Chapter 287: Who Handled That Matter? |
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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A tense silence followed.
Jin Paecheon, made of wood, was staring at Geom Mugeuk. The lack of expression on his face only made the atmosphere more chilling and intense.
Ssss.
The wooden puppet shrank back to its original size, as if exiting a stage after the curtain had fallen.
Geom Mugeuk, looking past the wooden puppet that had fallen to the ground, directed his question to Baek Cheongyeong.
"Did the leader of the Martial Alliance annihilate your family?"
In contrast, Baek Cheongyeong seemed to enjoy Geom Mugeuk’s reaction.
"Come now, oh brilliant Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult! What will you say to this? Why? Is it so hard to believe that the leader of the Martial Alliance would commit such an atrocity?”
Geom Mugeuk responded firmly.
"Yes, it is hard to believe. The leader I knew wasn’t someone who would do such a thing."
Although Jin Paecheon was a tyrannical person, he was not the kind to wipe out an entire family. As unpredictable as people can be, the idea that Jin Paecheon had done such a thing? No, that couldn’t be true.
"Alright then, what reason would the leader have to do such a thing?"
Baek Cheongyeong refused to answer.
"I’ve said enough."
It was as though the next conversation could only happen if Geom Mugeuk survived the coming assault. Baek Cheongyeong activated the Wooden Form Celestial Soul Art once again.
Ssss.
This time, three puppets grew larger.
Their movements and aura were vastly different from the previous ones as they slowly walked forward.
Geom Mugeuk immediately realized that these were special puppets, different from the ordinary ones. In human terms, these were not just any masters—they were exceptional ones.
Despite the stronger opponents, Geom Mugeuk sheathed his sword.
At that moment, Baek Cheongyeong looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Geom Mugeuk surged forward with the Underworld King Step. In the blink of an eye, he traversed the space between them, unleashing a powerful fist.
Bang!
Crack-boom!
With the thunderous explosion, the head of the puppet standing in the middle was blown clean off, unable to even launch a proper attack.
It was the First Technique of the Thunderous Asura Fist, Black Cloud Asura, the martial art of the Fist Demon King.
The other two puppets showed no signs of hesitation, continuing their assault.
Swish! Swish!
Two swords sliced through the air, aiming precisely for Geom Mugeuk’s vital points.
‘Got him!’
Baek Cheongyeong was momentarily deceived into believing that the attack had succeeded due to its speed and precision.
At the very moment when the two swords were about to pierce Geom Mugeuk’s body—
Geom Mugeuk’s form disappeared.
‘Temporal and Spatial Transference!’
Simultaneously, a deafening thunderclap erupted, drowning out Baek Cheongyeong’s shock.
Crack-boom!
The second thunderclap resounded. Before anyone realized it, the head of the doll on the left had exploded.
Despite the flying debris, the last doll did not hesitate in its attack.
However, Geom Mugeuk was no longer there. This time, he had used the Dark Shadow Step.
Boom!
The third thunder was even louder, and the head of the final doll also shattered. No matter how well-trained a hunting dog may be, it can never catch a tiger. All three were finished in one blow.
As the three dolls returned to their original size, they fell to the ground.
Baek Cheongyeong’s entire body trembled. He never imagined he would feel such fear in this place—here, surrounded by the forest and dolls, of all places.
Geom Mugeuk picked up the severed doll again.
“They’re different, these dolls.”
“They were different. I spent a long time perfecting them, but you—”
“I didn’t want to waste time unnecessarily.”
“You made a decade of my life go to a complete waste.”
At this, Geom Mugeuk stared into his eyes and spoke.
“And what about Lady Jin’s time? Have you thought about her past and the days she has left?”
Indeed, there was something that weighed on his heart when thinking about Jin Haryeong. But even more prominent was his anger. 1
“What about the time of my family who died unjustly? The time of my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews? The time of the children they gave birth to? Can you even imagine it? The feelings of parents who died cradling their child to protect them! Do you know how I felt when I unfolded that blood-stained blanket! Do you know what I saw in that blanket!” 2
Baek Cheongyeong’s eyes turned bloodshot.
Ssssk!
His fury poured into the doll that began to grow again.
This time, there were two dolls. The fewer there were, the more they displayed extraordinary skills.
This time, the two dolls attacked first. They were incredibly fast, clearly crafted to mimic a master of swift swordsmanship.
They were so fast that even Baek Cheongyeong, who had created them, could not accurately follow their movements.
Since he couldn’t see their movements, all he could rely on was the sound. The continuous clashing of swords filled the air, followed by three distinct sounds that marked the finale.
Shhh! Shuk! Chk!
The moment Geom Mugeuk’s sword returned to its sheath—
Thud, thud!
The heads of the two dolls fell and rolled across the ground simultaneously.
He had unleashed the Azure Sky Form, the fifth form of the Soaring Sword Art.
It had been a long time since he used the Azure Sky Form, and it was even faster than before. Even though it was the same Twelve-Star Greatness as before, his skills had matured, making his techniques even more formidable.
Baek Cheongyeong was too shocked to say anything.
No matter how powerful the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult might be, it shouldn’t have been possible to neutralize the swift sword dolls so quickly. He had expected at least five hundred exchanges of attack and defense. He thought that, in this fight, Geom Mugeuk would not be able to withstand the onslaught and would be gravely injured.
But Geom Mugeuk’s reaction was even more surprising. He could have easily boasted about his martial prowess, but he didn’t even mention it. It seemed like this fight meant nothing to him. His focus was solely on his own life.
“Answer the question I asked earlier. Why did the Alliance Leader wipe out your family?”
“Why does that matter so much to you? Whether the Alliance Leader did it out of madness or boredom, why is it important? So what if the Martial Alliance Leader is a hypocrite, or not! You Demonic Cult bastards plan to destroy everything and take over the entire martial world anyway, don’t you?”
“If we take over, we’ll cut out the rotten parts first. So, tell me.”
He deliberately used the word "rotten." Regardless of the truth, Baek Cheongyeong believed that to be the case.
“Did you see it yourself?”
“You’re trying to say it wasn’t the Alliance Leader’s doing because you didn’t witness it yourself?”
Every word he spoke was laced with anger. Geom Mugeuk, understanding how deep that anger ran, calmly tried to soothe his emotions.
“I am not on the side of the Martial Alliance. I’m merely curious about the truth.”
“If you’re not on their side, then why are you standing in front of me?”
It was because of Hwa Moogi. If it weren’t for the connection to him, Geom Mugeuk wouldn’t have come this close to confronting Baek Cheongyeong.
“It’s because of Lady Jin.” 3
Baek Cheongyeong scoffed, but eventually, he responded.
“I didn’t see it with my own eyes. By the time I returned…”
As if the memory suddenly resurfaced, Baek Cheongyeong found himself unable to continue.
“Then why are you so certain it was the Alliance Leader’s doing?”
“There was a witness.”
“Who?”
“Our household steward. He was covered in blood, dying. His last words were that the one responsible was the Martial Alliance Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk remained silent. It could have been the Martial Alliance Leader who killed them, or maybe not. One could never truly know what lay in the hearts of others.
However, the possibility that it wasn’t true lingered in his mind because Baek Cheongyeong would later become a follower of Hwa Moogi. 4
“No matter how I think about it, the Alliance Leader had no reason to wipe out your family...”
At that moment, a thought flashed through Geom Mugeuk’s mind.
He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. There was one reason the Alliance Leader might have had to exterminate them.
“Your family... killed the Alliance Leader’s son and daughter-in-law!”
Baek Cheongyeong remained silent, his expression frozen. His reaction revealed everything.
“So, you knew as well.”
“And if I knew, does that make his crime any lighter? If he wanted revenge, he should have gone after those who committed the act, not kill everyone!”
His protest was justified. While it was understandable to grieve over the loss of one’s children, wiping out the entire family of the other side was clearly wrong.
“But there’s one thing I’m curious about. If that’s the case, why did the Alliance Leader spare you? Surely, he knew you’d come for revenge.”
“Because I was treated as dead after that incident.”
He had entered the Martial Alliance under a new identity.
“Who handled all that? Did you do it yourself?”
To fake one’s death and take on a new identity, becoming the teacher of the Martial Alliance Leader’s grandson—it wasn’t something that could be done easily, even with the help of the Heavenly Communication Pavilion.
“Of course.”
His answer came after a moment’s hesitation, indicating it was a lie. Geom Mugeuk was now certain someone had been helping him from behind the scenes.
“So? What is it you want to say?”
Geom Mugeuk then said something that shocked Baek Cheongyeong.
“What if that incident wasn’t the Alliance Leader’s doing?”
“!”
“What if there was a third party involved? What if you and the Alliance Leader were both deceived?”
Baek Cheongyeong’s frown deepened, but Geom Mugeuk continued with even more surprising words. He wouldn’t have suggested such a possibility if he hadn’t known about Hwa Moogi. But knowing the Alliance Leader’s character and the existence of Hwa Moogi led him to this hypothesis.
“What if the deaths of the Alliance Leader’s son and daughter-in-law were all part of a larger plan?” 5
Baek Cheongyeong stood there, stunned. He had never once considered such a thing. What was this guy talking about? Nonsense.
“So, what would this hypothetically third-party would have tried to gain from this?”
Geom Mugeuk delivered his final conclusion.
“You.”
“!”
“You, who endured ten years of madness for revenge, embedding yourself deep within the Martial Alliance. You, who would one day become the critical dagger to kill the Alliance Leader.”
A murderous aura erupted from Baek Cheongyeong. He denied everything. No, he had to deny it. If what Geom Mugeuk said was true, then the last ten years of his life had been nothing but foolishness. He would have been nothing more than a doll, carving up another doll.
Nothing but a tool who willingly helped the one who destroyed his entire family.
“What do you know, you little brat! Do you think just flapping your mouth makes everything you say true? What do you know!”
His anger came from confusion. What if that statement were true? A deep unease was sweeping over him. If anyone else had said it, he wouldn’t have cared. He would have dismissed it as a lie made to shake him.
However, these were not just idle words. They came from Geom Mugeuk, a man whose martial prowess overwhelmed him. A person so extraordinary that his words could force Baek Cheongyeong to advance his own plans.
Out of surprise, fear, and anxiety, trees began to grow.
Around them, branches sprouted from the ground.
These were no ordinary trees. They couldn’t be cut down, not even with a sword. The secret technique, Wooden Form Celestial Soul Art, was being fully unleashed. The growing trees formed walls and a ceiling, sealing them in. There was no escape. The two stood facing each other in a confined space made entirely of wood.
Additional branches encircled Baek Cheongyeong’s body, forming a suit of armor. Here, not even sword energy or qi could cut through this armor.
“You ruined everything. Because of you, Jin Haryeong is going to die as well.”
Geom Mugeuk asked him calmly.
“What was it that you yelled at me earlier? Why didn’t he just kill the person responsible instead of wiping out their family? But what are you doing right now?”
“They were the ones who started this!”
“But wasn’t it your family who started it?”
Or perhaps, it had been Hwa Moogi.
“Release Lady Jin. I know you never originally planned to kill her.”
Vines sprouted from the ground, climbing up Geom Mugeuk’s legs, slowly tightening around him until he could barely move.
“The one who helped you infiltrate the Martial Alliance, the one who orchestrated all of this—it’s that person’s doing.”
Geom Mugeuk noticed it—the wavering in Baek Cheongyeong’s eyes. The branches climbing up his body momentarily stopped. Clearly, there was someone else involved.
“Tell me who it is.”
“There is no one! No such person exists! Do you take me for a fool?”
More trees grew around Geom Mugeuk, transforming into long spears. They thrust toward him from all directions, as fast as scorpion tails.
Geom Mugeuk activated his protective qi to block the attack.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The wooden spears collided with his protective qi, making metallic sounds.
Even when they were cut down by his sword, they grew back. And even when they shattered against his protective qi, new ones sprouted to continue the assault. The spears relentlessly attacked, their only purpose being to tear through his defense. The only way to stop this attack was to kill Baek Cheongyeong, hidden within his wooden armor.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Inside the enclosed space, the attacks intensified, far stronger than anything from the outside.
"It’s not too late. Let’s face him together!"
Baek Cheongyeong hesitated because he could sense the sincerity in Geom Mugeuk’s plea. What if what he said was true?
"Please! Don’t force me to kill you."
But in the end, Baek Cheongyeong could not trust Geom Mugeuk. He could not afford to do so if he didn’t want to break, again. 6
He pushed his inner energy to its absolute limit. Blood trickled from his mouth, but he didn’t stop. Dozens of spears all aimed at one place—Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At this rate, Geom Mugeuk’s protective qi would eventually be pierced.
"If you die, war with the Demonic Cult will break out. Even if I fail to kill Jin Paecheon, the Heavenly Demon will surely do so."
The wooden spears fused into one. Now darker and denser, it was the culmination of all of Baek Cheongyeong’s inner energy, his final attack. In this enclosed space, there was no way to block it any longer.
Swaaaaaaash!
The spear flew toward Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
At that very moment—
Flash!
The spear stopped just before it reached Geom Mugeuk’s heart. Then, the sharp energy of the spear dissipated, and it dropped lifelessly to the ground.
In the distance, five figures stood in front of Geom Mugeuk.
Four Demonic Ghosts surrounded Baek Cheongyeong. Geom Mugeuk had been forced to unleash the first technique of the Nine Calamities Demon Art: Human Annihilation Form.
The wooden armor, which couldn’t be cut even by sword energy, started to break apart, falling to the ground in pieces. Baek Cheongyeong’s martial arts, rooted in demonic techniques, couldn’t withstand the weight and dignity of the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
When the ghosts disappeared, Baek Cheongyeong’s blood drenched body collapsed to his knees.
With a vacant expression, he looked at the approaching Mugeuk. He knew he didn’t have much time left.
Geom Mugeuk pulled out a doll from his robes. It was the very same doll he had promised to carve a face on.
And now, a face had been carved onto the doll. Over the past few days, as Geom Mugeuk had been coming and going from his workshop, he had carved the face of Hwa Moogi onto the doll.
"Is this the man who helped you?"
1 : Good, he’s not without guilt, he’s just caught up in his revenge. Not saying that’s a good thing, but at least it’s better than a sadistic one.
2 : Yeah, he can imagine, and better than you believe he’s able.
3 : It’s also the truth. Even if Baek Cheongyeong wasn’t connected to Hwa Moogi, he would have come to save her.
4: This method of killing everyone in sight no matter the age, gender or civilian status is more resembling Hwa Moogi than Jin Paecheon. Maybe he threatened the servant of killing his family if he didn’t help frame the Hartial Alliance Leader ? Or he used a martial art to disguise as him ? So that he can stir chaos and gain useful, oblivious pawns ?
5 : Ah, I hadn’t reached that point in my reasoning. F to them, and we will obtain revenge !!!
6 : It’s… quite sad. I expected him to be an a**hole due to his connection with Hwa Moogi, but he was manipulated from start to finish. He ran most of his life, to prevent his trauma from overwhelming him, only to fall for a lie. He leaves us no choice, but this bitterness is unpleasant.