Rebirth of the Thunder God

The blade that flew out of the darkness strangely did not aim for Namgung Hui.

Instead, it flew towards the killer that Namgung Hui had given up on.

-Slice!

As if it had been waiting, it accurately sliced the killer's neck.

Namgung Hui, recognizing whose handiwork this was, decided to confidently follow the killer in front of him.

The last remaining killer was not only flustered but also seemed to have lost his will to fight, perhaps because all his comrades were dead.

His footsteps felt a little heavier.

Thanks to that, Namgung Hui was able to catch up to him easily.

Now, the killer's fate was as good as sealed.

Just as Namgung Hui was about to subdue the killer.

-Plop.

The killer's neck snapped downwards, and black blood gushed out.

Namgung Hui clicked his tongue at the sight of the killer.

'He bit down on a poison pill. The formations all around actually got in the way.'

There was no use crying over spilled milk.

Still, there was the killer he had caught at the beginning.

He had even sealed his muting point just in case, so he wouldn't have been able to bite down on a poison pill.

Namgung Hui spoke into the darkness.

"Faction Head. You managed to notice the presence of the intruders?"

"I was on my way back when I saw someone heading this way. Wouldn't it be stranger not to know? Anyway. Since all the killers are dead, it seems we won't be able to interrogate them."

"No. I have one that I've already subdued. Let's interrogate him."

"Oh-ho? It seems the one you subdued didn't bite down on a poison pill. Then I'll set up a soundproof formation, so take him to your quarters."

And so, Namgung Hui returned to his room with the killer he had subdued at the beginning.

Fortunately, Eun Seolrin was in a deep sleep, unaware of the commotion.

* * *

Thanks to the soundproof formation set up by the Hao Faction Head, Namgung Hui was able to test his newly developed Tendon Splitting and Bone Grinding technique with peace of mind.

The captured killer, as expected, begged and pleaded with Namgung Hui to release him from the technique.

Few could endure the Thunder Energy torture, but this intensified version, Tendon Splitting and Bone Grinding, was so effective that even Namgung Hui was surprised.

The Hao Faction Head, who was watching, shook his head as if he were fed up and continued.

"It seems more vicious than the torture techniques of the Sichuan Tang family. I'm starting to feel sorry for the killer."

"Feeling sorry for a killer? First, let's hear his purpose. Hey. Why did you sneak into the Young Guild Mistress's bedchamber?"

"Gah...!"

The killer, not only sweating profusely but also having screamed his lungs out, was unable to speak.

Seeing the killer's state, Namgung Hui handed him a cup of water and said.

"First, wet your throat and then we'll listen."

-Gulp. Gulp.

The killer drained the cup in one go and then calmly opened his mouth.

"...What other purpose would a killer have? Naturally, I was after the Young Guild Mistress's life."

"Well, it was an obvious question. But how did you break through the formation and sneak in this far?"

"...There was a collaborator."

"Tell me everything you know. Then you won't have to experience the pain you just went through again. Well, if you want to experience it again, keep your mouth..."

"I-I'll talk! I was just trying to recall the names."

The power of Tendon Splitting and Bone Grinding was so great that it made even a seasoned killer's tongue wag.

It was a moment when even Namgung Hui was inwardly impressed by the unexpectedly superior power of the technique.

Namgung Hui took out an inkstone, ink, brush, and paper and asked the killer.

"Then I've given you enough time to recall, so recite them."

"Alright. Then, from the General Manager's office, Wang Daepal, Jo Samsim, and Nam Cheolu. Three in total."

At the killer's words, the Hao Faction Head tilted his head and said.

"As far as I know, they have all worked at the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild for over 10 years. Is that really true?"

As Namgung Hui shot a "is that true?" glance at him, the killer hastily replied.

"I-it's true! Do you think I'm crazy enough to lie in this situation? If you are the Hao Faction Head, you can investigate their backgrounds and see if my words are false."

"That's true. It will take some time, but it wouldn't be bad to be certain."

Namgung Hui couldn't have imagined that people who had worked at the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild for over 10 years would betray them.

The Myriad Gold Merchant Guild wouldn't have been stingy with their pay.

And they wouldn't have been treated poorly either.

'Did they join as members of the Association from the beginning?'

If so, it wouldn't be illogical.

Coincidentally, it was also 10 years ago that Namgung Hui had collapsed.

And he had been poisoned by the Five Poisons Sect's Five-Colored Poison, and the poison pills from the killers' mouths were also the work of the Five Poisons Sect.

Could it be that the Hoicheon Association, not the Blood Cult, was involved in Namgung Hui's poisoning as well?

'There's more to find out than I thought. The Five Poisons Sect, the North Sea Ice Palace. I'll have to catch these guys one by one and interrogate them.'

"Do you know anything about the Association?"

"..."

The killer, despite having already experienced Tendon Splitting and Bone Grinding, was reluctant to mention the Association.

Was the fear of the unknown greater than the pain right in front of him?

Namgung Hui quickly seized upon the momentary hesitation.

"Is there a restriction placed on you? If so, I'll take care of it."

The killer shook his head.

"There's no such thing as a restriction on a low-level killer like me. But if you saw their handiwork, you'd know it's not a matter that ends with just me. If they find out I've confessed everything..."

"If they find out?"

"They're the kind of people who would exterminate not only my immediate family but my entire clan. It won't happen overnight, but they will gradually erase my bloodline from this world."

"What, is the Hoicheon Association the imperial palace or something? Exterminating a whole clan, what a ridiculous bunch. Of course, I'll make sure they don't know you talked. Yes. Let's say the squad leader who died first talked. Is that good enough?"

At Namgung Hui's assurance, the killer finally nodded and continued.

"I hope you keep your promise. Then I will tell you what I know. In truth, I don't know much. First, I know that there are three leaders in the Association. I don't know their exact titles, but they are called the Three Heavens."

As if the arrogant name of the Hoicheon Association wasn't enough.

The character for 'heaven' was in the names of their leaders.

A name that could not be used carelessly unless one was the emperor.

Only someone like the Demonic Cult's Heavenly Demon would not feel out of place using such a name.

It was just ridiculous that three of them were using the name 'heaven'.

'Perhaps it's a name they came up with to imitate the Heavenly Demon.'

The infamy that the name 'Heavenly Demon' had spread in the martial world was that intense and deeply engraved in people's minds.

In fact, when people of the martial world read the character for 'heaven', they would think of the Heavenly Demon before the emperor.

"Do you know who the Three Heavens are?"

"I don't. How would a nobody like me know? I only overheard the squad leader mentioning the existence of the Three Heavens."

"Well, it's not like guys who scheme in the shadows would easily reveal their identities. Then confess the rest of what you know."

"The last thing I know is that the history of the Association is longer than you think. Longer than you can imagine."

"You probably don't know how long either. Then is that all you know? As promised, I'll send you off peacefully."

When the killer had prepared his heart, Namgung Hui gently pressed his death point and sent him off peacefully.

At Namgung Hui's natural disposal of the body, the Hao Faction Head exclaimed in astonishment.

"You, you seem quite accustomed to this kind of interrogation. Are you really a person who has only been lying in a sickbed? From what I've gathered here and there, I heard that you've only been out for about a fortnight."

"Perhaps my past life was that of a torture technician. Stop digging into other people's personal lives and let's root out the spies this guy mentioned earlier."

"Hmm... Well, if you want to hide it, I can't do anything about it. First, we need to get rid of the Association's forces in front of us. This field is our Hao Faction's specialty, so leave it to us."

"Yes. Please do so."

Namgung Hui had to protect the Young Guild Mistress in preparation for a possible assassination.

He had no time to leave his post.

And since this kind of intelligence work was the Hao Faction's specialty, it would be better to leave it to them.

He also had to investigate their backgrounds carefully, in case they had called out the names of innocent people.

The Hao Faction Head nodded and disappeared from the spot with a swish.

He had some decency, as he also took the killer's body with him.

Now alone, Namgung Hui sat on his bed and fell into deep thought.

'I'm probably done sleeping, so I should read the information the Hao Faction Head gave me.'

Namgung Hui took out the scroll from his bosom.

It wasn't thin, so it seemed to contain a considerable amount of content.

Still, it was a reasonable amount that he could read before the Young Guild Mistress woke up.

-Swish.

As the scroll was unrolled, a large number of characters were revealed, packed tightly together.

Namgung Hui read down from the top, step by step.

[Recent Movements of the Mount Hua Sect]

- Lay disciples are all searching the martial world. The Namgung family is also among their targets.

[Movements of the Martial Alliance Tournament]

- A large prize money and a great prize are at stake in this Martial Alliance tournament. It is believed that a treasured sword and a spiritual medicine will be bestowed upon the winner.

The treasured sword is the Dragon's Fang Sword.

The spiritual medicine is presumed to be the Shaolin Temple's Small Rejuvenation Pill.

'The Dragon's Fang Sword. It was a very famous sword in my past life, said to be made from a dragon's fang. To think it's in the Martial Alliance.'

Of course, since he would soon be making the Thunder God Sword with the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, he didn't necessarily need the Dragon's Fang Sword.

But the Dragon's Fang Sword was such an outstanding divine weapon that even Namgung Hui would covet it.

Others would think the name of the Dragon's Fang Sword was just a legend circulating in the world.

But Namgung Hui, at least, knew that it was really made from a dragon's tooth.

Because that was information passed down from his sect.

'If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have needed to make a sword with the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron. Well, now that I have the Thunder God Sword, I can aim for the Small Rejuvenation Pill on this occasion.'

On the contrary, his options had increased, so it wasn't bad.

He was always thirsty for internal energy anyway.

An outstanding spiritual medicine like the Small Rejuvenation Pill had little loss of internal energy even when converted to Thunder Energy.

Namgung Hui read on about the state of the rest of the martial world.

He had not yet read even half of it, so it took a considerable amount of time to digest all the content.

Namgung Hui put the scroll back in his bosom and thought.

'Because of the rise of the Blood Cult, the Martial Alliance is poking around here and there.'

On the surface, there seemed to be no major problems, but from what the Hao Faction had gathered, quite a few innocent sects and families had suffered damage.

Did the Beggars' Sect frame innocent people?

Probably not. No matter how much the Beggars' Sect was made up of beggars, it was still one of the pillars of the orthodox faction.

Then why did this happen?

Judging from the Hao Faction Head's added note, it was said that someone had cleverly made it seem as if the victims were related to the Blood Cult.

That was why the Hao Faction Head was speculating that they were innocent.

Of course, it wasn't certain.

The victims pointed out by the Beggars' Sect could have really committed a crime.

One such example was the Ouyang family.

That was why there was bound to be a difference in opinion between the Hao Faction and the Beggars' Sect.

But it wasn't that there were no results.

As a result of the Martial Alliance's poking around.

They had also rooted out a number of the Association's spies.

That was why the victims' resentful cries were easily buried...

'If you cleverly mix truth and lies, it's hard to distinguish. Could the Blood Cult have aimed for this as well?'

For some reason, Namgung Hui's intuition told him that the Blood Cult's grand plan, or whatever it was, might have aimed for this as well.

Because the descendants of the Demonic Cult that Namgung Hui knew would never finish a job sloppily.

And so, after the dawn passed and the day broke.

An unexpected person came to visit Namgung Hui.

(End of Chapter)