Chapter 174 : Purpose of the Visit
Chapter 174: Purpose of the Visit
The place most sensitive to the information of the Bright Cult was the Hundred Paths, and the place that listened most closely to the information of the Hundred Paths was the Bright Cult.
Because they were archrivals.
Perhaps because of that, the events that occurred in the Namgung Clan were immediately delivered to the Bright Cult through the Institute of Reason.
Most of the Bright Cult’s information was public.
Except for things so sensitive that they could not be revealed, the principle was to disclose nearly everything.
It had changed somewhat now that there were many scholars, but in truth, in the past they simply did not have the capacity to manage it, so they revealed everything. That practice eventually hardened into something like a symbol of the Bright Cult.
We do not hide the information we obtain and drive powerless subordinates to their deaths.
Well, that was the meaning behind it.
Because of that, almost anyone could hear that information.
Of course, there were hardly any who paid attention to it.
These days, the information treated most sensitively among the Bright Cult martial artists was talk of who among the batches of the Basic Training Facility had entered the Peak Realm, or who had stepped into the Super-Peak Realm.
They had no time to listen to news from other families because they were busy whipping themselves to avoid falling behind their peers.
As a result, the news that the Namgung Clan had reached a decisive moment was buried beneath indifference.
In the Bright Cult, the one who probably cared least about such information was Pageuk.
He had never known much about the Central Plains to begin with, nor had he been interested in it.
Yet that same Pageuk ran to Seogak carrying that information.
Namgung Hee-yeon, who had assumed Pageuk had come to sweep the yard as usual, was shocked and flustered when she heard the news from him.
But she soon searched for something she could do and hurriedly ran toward the Cult Leader’s residence.
After hearing everything she said, the Cult Leader asked indifferently,
“So, what do you want me to do about it?”
“Please help. The Bright Cult has the power to do so.”
“Listen, sister-in-law. You and I are in a contractual relationship. Before that contract was even completed, I trusted you and already accepted a loss on my side. But do you realize that you still haven’t fulfilled the contract?”
“Th-that’s……”
“With a face that melts a man’s heart like that, if you say our Hani doesn’t even glance at you, that he has no interest at all… I might get angry.”
“……”
Seeing Namgung Hee-yeon unable to say a word, her face darkened by his words, the Cult Leader drove the nail in.
“If you’re truly desperate, fulfill the promise you made with me first. Then I’ll grant your request. Until then, I’d rather you didn’t cross the threshold of my residence again for matters like this.”
With those words, the Cult Leader turned his gaze away and completely cut off his interest, immersing himself in cultivation.
In the end, Namgung Hee-yeon could only leave helplessly.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
It was because of the sense of helplessness and self-loathing she felt, knowing she could do nothing without the help of others.
Pageuk carefully approached her.
“Um… perhaps you should tell the Vice Cult Leader, Mistress.”
Namgung Hee-yeon hesitated for a moment at Pageuk’s words, but then, as if she had made up her mind, she hurriedly ran toward the Vice Cult Leader’s residence.
Watching her worriedly, Pageuk suddenly heard the Cult Leader’s voice.
“Well? Looks like she’s made up her mind?”
Pageuk turned around.
The Cult Leader was leaning his chin on the wall, watching Namgung Hee-yeon running away.
“I did as you ordered, but… is this really alright?”
That was right.
The reason Pageuk—who had no interest whatsoever in the information of the Central Plains—ran to Seogak with news about the Namgung Clan was because the Cult Leader had been behind it.
Having shaken Namgung Hee-yeon by mobilizing Pageuk, the Cult Leader smiled faintly and replied,
“So what if it isn’t alright? I can just tell Hani that you started blabbering about the Namgung family for no reason and caused all this.”
“C-Cult Leader!”
The Cult Leader stuck out his tongue at the flustered Pageuk and disappeared below the wall.
Panicked, Pageuk grabbed the doorknob of the Cult Leader’s residence.
At that moment—
—Don’t come in. If you don’t want to die.
In the end, Pageuk could not open the door, and his shoulders slumped.
They said the Cult Leader held grudges for a long time. It seemed this was how he was taking revenge for the few times Pageuk had spoken informally.
Still, perhaps he should consider it fortunate that no sword had flown at him.
Judging from how he rampaged during sparring matches, the Cult Leader seemed more dangerous than the Vice Cult Leader.
The Vice Cult Leader at least kept to a certain line.
The Cult Leader had no such thing.
In the end, Pageuk trudged toward the Vice Cult Leader’s residence with slumped shoulders.
Yul Han watched Namgung Hee-yeon, who had burst in as if a fire had broken out somewhere and was rambling incoherently.
“So you’re saying that if I help the Namgung Clan, the young lady will help me?”
“Pardon? Ah, no, that’s not it. If you help the Namgung Clan, then I…”
Namgung Hee-yeon’s voice stopped midway.
It was because of the voice of the Iron Demon muttering nearby.
“Our Vice Cult Leader really hates women who throw their bodies around.”
He had not said it to interfere with Namgung Hee-yeon.
Knowing that the Vice Cult Leader disliked the behavior of Demon Flower, who dragged one man after another into her bedroom—even if she had her reasons—Iron Demon had spoken out of genuine concern.
Perhaps because of those words, Namgung Hee-yeon stood there speechless, tears welling in her eyes.
Yul Han spoke to her.
“As it happens, I was planning to visit the Namgung Clan once anyway.”
At Yul Han’s words, joy spread across Namgung Hee-yeon’s face as though she had never cried at all.
Even though her face was stained with tears, the mere blooming of that smile made her breathtakingly beautiful.
However, Yul Han had not spoken falsely just to see that face.
Recently, even he had seen Hwayeong sighing while gazing toward the east more than once.
He had also figured out the reason.
According to Pageuk, who frequently visited Seogak, Hwayeong had fallen for Namgung Chang-yeon, Namgung Hee-yeon’s older brother.
That was far better than hearing that Hwayeong had fallen for him, Yul Han.
Besides, the Golden Flower Merchant Guild was the Bright Cult’s largest trading merchant group, so it was difficult to simply ignore it.
In truth, he had been planning to visit the Namgung Clan at least once anyway, partly because of those two.
Just as Yul Han resolved to visit the Namgung Clan, Lee Tae, the Evil Slaughter Ghost, and the Iron Flower Ghost returned to the Bright Cult.
After receiving a report from the three about what had happened at the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold, Yul Han immediately disappeared.
It went without saying that the Iron Demon, the Profound Demon, and the Ghost Demon vanished after him.
Pageuk, who had been late because he had trudged along slowly, learned of the situation through Lee Tae’s explanation and could only stamp his feet in frustration.
Only after combing through the entire summit of Mount Gil did the martial artists of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold confirm that their Heavenly Net truly had been broken, and they returned.
While they were anxiously worrying about what they should say when the Revolving Wheel Four Calamity Emperor, who was staying in Jiangxi, returned—
A bolt from the blue struck the Stronghold.
BOOM!
With a single palm strike from Yul Han, the gate of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold—three spans thick—exploded apart.
As the startled onlookers stared, several of the Stronghold’s martial artists began trembling like leaves.
Those who did not understand why soon realized the reason when words slipped from the mouths of the trembling men.
“S-Salye Jin… Tianhuang!”
Hearing the stammered cry, Yul Han walked in.
Behind him appeared the Iron Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Profound Demon.
After slowly scanning the surroundings, Yul Han asked the Iron Demon,
“How many of our people did they say were attacked?”
“Three.”
“Behead three hundred. We’ll start talking after that.”
“Yes, sir!”
Without another word, the Iron Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Profound Demon bowed their heads and shot forward.
What followed was a festival of blood.
Because he happened to stand at the very front, dozens of heads rose into the air at once under the Iron Demon’s hand.
Where the Ghost Demon moved, dozens froze to death together.
“AAAAAH!”
Where ghostly screams echoed, dozens more lives were extinguished by the Profound Demon’s hands.
The same thing repeated everywhere.
It could not be stopped, and even if they tried, it broke through.
Three Manifestation Realm masters rampaged like madmen.
Resistance was impossible.
Those who realized the only path to survival was escape began fleeing in all directions.
But the hand of death that Yul Han unleashed struck those fleeing figures.
If they were close, he cut them down with his sword.
If they were far, lightning from the Lightning Cloud Blade tore them to pieces.
Only after exactly three hundred had fallen into the abyss of death were the elders of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold dragged out and forced to kneel before Yul Han.
“Where is this so-called new Four Calamity Emperor?”
“H-He is in Jiangxi.”
At the elder’s answer, Yul Han turned away and said,
“Find his exact location.”
Receiving Yul Han’s order, the Iron Demon immediately blew off the head of the elder who had answered that he was in Jiangxi.
Looking at the terrified elders, whose comrade had been killed even after answering, the Iron Demon growled,
“Is Jiangxi his entire house? You should say exactly where! Are you playing games with our Vice Cult Leader right now?!”
“T-That’s not—”
Another elder who stammered in reply had his head blown apart.
It was not merely a sword beheading.
His head literally burst apart as if struck by artillery, shattered by Force Energy concentrated in the Iron Demon’s palm.
After smashing the second elder’s head, the Iron Demon snarled,
“There’s no place called ‘That’s not!’”
With two of them dying so pointlessly, the elders of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold began shouting over one another.
Selecting the useful information from the chaos, the Iron Demon reported it to Yul Han.
Without another word, Yul Han departed.
When the Ghost Demon and the Profound Demon vanished after him, the Iron Demon snarled at the remaining elders,
“If we meet again, it won’t end this lightly.”
Leaving those words behind, even the Iron Demon disappeared, following the already departed Yul Han.
The elders of the Stronghold collapsed where they stood.
Their strength had drained away.
Even masters of the highest internal cultivation had been terrified to that extent.
A short while later, once they regained their senses, the elders began leaving the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold one by one.
If the Revolving Wheel Four Calamity Emperor returned and they were still here, they feared their necks would be taken by the Killing Ye Jin Tianhuang.
The life of a martial artist was said to be like walking upon the edge of a blade, but death like what had just occurred was meaningless.
As the elders fled, the ordinary warriors had no reason to remain.
Before two shijin had even passed, the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold became completely empty.
What was surprising was that the unorthodox martial artists—people known for their greed—did not touch even a single grain of the Stronghold’s wealth.
They feared the Killing Ye Jin Tianhuang, but they also did not want the enraged Revolving Wheel Four Calamity Emperor chasing them down for theft.
And so, the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold was abandoned.
The most famous city in Jiangxi Province was its capital, Nanchang.
But for those who knew how to enjoy themselves, a small city called Duchang was even more famous.
Located beside Poyang Lake, Duchang was a fragrant haven comparable to Hangzhou or Suzhou, and it was also famous for its pleasure districts.
After all, how else could a city of barely five thousand households have nearly a hundred taverns and pleasure houses?
If one counted the guesthouses as well, there were three hundred establishments that sold alcohol.
Including the street stalls selling liquor, the number became impossible to count.
Some people even called Duchang the City of Wine.
The reason Duchang had so many places selling alcohol was because of Peach Blossom Wine, which rivaled the legendary Monkey Wine said to have been created when fruit hidden by monkeys fermented naturally.
This liquor, brewed mainly from peaches mixed with several mountain fruits, was extremely sweet yet quite strong, making it beloved by drinkers across the Central Plains.
Among the houses that produced Peach Blossom Wine, the largest—Ten Thousand Years Wine House—was sunk in an unusual silence today.
Normally, the place would be bustling with people buying liquor and barrels being sold off nonstop, but for some reason it was quiet.
The reason could be seen in the men guarding the front gate.
They were martial artists of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold.
That was right.
The Eightfold Confusion Monk, revered as the Revolving Wheel Four Calamity Emperor, was staying there.
From the Eightfold Confusion Monk, who had been drinking with naked courtesans since broad daylight, a heavy stench of alcohol suddenly burst outward.
It was because he had expelled the alcohol poison from his body in an instant by circulating his Internal Energy.
The reason the Eightfold Confusion Monk suddenly did such a thing was revealed immediately.
BOOM!