Chapter 448

Jin Ja-gang went looking for Wang Ung’s estate.

A little away from the center of town, there was a magnificently situated estate with mountains positioned like a folding screen behind it.

However, while heading to the estate, Baek-won suddenly stuck her head out from Jin Ja-gang’s bundle.

Then she jumped out and began running ahead toward the estate.

She leaped over the estate’s wall in one bound.

Neither Yeong-gwi nor Jin Ja-gang had time to stop her.

Yeong-gwi shook her head.

“She’s really a disobedient creature.”

Jin Ja-gang also wore a bitter smile.

“At least she’s not human.”

If someone acting so selfishly was human, it would be even more irritating.

But Yeong-gwi asked back.

“Shouldn’t you be more worried precisely because she’s not human?”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi’s eyes met.

“It seems like we’re talking about different things.”

“Yes. It becomes a different story when you consider the madam.”

“……”

Jin Ja-gang was walking silently toward the estate when he suddenly stopped.

Jin Ja-gang looked down at the ground.

He examined the traces left in the dust on the ground. Tracks of cart wheels, hoofprints of horses and mules, human footprints.

Jin Ja-gang made an expression as if he realized something.

Yeong-gwi asked.

“What’s wrong?”

Jin Ja-gang frowned.

“There are tracks going into the estate, but no tracks coming out.”

Only then did Yeong-gwi also exclaim “Ah!” and look around.

There was too little human presence. Only Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi were heading toward that large estate.

Jin Ja-gang’s expression hardened as he stopped in front of the main gate.

The smell of blood wafted over.

Someone had arrived at this estate one step ahead of Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi.

“These were the same people who tried to commit massacre on Mount Emei, but we seem to have been too careless.”

Yeong-gwi tensed up, drew her dagger, and cautiously moved forward.

Rather, she tried to move forward.

From inside, a person in silk clothing came staggering out. His body was covered in blood and his face was completely dazed. Even seeing Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi, he walked blankly before collapsing forward.

Drip, drip.

Blood flowed abundantly from his crushed skull.

Yeong-gwi approached and searched his clothing to find an identification tag. While martial artists don’t usually carry identification tags, merchants always carry them.

Yeong-gwi showed the identification tag to Jin Ja-gang.

“This person is Wang Ung.”

At that moment, Baek-won, who had entered the estate, let out a loud cry.

“Kyaaaaa!”

Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi rushed through the main gate like arrows.

Inside, they could see Baek-won hanging from the upper pillar of the inner gate, bristling all her fur like a hedgehog while standing guard.

Broken carriages and carts, corpses of horses and people were scattered everywhere.

And in the middle of it all, a tall man stood with his back turned. He was a person covered in blood from head to toe.

He slowly turned his head.

He had a cold expression but his right eye socket was completely hollow.

Seeing Jin Ja-gang, he lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile.

“Kaaaaa!”

Baek-won cried out loudly in alarm.

Jin Ja-gang recognized him.

“Ma Heuk!”

They had met at the Guizhou branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.

Jin Ja-gang told Yeong-gwi.

“He’s a subordinate of Yelu Huan, who was the Radiant Enlightened Master but is now the leader of the Demon Cult.”

Ma Heul’s single remaining eye glittered with killing intent.

“Insolent brat. How dare you carelessly speak the sacred name of our leader with your mouth. Do you want to burn to death in holy flames?”

“As for holy flames, I already extinguished them not long ago.”

Ma Heul’s eye widened further.

The iron weapon that burns with holy flames is Fire Flame Master’s unique weapon.

“So you killed Fire Flame Master?”

Killing intent also began emanating from Jin Ja-gang. Like winter’s freezing wind suddenly blowing in warm weather, goosebumps rose on Ma Heul’s arms.

Ma Heul flinched.

“You bastard. You’ve gotten much stronger than before.”

Jin Ja-gang asked Ma Heul while radiating killing intent.

“Was the Demon Cult behind these people?”

“What? It was your Tang family that stole the salt, so why are you asking our Demon Cult……”

Then a deep voice came from inside.

“Let him in.”

Ma Heul stopped mid-sentence and hesitated, then stepped aside.

“Go in.”

Jin Ja-gang extended his hand forward.

Flash!

A needle flew like lightning toward Ma Heul’s forehead with perfect precision. Ma Heul turned his head and narrowly dodged it. The needle Jin Ja-gang threw pierced through the wall behind and embedded itself so deep it couldn’t be seen.

Ma Heul’s expression twisted and anger flashed in his single eye.

Jin Ja-gang withdrew his hand and spoke calmly.

“Answer me. Since I asked a question, I should hear an answer before leaving, shouldn’t I?”

Ma Heul glared at Jin Ja-gang with killing intent before clamping his mouth shut.

“That person is waiting.”

Yeong-gwi tried to stop Jin Ja-gang from the side.

“It might be a trap!”

Blood vessels bulged frighteningly on Ma Heul’s forehead and scalp.

“A trap? How dare you speak of… Do you want your limbs torn apart?”

Then suddenly, tremendous killing intent covered the entire estate.

A black shadow enveloped Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi’s bodies. The two looked up at the sky.

The entire roof of a building as large as a house was floating in the sky!

Jin Ja-gang, Yeong-gwi, and Baek-won quickly jumped back to avoid it. The building’s roof collapsed, burying the main gate as it crashed down.

“Kwaaaaang!”

Dust rose up and roof tiles came pouring down.

While Yeong-gwi was covering her stinging eyes with her hands, Jin Ja-gang kept his eyes wide open without blinking once as he stared ahead.

A figure lightly descended onto the collapsed main gate and the building roof that had crashed on top of it.

He stood tall and looked down at Jin Ja-gang.

He appeared ordinary, wearing a long robe with his hair tied in a topknot with a cord, but the aura emanating from his entire body was truly formidable.

Though Jin Ja-gang had also changed much from before, he too had likewise changed.

Yelu Huan, leader of the Demon Cult.

He radiated an aura befitting the title of religious leader.

Yelu Huan grinned at Jin Ja-gang from atop the pile of roof debris.

“It’s been a long time, little one.”

Jin Ja-gang looked up at Yelu Huan and asked.

“Why do you go around destroying houses instead of using perfectly good doors? Seeing you traveling on rooftops in broad daylight, you don’t seem to be in your right mind.”

Yelu Huan’s smile deepened.

That was exactly what Yelu Huan had said when he saw Jin Ja-gang cut through the prison door and enter the Guizhou branch long ago: “What a strange fellow. Why damage the lock of an unlocked door? Seeing you cut through locks and enter in the middle of the night without a key, you don’t seem to be a normal person.”

Jin Ja-gang had returned Yelu Huan’s own words to him.

Yelu Huan answered.

“I told you to come in but you didn’t come, so didn’t I come out instead?”

“They say people become more patient as they age and rise to high positions, but you seem to be different, old man?”

“Hahahaha! Kuhahahaha!”

Yelu Huan laughed.

“Since becoming a cult leader, I’ve become even less patient! Because there’s no need to be patient!”

The laughter echoed thunderously throughout the estate.

Rumble rumble rumble. Debris kept falling.

Even after drawing up her internal energy, Yeong-gwi couldn’t defend properly and staggered back, while Baek-won’s blood vessels burst and one eye turned bright red.

Jin Ja-gang was also affected. His internal energy fluctuated wildly as the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit suddenly tried to emerge. Since they shared the same martial arts roots, the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit seemed to be reacting.

Inside Jin Ja-gang, the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit screamed like a madman with ghostly wails.

“Kyaaaaa! Kyaaaa!”

Jin Ja-gang frowned as if his head would split. Calming his boiling internal energy, he said.

“You’ll need to learn patience again. There’s quite a lot to talk about.”

“Puhaaa!”

Ma Heul burst out from the debris, covered in dust, and shouted.

“You insolent brat! How dare you speak so rudely to our leader! Shall I tear your tongue into a thousand pieces?”

Yelu Huan pointed his finger toward Ma Heul.

“Jjik!”

A sound like a mouse squeaking rang out as sharp finger wind flew toward Ma Heul.

Thwang!”

A sound like striking metal rang out as Ma Heul was hit in the chest by the finger wind and went tumbling. He rolled down from the debris pile to the ground.

“Tsk. I told you when not to butt in, didn’t I?”

Ma Heul shook his head to dust himself off and knelt.

“I’m sorry, leader!”

Yeong-gwi’s face changed color seeing this scene.

The finger wind that makes mouse squeaking sounds is the Demon Cult’s Lightning Extreme Finger. It’s a supreme martial art that can pierce thick iron plates like paper. But the sight of him casually using this Lightning Extreme Finger, and the other person getting up unharmed after being hit by it, was truly terrifying.

Yelu Huan sat casually on the debris and commanded Maheul.

“Bring tea.”

“Yes!”

Ma Heul dusted himself off and went inside.

Yelu Huan asked Jin Ja-gang with a smile.

“I hear our followers incurred a debt at the Min River.”

“There’s no particular debt. I killed them all.”

Yelu Huan’s smile twisted.

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Why are you here, old man? Did you come to cut off loose ends?”

“Cut off loose ends? That’s too trivial a question about me.”

Yelu Huan stamped his foot.

“Kwarrrrrr!”

The debris collapsed and the ground caved in.

Yelu Huan lightly stepped down to the ground.

“I’m in the middle of searching for those who deceived me.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are three who deceived me.”

Yelu Huan raised his fingers and folded them one by one as he spoke.

“Haewol, who tried to use us by drawing us in! The Indestructible Heavenly Sword, who promised to help with missionary work instead of attacking Haewol but then ran away! And……”

Yelu Huan folded his third finger.

“The one who made a mockery of me by stealing away the Five Paths Fatal Poison in advance.”

“Why is that making a mockery of you? If he made a mockery of King of Hell, then that’s what he did.”

Jin Ja-gang paused mid-sentence and sneered.

“Ah, I suppose it could be seen as mockery. If you tried to steal the salt and Five Paths Fatal Pill midway to monopolize them yourself, only to discover that someone else had already stolen them long ago.”

“I hate being played by others. If someone used their three-inch tongue and tiny brain to put me on a chess board and use me like a game piece, they deserve to die.”

“And then swallow up the grand plan the Ghost King had prepared?”

Yelu Huan smiled without answering.

“Then I can at least know that it wasn’t the Demon Cult that poisoned Mount Emei?”

“Would there be any reason to use poison to take over something like Emei Sect?”

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

“Then you came here to find out who spread the poison……”

Jin Ja-gang looked toward Wang Ung’s corpse, buried and invisible under the debris.

“It seems you’ve already obtained what you wanted. Then now the only one in this estate who knows the source of the Five Paths Fatal Poison that entered Mount Emei is……”

Jin Ja-gang raised his head to look at Yelu Huan.

“Only you, old man.”

The corners of Yelu Huan’s mouth turned up.

He couldn’t fail to understand the meaning behind Jin Ja-gang’s provocative tone.