Chapter 1767
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New schedule announcement (it is very important, please read this):
Since I have caught up to the ongoing there will obviously be a change in the schedule.
❀ The author’s current official schedule on the official website is Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10 a.m. Korea Standard Time – 3 chapters a week.
❀ I am physically capable and I theoretically have time when the author posts a new chapter, so usually I am able to produce a translation in around 2-4 hours after the chapter drops – on my Patreon. My Patreon schedule is: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12-2 p.m. Korea Standard Time.
❀ This blog is free for everyone to read and it will be behind my Patreon… for only 6 hours! The schedule here will be: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 8 p.m. Korea Standard Time. Patreon and Buymeacoffee are for those who want to help me out and read the latest chapter the first (and to buy cookies for the chapters on the official website).
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for the support and for reading with me. I am not dropping this in any foreseeable future, so everyone who wants to stay up to date with the novel are welcome. I always appreciate it if you spread the word about my translation and my blog.
Love you guys, ellie.
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Who did you just say it was? (2)
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“These damned…!”
Rarely did Namgung Dowi spit out a torrent of curses.
“Amitabha…”
Hye Yeon, who had rushed along with him, also closed his eyes as if it were too difficult to bear the gruesome scene unfolding before them.
It was a sight he had seen several times in the past at the Yangtze River. However, this time it was far more blatant and horrifying.
Who would have thought such a massacre would occur in the heart of Hubei?
“Where are those bastards?”
“It seems they have already moved to another location.”
“Find out which direction they went! Immediately!”
“Yes! Right away, Young L… no, vice-leader!”
At Namgung Dowi’s furious command, the members of the Tang clan quickly scattered in all directions. Namgung Dowi bit down hard on his lower lip.
Grit.
“…Those bastards.”
Having been raised in a noble family, such harsh words felt awkward to him. However, at this moment, he felt that even uttering unfamiliar curses might ease the overwhelming anger pressing against his chest.
“Siju, your injuries haven’t fully healed yet…”
“……This isn’t the time to be worrying about my injuries, is it?”
At Namgung Dowi’s cold retort, Hye Yeon sighed secretly.
‘He’s not wrong, but…’
Even during this brief moment of hesitation, innocent lives were likely being lost. There was no time to be picky about how to proceed.
However…
Hye Yeon looked around with a troubled expression.
The eyes of the members of Cheonumaeng, who were frantically searching for traces of the enemies that had ravaged this village, were bloodshot. It seemed as if their reason had almost flown away.
It was only natural. If one didn’t feel rage when innocent people had died so horrifically, they wouldn’t be worthy of upholding the notion of ‘righteousness.’
But… their anger is too overwhelming.
They should already be accustomed to death, yet it seemed different when facing the death of common folk. Instead of fear, they were armed with rage and hatred, like hungry hunting dogs chasing the enemy’s trail.
“Over here!”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes!”
The member of the alliance, affiliated with the Beggars Sect, nodded vigorously.
“I have some expertise in tracking techniques. There are traces of a large group moving in this direction. Judging by the footprints, they are certainly not ordinary civilians.”
That was enough.
“Pursue them as quickly as possible!”
“Siju.”
At Hye Yeon’s call, Namgung Dowi turned around and asked.
“Do you have any other thoughts?”
Though his tone was as polite as ever, his voice was oddly tinged with anger.
Hye Yeon, who had been silently looking at Namgung Dowi, eventually shook his head. His eyes were filled with regret.
“No, nothing at all.”
“Then we will begin the pursuit.”
“Yes, Siju.”
Without another word, Namgung Dowi kicked off the ground and charged forward. Those following him gritted their teeth and ran after him, one after another.
Left alone, Hye Yeon’s face was overshadowed with deep concern.
‘I just hope this rage doesn’t come back to harm us.’
As for him, there was no way to quell the anger that spread like wildfire, blazing from all sides.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Over there!”
“I see it!”
Hwasan’s disciples, sprinting with all their might, shouted loudly. Indeed, ahead of them, the shape of a village was starting to come into view, albeit faintly.
‘Please, let it not be too late!’
That was the only thing they could hope for now.
“How does it look?”
“I don’t know. But for now, it seems…”
Jo Geol bit his lip hard.
Whether they were too late or not, they couldn’t yet be sure. However, seeing that no flames were rising from the village, there was still a glimmer of hope.
“Look, over there!”
But at that moment, someone shouted in a voice filled with horror.
Thick black smoke began to billow up from the village. Seeing this sight, the faces of Hwasan’s disciples twisted in fury, akin to those of the demons.
“Those bastards… they just had to…!”
Of course, those scum wouldn’t necessarily follow some organized pattern of killing everyone first and then setting the place on fire. So, the smoke didn’t necessarily mean the village was completely wiped out.
But in any case, it was undeniable proof that a massacre too horrific to witness with open eyes was taking place over there.
“I’m going ahead!”
Swoosh!
Jo Geol, driven by the urgency, shot forward like an arrow.
“Stop! You punk!”
Yoon Jong tried to stop him, but Jo Geol didn’t even pretend to listen. Of course, Jo Geol knew that all his Sahyeongs were doing their best.
However, if he matched his speed to theirs, they might lose the chance to save even those who could still be rescued.
He didn’t know if this decision was the right one, but…
“Don’t hesitate. Run.”
At that moment, a calm voice that didn’t quite match the gravity of the situation came from just behind his shoulder. No, it sounded calm, but within it simmered a subtle fury that only those who had spent a long time with her could detect.
Hearing that voice, Jo Geol’s resolve solidified.
Boom!
Jo Geol stomped so fiercely that the ground cracked beneath his feet, and he shot towards the village like a streak of light.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Commander, it’s them.”
“Hmm.”
Ho Gamyeong’s eyes darkened slightly.
‘I expected it would take them half an hour more, but they are completely unpredictable.’
They are slow, yet fast. A contradictory combination that shouldn’t coexist.
Their response wasn’t swift by any means, but the speed of their pursuit was alarmingly fast.
This meant they possessed a threatening level of mobility, and that must be accounted for in his calculations.
Ho Gamyeong glanced around.
Bloodied corpses were strewn everywhere, and the flames were steadily consuming the village, growing larger by the minute.
“Withdraw.”
“Pardon?”
“Leave ten behind. Have them finish off any survivors left in the village.”
“L-Leave them behind… you mean…”
“Oh, no. Wait a moment.”
Ho Gamyeong suddenly directed his gaze towards a corner of the village. Then, in a cold voice, he spoke.
“There’s no need for that, after all.”
Those who had not tasted blood for a long time had gone wild, slaughtering the villagers without restraint. Having unleashed their pent-up fury all at once, even if he were to give them orders, they wouldn’t respond immediately.
There was no need to deliberately select a few to stay behind. Naturally, some would lag behind on their own.
“Enough. Assemble them.”
“Yes, Commander!”
Ho Gamyeong’s orders were immediately relayed.
Those who were ransacking the village turned around and gathered around Ho Gamyeong.
As he counted their numbers, Ho Gamyeong narrowed his eyes. The number of those gathered was fewer than he expected. It was only a difference of about ten men, but still, this reflected poorly on his command…
In other words, it was evidence that the leadership of Sapaeryeon was weaker than he had anticipated.
However, he had no intention of pointing that out right now.
It was enough just to acknowledge the situation.
“Retreat at full speed. Don’t let them even step on your shadow.”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, Ho Gamyeong swiftly turned to dash away but suddenly halted as if something had crossed his mind. He looked back.
“Before that… there’s one thing we need to do.”
“Yes?”
A hint of confusion flickered in the eyes of his subordinates who were staring at him.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Uwaaah!”
Jo Geol burst into the village.
As he dashed between the burning houses, a horrific scene unfolded before his eyes.
Corpses lay everywhere, some without even having had the chance to close their eyes before meeting inevitable death. The warm blood, that had not yet cooled, darkened the ground in deep crimson. Mutilated bodies were strewn about like tattered rags.
This was different from the malice they had encountered in the previous village.
‘Where are they?’
Jo Geol, half-mad with fury, frantically searched for signs of the enemy. His bloodshot eyes gave him the look of a madman.
“Where are they?!”
At that moment, a piercing scream stabbed into his ears.
Swoosh!
Before his mind could even register the sound, his body reacted first.
The surrounding scenery distorted, stretching out like a long brush stroke. But at the center of it all, the place where Jo Geol’s eyes were fixed became twice as clear.
A man grabbing a fleeing woman by her hair and swinging a blade at her neck. The scene, which had appeared as small as a child’s fist, suddenly expanded until it filled Jo Geol’s entire field of vision.
“You bastard!”
Bursting into a wild laugh, the man who was about to behead the woman turned his head in surprise. However, before he could even predict what was about to happen to him, Jo Geol’s sword had already pierced his thick neck.
Bang!
The sword, moving with literal ‘lightning speed,’ severed his neck in one swift stroke.
With a loud sound, the enemy’s head flew into the air.
Thud.
The remaining body collapsed to the ground like a rotten old tree.
“W-What the hell?”
“Who is that?”
Even though they were drunk on bloodlust, there was no way they wouldn’t notice the death of a comrade. The attention of those rampaging wildly turned sharply to focus on Jo Geol.
But Jo Geol had nothing to say to them in the first place.
Swoosh!
His sword, unleashed with explosive force, split into twelve distinct afterimages in midair.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Each and every strike, imbued with a pure and concentrated inner strength, pierced through the bodies of Sapaeryeon’s members in an instant.
It was an attack filled with so much killing intent that it could hardly be considered unleashed by someone from a Just Sect, but no one in the world would dare accuse Jo Geol of being ruthless for what he was doing right now.
Jo Geol immediately charged towards the enemy standing at the front.
“Ugh, ugh!”
Even with his abdomen pierced, the enemy instinctively swung his sword.
Slash!
But Jo Geol’s sword swiftly pierced the forearm of the man holding the blade.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
He severed the elbow and cut through the muscles of the shoulder. Still not satisfied, he struck the chest with dozens of slashes.
Slash! Slice! Slice! Slash!
Jo Geol bit his lip hard.
‘It’s not enough!’
Not ten times, but a hundred… No, even if he cut them a thousand times, would that be enough to make them pay for the crimes they committed?
It’s not enough. The human body is far too fragile to bear the full weight of all their sins.
It stops breathing far too easily.
How should one judge those who, even while being attacked like this, still clutch severed heads in their other hand?
At one time, Jo Geol thought Chung Myung’s methods were too cruel. After all, death only comes once, and if the end result is the same, why go out of your way to inflict more pain than necessary?
But in this moment, Jo Geol understood Chung Myung.
This sword wasn’t about venting his anger.
He just wanted to repay, even a little, for the evil these people had committed.
“You bastard!”
One of Sapaeryeon’s members, seeing Jo Geol turning his comrades into mere chunks of meat, lunged at him in a frenzy with his sword.
The attack was aimed at Jo Geol’s back.
However-
Slash!
Thud.
The hand holding the sword was cleanly severed and fell to the ground.
“Wha…”
Before he could even fully register the pain, his eyes locked with the other’s. Eyes so cold they sent a shiver down his spine.
Thrust!
“Grk…”
Something long pierced through his throat and protruded out.
Before he could even realize that this was Hwasan’s famed Plum Blossom Sword, the world turned black. He could no longer see any light.
“Even Hell won’t accept you.”
The last voice he heard as his consciousness faded was piercingly cold and indifferent.
Swoosh!
Yu Iseol, having swiftly eliminated the enemy, moved her sword as fluidly as water.
As if to say they shouldn’t be killed so easily, Jo Geol shouted.
“Sago!”
“No time to waste.”
Yu Iseol coldly dismissed Jo Geol’s words. Then, with the tip of her sword, she pointed somewhere.
“There.”
A group could be seen already moving away from the village. The demons who had turned every place they had passed into hellscape.
“What do you want to do?”
“Why are you asking?”
Jo Geol gritted his teeth.
“We chase them! To the ends of Hell, if we have to.”
“Good.”
Without hesitation, Yu Iseol nodded. Then, the two of them simultaneously kicked off the ground.
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