Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Youngho slowly walked toward where his companions were and thought to himself.
‘It’s been a while. I never expected that bastard to be here.’
Gam Yeontang.
He was someone who had given much help to Yoon Seojeong, who had been Youngho’s disciple before the Regression. More precisely, he had been a comrade who, together with Yoon Seojeong, brightened the atmosphere around them.
When war dragged on, a person’s heart inevitably grew desolate and worn down. Simply put, it meant losing one’s emotions.
Yet in the war against the Demonic Cult, there had been only two who had not lost their emotions and had not let go of the thread of hope.
One was Yoon Seojeong, who would make sweets so sweet they made one’s brain tingle, and the other was Gam Yeontang.
The two worked together so seamlessly that even in the midst of a war where life and death crossed paths, laughter occasionally bloomed because of them.
Gam Yeontang was exactly ten years younger than Youngho.
At the time of the war, although he had not entered the State of Transformation and thus had not undergone Bone-Marrow Reforging, Gam Yeontang possessed an astonishingly youthful appearance, looking as though he had only just reached his coming-of-age.
Perhaps because of that, even his behavior felt more endearing. Actions that would have looked repulsive if done by someone with an aged appearance instead appeared cute.
Just how much their actions had helped their exhausted bodies and minds…… Youngho might not have been able to endure the war without the joy they had given him.
‘I should look after him from time to time.’
Although Gam Yeontang might not have reached the Domain of the Absolute, given enough time, he had been more than talented enough to enter the State of Transformation.
If Gam Yeontang’s talent exceeded Youngho’s expectations, he might even grow as strong as Nam A-pyeong, the Gold-Blood Hall Master.
Satisfied that he had created another card to oppose the Demonic Cult today as well, Youngho enjoyed the rest of the festival.
And so, a month passed.
“Haah! Haah! Are we really going the right way?”
Hyeon-gang spoke as he drew in breaths that rose to his chin. Watching him, Youngho clicked his tongue.
“Why are you so exhausted?”
“I’m not! Haah! Strong like you, Young Master!”
“I even taught you a cultivation method, didn’t I?”
“That’s why I’ve lasted this long!”
Though Hyeon-gang spoke as if wronged, the sight displeased Youngho even more, and he thought to himself.
‘When will this bastard start acting like a proper human being…….’
“Say those kinds of things out loud!”
“Tsk.”
When Youngho looked at him with obvious dissatisfaction and clicked his tongue, Hyeon-gang flared up.
“I’m seriously not exaggerating!”
“Seonpung is walking around just fine.”
Hyeon-gang hurriedly turned his head toward Seonpung. Then, unable to contain the emotions surging within him, he burst out even more miserably.
“Is he even human? Is he?”
“Anyway, we’re almost there. Walk faster.”
Youngho began moving swiftly through the depths of the mountains. Kang Hosan, Kang Chowon, Hyeon-gang, and Seonpung followed behind him, and lastly Horyeung guarded them from the rear.
“You’ve already said that six times……?”
Hyeon-gang widened his eyes in disbelief at the pavilion that appeared before them. Soon after, he let out a sigh of relief.
“We really are here.”
“I told you.”
“No, I thought we were lost since you were just going however you pleased like some bandit, Young Master.”
“Very well. Since you’ve taken me for a bandit, I shall personally supervise your training as a special reward.”
“As if you weren’t already doing that!”
Ignoring Hyeon-gang’s words, Youngho walked forward slowly.
Seeing how well maintained the pavilion was despite being deep within the mountains, Youngho let out a faint chuckle.
“Does he usually live here? It won’t be easy to procure information.”
Just as Youngho was about to open the door to enter the pavilion—
“Wait.”
With that voice, five men in black surrounded Youngho’s group. Yet none of them showed the slightest panic.
The men in black frowned on their own at the sight of them showing no caution at all, as if such situations were everyday occurrences.
The situation was so absurd that Youngho let out a low laugh.
“These bastards are blocking me even knowing who I am. Did the Sect Leader order it?”
At that moment, sticky and vicious Killing Intent began to flow from the bodies of the men in black.
“You are not someone worthy of uttering his name.”
It was laughable. Pathetically so.
But they did not know. They were like a pack of wolves challenging a tiger.
Youngho covered his nose with his hand and waved it lightly.
“Look at the stench of that Killing Intent. Air the place out.”
Killing Intent could not possibly carry a smell. Yet at that series of actions, which seemed like nothing at all, the men in black visibly wavered.
‘The Killing Intent is dispersing?’
The formless aura was being cut apart as lightly as if slicing silk garments. It would have been less shocking if only Youngho had done so.
‘And what is that one?’
The young man who appeared to be around forty likewise brushed the Killing Intent aside with his hand just as Youngho had.
As if the Killing Intent had truly turned into a smell, it dissipated into the air at the wave of their hands.
“Will you still block me?”
The gap in strength between them was clear. The man in black immediately showed courtesy and spoke.
“May I ask your name?”
“Youngho.”
“Are you the fifth disciple of the Alliance Lord?”
“Yeah.”
“Please, come in.”
Youngho let out a faint snort at how quickly the men in black tucked their tails.
In truth, he could have suppressed them with Killing Intent, but he deliberately chose not to.
‘A joke should be answered with a joke.’
Of course, if they tried it one more time, he would kill them.
Youngho asked the man in black who was leading the way.
“Where’s the Sect Leader?”
“……Please wait just a moment.”
He could have pressed further, but Youngho quietly followed behind him.
“Except for Fifth Young Master, the rest of you will remain in this guest room for the time being.”
Horyeung’s duty was to guard Youngho. Just as he was about to say that was unacceptable, Youngho spoke first.
“Alright. Then where am I going?”
“To the Sect Leader’s residence.”
“Is that so? Horyeung, look after the others. I’ll be back.”
At Youngho’s nonchalant demeanor, Horyeung let out a deep sigh.
‘There’s no need to worry, of course, but I must uphold my duty…….’
Horyeung nodded as if there was no helping it.
“Understood.”
Horyeung led the others into the guest room. Watching them, Youngho turned around and said,
“Now then, guide me to where the Sect Leader is.”
At that instant, the man in black’s expression stiffened.
“Forgive my impertinence, but you will need to show proper respect to the Sect Leader.”
When the man in black warned him with a chilling gaze, Youngho bared his white teeth in a grin.
“If he’s worth it.”
Clench!!
Though his fist tightened on its own, the man in black restrained himself as best he could.
After glaring fiercely at Youngho for a moment, he turned back around and began walking again. Youngho followed behind him.
“This is the place.”
Having reached the top floor of the pavilion, Youngho looked around and said,
“In a place this deep in the mountains, how do you procure information?”
“That cannot be disclosed.”
“Oh really? Fine then.”
Youngho smiled brightly as he surveyed his surroundings. Like someone who had lived in the countryside and was visiting a grand city for the first time, he looked here and there.
“I just go in here, right?”
“Yes.”
Just as the man in black was about to knock, Youngho abruptly flung the door open and said,
“I’m coming in~”
It was an utterly absurd situation. No matter that he was the Fifth Young Master, one could not simply throw open the Sect Leader’s door like that.
Just as the man in black was about to protest what on earth he thought he was doing—
Thud.
Youngho’s hand blade struck the man in black’s neck. Though it had been a light strike, the man’s eyes rolled back and he crumpled down.
Anyone witnessing it would have said it made no sense. The man in black’s level was now at the stage of looking toward the Transcendent Peak Master Realm.
He was at the very end of the Peak Master Level. One more quarter-step, and he would reach the Transcendent Peak Master Realm.
And yet he was subdued in a single move?
Had he been killed, it might have been slightly more believable. Everyone in the Martial World knew that subduing someone was far more difficult than killing them.
But Youngho had subdued him. A man who understood what that meant laughed lightly.
“Haha, it differs from the rumors.”
“Are you playing games with me?”
Thud.
Youngho closed the door and said,
“I’ll give you one chance.”
“I beg your pardon…?”
“Hao Sect Master.”
Chill—!
The moment their eyes met, the man could not move a single muscle, as though bound by a binding rope.
“I’m not in the mood to repeat myself.”
“……What do you mean?”
Kwaaaaaa—!
Soon, a suffocatingly dreadful and vicious Killing Intent poured out from Youngho’s body.
Had it been anyone other than the Hao Sect Master, their survival instincts would have driven them to unleash killing moves at once.
As the Killing Intent emanating from Youngho’s entire body filled the room, the Hao Sect Master prostrated herself and said,
“I apologize for the discourtesy shown to our guest.”
Then the Hao Sect Master brought her hand to her chin.
Riiip!
She tore off the skin of her face, and beneath it another face was revealed.
After removing the human-skin mask, the Hao Sect Master’s face was completely different, to the point that it was hard to believe she was the same person.
Just moments ago she had the face of a plain middle-aged man, but now she bore the appearance of a beauty who had only just passed her coming-of-age.
Feigning composure, the Hao Sect Master placed the torn face-skin beside her.
It was a face that should have remained hidden. But she had no such luxury.
‘To notice my human-skin mask… as expected, he’s formidable.’
Even the First Young Master had not noticed it.
How in the world? Such a trite question was unnecessary.
More precisely, Youngho’s conduct thus far had erased the need for such questions.
Circumstantially, he had dealt with the Chief Stronghold Leader of the Yangtze. And he had killed the Poison Demon, an unofficial public enemy of the Martial World whom even experts of the State of Transformation hesitated to face.
There had been various other pieces of information as well. Thus, the Hao Sect Master was certain. The man before her was by no means beneath her.
She became even more certain from the aura just now. The way he had bound her mind and body with nothing but his gaze, and the Martial Presence now pouring forth from him—compared to her own, he lacked nothing.
That was why she had immediately removed the human-skin mask. Otherwise, grave trouble would have followed.
In short, Youngho was an Equal-Level Expert to her, the Hao Sect Master. Frankly speaking, it was hard to believe.
What kind of training must one undergo to reach the State of Transformation in merely three years, at an age not even past coming-of-age?
By her common sense, it was incomprehensible. Thus, she could go beyond certainty and make a declaration.
The man before her was a monster beyond anyone’s understanding, existing outside the bounds of common sense.
Seeing her face after removing the human-skin mask, Youngho grinned.
“Are you messing with me?”
“……Pardon?”
Her pupils trembled pitifully. This was not the flow she had anticipated. As she sensed something strange and was about to speak—
“I told you. I’m not in the mood to repeat myself.”
Kuuuuung—!
The violent Martial Presence erupting from Youngho’s body grew even more immense.
Compressed Killing Intent, as though Asura himself had manifested, shot toward her.
“Do it properly.”
At last, Youngho slowly drew his sword.