Chapter 1221 – 1221. Ascension To The Light
The Seon Family Estate.
The air in the reception room was heavy after Yeom Guseok left.
Seon Haedo, the head of the Seon Family, stared into the empty space amidst the heavy silence. His mind replayed the image of the man who had just declared war on him and stormed out of the Seon Family Estate.
Seon Haedo had directly sensed that Yeom Guseok’s cultivation level was at the second stage of the Emerging Realm. Seon Haedo himself was at the second stage of the Origin Realm, a completely different level. If Seon Haedo had fought Yeom Guseok with his bare hands, he was confident he could defeat him within three exchanges. If Seon Haedo had gone all out from the start, he could have ended it in one exchange.
But the Yeom Guseok he had just seen was different. He didn’t feel like he could kill him instantly, like swatting a bug.
Instead, Seon Haedo felt overwhelmed by Yeom Guseok.
That dense killing intent was not something an average person could exude. It was the kind that came from someone who had killed thousands… no, tens of thousands of people.
‘…What’s more dangerous is Yeom Guseok’s demonic art.’
Seon Haedo had clearly seen the dark demonic energy flowing from Yeom Guseok’s body. The moment he saw that demonic energy, Seon Haedo felt an instinctive fear.
‘To tremble in fear at a martial artist in the Emerging Realm… how shameful.’
He thought Yeom Guseok’s demonic art was special.
A demonic art among demonic arts. A bizarre martial art that was hardly even worthy of being called a martial art. For example, a demonic art that allowed one to grow stronger rapidly by eating human flesh.
‘Either way, that guy is dangerous. He’s a Heavenly Demon Cult member who has reached the Emerging Realm even before completing the Initiation Cave. His talent is undeniable. If time passes… the Seon Family could really be in danger.’
*Sakjugulgeun* (削株堀根).
Those four characters wouldn’t leave Seon Haedo’s mind.
He spent some time in the empty reception room, breathing and calming his trembling body, before shouting outside.
“Is anyone there?!”
“Yes, Master!”
A loud reply came from a guard. In reality, he was more of an aide than a guard, like a personal secretary in modern times.
“I need to meet with Master Chu Jeo. Bring Master Chu Jeo to the reception room immediately.”
“Yes, Master!”
Soon after, the reception room door opened and a young man entered. This man, who looked to be just past his coming-of-age ceremony, was Chu Jeo, Yeom Guseok’s mission target.
One shouldn’t be fooled by his appearance. Chu Jeo was actually close to 90 years old. He maintained his youth using a plastic surgery technique that altered his appearance. Of course, plastic surgery wasn’t like immortality. It was just a type of technique that changed one’s appearance. As time passed, he would age, so he had to undergo plastic surgery periodically if he wanted to maintain his youth.
For reference, a martial artist who had reached a certain level couldn’t be judged by their appearance alone.
There were many ways to maintain youth in this world. There were techniques, and there were also martial arts that prevented aging. Finding youth through miraculous elixirs was another method.
And there were those who naturally maintained their youth without techniques, martial arts, or elixirs. This was because a master’s body followed the state of their mind. If the mind was young, the body would also be influenced and maintain its youth.
However, as time passed, not only the body but also the mind aged. That was the way of the world. Maintaining a young mind while living for decades or even centuries was difficult even for enlightened monks.
“Have a seat.”
Chu Jeo sat in the chair where Yeom Guseok had been. He looked behind Seon Haedo. There was a wall stained with green tea. Below it, shattered pieces of a teacup were scattered.
“You must have heard that someone came to the Seon Family Estate?”
“I heard that a Heavenly Demon Cult martial artist came to kill me. And I heard that the Master drove him away. Thank you.”
“The Seon Family doesn’t easily turn away guests. You have worked hard for the Seon Family, would I just throw you away like an old shoe?”
“This Chu Jeo is deeply grateful to you, Master! I will repay this kindness even if it costs me my life!”
“Indeed, my choice was not wrong.”
Seon Haedo, who had been smiling contentedly, soon erased his expression and said,
“But the matter is not over. He will try to kill you. He is from the Initiation Cave, and his mission is to kill you.”
“…From the Initiation Cave. Considering the timing, it must be the third trial. He has to return to the Initiation Cave, so if I can hold out for about ten days, it should be fine.”
“Holding out won’t be enough.”
Seon Haedo said firmly. At his serious and resolute tone, Chu Jeo quietly waited for him to speak.
“He is not an ordinary man. If we leave him be, not only you but the Seon Family could be in danger. *Sakjugulgeun*… we must finish this while he is in Hagasi. I would like to kill him myself, but… I am the head of the Seon Family. If I step in directly, we might have to fight a life-or-death battle with the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“I will follow your will, Master. I will step in and kill him myself.”
“It will be difficult for you alone.”
“Please trust me. I want to prove my sincerity to you, Master.”
“I trust you. But you know better than I that the Heavenly Demon Cult is not an easy opponent, right? That guy is the Heavenly Demon Cult’s dagger. Sharper and more powerful than anything.”
“……Hah. You’re right. The Heavenly Demon Cult. I underestimated them for a moment. Master, please lend me the Vanguard Unit.”
The Vanguard Unit.
It was the Seon Family’s best military force, consisting of 30 martial artists. They were the elite of the elite. The members of the Vanguard Unit had at least reached the fifth stage of the Entry Realm.
“I’m sorry, but the Seon Family cannot directly intervene in this matter. Please understand my position.”
“…I understand. Even for the Seon Family, it would be a burden… But what other way is there….”
“Master Chu Jeo, listen to my plan. I plan to use the Byungsaldan.”
The Byungsaldan (竝殺團) was a killer organization that operated in and around Hagasi. In other words, they were an assassin group. They made a living by killing people for money.
“Will the Byungsaldan accept the request? Even if they are obsessed with money, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to make an enemy of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“His situation is special right now. He received a mission from the Heavenly Demon Cult, but he cannot use the Heavenly Demon Cult’s name.”
“…The third trial of the Initiation Cave…!”
“That’s right. And I don’t plan to use them to kill him. You must be the one to kill him. The Byungsaldan will harass him. Very severely.”
“……So, my job is to kill him when he is weakened. That way, the Heavenly Demon Cult can’t directly blame the Seon Family.”
Seon Haedo took a moment to catch his breath. He contorted his face, acting as if he was in pain.
“……It breaks my heart to say this to you, but… once this is over….”
“There is no need to make such a pained expression. I will kill him and leave Hagasi. Thank you for taking me in all this time.”
Chu Jeo understood his situation.
Now that the Heavenly Demon Cult had found him, he couldn’t stay in the Seon Family Estate any longer. He praised Seon Haedo with words, but in reality, he couldn’t trust him.
Seon Haedo was the head of the Seon Family. Unlike what the common people thought, he was not a righteous hero. If the Heavenly Demon Cult officially demanded Chu Jeo, Seon Haedo would not hesitate to hand him over. If they told him to kill Chu Jeo, he would kill him.
For Chu Jeo, it was best to leave while maintaining a good relationship with the Seon Family.
“Where do you plan to go after this is over?”
“I plan to go south, where the Heavenly Demon Cult has no influence. I was planning to leave from the beginning.”
“Have you saved enough money?”
“Thanks to you, I have saved a lot of money, but… it’s still a bit short.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you plenty of travel expenses.”
“Thank you, great hero! I will never forget this kindness!”
“Hoo. There’s a lot to do. Let’s get up now.”
***
In the afternoon, I enjoyed a boat ride at Boiru, and at night, I went to another brothel. It was a rare visit to the city. I was curious about what the other brothels were like. I had to try the girls from the other brothels at least once.
I got a recommendation for another brothel from Boiru. The brothels in Hagasi maintained cooperation rather than competition. In modern terms, it was a corporate cartel. Of course, it was illegal in modern times, but not so much in this world. There were few who cracked down on it.
‘In the first place, this world isn’t one where the emperor uses officials to manage cities… it’s a world where martial arts sects are used to manage cities. A cartel between shops is just a minor thing.’
It wasn’t that the emperor was incompetent. On the contrary, he was quite capable. The reason he implemented this management method was because his territory, the continent, was too vast. There were thousands of cities on this continent, and the population numbered in the tens of billions.
Compared to that enormous scale, the level of civilization was close to the Middle Ages. Occasionally, over-technology appeared, but it was very rare.
‘This is a world without computers. It’s impossible for the emperor to manage the entire continent alone. Well, it’s not like the emperor created this system of using sects.’
Originally, sects had been managing the regions. The emperor had unified the continent with overwhelming force and brought the martial world under his control. The martial world had to follow the emperor’s laws and pay taxes to him.
While thinking about this and that, I stopped walking. Today was a moonless night. It was dark all around. Not even the sound of insects could be heard. I could see the lights from the brothel in the distance, but it was too far away.
“……”
*Sweeek.*
A dull, unpolished dagger flew out of the darkness. It was hard to see because it was blended into the darkness. However, the sound of it tearing through the air revealed its location.
I drew my sword from my waist and deflected the dagger upwards. The dagger spun in the air and fell to the ground. I kicked the fallen dagger as if venting my anger and stared into the darkness.
[Opening the Heavenly Eye.]
I could see the guys hiding in the darkness.
They were all wearing black clothes and masks, hiding their faces. But there was something they didn’t know. The Heavenly Eye could see through things unless they were blocked by techniques. I checked their faces. They were all unfamiliar.
‘There are six of them that I can see. They are skilled at hiding their presence. They are not martial artists from the Seon Family, but assassins.’
It was obvious who had hired the assassins and sent them after me. Seon Haedo.
‘You can’t step in directly because of the Heavenly Demon Cult, so you’re resorting to this?’
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly. Thinking about Seon Haedo made me angry. Fortunately, there was a target in front of me to vent my anger on.
‘I’ll kill them all…!’
I ran towards the assassins.
