Chapter 2349 – 2349. The Ascent To Radiance
I looked into the Shadow Thief to find traces of Danmok Soha.
In this world, the Shadow Thief is a title given to the greatest thief of the era. Danmok Soha was more than qualified to be called a Shadow Thief. She was also the granddaughter of one.
So, I went to the Hao Clan. It was the fastest and easiest way to get information.
“It’s an honor to meet you! Great Hero of the Absolute Divine Alliance! What brings you to the Hao Clan?!”
The branch leader of the Hao Clan, whom I was meeting for the first time, and his subordinates bowed deeply as soon as they saw me. Information about me had spread throughout the Hao Clan. They wouldn’t know my real name, so they wouldn’t know my true identity.
Even if they did know my identity, it wouldn’t matter. There was nothing the Hao Clan could do.
“Bring me information about the Shadow Thief from the past 20 years.”
“Um… Great Hero. We don’t know the identity of the Shadow Thief.”
“When did I ask for their identity? I said bring me information. Information about where they’ve been active recently.”
“Understood! Please wait a moment! Ah, I’ll bring some tea!”
“You wouldn’t poison the tea, would you?!”
“Absolutely not!”
The Hao Clan branch leader immediately knelt on the floor and shouted.
“I’m just kidding.”
“Haha. Yes…”
The branch leader was constantly sweating and maintained a very cautious attitude. I took a sip of the tea he brought and put it down. It tasted awful.
About ten minutes later, a pile of low-quality papers was stacked in front of me.
“You’re bringing information pretty quickly. Has the Hao Clan been keeping an eye on the Shadow Thief?”
“Information about the Shadow Thief is one of the best-selling pieces of information for the Hao Clan.”
“Why?”
“Wanderers see the Shadow Thief as a chance to turn their lives around. They believe that if they catch the Shadow Thief… they can obtain advanced martial arts and elixirs that will make them masters. For that reason, there are even pursuit teams that specialize in chasing the Shadow Thief.”
“Has the Shadow Thief ever been caught by those kinds of guys?”
“Surprisingly, yes. A group of wanderers called the Right Mouth Ten Sticks caught the Shadow Thief 15 years ago. They obtained advanced martial arts, elixirs, and magical artifacts and founded a sect. This story is famous among wanderers. It’s a bit old news these days, though. There are quite a few other stories of people who have risen to success after catching the Shadow Thief.”
“Was the Shadow Thief who was caught 15 years ago a woman?”
“It was a man with a large lump on his cheek.”
“What about this generation’s Shadow Thief?”
“As I said before, we don’t know. This generation’s Shadow Thief is one of the most thorough and secretive of all the Shadow Thieves. At best, we only find out about their activities after the fact. Oh, by the way, two years ago, the Fire Wing Clan, which manages this area, had their secret manuals and elixirs stolen by the Shadow Thief.”
I listened to his words and checked the last page of the documents. It was the place where the current Shadow Thief was predicted to be.
Jian Zhao City, Xinjiang.
It was one of the major cities in Xinjiang, and it was also my target. The Thunder Sound Temple was in that major city.
“Jian Zhao City, huh. What a coincidence. That’s exactly where I’m headed.”
“Um, we can’t be sure that the Shadow Thief is in Jian Zhao City. We’ve only tracked their movements based on the data so far…”
“There must be a good reason for that guess.”
“Jian Zhao City was originally the site of the Thunder Sound Temple. When bandits and thieves were rampant, people flocked to the Thunder Sound Temple for peace. Over time, it gradually developed into a major city. But now, the Thunder Sound Temple is closed.”
“I’ve never heard of the Thunder Sound Temple closing.”
“They haven’t officially declared that they’re closed. However, the Thunder Sound Temple hasn’t engaged in any official activities for the past 10 years, so people consider it closed.”
“What happened to the Thunder Sound Temple 10 years ago?”
“I’m sorry. We don’t know that much. The Thunder Sound Temple is such a secretive sect… it’s not easy to find out internal information.”
“Is the Thunder Sound Temple so powerful that the Hao Clan can’t influence it?”
“Huh? Of course, that’s a given… If you only consider the power of the Thunder Sound Temple, it’s more powerful than the famous sects that belong to the Nine Great Sects.”
“…I guess I’ll have to change my plans.”
I was going to go there, kill them all, and steal their martial arts. But if their power is greater than that of the famous sects, it’s impossible. There would be at least one absolute master who had reached the Three Realms. Unless I had detailed information about the Thunder Sound Temple, it was right to approach cautiously.
‘I’ll have to see what the situation is like after I arrive in Jian Zhao City.’
I threw some silver coins to the Hao Clan branch leader as payment for the information and was about to go outside when he spoke.
“Great Hero! Among the information we obtained, there’s information that the Great Evil Eight Fiends are currently targeting Jian Zhao City.”
“What’s that now?”
“It’s a group of evil masters. There’s information that they’re targeting Jian Zhao City while the Thunder Sound Temple is inactive. Please be careful…”
“Careful? Do I have to be wary of those kinds of guys? Are you looking down on me right now?”
“I-It was a slip of the tongue!”
“I’ll let it slide since I’m in a good mood right now. Make sure you know your place.”
I clicked my tongue and was about to leave when I stopped.
The Great Evil Eight Fiends. I felt like I’d heard that somewhere before? I pondered for a moment and then brushed it off. If I couldn’t remember it right away, they probably weren’t that important.
• • •
“Whew…”
The Hao Clan branch leader wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
The master of the Three Realms who called himself the Great Hero of the Absolute Divine Alliance was quite famous in this area. It was inevitable that he would be famous since he was the one who single-handedly destroyed the Wall Stone Clan.
People called him the Great Hero of the Absolute Divine Alliance in front of him, but behind his back, they called him the Blood Blade. His blade was red, and he would cut down anyone he didn’t like, whether they were good or evil. The only good thing was that he didn’t massacre people indiscriminately.
If you bowed down and pleased the Blood Blade as much as possible, you could survive. The best thing was not to be noticed by the Blood Blade.
He muttered as if trying to calm his wildly beating heart.
“When the Blood Blade came here… I thought today was my death anniversary. I could smell incense that wasn’t even there. But I survived.”
It felt like I had put my head in a tiger’s mouth… I never wanted to experience that again.
‘I need to report to headquarters quickly. That the Blood Blade is heading to Jian Zhao City.’
The Blood Blade was moving around, destroying various sects. There were rumors that the government was also keeping an eye on the Blood Blade.
‘The Shadow Thief, the Great Evil Eight Fiends, and the Blood Blade… They’re all gathering in Jian Zhao City. I can smell blood. A very strong smell of blood…’
He shook his head. No matter what happened in that city, he didn’t want to be involved. He just felt sorry for the branch leader of the Hao Clan in Jian Zhao City.
• • •
I headed towards the entrance of Jian Zhao City at a leisurely pace. As befitting the name of a major city, the city’s splendor was evident from the entrance.
There were many people trying to enter Jian Zhao City. Bodyguards, merchants, wanderers, and so on. As the city was large, people gathered there.
The city entrance was wide open. There were no soldiers controlling the road and checking people. This was because Jian Zhao City was under the jurisdiction of the Thunder Sound Temple.
But as I got closer to the entrance, I felt a gaze. The problem was that I couldn’t tell exactly where the gaze was coming from.
‘He’s quite skilled. But even so, I’ll be able to tell where the gaze is coming from as I get closer.’
The gaze disappeared. It was clear that they had turned their gaze away, aware of me.
I was going to find that arrogant bastard and kill him…
Even I couldn’t track a gaze that had already been averted.
I passed through the entrance and entered Jian Zhao City.
‘How should I find the Shadow Thief? And how should I obtain the martial arts of the Thunder Sound Temple?’
It wasn’t good to act recklessly without a plan. The Shadow Thief could run away, and the Thunder Sound Temple could lock their doors and barricade themselves.
Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Along with a loud explosion, one of the inns on the street was being destroyed in real time. Fragments flew, and dust rose. The aftereffects of the clash between qi and qi were affecting the surroundings.
“Aaaah! Get back!!”
“Masters are fighting!!”
“What are the monks of the Thunder Sound Temple doing?!”
“Run away instead of complaining! We’re the only ones who will lose if we die!”
People were shocked and retreated. Some of them kept a little distance from the inn and watched with interest.
“It’s the battle between the Black Wind Sword Hero and the One-Tracked Evil Fighter! You have to see this! You’ll lose out if you don’t!!”
“They wouldn’t attack us commoners, would they? It’s safe if we watch from a distance!”
I turned my steps and headed towards the inn where the sounds of battle were coming from.
It was only natural that an absolute master couldn’t just pass by such a fight, and a name I knew had come up.
The Black Wind Sword Hero.
It was one of the nicknames of Baek Mu-han, the protagonist of the original novel, [Fallen Heavenly Demon].
‘Now I remember. The Great Evil Eight Fiends. One of the villains from the original [Fallen Heavenly Demon] novel.’
I entered the inn. Baek Mu-han and a martial artist wielding a spear were fighting each other, scattering blood and qi. The two of them were at a similar level.
“Stop.”
I gathered my energy and released it in all directions. Startled, the two of them separated and looked at me.
“…Who are you? How dare you interfere in a life-or-death battle?!”
The guy with the spear, probably the one with the nickname One-Tracked Evil Fighter, glared at me with bloodshot eyes. Judging by the way he had lost half of his reason, he seemed to be heavily influenced by demonic arts.
“You are…!!”
Baek Mu-han seemed to recognize me. Frankly, I didn’t like the way they both held their heads high even after seeing me.
‘But I can’t kill Baek Mu-han. I need to obtain Baek Mu-han’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art later.’
I looked at the One-Tracked Evil Fighter.
“You rude bastard… If you see a senior in the martial world, you should bow your head first. How dare you look at a senior with your eyes wide open? You’re hopeless. Die.”
Thunder Heaven Style (雷天流) Flying Thunder God (飛雷神).
In an instant, I closed the distance with him. He was startled and widened his eyes.
Thunder Heaven Style (雷天流) Thunder Flash (雷光).
I drew the Crimson Flying Blade and used Thunder Flash at the same time. A red lightning flashed and cut through his torso. He raised his spear to block my attack. But the veins in the arms of the guy holding the spear burst. He couldn’t withstand my power.
“Block? How arrogant. Try blocking it again.”
“That bamboo hat and black clothes… and that red sword. I’ve heard of you. You’re the Blood Blade who’s been making a name for himself recently!”
“I’m not the Blood Blade, I’m the Great Hero of the Absolute Divine Alliance. A hero who kills evil like you.”
I pretended to swing my sword, and he tried to block it by spinning his spear. The real attack was a kick. I kicked his knee with my right foot. He was on guard against my sword, so he was easily caught off guard.
“Kuaaaak! My leg!!”
Just as I was about to finish off the guy who had lost his balance and fallen, a throwing knife flew silently from outside the inn.
‘Did he have a companion?’
I ignored it and stabbed the Crimson Flying Blade into his head.
Thud!
The throwing knife pierced my left back. I continued to ignore it and swung my sword.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A few more throwing knives pierced my back. I had protected my body with defensive qi, but they still pierced through. The throwing knives had considerable power, but they weren’t enough to kill me.
Only after I had chopped the One-Tracked Evil Fighter into 30 pieces did I turn around and look outside the inn. My vision was blurry. It seemed that the throwing knives were poisoned.
“Come out right now.”
I said as I pulled out the throwing knives one by one from my back.
