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 understand it. The words that had come from the mouth of a young man with an unfamiliar face tangled together in my head.

Wait…

He killed Hong Dao? That bastard?

Memories etched deep into my mind surfaced before vanishing again.

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

Jongni Chu. Dark Heaven. Unnamed. Buddhist Staff.

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

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

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

“You killed Hong Dao?”

His words came in broken fragments, soaked in patience, rage, and disbelief.

At the sight of Jeok Cheongang, the young man smiled faintly 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.”¹

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

“Ah, that? Of course it was a lie.”

“……What?”

“Why do people lie? Because there are idiots who occasionally fall for it.”

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

“He wasn’t fooled. He let himself be fooled. That was the kind of person Hong Dao was.”

“He let himself be fooled? I suppose that’s possible. If you say he was trying to prevent some unforeseen slaughter because he was a bald bastard who happened to be the Abbot of Shaolin, it sounds plausible.”

“You bastard!”

“Don’t give me too much grief. I hadn’t planned anything this shoddy, either. But things became tangled in a place I never expected. Of course, you had something to do with that, too…”

The young man’s gaze suddenly shifted toward me.

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

My body seemed to stiffen just from meeting his eyes.

I didn’t know whether it was because of the hostility I felt 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?”

“Because you suddenly joined the duel, I had to move the plan forward by a day. The biggest variable among them was the Always-Victorious Sword, Jongni Chu.”

“……!”

That confirmed it.

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

“Well, in the end, everything was taken care of neatly.”

The young man extended a hand.

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

“The sacred treasure of Shaolin—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.

His wrinkled hand was still holding on to the staff.

“You can let go now.”

Han Su swallowed hard before answering.

“B-Blood Lord, I have one request.”

“A request? Go ahead and tell me. 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.

And it was even stranger because that old man was the great demonic fiend who had turned Shaolin Temple into a river of blood.

What the hell is that bastard’s identity?

There were only two possibilities.

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 young man’s answer.

“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 do yourself?”

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

“Ah. I have a rough idea what it is.”

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

“You want me to kill those two, don’t you? Is that it?”

Han Su nodded with killing intent in his eyes.

The Blood Lord gave 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 a lifetime. I will not be satisfied with anything less.”

“Loyalty… Well, that is good, too.”

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

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

“Then?”

“You take the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi. I’ll take the Fire King. We should be able to finish within an ildagyeong at the latest.”²

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

Their conversation was absurd. They spoke of our lives as if they were objects in 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 those words were not mere boasting.

—If the situation becomes unfavorable, 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 could not expect help from Shaolin.

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

The best course 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 more concerned than people realized.

This is going to be genuinely dangerous this time.

I licked my parched lips and gripped White Flame tightly.

Han Su sneered at the sight.

“Pathetic fool. Do you think anything will change because you hold that? Your attainment is commendable, 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 for all to see.

“Give me a few shichen of 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, test it.”

“How dare this 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 an infinite amount of time 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 known as the Yin Ghost.

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

“What vicious Yin-Cold Earth 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 Earth 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’s expression was relaxed.

He knew there was a tiger behind him.

“Blood Lord, you will have to step forward.”

“Of course. We should get 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 moment—

Slash! Thump!

Along with a horrifying sound, a round object flew through the air and rolled to a stop at my feet.

White hair. A dignified-looking face. A faint smile still lingered around the mouth.

“……!”

“……!”

Jeok Cheongang and I widened our eyes at the same time.

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 Jeok Cheongang and me, who stood frozen in shock, the Blood Lord—the one responsible for everything—was perfectly calm.

“Fucking old man. This is why you should never take in people with no roots.”

He clicked his tongue and 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 crushed bone.

After stamping and grinding Han Su’s lifeless corpse beneath his feet several times, 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 of me as 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 with disbelief.

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

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

This could not be explained simply by calling him youthful-looking.

But if there was anywhere that anything could happen, it was the Murim.

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

I shook my head.

“No. If what you’re saying is true, I was thinking you’re a bastard who doesn’t act his age.”

“Wahahaha!”

The Blood Lord burst into cheerful laughter.

His behavior and speech were light—so light they bordered on frivolous.

And that was precisely why he felt even more dangerous.

Even now, as he bent forward laughing, I could not see 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. Its usefulness had run out, so disposing of it 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.”

“Looks like 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 don’t think that would draw even a drop of blood.”

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

The Blood Lord smiled faintly as Jeok Cheongang’s eyes sank into darkness.

“Even if the culprit were a demon god instead of a human, I would see this revenge through to the end.”

“That is touching and all, but…”

The Blood Lord’s smile vanished as he caressed the sword hilt 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 what he said?”

“I think your mouth needs a circumcision. It’s been spewing nothing but dickhead bullshit since earlier.”

The smile disappeared from the Blood Lord’s face.

“……You really are an interesting one.”

Step.

The Blood Lord took one step toward Jeok Cheongang and me before suddenly speaking.

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

Rustle.

A strange man 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.