Chapter 62

Chapter 62

“Hmm…… Disappeared?”

“……Yes, there is not even a trace.”

The man called the pinnacle of the current Demonic Cult, Sa Do-hak.

He sat on the Heavenly Demon Throne, looking down at his surroundings with an indifferent expression.

Perhaps dumbfounded, he let out a dry gasp, frowned, and then chuckled.

“Does it look like he fled?”

“Circumstantially…… that is highly likely.”

Dongbang Gu, the Chief Strategist of the Demonic Cult, groaned inwardly.

The loyalty of the Demonic Cultists was incomparably higher than that of other factions.

Since they grew up having their loyalty to the Heavenly Demon tested from childhood, their brainwashing was thorough.

But if asked, “Can they all be trusted?” that was not the case.

Because some betrayed them from time to time.

The leader of the Black Dao Association, who was notorious though his identity was never properly revealed, was also one of the escapees who fled from the Demonic Cult.

That was why he thought this might be the case now as well.

If there was something obtained from the Martial God's Secret Cave, its value would truly transcend imagination.

“It is said that the signal flare of success definitely went up. However, no matter how long we waited, there was no contact, so when we went to the safe house, only corpses with Gu Hwang's sword wounds remained, and there was no sign of him.”

“How amusing.”

Slurp…

Sa Do-hak moistened his throat with tea, soothing his discomfort.

A subordinate's betrayal was something that shook his authority.

Furthermore, since he was someone trusted enough to be entrusted with the task of the Martial God's Secret Cave and had possessed extraordinary loyalty, the moment this news spread within the Cult, it would cause a huge stir.

However, Sa Do-hak did not even care about such things and was quietly staring at something.

It was a large painting.

Though drawn with ink, the scenery was as vivid as if it were right before his eyes, showing the painter's effort to not miss even a single small pebble.

It was a painting in which the Demonic Cult's greatest artist had depicted the situation at the time in detail.

Studying it quietly, Sa Do-hak nodded his head.

“Pursue him. You must catch him before he leaves Hunan.”

“Understood!”

Resoundingly!

Dongbang Gu's loud shout rang out.

Sa Do-hak, who was quietly watching him turn his back and disappear, smiled faintly as he touched his lips, as if remembering something.

“It seems there is a master in Hunan that even I did not know about…….”

The painting was accurate.

Since everything was painted without missing a single detail, from Sa Do-hak's perspective, it was no different from viewing the scene vividly with his own eyes.

The sword wounds on the corpses, the way they lay, and even the tiny traces left in the surroundings.

Putting them all together, it was clear that Gu Hwang had disappeared not because he coveted what was obtained from the Martial God's Secret Cave, but because he was killed by someone.

He brought the faces of a few people to mind.

Then he shook his head and smiled broadly.

“Come to think of it, they said there was a hidden master in Hunan…… So it was you.”

Judging by the traces, they were crushed with overwhelming power. At the very least, they were on par with Sa Do-hak himself, or perhaps slightly below.

Just thinking about it made his fighting spirit surge, uncontrollable.

That was why he had not revealed to Dongbang Gu the fact that there was a master, rather than Gu Hwang fleeing.

* * *

Namgung Cheon, the current leader of the Murim Alliance and the Sword Emperor, one of the Five Emperors, was enjoying a long-awaited rest.

With his fishing rod dipped in the vast waters of Lake Dongting and a straw hat pulled down to avoid the scorching sun, he was no different from a common old villager that could be seen anywhere.

“You seem to like fishing.”

“Haha, in my childhood, that is. I never grew tired of holding a fishing rod and sitting all day long. I do not know how long it has been since I fished in such peace.”

He muttered while looking at Dan Woo-hyun, who was sitting beside him and casting a line. Quite literally, his expression had softened endlessly.

Except for when he was immature, he had almost no memory of having such a quiet time.

At twenty, he held a sword so as not to fall behind other young experts, and by thirty, he held a sword to make his family's reputation shine even brighter.

As he grew older year by year, he eventually rose to this position, but when he actually looked back, there was nothing left for himself.

He raised his family's reputation and rose to the highest seat of the orthodox path. But he had done nothing for himself.

“If only things on Gunja Island had gone well this time, it would have ended really nicely.”

Namgung Cheon looked at Dan Woo-hyun.

Though he was expressionless, there was a feeling that they somehow resembled each other.

Was it the atmosphere? Or was it the energy?

Perhaps he felt even closer to him because he carried a certain emptiness.

However, unlike Namgung Cheon, Dan Woo-hyun was drawing vitality from somewhere.

“Look, look! I caught another one!”

Holding a fish in her hand, she smiled brightly. Perhaps because of that innocent smile, the atmosphere felt a bit lifted.

A gentle smile formed on the lips of Dan Woo-hyun, who was watching the child.

At that moment, Namgung Cheon could not hide his surprise.

Since coming here, he had never once seen him smile sincerely.

Thus, his wide-open eyes simply could not look away from Dan Woo-hyun's face.

“Well done. Next time, let's catch an even bigger one.”

“Yes! I'm sure So-mi will win this time too.”

“Haha, since I will catch one just as big as yours, I will win.”

“Then So-mi will catch an even, even, even bigger one!”

Dan Woo-hyun burst into laughter at the cute shout.

Then he slowly reached out and stroked So-mi's cheek and hair. Watching that natural gesture, Namgung Cheon felt his heart warm up on its own.

‘Come to think of it, I have never shown such a side to them.’

He raised his son and the current head of the Namgung Family, Namgung Yong, strictly.

He had even forced the path he walked upon not only his grandson Namgung Kang, but also Namgung So-hye.

It was no exaggeration to say they were worlds apart from the Dan Woo-hyun before his eyes.

‘Everything was in vain.’

Namgung Cheon realized as he looked at Dan So-mi's pure, innocent smile.

That rather than pursuing strength and chasing after money and honor, just looking at the smile of one's own flesh and blood could make one feel as if they possessed the entire world.

Dan Woo-hyun had neither possessions nor honor compared to Namgung Cheon, yet he seemed to have obtained something far greater than this man who was called the Sword Emperor.

It was highly envied.

“When you are stopped, looking at other things can also be helpful. Because there are things that become even more impossible to overcome the harder you try.”

“……!”

At Dan Woo-hyun's casually muttered words, Namgung Cheon's expression turned as if he had been struck by a hammer.

Because it felt like he was talking about him, who stood stopped and unable to move.

‘The harder you try, the more impossible it is to overcome?’

Those words were exactly right.

Namgung Cheon had tried to overcome the wall somehow, but every time, he had to drink the bitter cup of defeat and fall.

‘This man…… who on earth is he!’

Namgung Cheon stared intently at Dan Woo-hyun.

“Haha, you are truly interesting. This old man has truly had his eyes opened today.”

“I'm glad you think so.”

Dan Woo-hyun turned his head as he cast his fishing rod once again.

He saw Namgung So-hye running over in a hurry from behind.

Watching this, Namgung Cheon was surprised once again.

‘He noticed the presence before I did?’

The title of the Five Emperors was by no means easily obtained. The strongest existence in the orthodox path was none other than Namgung Cheon, who had earned the title of the Sword Emperor.

Yet even before he could grasp it, Dan Woo-hyun had already noticed Namgung So-hye approaching and turned his head.

This also meant his senses were superior to Namgung Cheon's.

‘This makes no sense……!’

Namgung Cheon caught his breath as he realized his head was spinning.

Where on earth did such a person suddenly appear from?

He kept showing actions that far exceeded the expectation of simply being a mysterious person.

“Grandfather!”

“What is the matter that you are making such a fuss?”

“I heard Chief Strategist Zhuge is hovering between life and death after being attacked by an unknown assailant!”

“Wh-what?!”

Namgung Cheon leaped to his feet.

A fierce momentum swept in all directions, enough for his anger to be clearly felt.

The person he cherished the most in the Murim Alliance was none other than Chief Strategist Zhuge Un, yet he was hovering between life and death?

This was not the time to be leisurely enjoying a rest.

He had to find out what kind of situation had occurred.

“Get ready. We are going to the branch office immediately.”

“Understood!”

Namgung So-hye ran hurriedly into the manor.

Even if time was pressing, there were things to pack. Clothes did not really matter, but there was no way she could leave her sword behind.

“Who on earth……!”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at the furious Namgung Cheon.

He saw the wind surging wildly beside him.

This was the anger and killing intent he emanated.

However, what was even more unsettling than that was the faint, permeating wind of death.

That meant Namgung Cheon's death was near.

That was not what was bothering Dan Woo-hyun right now. The faintly flowing wind swirled around and approached Dan Woo-hyun like a thread.

It meant that the connection between Namgung Cheon and Dan Woo-hyun had not yet been severed.

Dan Woo-hyun did not believe everything the wind showed him.

Because humans were beings who thought and acted for themselves, after all.

“You might meet with a disaster.”

“Haha, this old man?”

However, Namgung Cheon did not pay heed to those words. Although he lived with his temper much subdued compared to the past, that did not mean he was not the Sword Emperor.

“For a martial artist, death is always right before one's eyes. Especially complacency and pride, which hasten that death.”

“Haha, thank you for the advice, but this old man has no intention of dying easily, nor do I possess any complacency.”

“I see.”

Dan Woo-hyun spoke no further.

Just then, Dan So-mi, sensing that the atmosphere was strange, clung tightly to his chest, and he patted her back as he looked out at Lake Dongting.

A faint wind blew again, brushing past Dan Woo-hyun.

Just then, Namgung So-hye, who had packed her things, ran over in a rush. Since the distance from here to the branch office was considerable, they were in a situation where they had to go into Yueyang, rent horses, and ride.

“I leave after resting in a nice place. If only it hadn't been for this matter, it would have been better…….”

Regret seeped into Namgung Cheon's face.

Having been comfortably resting for the first time in a long while, he realized anew that not going as intended was precisely what human life was.

He turned away with bitterness in his mouth.

Then, Dan Woo-hyun's voice spread softly.

“Come visit again anytime……. If you are still breathing.”

Namgung Cheon turned his gaze at the cryptic words.

However, even when he examined Dan Woo-hyun's expression as he stared out at Lake Dongting, he could not fathom what it meant.

Namgung Cheon turned around. Now was not the time to be thinking of other things.

“Let us hurry!”