Chapter 319 – Human Greed Never Has an End (1)

Hangzhou was the capital of Zhejiang Province. Being adjacent to the sea, it was abundant in seafood and had well-developed ports, making it a place visited by countless merchants throughout the four seasons.

There was West Lake, which boasted such beautiful scenery that Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo compared it to Xi Shi, and above all, the Six Harmonies Pagoda, which served as a lighthouse, was famous.

The Six Harmonies Pagoda, reaching a height of over twenty zhang, appeared to have thirteen floors from the outside but actually had seven floors. Streamlined stairs led to the top of the pagoda, making it perfect for viewing all of Hangzhou at a glance.

A middle-aged man wearing a blue robe stood at the top of the Six Harmonies Pagoda.

His deep, black pupils formed a striking contrast with his pale skin, as if he had never been exposed to sunlight in his entire life.

He had an overall thin appearance, but his calm atmosphere like a deep lake drew attention.

He was looking down at Hangzhou with profound eyes. More precisely, he was looking at Hangzhou Port where numerous ships were anchored.

Dozens of large and small ships were anchored in the port, creating a magnificent sight. The ships weathered by sea winds still bore the weariness of long voyages.

From small fishing boats that caught fish in nearby waters to large ships that had traveled to distant foreign countries, the variety was extensive, and accordingly, the number of people walking around the port was numerous.

From simple workers carrying cargo to merchants checking if goods were in order, and even martial artists carrying swords. The port was truly teeming with countless people.

The middle-aged man's eyes caught sight of one particularly large ship entering the port. As if it had made a very long voyage, white salt deposits were still visible on the ship's sails.

A glint appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes as he watched the ship.

That's when it happened. A young martial artist rushed up to the top of the Six Harmonies Pagoda.

"Military Advisor, the ship is entering."

"Yes! It's finally arriving."

A cold smile appeared on the middle-aged man's lips.

His name was Sang Han-cheon. In the Demon Cult, he was called the Heavenly Demon Scholar or Military Advisor.

He who had disappeared from the Central Plains for the past three years had revealed himself in Hangzhou.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Sang Han-cheon descended the spiral stairs of the Six Harmonies Pagoda.

With each floor he descended, martial artists who had been standing guard followed behind him. When he had descended all seven floors, over seventy martial artists were following behind him.

The martial artists, all radiating extraordinary presence, were Sang Han-cheon's escorts. Originally, Sang Han-cheon didn't like receiving such grand escorts, but recently he had no choice but to accept such protection.

One of the martial artists following behind him carefully approached and spoke:

"Military Advisor."

"Speak."

"Urgent news from Sichuan Province."

Sang Han-cheon's smooth stride came to a complete stop.

"Sichuan Province?"

"Yes!"

For a moment, a chill flashed across Sang Han-cheon's eyes. It was because he had an ominous feeling.

Hangzhou and Sichuan Province were located on opposite sides of the Central Plains. The distance was well over five thousand li. Therefore, no matter how quickly news traveled, it would take at least ten days. So the urgent news the martial artist was conveying meant something that had happened ten days ago.

"Speak."

"The Demon Mother has escaped from Sichuan Province while injured."

"The Demon Mother?"

For a moment, Sang Han-cheon's pupils shook.

"That's correct. She has temporarily taken refuge at the branch in Yunnan Province."

"There's no danger to her life?"

"It seems so."

"What about the Ten Soldiers? I definitely instructed them to protect the Demon Mother."

"That's…"

The subordinate making the report hesitated for a moment. Then Sang Han-cheon's gaze turned fierce.

"Speak quickly."

"Four died, and the rest suffered various injuries."

"Hmm!"

A groan flowed from Sang Han-cheon's lips.

The Ten Soldiers weren't simply rising talents. They were the future hope that the Demon Cult was strategically nurturing. Not only Sang Han-cheon but even the Cult Leader was paying special attention to the Ten Soldiers.

"Were there those in Sichuan Province who could put them in such predicament? Don't tell me the Tang Clan betrayed us?"

"That doesn't seem to be the case."

"Then?"

"The Fist Demon…"

"The Fist Demon?"

Sang Han-cheon's voice unconsciously rose.

Sang Han-cheon usually showed almost no change in expression. His usual belief was that a military advisor must maintain cold rationality in any situation. But now, large cracks were spreading across his face.

"The Fist Demon? You mean Dam Ho?"

"That's correct."

"He's in Sichuan Province? Not at Mount Hua? Then why didn't I know about this?"

"Sichuan Province is too far away, so news was delayed in reaching us."

At his subordinate's words, Sang Han-cheon bit his lips until they bled.

If not other places, Sang Han-cheon personally kept track of Mount Hua's movements. It wasn't for any other reason. It was because Dam Ho was there.

Having seen Dam Ho's military power directly, he knew well how his danger exceeded imagination. That's why he regularly received reports about Mount Hua.

The subordinate who had been watching Sang Han-cheon's mood closed his eyes tightly and spoke:

"And…"

"Is there more to report?"

"Yes!"

His voice naturally trembled. He had to. Even he was afraid to report this content. He couldn't predict how Sang Han-cheon would react to this report. It was such shocking news.

"Speak."

"The Iron King of the North and the Demon Sword Immortal have passed away."

"Who killed them?"

"The Fist Demon… Kek!"

CRASH!

Suddenly, the person making the report flew backward vomiting blood. Sang Han-cheon, who had been listening to his report, could no longer restrain himself and struck with his palm.

The subordinate making the report trembled briefly and then died. But Sang Han-cheon didn't even glance at him. No, he couldn't.

"Fist Demon, grrrr!"

He was angry enough to momentarily lose his reason. This was the first time in his life he had displayed such violent emotion.

Because of Dam Ho alone, the grand picture he had been drawing was being ruined. The mental effort and dedication he had poured into drawing in the Thirteen Branches was truly tremendous. The one he had drawn in was Seok Mu-gang, the leader of the Rock Cliff Stream.

But not only Seok Mu-gang but even Cheon Oh-gyeong, the inheritor of Sword Stream, had lost their lives. It was a shock great enough to shake the very foundation of the Demon Cult.

"Aaaah!"

His desperate cry echoed across the sky of Hangzhou.

Only after venting everything inside him like that did Sang Han-cheon regain his reason.

"What about the Tang Clan?"

"They too seem to be in a difficult situation because of the Fist Demon. They're asking for help from our cult, but what should we do?"

Another subordinate stepped forward and answered hurriedly. Clear tension was visible on his face.

"Tell them to handle it themselves. After all, both sides joined hands out of necessity."

"Understood."

Sang Han-cheon's eyes were gleaming with madness.

After all, they had joined hands out of necessity. There was no loyalty whatsoever in it.

"Anyway, there's nothing we can do in Sichuan Province. Leave the Fist Demon to the Tang Clan and we'll focus on our work here."

"Yes!"

Once he made a decision, Sang Han-cheon regained his original coldness.

The distance to Sichuan Province was over five thousand li. It was already too late even if he acted now, and there was nothing he could do. In that case, cleanly cutting off concern was bad for mental health.

"Rather, this is a golden opportunity for us. The more the Fist Demon rampages, the more people's attention will be drawn to Sichuan Province. We must never miss this opportunity."

"Understood."

Sang Han-cheon pressed his lips tightly together. Fresh blood was visible through his pressed lips.

While restraining his emotions like this, the place he headed to was the port where the large ship had just entered. As soon as he arrived at the port, a gangplank was lowered from the ship. And a man who appeared to be in his late thirties descended from the ship.

He was a man with an impressive sharp gaze like a hawk, contrasting with the relaxed smile on his lips.

Behind him in gray martial robes, hundreds of martial artists in identical attire could be seen. The appearance of martial artists all radiating identical atmosphere and presence as if cast from the same mold was bizarrely eerie.

Sang Han-cheon approached the leading man.

"Welcome."

"Did you wait long?"

"Not at all!"

Sang Han-cheon smiled gently.

If anyone else had made him wait like this, he would have unleashed fury. But the man in gray was someone with sufficient qualifications to make him wait.

Ten Thousand Shadows Divine Lord Lim Hak.

One of the Four Great Corps Leaders and the gray martial artist said to possess ten thousand shadows. At the appearance of this martial artist who was among the best even within the Demon Cult, Sang Han-cheon felt his mood, which had fallen to the bottom, recovering.

'You can rampage to your heart's content in distant Sichuan Province, Fist Demon. Instead, we'll cut off your lifeline.'

***

Clatter clatter! Clatter clatter!

The sound of horse hooves echoed clearly on the stone-paved official road. As the sun was setting, a black horse appeared on the official road.

On the black horse sat a man dressed in rags. The one wearing completely torn black clothes was Dam Ho.

The gazes of people around the official road turned toward Dam Ho.

"It's the Fist Demon."

"The Fist Demon has really appeared."

People immediately began to stir.

Some of them were people living nearby, but a considerable number were people who had come here specifically to see Dam Ho's appearance.

It was to directly witness the legend of the Fist Demon being written in Sichuan Province.

Dam Ho had come this far by breaking through the dragnet led by the Tang Clan. During this time, no sect, no martial artist had been able to stop Dam Ho's steps.

Countless sects had suffered near-annihilation damage, and a tremendous number of martial artists had died or been injured.

Now people felt awe rather than fear toward Dam Ho. The fact that an individual could become this strong. The fact that he could stand proudly against the super-massive force called the Tang Clan made them tremble.

Everyone dreamed of it, but Dam Ho was doing what they thought impossible. People wanted to see such Dam Ho with their own eyes.

As if telling the story of his journey so far, Dam Ho and Black Ghost's entire bodies were dyed red with blood.

People stared at Dam Ho and Black Ghost in fascination.

Then suddenly commotion arose from behind.

"It's the Tang Clan."

"Tang Clan martial artists have appeared."

People's gazes turned backward. Then they saw a group of martial artists approaching.

At the appearance of martial artists in green robes, which could be called the symbol of the Tang Clan, people held their breath and retreated.

As everyone knew, the Tang Clan was a family that used poison and hidden weapons. Poison and hidden weapons had no eyes. If they loitered nearby unnecessarily, they could meet with misfortune.

A man walked out from among the Tang Clan martial artists.

"Truly remarkable. To make me move personally."

The man who spoke in a voice as cold as midwinter northern wind and snow was Tang Sa-il, the head of the Tang Clan. At his appearance, the people who had come to see Dam Ho held their breath.

Tang Sa-il could be called not simply the owner of the Tang Clan but the overlord of Sichuan Province and its strongest martial artist.

At his appearance, Dam Ho raised his head, which he had been lowering, to look.

Led by Tang Sa-il, countless Tang Clan martial artists were glaring at him. Tremendous military power incomparable to the sects that had spread dragnets until now was blocking his path. Still, there was no particular change in Dam Ho's expression.

Dam Ho dismounted from Black Ghost and walked toward him. For a moment, Tang Sa-il and all the Tang Clan martial artists flinched.

They were overwhelmed by his appearance and force, which showed no hesitation even against Sichuan's strongest military power.

Shameful expressions appeared on the Tang Clan martial artists' faces. They were ashamed of being momentarily overwhelmed by Dam Ho's presence. They soon boosted their fighting spirit and glared at Dam Ho.

Though that would be enough to intimidate most, Dam Ho looked at Tang Sa-il with an indifferent expression.

Tang Sa-il's pupils became transparent like glass beads. His appearance, changed like snake eyes, added eeriness.

"Fist Demon."

"……"

"You die here today."

Yeong-woon and So-min were heading to the Martial Alliance when they heard the tragic news and returned to Chongqing.

Several martial artists from Zhongnan Sect and orthodox sects in Chongqing were already at the scene.

However, since Zhongnan Sect was controlling the scene, they couldn’t approach any further.

Yeong-woon and So-min requested.

“Please let us through! We belonged to the same Marvelous Youth Squad as Brother Pyo.”

A Zhongnan Sect disciple shook his head with a troubled expression.

“You cannot go near.”

“Please let us in! We need to confirm if it’s really Brother Pyo!”

“It’s dangerous because poison has spread. It’s very potent. We can’t approach nearby.”

The moment they heard the word poison, Yeong-woon and So-min’s faces turned pale. Zhongnan Sect martial artists were blocking access across nearly ten zhang.

Yeong-woon and So-min craned their necks as much as possible to examine the situation inside.

The scene of a thick pine trunk exploded, blood and organs scattered everywhere, and… someone’s corpse with the waist missing and upper body separated.

Anxiety that rose from their spines reached the top of their heads.

“We must confirm. We must confirm!”

Someone answered Yeong-woon’s cry.

“It is indeed Pyo Sang-guk.”

It was a martial artist from Zhongnan Sect in his fifties.

He was the only one standing inside the controlled area.

With crescent-shaped eyebrows and eyes so small it was hard to tell if they were open or closed, drooping eye corners and gently raised mouth corners and cheekbones, he had an overall impression of smiling warmly. Because of this, he seemed to have an expression that didn’t match the current situation at all.

Zhongnan Sect’s master, Benevolent Hero Bulgi.

How great a martial artist he was could be understood just by seeing him standing in the poison zone where others couldn’t approach.

“Benevolent Hero senior…”

Yeong-woon cupped his fists with trembling hands.

Benevolent Hero Bulgi nodded at Yeong-woon while holding a plain long sword behind him with both hands as if clasping them behind his back.

“You must be Yeong-woon from Wudang Sect.”

“Is, is that corpse there… really Brother Pyo?”

“That’s right.”

“Brother… Pyo…”

Yeong-woon stood dazed, and So-min sat down while covering her mouth.

They couldn’t believe the fact that Pyo Sang-guk was dead.

So-min shook her head.

“It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be Brother Pyo. I can’t believe it.”

Benevolent Hero Bulgi shook his head watching So-min who couldn’t accept it.

“Pitifully… it’s natural to find it hard to believe. Anyone would feel that way.”

At Bulgi’s comforting words, So-min finally burst into tears.

Yeong-woon swallowed dry saliva and asked.

“Was it Poison Dragon’s doing?”

“It appears so.”

Bulgi took a few steps toward the corpse then stopped. He maintained a distance of five or six steps from Pyo Sang-guk’s corpse.

Near Pyo Sang-guk’s corpse, birds and beasts were also dead.

“Flying birds fell and died, and mountain beasts that caught the scent while passing also died. This scattered everywhere must be Asura Blood, Poison Dragon’s poison.”

“Why…”

Yeong-woon also couldn’t believe it.

“But the technique is different. Poison Dragon uses Soul Seizing Thread and Asura Blood. This kind of internal energy technique isn’t Poison Dragon’s method.”

“Well, you could think that way too.”

“I know from watching beside him. Brother Jin isn’t that kind of person.”

“Brother Jin?”

Bulgi’s eyebrows slightly frowned. But they soon relaxed as Bulgi nodded.

“Right. That’s possible.”

“Senior! Though it may be presumptuous, there must have been circumstances.”

“Circumstances… you could think that way. Perhaps because you’re from Wudang Sect, your heart is generous.”

“Senior, that’s not what I meant…”

“It’s fine. That’s possible.”

The Benevolent Hero nodded and said.

“But questions remain. Poison Dragon met with Yangtze River Sword Sect before Sang-guk died. Could that really be a coincidence?”

“Pardon?”

“And red and blue flowers are blooming on Sang-guk’s body. Tell me, isn’t this Red Extinction Flower, a poisoning symptom of Asura Blood?”

Red Extinction Flower!

Yeong-woon could no longer say anything. Red Extinction Flower was the most direct evidence of Asura Blood.

So-min said through tears.

“Young Master Jin isn’t that kind of person.”

“That’s possible. But from what I see, it seems to be Poison Dragon. Looking at the irregular bloody footprints, the culprit was limping.”

Yeong-woon suddenly remembered something and said.

“You said Asura Blood was scattered everywhere? Brother Jin doesn’t use Asura Blood that way!”

“That’s right. That’s possible. But this is a kind of warning.”

“A… warning?”

“He deliberately revealed that he killed him.”

“Is there a reason to deliberately reveal that…?”

Yeong-woon started speaking but couldn’t properly finish his words after seeing Pyo Sang-guk’s gruesome corpse.

“Poison Dragon conveyed what he wanted to say to us through Sang-guk.”

“What did he say?”

“Before dying, Sang-guk released a messenger bird to inform about Poison Dragon. By killing Sang-guk, it’s a warning not to interfere with his affairs. No, at this point, it’s not a warning but a declaration of war.”

“Senior! We know enough about Brother Jin too. If he had such intentions, he would have killed us too…”

At that moment, Bulgi’s figure suddenly disappeared.

With a whoosh of wind, Bulgi appeared in front of Yeong-woon.

Bulgi’s thin eyes, which had been in a smiling expression, opened to reveal bloodshot eyes.

Chilling killing intent was emitted.

Bang!

Yeong-woon was hit in the chest by palm wind and tumbled backward. Bulgi had suddenly thrown a palm strike while keeping his hands behind his back.

“Ugh!”

Yeong-woon spat out a clump of blood. It wasn’t just to frighten him but contained killing intent!

So-min hurriedly supported Yeong-woon. Yeong-woon looked up at Bulgi with an incredulous expression while bleeding.

“Se, senior!”

Coincidentally, both Yeong-woon and Bulgi used the character for benevolence (仁) in their nicknames, but their contents were completely different.

Bulgi was famous for not saying unpleasant things to others. However, once he acted, no one could stop him. He finished off anyone, regardless of who they were.

Therefore, those who knew Bulgi naturally became respectful in front of him. Bulgi became the Benevolent Hero precisely because he originally had no reason to get angry.

He was different from Yeong-woon, who was naturally kind-hearted.

But Yeong-woon persisted until the end.

“I will investigate! I swear on Wudang’s honor to find out what happened…”

“You could say that. You could say such things.”

Bulgi said with bloodshot eyes.

“But Poison Dragon joined hands with Yangtze River Sword Sect and scattered Asura Blood all over Sang-guk’s corpse. What more confirmation is needed? Do you see Zhongnan as so laughable that we’d stay quiet even after being treated like this?”

“That’s not it!”

“That’s possible. Well, you could think that way. But you know what? What you just said reminded me.”

Bulgi revealed killing intent with his seemingly smiling lip shape and said.

“You’re from Wudang Sect, right? Which belongs to Yangtze River Sword Sect.”

Bulgi rushed again and kicked Yeong-woon. So-min bit her lips tightly and blocked the way with her body. Bulgi grabbed So-min’s shoulder with one hand while holding his sword behind his back with the other. So-min interfered by blocking Bulgi’s hand with Grappling Technique.

Bulgi kicked So-min’s knee hollow and pressed her nape to subdue her, then spun her around and pushed her aside. So-min tried to resist with Thousand Pound Drop technique, but Bulgi cleverly shook So-min back and forth to make her lose balance and simply pushed her away. So-min staggered backward and sat down.

With the interference gone, Bulgi immediately ran and kicked Yeong-woon.

Yeong-woon, who was kneeling and prostrate, hastily blocked with his hands. He tried to fix Bulgi’s foot with Taiji Quan’s Grasping Hands and remove force from his body to deflect Bulgi’s attack.

Bulgi twisted his ankle. Yeong-woon’s hands spread apart and Bulgi’s toes penetrated between his hands.

Crack!

Ribs broke.

Bulgi immediately pulled back his toes and struck Yeong-woon’s chest with his heel. Yeong-woon couldn’t keep up with the changes that occurred in the blink of an eye.

Bang!

The force in the foot was considerable. Yeong-woon rolled more than ten times and fell.

Multiple ribs were broken and his organs were ruined. His internal injuries were severe.

Yeong-woon vomited clumps of blood several times.

“Se, senior…!”

Bulgi pointed his sword sheath at Yeong-woon, who couldn’t even get up.

“Go. I’ll spare you today.”

Yeong-woon couldn’t even think of wiping his face mixed with blood and saliva and shouted with all his strength.

“What are you saying! Wudang and Zhongnan Sect aren’t enemies!”

Bulgi hid his bloodshot eyes and returned to his original expression.

A seemingly smiling, benevolent expression.

However, his words were different from his expression again.

“From this moment, we are enemies.”

Yeong-woon was dumbfounded.

Bulgi, Zhongnan Sect, turned around as if they had been waiting.

* * *

“Zhongnan Sect has sent word that they wish to join the Righteousness Association.”

Sim Hak reported in a crawling voice. Behind him, he looked at Mang-ryo with an anxious expression.

“It really… happened as the advisor said.”

Mang-ryo chuckled and said.

“Zhongnan Sect was originally on the sword pavilion master’s side. If you just give them appropriate justification, they’ll all come.”

“Hmm. Well, Zhongnan Sect aside, I never thought Yangtze River Sword Sect would split so easily…”

All Mang-ryo had done was pressure Yangtze River Sword Sect’s member sects in the name of the Righteousness Association. With that, the Zhuge family, Murong family, Jiangdong’s Three Great Sword Sects and others moved from Yangtze River Sword Sect to the Righteousness Association.

“Even so, I don’t understand why those who followed Taoist Haewol would withdraw from Yangtze River Sword Sect.”

“Outwardly, we’re the ones following Taoist Haewol’s will. Not Yangtze River Sword Sect. Since Taoist Haewol has denied his relationship with Yangtze River Sword Sect, the justification for legitimacy actually lies with us.”

“But Taoist Haewol is still alive…”

“Only we know that Taoist Haewol is alive and well. The martial world doesn’t know. Rather than staying attached to the declining Yangtze River Sword Sect and getting beaten up, everyone’s watching the situation and moving with the tide.”

Mang-ryo looked at Baek Li-jung and said.

“Congratulations on becoming the trend.”

Baek Li-jung was cold.

“Still not enough.”

“Right. Then it seems it’s finally time for me to step forward. I was about to die from frustration all this time. Give me some useful and trustworthy, but expendable guys.”

Sim Hak waved his hands in panic.

“No, the one who tried to assassinate the martial alliance leader coming to the forefront to do what! I absolutely oppose that!”

Mang-ryo said calmly.

“Though we’ve become the trend, the sword pavilion master’s influence is still weak. Though he said he’d use force, there’s a lot of burden to use direct force. Soon there will be those who don’t know their place and act up.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Beat up those who don’t listen.”

“That’s exactly why you can’t do it!”

Baek Ri-jung cut off Sim Hak’s words.

“What’s your plan?”

Mang-ryo smiled.

“I’m going to create a following force for the Righteousness Association.”

Sim Hak looked at Mang-ryo incredulously.

Mang-ryo chuckled.

“Mad dogs have to run wild so people go ‘Oh my, it’s hot!’ and move to avoid getting burned. Since I’m already going crazy because of that damn Crimson Hero Group, I’ll probably be able to run wild like a proper madman.”