Chapter 146
'What is this...?!'
A gasp of horror burst from Peng Mugeuk's lips.
Jaseong's Black-Gold Sword Aura, flickering with a mixture of black flames and golden light, moved at a speed faster than a flash.
It was a speed that even light could not match.
Kwaaah!!!
All Peng Mugeuk could see was the world turning completely white.
He couldn't even comprehend what he had witnessed.
Pajijijik!
His Iron Wall Diamond Body was torn apart like paper.
The golden ki, which he had prided himself on as absolute defense, scattered in vain.
"Gah...!"
A gigantic sword wound was carved into Peng Mugeuk's chest.
His heart was pierced, and crimson blood spurted out like a fountain.
"Th-this can't be... For me, Peng Mugeuk... to not even withstand a single move...?"
Peng Mugeuk spoke with a look of utter disbelief.
The light in his eyes gradually faded.
As he collapsed, he turned his gaze to Jaseong one last time.
"Who... who are you... really...?"
Retracting his sword, Jaseong replied coldly.
"I am the Red Light Calamity, Jaseong."
"Red Light Calamity...? So you're that low-born sword demon from the Red Light District...?"
"Low-born, huh... You know why I started this revenge?"
".......?"
"It was because of the arrogance you people always flaunted."
"......!"
Chuaaak!!
Jaseong's Wicked Flame Sword stabbed into Peng Mugeuk's throat.
Peng Mugeuk's massive body trembled and then finally went still.
The Hebei Peng Clan elder and late-stage peak expert Peng Mugeuk—
An old master who had survived for decades in the martial world, yet died without even being able to withstand a single move from Jaseong.
After unleashing the Celestial Gate Opening Art and awakening the Wicked Flame Sword, Jaseong had already become a heavenly calamity befitting those ranked among the supreme experts.
Retracting his Wicked Flame Sword, Jaseong looked down at the fallen Peng Mugeuk.
'Eldest big brother, sister-in-law. I've sent another one up to you.'
Jaseong's muttering was filled with an indescribable sense of relief.
He then checked the evidence hidden in his inner pocket once again.
Not only that, he picked up the corpse of Peng Mugeuk lying on the ground with one hand.
Despite the old man's huge frame, he felt as light as a feather to Jaseong, whose internal energy was overflowing.
"Hall lord, why are you taking the corpse?"
Gu Janghu asked with a puzzled expression.
"It might actually be more useful than the correspondences we acquired."
A cold light flashed in Jaseong's eyes.
In his mind, he was already visualizing the next move.
"Let's go. Before more experts gather."
Thus, Jaseong and Gu Janghu quickly exited the villa.
Though the effects of Mansul's concealment technique had faded, their lightness skills had already reached the peak.
Thanks to that, they were able to escape the Hebei Peng Clan villa in an instant.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Upon reaching the designated spot at the edge of the forest, familiar faces were waiting.
It was Lee Rin and Dokgo Yeon.
The two women had been pacing anxiously, but as soon as Jaseong appeared, they rushed over.
"Great hero!"
Lee Rin's gaze swept over Jaseong's body.
There was blood, but he seemed to have no major injuries.
She exhaled a sigh of relief, but then her eyes fixed on Jaseong's shoulder.
"What's with that corpse?"
"An unexpected harvest."
Jaseong said as he dropped Peng Mugeuk's corpse from his shoulder.
Thud.
With a heavy sound, the face came into view.
When they saw the distorted face, frozen in agony and terror, Dokgo Yeon halted her breathing.
"This man... isn't he Peng Mugeuk, elder of the Hebei Peng Clan?!"
Dokgo Yeon exclaimed in astonishment.
For Peng Mugeuk, the Iron Wall Demon Palm, was famed even among the unorthodox sects.
'He took down a late-stage peak expert...? And less than half a shijin after entering...?!'
Dokgo Yeon wore a look of disbelief.
A battle against a late-stage peak expert would usually last days and nights without a clear outcome.
Yet Jaseong had infiltrated, searched, and executed the kill all in an instant.
'Has his martial skill improved again...?'
With eyes full of shock, Dokgo Yeon stared at Jaseong.
At that moment, Lee Rin, scanning their surroundings, spoke up.
"Great hero, where do we go now? The Hebei Peng Clan will be in an uproar—shouldn't we get out of here quickly?"
Jaseong briefly looked towards the northern sky.
Activating his Samadhi Eyes, he could softly make out the energies of distant lives, as if time had slowed.
There, high overhead, a snow-white hawk was circling in the sky.
"Looks like the Right Protector has arrived just in time."
"Oh, that's great. Then we can take the evidence straight to the Right Protector, right?"
At Lee Rin's words, Jaseong nodded silently.
Then, leading his party, he sped toward the northern sky using lightness skills.
* * *
Beijing, the capital of Hebei province.
On the north outskirts, deep in a seldom-trod forest, an eerie silence surrounded the remains of an old, abandoned house.
There, the top experts of the Hao Sect upper management were waiting.
Their murderous intent was sharp, and their eyes gleamed in the darkness.
At the center stood Gal Seo-ryeong, right Protector of the Hao Sect.
Beside her were the three core hall lords of the Hao Sect.
Hong Lotus Hall Lord Hwamousang, with her fluttering crimson long robe;
Black Wind Pavilion Lord Pungya, whose movements were as light as the wind;
Thunderclap Hall Lord Noe Jin, carrying an enormous thunder axe on his back.
Having received contact from Jaseong, they'd all gathered here hastily.
Rustle.
Breaking the silence of the forest, signs of movement appeared.
Gal Seo-ryeong's eyes narrowed.
"They're here."
Jaseong and his party emerged from the darkness.
"It's been a while, right Protector."
Jaseong greeted lightly.
Gal Seo-ryeong also prepared a customary greeting—
But then her eyes widened at an unexpected sight.
"What is that corpse?"
Gal Seo-ryeong's gaze locked onto the corpse Jaseong laid on the ground.
The three hall lords' eyes all turned to the same spot.
"It's Peng Mugeuk, elder of the Hebei Peng Clan."
"......!"
"......!!"
"......!!!"
Gal Seo-ryeong's pupils trembled.
She slowly approached and checked the dead man's face.
It was unmistakably Peng Mugeuk.
The famed Iron Wall Demon Palm of the Hebei Peng Clan, who had reigned in the martial world for decades, lay before her as a cold corpse.
"... You killed a late-stage peak expert? In the middle of enemy territory?"
There was astonishment in Gal Seo-ryeong's voice.
The three hall lords also could not hide their shock.
'... So the rumors about the Scarlet Lotus Hall Lord were not exaggerated.'
Hwamousang, hall lord of Hong Lotus Hall, folded her fan in admiration.
Noe Jin, hall lord of Thunderclap Hall, stroked his thick forearm and clicked his tongue.
"Ha! Never thought that old coot would go out like this. I once planned to crack that skull myself, but it seems Scarlet Lotus Hall Lord beat me to it."
Jaseong didn't dwell on the corpse. He instead took papers from inside his robes.
"Please look at these, first."
Gal Seo-ryeong and the three hall lords began examining the documents.
Their hands sped up as they thumbed through the ledgers.
Records of Soul-Bewildering Powder production and distribution.
Astronomical sums earned by addicting tens of thousands of commoners.
And then...
"This is..."
Gal Seo-ryeong's hand stopped.
She held a piece of correspondence stamped with a red seal.
"That's the Murim Alliance leader's seal,"
Jaseong explained.
"Murim Alliance Leader Namgung Cheon-rui incited the Hebei Peng Clan and Sichuan Tang Clan to spread Soul-Bewildering Powder throughout the Red Light District in the Central Plains. His goal was not just enormous profits, but to prevent the Hao Sect from emerging into the light."
Gal Seo-ryeong squeezed the letter so hard it nearly crumpled.
Her eyes grew cold.
"Well done, Scarlet Lotus Hall Lord. Thanks to your performance, we now have evidence to force the Murim Alliance into a corner. Now we can expose their hypocrisy to the world. But before that..."
Gal Seo-ryeong became lost in thought for a moment, then looked at Peng Mugeuk's corpse on the ground.
A strange smile spread across her lips.
"Scarlet Lotus Hall Lord. May I have this corpse?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"This corpse will be quite useful. Extremely so."
There was an unsettling chill in Gal Seo-ryeong's smile.
She knelt down in front of Peng Mugeuk's corpse.
A leather tool kit opened beside her, filled with various knives and mysterious chemicals.
In her hand was a razor-thin, sharp silver dagger.
Sssss—
Gal Seo-ryeong began to work.
She carefully, meticulously cut away the facial skin from Peng Mugeuk's face.
"......!"
Watching this, Lee Rin grimaced and turned away.
It was horrific to see someone flay the skin off a human face.
But Gal Seo-ryeong didn't waver.
On the contrary, she was as focused as a master craftsman at work.
Her hand moved with astonishing precision and speed.
Not a drop of blood splashed; the thin membrane between muscle and skin was separated cleanly.
After a shikcheong had passed, Peng Mugeuk's facial skin was completely separated in Gal Seo-ryeong's hands.
She now took out special drugs.
Soaking the skin in chemicals, she treated it to prevent decay and maintain elasticity.
Then, using a fine brush, she colored it, carefully adjusting each wrinkle.
Several shijin more passed.
At the break of dawn, light streamed through the paper doors.
At last, Gal Seo-ryeong raised the finished product.
"It's done."
In her hand was a human-skin mask perfectly reproducing Peng Mugeuk's face.
The placement of liver spots, the depth of wrinkles, even the texture of the skin—so lifelike it looked as if Peng Mugeuk himself was alive.
"With this, even Peng Mugeuk's family—or even Peng Mugeuk himself should he return alive—would not be able to tell the difference. Of course, one would still need to layer on fake armor beneath their clothes to match his giant frame."
Lee Rin asked,
"Right Protector, what do you plan to do with this?"
A cold sneer spread across Gal Seo-ryeong's lips.
"To begin with, I'll use this to wipe out the Hebei Peng Clan and Sichuan Tang Clan."
"Wipe them out?"
"I intend to slay every single rising star of the Hebei Peng Clan and Sichuan Tang Clan and end their bloodlines."
Gal Seo-ryeong said, leafing through the documents on the table.
"The three brothers of the Hebei Peng Clan—eldest Peng Gang-cheon, second Peng Ryeok-cheon, third Peng Wi-cheon. And Sichuan Tang Clan's young head, Tang Jin-ryong. They are the ones responsible for the Soul-Bewildering Powder production operation. They're holed up in a secret chamber, plotting their filth. If we kill them, the Soul-Bewildering Powder operation will be paralyzed, at least for now—its control system will collapse."
Her eyes flashed coldly.
"I will approach them wearing Peng Mugeuk's human-skin mask, and eliminate them one by one."
Jaseong nodded silently.
Truthfully, he'd had a similar idea.
"Then who will pose as Peng Mugeuk?"
"I'll do it myself."
At those words, the three hall lords' eyes widened.
"The Right Protector herself?"
Gal Seo-ryeong tried the human-skin mask on her own face.
"I am skilled not only with the sword but also with fist techniques. I should be able to imitate Peng Mugeuk's style fairly well."
For the Hao Sect's second-in-command to infiltrate the enemy's heart as Peng Mugeuk—dangerous, but a definite and fatal method.
"Scarlet Lotus Hall Lord."
"Yes."
"If I give the signal, can you come running right away?"
Jaseong nodded in assent.
"I'll be waiting nearby, ready."
"Good. Then when they raise their cups in celebration, let's show them hell."
Gal Seo-ryeong smiled coldly.
For Jaseong, who knew her skills well, it was a smile he genuinely looked forward to.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
shikcheong -〉 30 minutes
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