddenly quickened.

‘Wasn’t that his maximum speed?’

Dan Wooseong was sparring in sync with Jusa’s counter. Jusa, leaping off the ground, unleashed a surge of energy mid-air before switching to the One-Point Crimson Hand, tracing the spot where Dan Wooseong stood with his finger.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

The spot where Dan Woo-sung stood burned red and caved in. Most martial arts worked this way. Completely obliterating a single corpse would have been no trouble at all for Jwa Sa.

As Dan Woo-sung began evading with his lightness skill, Jwa Sa continued unleashing the Single-Point Crimson Flood, expending his internal energy.

Silent, yet swift as beams of light.

A sinister technique, suitable not for a martial artist but for an assassin. Then, a crimson beam shot out like a massive long sword, slicing Dan Woosung’s waist.

As Dan Woosung, who had soared up to the ceiling of the Great Hall, unleashed a massive white thunder fist, Jusa countered with his twin swords, only to be thrown back, shattering the furnishings around him.

Jusa scrambled to his feet and began fleeing toward the rear courtyard. Having never fled before in his life, he was flustered. Yet even then, he regulated his breathing, listened for Danwooseong’s footsteps, and poured every last ounce of his remaining energy into his lightness technique, accelerating his speed.

As Danwooseong pursued at an even faster pace…

Zhuo Sa, who had been running, leapt diagonally upward, twisted his body, and slashed at Dan Wuxing with the One-Point Crimson Flood.

A crimson beam flew toward him like a twisted blade.

As Danwooseong shot skyward, Josaa grinned and unleashed ten fingers, each pointing in a different direction like they were occupying the cardinal points, raining down on Danwooseong’s entire body. He had killed difficult opponents this way before, so it was a move he was confident in.

Whoosh…

As the attack, resembling a water cannon spraying blood, erupted from his ten fingers, Dan Woosung created a barrier in midair with his twin swords, then melted the crimson water completely.

Zusa watched with her mouth slightly agape before launching into lightness technique once more.

Dan Woosung pursued him again, saying.

“Zuo Sha… What kind of disgraceful spectacle is this?”

Danwooseong grabbed a stone lying beneath the wall as he ran, then injected it with lightning energy and hurled it.

Clang!

Then, Dan Woosung drew the lightning energy extracted from the realm of the Tenfold Lightning of the Tenfold Lightning Art, forging it like casting a spear. The stone forced defense or evasion; this was the real attack.

Dan Wooseong still watched Jusa’s shoulder. Would he duck? Would he leap? Or would he turn to defend?

The moment Jusa twisted one shoulder to dodge the stone…

Dan Woo-sung hurled the thunder spear, forged from the essence of a hundred battles and ten thousand trials, aimed squarely at Jusa’s back.

ⓒ Eugene Sung