Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 62

The 500-strong cavalry of the Righteous Order was so fierce that their energy seemed to pierce through the entire forest. They didn’t lessen their momentum as they moved along the well-worn path in the middle of the woods. The rhythmic thud of their horses’ hooves mixed with the forest’s stillness, creating an eerie tension among the onlookers. Moreover, the way the light scattered through the tall trees gave the scene an even more mysterious feel.

Amidst the fragmented light, several strange figures stood on the branches of the giant trees, their dark shadows cloaking their bodies. They made no attempt to hide, fully exposing themselves. From their feet to the tops of their heads, they were covered in black cloth that was so elastic it revealed every curve of their bodies.

At a glance, there seemed to be about a dozen of them.

Gwak Woon-sung and Chung Woon-hak were inwardly tense. They were close enough that if the figures were to throw hidden weapons or explosives, they would have to brace for significant casualties. Moreover, the figures were in a position to look down on them, which made the situation even more dangerous. Fortunately, the forest ended quickly. The strange figures in the trees moved along with the Righteous Order, their movements as agile as monkeys.

Once they were completely out of the forest, they followed behind the Righteous Order. They maintained a constant distance, their speed perfectly matching that of the cavalry.

The Martial Alliance branch began to come into view ahead. However, it no longer looked like a Martial Alliance branch. All that remained was a desolate, ruined estate. The only thing that indicated it had once been a Martial Alliance branch was a half-burnt signboard. The walls were crumbled and misaligned, the roofs had become part of the vast earth, and among them lay corpses that had clearly been dead for at least three days.

In front of the ruins, there was a canopy, and under it stood seven figures dressed like the strange figures, three old men in red robes, and another person in white robes wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat. Seeing the desolate state of the branch, the entire Righteous Order was at a loss for words.

While Gwak Woon-sung was still stunned, Pa Cheon’s voice echoed in his mind.

[Vice Commander, go and find out what’s going on.]

[Yes.]

As Gwak Woon-sung stepped forward, the masked figures blocked his path.

“That’s enough. Let him through.”

It was the voice of the person wearing the bamboo hat. Surprisingly, it was a clear, melodious woman’s voice. It sounded like she couldn’t be older than twenty-five at most. Gwak Woon-sung approached them and asked,

“Are you involved in the tragedy that happened here?”

It was a simple question. One of the three old men stepped forward. He had a cross-shaped scar centered on his nose and was holding a unique sickle-like weapon in his hand.

He kept flipping the iron sickle on his palm, spinning it around. It was strange how the handle seemed to stick to his palm as it spun like a top, coming to life.

“Whether we are involved or not, what’s it to you?”

His abrupt and disrespectful tone was so arrogant that even the good-natured Gwak Woon-sung couldn’t just let it slide.

“Isn’t it obvious why we’re asking? This is a Martial Alliance branch. We are members of the Martial Alliance, so of course, we are concerned. I’ll ask again. Was this your doing?”

Gwak Woon-sung was truly a man of great patience. It showed how much self-control he possessed. Only then did their gazes fall upon the flag fluttering on the carriage. Now that they knew who they were dealing with, their arrogance would surely subside.

“Hmph, is that so? Seeing the state of this Martial Alliance branch, it seems the rumors were exaggerated.”

“What do you mean?”

“They say the Righteous Martial Alliance controls the Central Plains with an iron fist, but it seems that’s not the case. If they can’t even protect a branch so close by, there’s nothing more to see.”

The old man’s words made Gwak Woon-sung unable to maintain his politeness any longer.

“You’re being too harsh. Are you not warriors of the Central Plains? What is your affiliation? Though, I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ll ask one more time. If I don’t get a proper answer, I will designate you as the culprits of this incident and arrest you. Was this your doing?”

Yet, he remained calm and did not act rashly.

“Hahahaha, unfortunately, the Martial Alliance branch is outside of our interest. It was already in this state when we arrived.”

His words were likely true. Judging by the state of the corpses, it had been at least three days. Nevertheless, Gwak Woon-sung began to push the issue.

“How can we believe that? You are suspicious, so I will arrest you. We’ll investigate, and if there’s nothing suspicious, we’ll release you.”

At Gwak Woon-sung’s signal, some of the Righteous Order spread out and surrounded them. The black-clad figures who had been in the forest were already mixed in with the group, so they were trapped within the encirclement. There were exactly twenty-one of them, and they were surrounded by about 100 members of the Righteous Order. Seeing the Righteous Order’s movements, they showed anger on their faces.

“What are you doing? Didn’t we say we didn’t do it?”

“Enough…”

At the woman’s voice, the old man quickly bowed his head and stepped back.

“Young Master! We didn’t do it. As you can see, the state of the corpses shows that they have been dead for more than three days. You can imagine that we have no reason to be here for three days, can’t you?”

Gwak Woon-sung was about to retort when Pa Cheon’s voice came from inside the carriage.

“What are you doing here? Why are you doing things that will cause misunderstandings, and why did you place your subordinates in the forest?”

Pa Cheon’s low voice sounded like thunder to them. It was because Pa Cheon had infused a bit of internal energy into his voice.

“Actually, we don’t have an obligation to explain all of that… but there’s no need to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. We happened to pass by this place and saw the ruined estate, and we found out that it was a Martial Alliance branch.

So, we stayed out of curiosity.”

“Hmph, interesting. You didn’t leave because of curiosity? …That could be… What is your affiliation?”

“It doesn’t seem like we have an obligation to say that either.”

“Vice Commander.”

“Yes.”

“Go and inspect the branch. Find out what method they used and how many people attacked them.

And see if there are any clues left behind…”

“Understood.”

Gwak Woon-sung led a group of the Righteous Order to inspect the branch. As they completely disappeared inside the branch, an awkward silence filled the area. No one moved or spoke.

Only the horses occasionally stamped their hooves on the ground or whinnied.

The woman was sitting on a cushion under the canopy. She remained still and silent.

Around her, twenty subordinates maintained a formation to protect her.

“Can we leave now?”

It was the woman who spoke.

“Wait.”

At Pa Cheon’s consistently disrespectful tone, one of the old men angrily shouted.

“Do you even know who this person is? How dare you speak to her so disrespectfully?”

It was that old man again. It seemed that the woman wearing the bamboo hat was of high status, but that didn’t matter to Pa Cheon.

*Clunk*

The door of the carriage opened, and Pa Cheon’s body was revealed in the sunlight. As his figure came into view, surprise and admiration flickered in the eyes of the figures. Pa Cheon’s gaze lingered on the unidentified figures for a moment before turning away, as if he would never look at them again. His gaze swept over the ruined branch, and various complex thoughts crossed his mind.

‘What is this? Is something happening in the martial world that I don’t know about? I thought I had grasped all the trends in the martial world… What force did this? I can’t figure it out.’

Pa Cheon’s gaze settled on the woman in the bamboo hat.

“Are you not people of the Central Plains?”

No one answered Pa Cheon’s question.

“Let me say one thing. Whether you like it or not, you are suspected of being the culprits, and if that is unfair, you must reveal your identities and answer my questions. If that is too much trouble, then I will have to deal with you in the way you deserve.”

It was then that the woman in the bamboo hat stood up. She stepped forward and approached Pa Cheon.

“Don’t try to intimidate us with the power of the Martial Alliance. As you said, we are not people of the Central Plains, so we are not under the authority of the Martial Alliance. Moreover, we have stated that we have nothing to do with this incident, so you have no reason to hold us any longer. If you still insist, we cannot just stand by and do nothing, can we?”

Her voice was calm but firm and clear.

“…Whether it was your doing or not will be revealed soon, and what I’m curious about is your identity.

Even if you are not from the Central Plains, once you set foot in the Central Plains martial world, you must follow the orders of this alliance. If you want to refuse, then don’t set foot in the Central Plains martial world at all, or you can overpower us by force.”

It was a truly domineering statement, one that you wouldn’t expect from a righteous person. Not many would deny that the Martial Alliance was leading the current martial world. However, it couldn’t be said that the Martial Alliance’s power encompassed the entire Central Plains. The forces of the righteous and the demonic were clearly present, and among the sects not affiliated with the Martial Alliance, there were quite a few that were classified as righteous. Also, there were definitely people among the previous generation who denied the existence of the Martial Alliance. However, not all of them could be considered enemies of the Martial Alliance. In that sense, Pa Cheon’s words were unreasonable and high-handed.

“Oh, my, you are quite impressive. Who are you? I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone like you in the Martial Alliance…”

“That’s not important. Where did you come from, where are you going, and what is your business in the Central Plains?”

It was a demand to reveal everything about themselves.

“Th… This insolence…”

“Be quiet.”

Again, the old man was about to erupt, but the woman stopped him.

“Alright. I’ll answer you. We came here following the trail of one person. Of course, we are not from the Central Plains. Once we find that person, we will return. Is that an answer?”

They still didn’t reveal their identities.

“It’s not enough, but it’s enough to show some sincerity. However, I haven’t dismissed my suspicions about you, so you cannot leave yet.”

“That’s what I expected, so it’s not a big deal. I have a question for you too. How can I meet the Heavenly Demon Scholar or the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon of the Martial Five?”

The faces of the Righteous Order members showed surprise at those words. The Martial Five were the most renowned absolute masters in the current martial world. And they were looking for the Heavenly Demon Scholar and the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon?

“Why are you looking for them?”

At Pa Cheon’s question, the woman replied with her melodious voice again.

“It’s to ask them for a favor. I’ll have to meet them, but… they are the only ones qualified to grant my request.”

It was a truly arrogant statement. The fact that the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon had joined the Martial Alliance and that the leader had changed was not yet known in the martial world. And the fact that the Heavenly Demon Scholar had become the Demonic Great Lord of the Demonic Alliance was also unknown to the world.

“Why those two in particular among the Martial Five? Is there a reason?”

“Of course, there is. Since they are called the Martial Five, their mastery of martial arts is a proven fact, and the other members of the Martial Five are affiliated with factions, which is inconvenient. Moreover, the Martial Alliance Leader and the Demonic Alliance Leader, and another one is someone whose face cannot even be seen, so they are not applicable. If you can arrange for me to meet them, I will reward you.”

“Why should I do that? And I am not such a leisurely person.”

It was a flat refusal. If they knew that the man in front of them was the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon, how absurd would their expressions be? Several commanders of the Righteous Order lowered their heads, struggling to suppress their laughter. Pa Cheon subtly probed the woman’s intentions.

“What is it that you want to ask them?”

At Pa Cheon’s question, the woman scoffed.

“Hmph, I don’t want to answer either. What’s the point of asking if you’re not going to help?”

Pa Cheon turned his head away as if he had lost interest.

For a long time, they didn’t exchange any words. After a while, Vice Commander Gwak Woon-sung appeared. He was holding something in his hand.

“Did you find anything?”

“Yes, it is estimated that the branch was attacked about three days ago. And the method used to kill them was all palm strikes using internal energy. They all had a cold, chilling aura. Look at this.”

Gwak Woon-sung held out what he was holding. It was a bead-like object with a red aura, and its shape was not very smooth. Pa Cheon took it in his hand and examined it. A strange light appeared in his eyes.

“This is…”

“Unbelievably, it’s congealed blood. It still emanates a cold chill.”

“Hmm… impressive. Even with the most extreme ice techniques, I’ve never heard of anything that could exert this much power? And after three days, it should have melted normally, shouldn’t it?”

“That’s right. The fact that there isn’t even any moisture on the surface means that it’s not just freezing the substance, but solidifying its very nature.”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a martial art.”

Chung Woon-hak, who had been listening to their conversation, became curious and approached. He carefully spoke to Pa Cheon.

“Great Commander, as far as I know, such a martial art has only appeared once in the martial world.”

“Is that so?”

Pa Cheon looked at Chung Woon-hak with a curious expression. Chung Woon-hak looked at Pa Cheon, who was also his granduncle, and spoke in his clear voice.

“About 400 years ago, a madman appeared in the martial world. From the moment he appeared, he rampaged across the north and south, committing acts of murder. His actions were so extreme that he soon became a public enemy of the martial world. Nevertheless, he was known to have continued his murders for four years while hiding.”

“Could it be?”

Gwak Woon-sung spoke with a fearful tone, as if something had come to mind. Seeing that, Pa Cheon became even more curious. Chung Woon-hak nodded to Gwak Woon-sung.

“That’s right. That person was the Demonic Yin Master, who used the Nine Yin Demonic Art, which was called the most powerful extreme yin technique in martial history. It is said that if one was struck by his icy killing energy, they would be completely frozen and would remain hard and unblemished even after time passed. It seems that the Nine Yin Demonic Art has appeared again.”

“Hmm.”

Even without Gwak Woon-sung’s groan, it was clear that the atmosphere in the area had become heavy. Fear was subtly appearing on the faces of the Righteous Order members.

“Are you saying that a descendant of the Demonic Yin Master appeared and attacked the Martial Alliance branch?”

“It’s just a guess. If the culprit is indeed related to the Demonic Yin Master, it’s no ordinary matter. It’s obvious that another bloodbath will occur in the Central Plains martial world.”

Pa Cheon listened to Chung Woon-hak’s words and then shifted his gaze to the woman in the bamboo hat and her group. They didn’t seem too surprised by Chung Woon-hak’s words. Well, they had already examined the corpses, so they must have had the same suspicion.

“What should we do?”

“What do you mean, what should we do? We’ll inform the Martial Alliance about this and continue on our way.”

Then, Pa Cheon’s words continued towards the group of figures.

“You are free to go. Let me give you a piece of advice, in the future, even if you are curious, don’t get involved in anything…”

★ Heavenly Commander Lee Si-myung and Vice Commander Shin Kwan-chul led over a thousand Heavenly Guard members towards the Black Tiger Gate.

This news quickly spread throughout the Demonic Alliance. The plaza in front of the Black Tiger Gate was not large enough to accommodate a thousand people at once. They were lined up all the way to the corridors connected to the plaza. Their energy was so overwhelming that some of the Black Tiger Gate’s guards ran inside, while the rest retreated to the side. There was no point in showing off in front of them, as all that would come back was a cold sword aura…

“Vice Commander.”

“Yes.”

“Go inside and bring the patrol supervisor and the Vice Gate Master.”

“Understood!”

Shin Kwan-chul entered the Black Tiger Gate with dozens of Heavenly Guard members. Watching them, Lee Si-myung’s heart became heavy.

‘Is this really the right thing to do? They won’t just surrender, and if we use force, the Black Tiger Gate won’t stand idly by… Why are we trying to take such a difficult path?’

Lee Si-myung thought that the Demonic Lord’s order was wrong. There was no good that would come from causing such a commotion. The movements of the leaders of the Eight Demonic Gates were already suspicious, and if they openly gave the impression of oppression, would they really bow their heads and wait for their punishment? It might even lead to bloodshed and the collapse of the Demonic Alliance itself.

‘Well, with the current command structure, there’s nothing we can do. Perhaps shaking things up and weeding out the bad is better for the future.’

The sounds of the Black Tiger Gate members being surrounded by the Heavenly Guard members interrupted his thoughts. The Gate Master’s figure could also be seen behind them.

“I apologize for causing such a commotion.”

Lee Si-myung bowed his head to the Black Tiger Gate Master, Dan Ya-jeok-pung, while clasping his hands.

“Commander Lee, you have done nothing wrong. Let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If our Black Tiger Gate had resisted, what would you have done?”

Dan Ya-jeok-pung’s thin body looked even more pathetic today. A cunning glint flickered in his torn eyes.

“Well, it’s an order… I would have naturally resorted to suppression by force.”

“The Heavenly Guard may be the elite of the alliance, but it would be difficult to face the entire gate…”

“That’s a matter for later. I am only following the orders of my direct superior in accordance with the laws of the Demonic Alliance. I don’t care about the consequences that may arise later. Even if I have to turn all eight demonic gates into enemies, I will carry out my orders.”

“Hahahaha, I see. I understand. Then take them away. If they are guilty, they should be punished, but before that, as the one who leads them, I ask you… please do not humiliate them.”

“I understand what you mean. I am grateful for the Gate Master’s cooperation. Let’s go.”

Lee Si-myung turned around and, under the guidance of the Vice Commander, led the Vice Gate Master and the patrol supervisor out of the plaza.

As they completely disappeared from sight, Dan Ya-jeok-pung’s words poured out,

“Go and inform the Gate Masters of the Eight Gates. Tell them to gather immediately…”

“Understood!”

A black-clad figure quickly disappeared. Murderous intent swirled in Dan Ya-jeok-pung’s eyes.

“How much do they look down on our Eight Demonic Gates to act so recklessly? If we don’t show our unity at this opportunity, it seems we will have no place to stand.”