Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Boom!

As soon as the loud noise was heard, Namgung Hui quickly picked up Eun Seolrin and threw himself behind a large rock.

And then.

-Thud thud thud!

Rock fragments scattered in all directions.

And a thick cloud of dust rose.

To have this much of an aftereffect even though they were outside the mountain gate.

He couldn't even imagine what the inside of the Mount Hua Sect was like.

'Is it a thunderclap bomb? It looks much more powerful than the one I saw in the underground prison.'

Thinking about it now, could it be that the support for the thunderclap bombs also came from the Hoicheon Association, not the Blood Cult?

The Demonic Cult had always been an impoverished place, so it was judged that they couldn't have gotten their hands on such an expensive item.

Anyway. What was important now was that a mishap had occurred at the Mount Hua Sect.

Namgung Hui put Eun Seolrin down and asked.

"It seems a mishap has occurred at the Mount Hua Sect. What will you do?"

"Wouldn't it be dangerous for me to go down alone in this situation? I think it would be safest to stay by your side, Young Master."

Eun Seolrin was honestly quite surprised while climbing the cliff.

Was she scared? In fact, climbing the cliff was only a little scary at first; later, it was even exhilarating.

It felt like escaping from daily life and getting a glimpse of a new world.

Then what was it that surprised Eun Seolrin?

'Young Master Namgung Hui is a much greater master than I thought. What kind of member of the younger generation could leap over a cliff as if it were a wall? Even the Seven Dragons would never be able to do it.'

No matter how much Eun Seolrin hadn't learned martial arts, her insight was superior to anyone else's.

That was how she was able to secure the position of Young Guild Mistress of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild.

It meant it wasn't an undeserved title she had gotten just because she was the Guild Master's granddaughter.

Such an Eun Seolrin knew very well who she should be next to in order to be the safest.

'In an unexpected situation like this, it's safest to be next to the greatest master.'

And from what Eun Seolrin had glimpsed, the flying rock fragments had also been deflected by a transparent barrier.

It was surely a skill that could not be performed unless one was an outstanding master.

Of course, since Namgung Hui had moved so quickly, she might have seen it wrong.

Namgung Hui also felt relieved to have Eun Seolrin by his side.

He didn't feel like going down again either.

If he had her hide here and something happened, it would be entirely Namgung Hui's responsibility.

"Alright. Then please get on my back again."

"Yes."

Eun Seolrin hugged Namgung Hui tightly.

Considering the speed and intensity from before, this might not be enough.

Her grip was, after all, far weaker than that of a martial artist.

Of course, Namgung Hui wouldn't let her fall.

Namgung Hui, seeing that Eun Seolrin seemed to be firmly fixed, nodded and said.

"Then let's go."

-Swish!

Namgung Hui leaped using the technique of the Bow Body Ejection.

As the Divine Thunder Art had transformed into the Purple Thunder Divine Art, its explosive power had become even stronger.

The distance he was thrown had increased by a whopping three times.

He finally seemed to understand why the Sword God's lightness skill was superior to his own.

Namgung Hui leaped into the mountain gate in one breath.

Thanks to the mountain gate being completely destroyed, there was nothing to open or close.

The inside of the Mount Hua Sect, which he had entered like that, was truly a scene of chaos.

The dust was thick, and disciples were crawling on the ground, scattered all over the place.

Still, the fortunate thing was that no one seemed to have been seriously injured.

There were no attacks or assassinations; it seemed that only a thunderclap bomb had exploded.

And in an empty pavilion with no people.

'Well, the Mount Hua Sect is one of the top contenders among the nine great sects, so they wouldn't have the guts to launch a surprise attack.'

To attack the Mount Hua Sect, one would need at least a hundred high-level masters.

The very idea of such masters coming all the way to the Mount Hua Sect without being detected was absurd.

That must be why they had secretly detonated only a thunderclap bomb like this.

"Hurry and rescue the disciples!"

"Yes! Elder!"

The Mount Hua Sect, as befitting a prestigious orthodox sect, quickly came to their senses and began to manage the situation.

In particular, the elders who had not been caught in the explosion blew away the dust with their sword wind and pulled out the disciples who were trapped under the rocks.

Perhaps because there were no casualties, the situation seemed to be calming down easily, unlike the loud explosion.

'Then what was the purpose? If it wasn't to kill the disciples.'

Namgung Hui's question was resolved as soon as the dust settled.

"There's a thief in the main hall!"

It seemed they had detonated it to steal something from the Mount Hua Sect.

But.

"There's a suspicious person over there! Catch him!"

Perhaps because the dust had settled, the outsider Namgung Hui was instantly framed as the culprit.

* * *

"Hmph. You're from the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild? This has been a great discourtesy."

Fortunately, there was someone among the elders who recognized Eun Seolrin.

Thanks to that, they were able to clear up the misunderstanding and had now moved to the reception hall.

Namgung Hui was also able to naturally clear his name (?).

"So. You're from the Namgung family? Then what is your relationship with Namgung In?"

The sharp gazes of the Mount Hua Sect disciples poured down on him.

It was understandable; since Dugu In had betrayed the Mount Hua Sect, there was no way they would look upon Namgung Hui favorably.

Of course, they wouldn't be able to think that Dugu In had acted alone.

He had been a lay disciple, and there was a separate group that had caused the incident at the Mount Hua Sect.

'Dugu In probably intended to secretly return with the Purple Mist Divine Art and the Purple Mist Pills.'

But Namgung Hui was a greater master than he had thought.

And Namgung Uncheon had also been freed from the Demonic Spirit Pill.

On top of that, he had met the unexpected variable of Baek Seolhwa, so his plan was bound to fail.

Thanks to that, Namgung Hui was able to obtain the Purple Mist Pills by a stroke of luck.

Because of Dugu In's thoroughness and insidiousness, there would be less suspicion about the Purple Mist Pills.

They probably wouldn't even guess that Dugu In had taken it himself and would just think of him as a traitor.

If they had thought Dugu In was the culprit who had stolen the Purple Mist Pills and the Purple Mist Divine Art, they would have sent a message or a messenger to the Namgung family long ago.

Namgung Hui explained, just as he had told Sa Ilcheon, that he was no longer brothers with Dugu In.

The Dugu family of the Six Demonic Families.

With this much explanation, the Mount Hua Sect elder understood completely.

"Has the Demonic Cult truly been revived? To think a person from the Dugu family was a lay disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. Our eyes were knot-holes."

"Our Namgung family also raised him for over twenty years. He's a dead man anyway, so isn't it just a matter of doing well from now on?"

"Yes. As Young Hero Namgung says, the future is what's important. But, we have lost too much to plan for the future."

Namgung Hui could fully guess what that was.

The Purple Mist Pills and the Purple Mist Divine Art.

With two of the three great divine treasures of the Mount Hua Sect gone, it was only natural to be gloomy.

Looking at the face of the Mount Hua Sect elder, I Jeongsim, Namgung Hui could no longer delay.

'I wanted to give it directly to the Mount Hua Sect leader, but I have no choice.'

Namgung Hui took out the Purple Mist Divine Art secret manual from his bosom and said.

"This is what I obtained after killing Dugu In..."

Before Namgung Hui could finish his words, Elder I Jeongsim snatched the secret manual away.

It was a marvelous capturing hand technique.

"This is the lost Purple Mist Divine Art! Indeed. So that man, Namgung In, stole this. I wondered why nothing came out of the group of attackers. As expected."

Namgung Hui wanted to correct Dugu In's name again, but it didn't seem to be the right time.

Because I Jeongsim's eyes were shining fiercely.

He narrowed his eyes and glared at Namgung Hui.

"It wouldn't have been just the Purple Mist Divine Art, would it?"

"Ah. Of course, it wasn't just the Purple Mist Divine Art. Since he was a descendant of the Demonic Cult, he had a strange smoke bomb and something called a Demonic Spirit Pill."

I Jeongsim, not getting the answer he wanted, glared at Namgung Hui again.

But Namgung Hui just tilted his head with a blank, innocent expression.

His appearance was like watching Chichi play dumb.

'I'm glad I learned from Chichi. In terms of shamelessness, he's the best in the Central Plains.'

Thanks to that, the suspicion in I Jeongsim's eyes disappeared.

Because he also judged that Dugu In couldn't have taken both the Purple Mist Divine Art and the Purple Mist Pills alone.

His skills were one thing, but it was safer to disperse such important things as much as possible.

Even if one was caught, the other could be smuggled out.

'It must be because Dugu In takes after his mother and is greedy. He was always greedy.'

Moreover, with the influence of the Six Demonic Families, the other Blood Cult members probably couldn't have stopped him.

I Jeongsim slowly nodded his head.

Still, it was something to have recovered at least one of the lost divine treasures.

"It's truly a relief. The Purple Mist Pills can be made anew, but the Purple Mist Divine Art could not... Then I will go to the Sect Leader. No. How about you all come with me?"

It seemed it would be better to explain Dugu In's final moments in person.

And even if I Jeongsim let it slide now, there was a high probability that the Sect Leader would not, so it was necessary to clarify things for sure.

"Yes. Let's go together."

And so, Namgung Hui followed I Jeongsim to the Sect Leader's residence, the Purple Mist Hall.

In the meantime, all the rock debris had been cleared, and the Mount Hua Sect had returned to a somewhat clean state.

But I Jeongsim and Namgung Hui could not go to the Purple Mist Hall.

"So the place where the thunderclap bomb exploded was the Purple Mist Hall. It's truly unfortunate."

Because the Purple Mist Hall had disappeared without a trace.

For a moment, he was slightly worried about the Sect Leader's safety, but seeing a Taoist priest emitting a strong energy wave from a distance, it seemed there was no need for such worries.

'At this level of mastery, it can only be the Mount Hua Sect Leader. By the way, it seems I've been firmly marked.'

The glare from I Jeongsim was nothing compared to this.

The hostility pouring out from a distance was on the verge of piercing Namgung Hui's skin.

No, his skin was actually tingling as if it were being pierced.

If the hostility increased just a little more from here, it would become killing intent.

Could it be that he had noticed the fact that Namgung Hui had swallowed the Purple Mist Pills?

"Sect Leader. A guest has arrived from the Namgung family."

At I Jeongsim's words, the Sect Leader, who was far away, rushed over in one breath.

Namgung Hui was reminded of the Sword God of his past life at the familiar sight of the Dark Fragrance Float, but he couldn't show it.

Because the Sect Leader's hostility was choking him.

'Indeed. This is the Mount Hua Sect. If the Sect Leader is at this level, there's no need to worry about being defeated by the Blood Cult.'

He was a rare master.

Was he the strongest master Namgung Hui had met since coming out into the martial world?

He was thought to be one of the ten great masters.

"Is this brat that man's younger brother?"

"On the surface, that's what's known, but it turns out Namgung In is from the Six Demonic Families. Sect Brother. How about you retract your hostility a little? After all, this Young Hero Namgung has come all this way with the Purple Mist Divine Art."

At the words "Purple Mist Divine Art," the Sect Leader's expression softened somewhat.

He probably hadn't expected the appearance of the Purple Mist Divine Art.

He slowly accepted the Purple Mist Divine Art, pretending to be calm.

But seeing his fingertips tremble slightly, he seemed quite agitated.

He glanced at the beginning of the Purple Mist Divine Art and then closed it again.

Because he had recognized that it was genuine.

Namgung Hui inwardly hoped he would look at the annotation at the end, but he judged that now was not the time.

"So. Where did you get this?"

"Dugu In. I got it after killing the man who once used the name Namgung In."

"Where is the Purple Mist Pill, and only this has returned? Don't tell me you swallowed it?"

"Do you think I'm crazy enough to swallow one of the three great divine treasures of the Mount Hua Sect?"

"Then may I check your pulse? When one takes the Purple Mist Pill, a characteristic remains in the body."

The Mount Hua Sect Leader, before Namgung Hui could even answer, quickly snatched Namgung Hui's wrist.

And the Sect Leader's expression contorted into that of a fierce demon.

(End of Chapter)