Chapter 273 : The King of Rats (2)
Chapter 273: The King of Rats (2)
Il-mok walked toward the brothel where the Hao Clan Lord was staying and looked back at his team, specifically, at An Jeok-un.
For this operation, Il-mok had specifically brought Chamber Master An Jeok-un and several sorcerers.
"Chamber Master An, set up a formation centered around that pavilion."
There were several reasons for this.
First, to ensure no one outside would notice the battle raging within.
Second, to prevent anyone from escaping.
And third, for a certain purpose he had in mind.
Following Il-mok's instructions, An Jeok-un and the three sorcerers positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions around the brothel.
As An Jeok-un and the sorcerers hid themselves in the darkness to activate their spells, Il-mok and his party approached the brothel with unhurried steps.
"My apologies, but we're closed for the night, sir."
"What do you mean? There are clearly people still inside. Don't tell me you're turning us away because we look broke?"
Il-mok pulled a pouch of silver from his sleeve and showed it to the attendant.
When the attendant caught sight of the money Il-mok was offering, greed flickered in his eyes.
"Hahaha. Well, for a big spender like you, I guess we can make an exception."
The attendant led Il-mok and his group inside the brothel.
"Hmm. It's a bit quiet."
As Il-mok observed the interior, the attendant smiled slyly, "As I mentioned, we've closed for the evening. But don't worry, none of the girls are occupied right now, so you can call for anyone you like."
"Oh? It’s like we rented the whole place out. So, are there really no other guests?"
"None at all, except for one customer who's rented a private suite."
Right after he answered Il-mok's question, the flow of energy surrounding the establishment shifted.
"Hm?"
As the attendant tilted his head in confusion after sensing something was off, Il-mok smiled coldly. "That’s great news. It means there are no innocent people left here."
"???"
The attendant tried to ask what he meant, but for some reason, his mouth wouldn't open.
'Huh? Is this bastard drunk?'
From the attendant's perspective, the man who'd been speaking to him appeared to be tilting sideways.
No.
The world itself was tilting.
Thud.
The attendant's body crumpled to the floor, his head was severed before he could even register the pain.
This attendant worked at a branch operated by the Hao Clan where the Hao Clan Lord resided.
A waiter who had learned martial arts and was working in a branch operated by the Hao Clan where the Clan Lord resided.
There is no need to doubt; he was a member of the Hao Clan.
Now that Il-mok had confirmed there were no innocent bystanders in the pavilion, and An Jeok-un and the sorcerers had activated the Formation, there was no reason to waste any more time.
Whoosh!
The moment the attendant's corpse hit the floor, Il-mok and his party scattered in all directions.
"Something's happening outside."
"Go check it out, quickly."
Several Hao Clan martial artists who'd noticed the Formation's effects started running out of their rooms.
Slash!
But the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors were ready for them and ambushed them first.
Among the attackers were members of the warriors that had been operating in Gansu Province, and several Dark Shadow Pavilion warriors who'd crossed into the Central Plains with Seo Wan-pyeong.
Clang!
"Who the hell are you?!"
A few managed to block the initial attacks, but most of them died before they even knew what hit them.
While they slaughtered the Hao Clan disciples, Il-mok, Seo Wan-pyeong, Jin Hayeon, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah, Ju Seo-yeon, and Jeong Hyeon headed for the private suite.
Shing!
Il-mok instantly cut down a Hao Clan thug who burst through a door, then swung his Ascension Sword at the ceiling above.
Screech!
The Sword Qi flew in a net-like pattern, shredding through the ceiling. Through the collapsed section, the upper floor came into view.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, they leaped through the opening Il-mok had created to ascend to the floor above.
Slash!
A thug jumping down from above barely had time to register shock at Il-mok appearing from below before his head was cleanly severed.
After that, Il-mok kept cutting through walls, ceilings, and people alike without discrimination.
Slash!
He cut through another ceiling and jumped up and arrived in a massive chamber.
A middle-aged man who'd been rushing toward a window froze, staring at Il-mok with an expression of utter bewilderment as he emerged through the floor.
At the same time, the fancy door on the other side exploded, and men in black rushed in.
Bang!
"Clan Lord! We're under attack!?"
The black-robed figures screamed in confusion at the suddenly appearing hole on the floor and the uninvited guests.
"That's the Hao Clan Lord."
"Young Master, leave this side to us!"
With the arrival of Seo Wan-pyeong and Jin Hayeon to the chamber, Il-mok launched himself at the Hao Clan Lord.
The Clan Lord had turned around and was trying to jump out the window again when Il-mok closed the distance in a single step.
Screech!
Suddenly, a black dagger flew out of a dark shadow and aimed at Il-mok’s heart.
Il-mok didn't even consider blocking or dodging it. He kept his eyes locked on the Hao Clan Lord and kept his lightness skill at maximum.
It wasn't that he hadn't anticipated the ambush. It was that...
Clang!!
He believed in his Third Brother.
He left the assassin in the darkness to his Third Brother and took one last step.
Boom!
The floor cracked under his feet as he launched himself forward with his sword already aimed at the Hao Clan Lord.
In response, the Clan Lord who'd been acting like he was fleeing suddenly twisted his body and launched hidden weapons from his sleeve.
Clang!!
As Il-mok lightly struck the hidden weapons by flicking the Ascension Sword downward, the Hao Clan Lord thrusted out his dagger.
Clang!
When Il-mok effortlessly blocked both attacks, the Hao Clan Lord asked, "Where did you bastards come from?"
Il-mok raised one corner of his mouth and replied, "I thought someone at the level of Hao Clan Lord might ask something different, but it seems you all ask the same damn thing. Must have made quite a few enemies over the years, huh?"
The Hao Clan Lord let out a low chuckle.
"Hehehehe. From the way you're talking, you're not one of ours. So who else could it be~? Don't tell me you're those cultist bastards from the Maitreya Luminous Cult?"
Il-mok laughed dryly at the Clan Lord's response, but not because the Clan Lord had guessed right.
"The fact that you're already suspecting your own people tells me the Hao Clan is a complete shitshow."
"There's a saying that fighting brings people closer, you know? That's how good our Hao Clan's camaraderie is. And since you aren't denying it, I guess you really are those cultist freaks?"
"You are going to hell anyway for the shits you’ve done. Why bother asking me? Go as King Yama when you get there.”
"Hehehehe. How very cultist of you to say."
The Hao Clan Lord laughed as if amused, then twisted his wrist holding the dagger.
The dagger slid along Il-mok's Ascension Sword and flew toward his head. But Il-mok simply swung his sword to the side to knock the dagger off course.
Clang!
With each of their attack rebuffed, they both retreated and steadied their stance.
Then, the Hao Clan Lord smiled viciously and charged at Il-mok.
"Hehehe. I was hiding because someone's been stabbing me in the back, but you just walked right into your own grave!"
Unlike his initial act of escape, the Clan Lord now brandished his dagger ferociously.
Boom!!
Explosions rang out as the dagger and sword crashed against each other over and over.
***
While the sounds of combat echoed from behind, Jin Hayeon and the other women were locked in battle with the black-robed figures who'd burst through the door.
These black-robed warriors emanated an entirely different aura from the Hao Clan disciples being slaughtered downstairs by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors.
There was no way for someone at the level of Clan Lord to travel alone, especially in the Hao Clan where internal strife and betrayal were commonplace.
These were the elite warriors of the Gray Shadow Corps, the Hao Clan Lord's personal guard, who'd been hiding near the private suite in case of emergency.
Though they numbered only about fifteen, each one was a Peak Realm expert.
Jin Hayeon calmly issued voice transmissions to her companions, barely managing to hold them back.
Jin Hayeon, Ju Seo-yeon, and Hyeokryeon Seon-ah blocked the narrow doorway so the enemies couldn't get through, while Jeong Hyeon backed them up from behind.
As the three women blocked the entrance, blocking the rest of them from getting in—
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Someone shouted from the back, and the wall next to the door exploded.
"You lot handle these bitches. I'm going to join the Clan Lord and the Commander."
The black-robed figure who'd smashed through the wall issued orders and tried to launch himself toward where Il-mok and the Hao Clan Lord were fighting but Jin Hayeon quickly intercepted him.
Clang!!
Jin Hayeon blocked the Gray Shadow Corps Vice Commander's saber with her bare palms.
As she channeled her internal energy, the Yin energy flowing from her hands traveled up the Vice Commander's saber and burrowed into his acupoints.
But the Vice Commander didn't panic. He circulated his internal energy to expel the Yin energy while swinging his saber.
Clang!
After exchanging several moves with Jin Hayeon, the expressionless Vice Commander raised an eyebrow and shouted, "You! You are a Demonic Cult's bitch!"
As expected of an elite from an information-gathering sect, he recognized the White Hand Demonic Art despite only exchanging a few moves.
Similar cries also echoed from various locations.
"They're Demonic Cult fanatics!"
Jin Hayeon furrowed her delicate eyebrows.
Not because their identities had been exposed. The plan was to kill them all anyway.
The problem was the current situation.
While she was tied up with this one opponent, their formation was completely collapsing.
With Jin Hayeon being pulled away, Ju Seo-yeon and Hyeokryeon Seon-ah were getting pushed back. Worse, more enemies were smashing through the wall, following the Vice Commander’s example.
'I'll become a burden to Young Master at this rate.'
There isn’t a single instance where Jin Hayeon thought that the enemies would mess up with Il-mok’s plan. That’s how confident she is in Il-mok. Rather, she thought that she herself would become an obstacle to Il-mok’s plan.
The nightmare she'd witnessed at Mount Baihe invaded her mind.
It was her Heart Demon.
Even though Il-mok had rescued her from the nightmarish Formation, the memory remained burned into her like a brand.
Incompetence.
It was the one word she hated the most.
She bit her lip so hard that hot blood ran down her chin.
She wanted to be useful to the Cult. She didn't want to be useless.
She’d rather be dead than be a burden to the Divine Cult.
So, how could someone as useless as her become something useful to the Divine Cult? What can she do so that she can stand side by side with Il-mok as he led the Divine Cult to glory?
She already knew the answer.
'Discard your emotions. Discard your faith. Discard your feelings for the Young Master.’
She knew it in her head, but didn't know how to actually do it.
And she didn't have time to search for that answer properly.
'If I can't be useful, I'd rather die.'
With that determination in mind, she thrust both palms toward the black-robed warrior's incoming saber.
Clang!
The moment the warrior's saber met her palms, she grabbed the blade with her bare hands.
Blood dripped from her palms, but she didn’t let go.
Instead, she shouted, which was quite unusual for her, "Everyone, fall back!"
With that shout, she pulled every last bit of energy from her dantian.
'I'll discard everything. It doesn't matter if I die.'
With that vow to herself, massive amounts of Yin energy began condensing through her palms holding the black saber.
"Hmph."
Realizing she was attempting a suicide attack, the Gray Shadow Corps Vice Commander decisively released his saber and stepped back.
As if laughing at her stupidity, the Vice Commander retreated and threw hidden weapons from his sleeve.
At that moment, the Yin energy that had been condensing in Jin Hayeon's palms exploded outward.
Whoooosh.
Massive waves of Yin energy spread in all directions. The hidden weapons the black-robed warrior had thrown froze solid and clattered to the ground.
"!?"
The Vice Commander who'd thrown the weapons also froze in place.
Whoooosh.
The Gray Shadow Corps members who'd been trying to run from her were all swept up by the Yin energy and frozen solid.