Chapter 263

“That makes me the enemy who killed your most precious friend.”

At those words, I froze.

The same thought must have crossed Jeok Cheongang’s mind.

What did I just hear?

For a moment, I couldn’t make sense of it. The words that had come from the unfamiliar young man’s mouth tangled together in my head.

Wait…

He killed Hong Dao? That bastard?

Memories etched deep into my mind surfaced, then vanished.

Jongni Chu disappearing in the middle of the duel. Hong Dao gasping at death’s door. And the four words he had left behind as his final message.

Jongni Chu. Dark Heaven. Unnamed. Buddhist Staff.

What, exactly, had everything I’d seen and heard until now meant?

Where had it all begun, and how had it unfolded?

I stood frozen like a statue, desperately trying to grasp the thread connecting everything. But before I could put my thoughts in order, a dry voice escaped Jeok Cheongang’s lips.

“You… killed… Hong Dao?”

Each word came out separately, strained with restraint, rage, and disbelief.

The young man smiled faintly at Jeok Cheongang and nodded.

“I told you, didn’t I? It was much easier than I expected. I told him I was going to set off a Heaven-Shaking Thunder in the spectator stands, and he followed me without a fuss.”

“Heaven-Shaking Thunder? Had you planted explosives?”

“Ah, that? Of course it was a lie.”

“……What?”

“Why do people lie? Because every now and then, some idiot falls for it.”

Blood dripped from Jeok Cheongang’s fist as he clenched it hard enough to crush something.

“He wasn’t fooled. He allowed himself to be fooled. That was the kind of man Hong Dao was.”

“He allowed himself to be fooled? I suppose that’s possible. He was the damned Abbot of Shaolin, after all. Saying he wanted to prevent even the slightest chance of a massacre would make sense.”

“You bastard!”

“Don’t give me too much grief. I hadn’t planned anything this shoddy, either. But things went wrong where I least expected them to. Of course, part of that was because of…”

The young man’s gaze suddenly shifted toward me.

“The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, Jin Taekyung. You played your part.”

My body seemed to stiffen just from meeting his eyes.

I didn’t know whether it was because of my hostility toward him or because I could sense the overwhelming difference in power between us.

Maybe both.

I bit my lip and glared at the young man.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You barged into the duel, forcing me to move the plan forward by a day. The biggest complication was that bastard, the Always-Victorious Sword Jongni Chu.”

“……!”

That confirmed it.

Jongni Chu had not been the culprit—or even an accomplice.

“Well, everything worked out neatly in the end.”

The young man extended a hand.

Realizing what he wanted, Han Su hurriedly held out an object.

“Shaolin’s sacred treasure—the Green Jade Buddha Staff.”

“So this is the…”

The young man’s long fingers slowly brushed over the softly glowing Green Jade Buddha Staff.

But the next moment, he stared intently at Han Su’s face.

Han Su’s wrinkled hand was still gripping the staff.

“You can let go now.”

Han Su swallowed hard before answering.

“B-Blood Lord, I have one request.”

“A request? Go ahead. You worked hard, so I’ll do my utmost to grant it.”

It was a strange sight—no, a bizarre one.

An old man groveling before a young man who looked young enough to be his grandson.

Even more so when that old man was the infamous demonic fiend who had turned Shaolin Temple into a river of blood.

Who the hell is that bastard?

There were only two possibilities.

Either his status within Dark Heaven was unimaginably high, or he was much older than he looked.

There was also a good chance that both were true.

Whatever the case, Han Su’s face brightened at the answer from the young man called the Blood Lord.

“R-Really?”

The Blood Lord clicked his tongue.

“Have you spent your whole life being deceived? You completed your mission perfectly, so a Reward is only natural. But I wonder what kind of difficult request our Senior Yin Ghost is taking so long to bring up.”

“It is not that difficult a request.”

“But it’s difficult for you to handle yourself?”

“……I am ashamed to admit it, but yes.”

“Ah. I think I know what it is.”

The Blood Lord jerked his chin toward Jeok Cheongang and me.

“You want me to kill those two, don’t you? Am I right?”

Han Su nodded, his eyes filled with killing intent.

The Blood Lord let out a short laugh.

“Well, this is unexpected. I suppose the two of you were closer than I thought.”

“He was at my side for half my life. Nothing less will satisfy me.”

“Loyalty… Well, that’s admirable in its own way.”

“Kill them as cruelly as possible. I will lend a hand.”

“Will that be enough? If the orthodox faction comes swarming in, things will get troublesome. If we want to finish quickly and leave, you’ll have to work up a little sweat too, Senior.”

“Then?”

“You take the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi. I’ll take the Fire King. We should be finished within an ildagyeong at the latest.”

“You want me to take that young brat? Wahahaha! Very well!”

Their conversation was absurd. They spoke of our lives as though they were objects already tucked inside their pockets.

At the same time, a chill ran down my spine.

He means every word.

The Blood Lord had just declared that he could kill the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, within the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

The way Jeok Cheongang’s face had stiffened proved that his words were no empty boast.

—If things turn against us, run.

At the Sound Transmission that suddenly reached my ear, I gave the slightest shake of my head.

A fierce battle was already raging above us. We couldn’t expect help from Shaolin.

If I withdrew, Jeok Cheongang would have no choice but to face the concentrated assault of two Supreme Peak masters.

Our best option is to hold out here until the very end.

Jeok Cheongang knew that too.

And yet he had told me to run because he was warmer and worried more than anyone realized.

This time, we might really be in trouble.

I licked my parched lips and tightened my grip on White Flame.

Han Su sneered at the sight.

“Pathetic fool. Do you think that will change anything? Your attainment is impressive enough, but even if you died and came back to life, you could never defeat this old man.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

I spat a wad of phlegm onto the ground where he could see it.

“Give me a few shichen¹ of solid sleep in this world, and when I wake up, you’ll die by my hand.”

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

“If you don’t believe me, put it to the test.”

“How dare you, you green little brat!”

It was unfortunate.

If I hadn’t been in the middle of a battle, and if time stopped completely when I used Logout instead of merely slowing down, I could have used all the time in the world to escape this crisis.

But those thoughts were nothing more than personal wishful thinking.

Now was the time to face reality, not indulge in delusions.

“I’ll freeze you alive.”

Step. Step. Crack.

Now I understood exactly why that damned old man was called the Yin Ghost.

The ground froze beneath every step he took, and frost settled over the branches.

“What vicious Yin-Cold Qi. But…”

Jeok Cheongang stepped in front of me.

“You dare not lay a hand on my Disciple.”

Whoosh!

If Han Su’s Yin-Cold Qi was an iceberg, Jeok Cheongang’s Scorching Yang Qi was the sun.

If Flame Tiger’s martial arts had truly been equal to Han Su’s, then Jeok Cheongang’s overwhelming victory had been inevitable.

But Han Su looked perfectly at ease.

He knew there was a tiger behind him.

“Blood Lord, I will need you to step in.”

“Of course. It’s about time we got started.”

The Blood Lord tucked the Green Jade Buddha Staff into his robes as carefully as if it were a priceless treasure.

Then he moved.

No—he vanished.

And in the next instant—

Slash! Thump!

A round object flew through the air with a sickening sound and rolled to a stop at my feet.

White hair. Dignified features. A faint smile still lingering around the mouth.

“……!”

“……!”

Jeok Cheongang’s eyes widened along with mine.

Han Su, the infamous great demonic fiend and Supreme Peak master known as the Yin Ghost, had been beheaded in a single strike.

By the hand of the ally he had trusted without question.

Unlike us, the Blood Lord—the one responsible for everything—remained perfectly calm.

“Fucking old man. This is why you should never take in rootless trash.”

Clicking his tongue, he casually nudged Han Su’s headless body.

Splash!

The corpse toppled like a dead tree, spraying a fountain of blood across the ground.

“If you’re a sword, act like a sword. Go wherever the person holding you swings you. How dare you…”

Thud! Thud! Crack!

His kicks, loaded with internal energy, tore through flesh and shattered bone.

After repeatedly stamping and grinding Han Su’s lifeless corpse beneath his feet, the Blood Lord swept his fallen hair back.

“There are always people who don’t know their place. They don’t know how strong they are or how far they should stick their necks out. Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, don’t you agree?”

…Me?

What was I supposed to say?

I hesitated, then answered honestly.

“No. You just look like a crazy bastard to me.”

For a moment, the Blood Lord stared blankly at me.

Then a smile spread across his lips.

“You’re bold for a young one.”

“You’re still a young brat yourself, and you already seem a little unhinged.”

“Thank you for thinking I’m young. I’m older than I look.”

“Not that old.”

“Don’t push it. I’ve lived at least twice as long as you have.”

I looked him up and down in disbelief.

He stood at roughly my eye level, his body perfectly proportioned.

His face made him look like some inexperienced young man in his early to mid-twenties at most.

This went far beyond merely looking young.

But if there was anywhere something like this could happen, it was the Murim.

“What? Surprised I’m so much older than you expected?”

I shook my head.

“No. If that’s true, I was thinking you’re a bastard who really doesn’t act his age.”

“Wahahaha!”

The Blood Lord burst into cheerful laughter.

His behavior, his tone—everything about him was light, almost frivolous.

That only made him feel more dangerous.

Even now, bent over with laughter and his shoulders shaking, he showed not the slightest opening.

Jeok Cheongang, who had been glaring at him as his shoulders shook, suddenly spoke.

“You will regret this.”

“Regret?”

The Blood Lord stopped laughing and frowned.

“Why would I regret it?”

“If you wanted to finish this cleanly, you should not have killed the Yin Ghost.”

“He was a rusty sword. His usefulness had run out, so disposing of him was only natural.”

“A Supreme Peak master is a rusty sword… Then what does that make this old man?”

The Blood Lord stroked his chin.

“You are worth rating highly, Fire King. If the Great Faction War had continued for one more year, you probably would have become one of the Four Saints instead of merely one of the Three Saints.”

“Then it seems my edge has not gone dull yet.”

“You are good enough to be called a fine sword.”

“What would happen if that fine sword were driven into your heart?”

“Who knows… I’m sturdier than I look. I doubt that would draw even a single drop of blood.”

“When Hong Dao died, this old man swore to heaven.”

The Blood Lord smiled faintly as Jeok Cheongang’s gaze grew dark and still.

“Even if his killer were a demon god rather than a human, I would see this vengeance through to the end.”

“That’s touching and all, but…”

The Blood Lord’s smile vanished as he caressed the hilt of the sword at his waist.

“I have a feeling the Fire Gate Clan’s lineage will end today.”

Without taking his eyes off the Blood Lord, Jeok Cheongang asked me:

“What do you think of that?”

“I think his mouth needs a circumcision. It’s been spewing nothing but dickhead bullshit for a while now.”

The smile disappeared from the Blood Lord’s face.

“……You really are an interesting bastard.”

Step.

The Blood Lord took one step toward Jeok Cheongang and me, then suddenly spoke.

“But how long does that little rat over there plan to keep hiding?”

Rustle.

A suspicious-looking figure emerged from the distant grass and scratched the back of his head.

“Benefactor. I’m sorry. I’ve never been this frightened in my life…”

I had never been so happy to see Cheongpung.