《King Shura》 Chapter Prologue See, I was toozy toe up with a good alias for myself, so I smashed my hands down onto the keyboard and this is what I got. Ensj. Frankly, I quite like it, I dont know why. I decided to start tranting korean web novels around yesterday night (mostly because I didnt want to study for finals) I decided to trante a web novel known as King Shura. It took me like 2 hours to trante the prologue, which honestly surprised me didnt think it would take that long. I dont have a set date for when the chapters are going toe out. Just expect a new release every week, and Ill see how that goes. Im not really good at introductions. lol. Ill post the synopsister on the project page. Heres the prologue of King Shura C I asked him. Whod win if you fought with the Fighting King (ȭ)? When I asked this question, his arrogant face showed some interest. You came all the way here to ask just that? Its an important matter to me. Interesting. He looked like he wanted to pass on my question, but he soon began to muse upon my question. And after a long time passed, he slowly opened his mouth. If Im willing to sacrifice myself a bit, I would win. By sacrifice you mean? I should be willing to give up a leg or an arm at least. He nodded after giving it some more thought. I guarantee it. I took out my writing tools, and drew one stroke on my paper. And then I asked another question. What would happen if you fought against the Sabre King ()? Sabre King He smirked and without even giving it a thought, spoke: Again, Id win. Without any loss? He nodded. He didnt even reach the wall yet. If I were to fight him right now, Id win without any loss. What if he did reach the wall? Then like before, Id have to sacrifice a limb to win. So youre confident youd win no matter what. Indeed. I drew another stroke on the paper. And I asked a new question. Do you think youd win if you went up against the Sword King ()? He started to ponder upon the question again. But unlike before, this time he contemted the question even longer than before. And after a while, he carefullyid out his words. Probably a tie resulting in heavy injuries on both sides. I stopped my hand reaching for the brush, and asked: The Beast King (ҰF), who is said to fear none under the heavens, doesnt know if he would win or not in this battle? His face wrinkled in displeasure when I provoked him. The Sword King reached the limits of his power. Hes like me. In that case, not even god would be able to predict the results of our battle. The results of the battle will be decided on who has more willpower, or who is at the peak condition. If the Sword King was at the peak condition? The Beast King. Gu Hui answered my question with a bitter expression. In that case, the probability of my death would be quite high. I understand. Unlikest time, I took the brush and made a vertical stroke on the paper. The Beast King, who was staring at my paper with a curious expression, asked me a question. Is that the material youll be using for your work? Yes. Ill be ranking the Kings based on this. It is an interesting concept. I am genuinely interested by it. Will you show me when you are finished? Of course. Your status allows you to be able to acquire something like this. Beast King Gu Hui. His arrogant face showed a satisfied expression for the first time. I jabbed a question at him as I looked at his face. What would the results be if you fought King Shura (_)? King Shura. His face became those of bewilderment. The fact that the man who was said to be able to take on anything in the world showed this face surprised me, and so I was staring at this face with great enthusiasm. And after a few moments, he answered me with a reluctant face. I dont know about the other guys, but I really dont want to fight him. He answered me with an unclear statement, unlike with all the other questions. So I asked him a different question to rify. Then are you saying that youd lose to him? I dont know. I think its a little different than that He started thinking a bit while stroking his beard, and nodded. Yes, it would be alright to put it like that, I suppose. This time, I was the one to show a bewildered face. The Beast King, after seeing my face, showed a strange expression, and asked me a question. Im wondering. You went to the other guys beforeing to me, yes? What did they say about Shura? I closed my mouth. It wasnt time to disclose this information to the public yet. ..Youll see when I finish my work in the future. Really? What a pity. He backed down unexpectedly easily. I thought hed be more assertive about it I stood up and left, leaving behind the Beast King, who had a strange grin etched onto his face. I did aplish the goal that I came to Nanman (U) for. But there still was a very annoying problem left at hand. To think that everyone in the Four Kings(Ĵ) would all say the same thing I looked at the name King Shura written on the paper, and my face contorted into that of annoyance. The Four Kings. The ones who strive to be the strongest all said the exact same thing. An enemy they did not wish to fight. An enemy they would all most likely lose to if they fought head-on. And after their answer, each of the Four Kings would ask the same question the Beast King asked, with the same grin on their faces. How did the other Kings answer this question? What did this mean? Whats the meaning hidden behind those smiles? Is there something else about him that I should know about? I drew a vertical stroke on the paper with an irritated face. King Shura, Cho Ryu Hyang. Because of this one man, thepletion of my work was dyed greatly. The man that made me the most frustrated. The man that appeared in the world rankings at the youngest age, and shook the heavens greatly. King Shura I adjusted his rankings a little, and closed the paper. The work I started as a joke at first, was nowpleted. C The Martial World Sequence Records ()s author, Neng Ha Young (Ęs). This story was found in her memoirs. I like the phrase Equivalent exchange. It means that if one gives something to another, he/she would receive something of equal value. It really is obvious, but there is no such thing as free in the world. If theres something gained, theres something that is also lost. If I think about it, I gained this insight at a very young age. Chapter 1. The Math Genius Chapter 1. The Math Genius Cho Ryu Hyang, whats the answer to this problem? 8532. .Correct. How about this? 6320. ..How do you solve this thing just by ncing at it? You started learning math after me and youre already better. The boy who answered the questionszily while browsing through the books. Cho Ryu Hyang. This boy adjusted his sses, a rare tool in this day and age, and answered. You didnt concentrate. Thats why. Says the guy whos answering the question while reading books. Cho Ryu Hyang shrugged at the boy who seemed at least twice his size. Unknown-3 Youre in a family of martial artists anyways, so doing well in math shouldnt matter, right? You just have to be good at martial arts. This is a matter of pride, damn it. The boy with the big physique. Peng Ga Ho, as the second son of the biggest martial n in the south, known as the North River n (ӱ), answered whilst frowning in annoyance. I never thought I was really dumb, but whenever I look at you, I feel like an idiot. At least youre better at martial arts than me. Thats obvious, you idiot. I trained in the main family for years, you think it would make sense if you were better at martial arts than me? Plus, Im even two years older than you.. If I didnt even have a better physique than you, I should just go kill myself. Peng Ga Ho, since childhood, was trained in various martial arts, and was fed multitudes of precious medicines. Compared to that, while Cho Ryu Hyang had many other achievements, he was someone who could barely understand only the basics of martial arts. Obviously it was impossible topare these two. Cho Ryu Hyang, as if he realized this fact, nodded and calmly said: Well, the investments that were made on us were too different, anyways. .Youre way too calctive. Thanks for thepliment. Hows that apliment? Its an insult! Cho Ryu Hyang smirked at his friend, who was pestering him since a while back, and told him: Just like how your house stakes their life on swords, our house stakes our life on numbers. You being better than me at martial arts is as obvious as me being better than you at math. So dont start getting fired up at such useless things. Its a waste of time. W-who said I was getting fired up? Peng Ga Hos face turned red in anger. Cho Ryu Hyang, whilst seeing his face, took his sses off and rubbed his eyes. Me taking first ce at the Mathematical Theories Competition was obvious. You taking third ce was what was really surprising. You should be content with this, friend. Yeah, you should be satisfied with that results, Peng Ga Ho. Thats the limit of your brain, after all. A boy suddenly barged himself into the conversation. This boy, who possessed a thin body, without a speck on his body, was Un Geuk Lin, the youngest child in the martial family said to be able to rival the North River n, the Pearl Sage n. Un Geuk Lin, why are you barging into our conversation? Us big brothers are having a serious conversation here. When Peng Ga Ho asked him with a pout, Un Geuk Lin responded with a big grin on his face. Big brother my ass. Also, this conversation didnt seem important at all. Are you here to pick a fight again? Im here to ask a favor from Cho Ryu Hyang. I dont have any business with you, so you can go f*ck yourself. You trying to pick a fight with big brother? Big brother this, big brother that. if were fighting with our fists, Ill dly ept. Peng Ga Ho slowly stood up after hearing Un Geuk Lins challenge. The main house talks with our swords only. The petty fist fights the peasants have with each other doesnt even count as a fight. This big brother will go easy on you with a wooden sword, soe to the arena with me. You asshole How are you even able to say your going to use weapons with a straight face like that? Right, Cho Ryu Hyang? When Un Geuk Lin asked for assistance, Cho Ryu Hyang, who put his sses back on a while back, answered with a bored tone. The Pearl Sage n is famous for their skill with their fists and poles, while the North River n is famous for their sword techniques. Its a useless to try to see whos stronger. Also, you guys are being way too loud here. If youre going to fight, can you do it outside? I still have some books to read.. Stop holing yourself in the corner and go exercise outside. At this rate, youre going to have fungus all over yourself. When Peng Ga Ho scolded him, Cho Ryu Hyang again answered with a bored tone. I clean myself daily, so I have no worries like that. I actually like washing myself, you know. When Cho Ryu Hyang turned his attention back to his book, Peng Ga Ho said something to Un Geuk Lin. Un Geuk Lin, you said you had something to do with him, right? Yeah. Thats why I came. You think Im crazy enough toe to this ce for any other reason? I thought so. In that case, help me do this. Do what? Peng Ga Ho, with an evil smile on his face, grabbed one of Cho Ryu Hyangs arms. You hold the other side. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to resist, but naturally he didnt have the strength to even impede Peng Ga Ho. Un Geuk Lin wasnt someone to decline this sort of thing, so he quickly grabbed Cho Ryu Hyangs other arm, and put it over his shoulder. The training field, right? Of course,rade. Cho Ryu Hyang, knowing that when these two rivals were unmatched in strength when theybined their powers, gave up on escaping. He wrinkled his nose a little, and said, Dont do this, I dont like exercising. Dont you know that you need a healthy body for a healthy mind, friend? Theres going to be a Martial Arts Competition soon anyways, so lets go train our bodies for that. Im not interested in apetition like that. Im interested, friend. Thats why we should so together, Uhahaha! Looking at Peng Ga Ho, who was dragging him by the arms whileughing, Cho Ryu Hyang let out a small sigh. Even though he looks big and dumb on the outside, Peng Ga Ho was unexpectedly smart. Contrary to that, Un Geuk Lin looked small and weak on the outside, but was actually extremely sly and hard working. Taking these two on as friends was indeed a very good thing, but there were parts of Cho Ryu Hyangs life that he had to throw away as sacrifice. There was a book thaty face up, far away from where Cho Ryu Hyang currently was. Looking at the Book on Math Theory that he found with great difficulty, Cho Ryu Hyangs face turned into that of sadness. He was so close to finishing the book, and then a useless event happened again. Cho Ryu Hyang felt pity for himself for being in a situation like this. * * * Chi () isnt something that you master the first time you practice it. In fact, you can say that everything started the moment you ess Chi. You must cycle Chi through body thousands of times before mastering it. Only when you master Chi, can you break your shell and reach the wall. Peng Ga Ho nodded with empathy as he listened to the old schr in the auditorium. And he whispered to Cho Ryu Hyang the moment after. This is just like the elders at the main house teaching us about Chi Breakthroughs.(TL: ???? Really? The fact that martial power and math is rted to each other in a way is quite interesting. I knew my father had a good reason for seething me here. The old schr at the front was a famous mathematician known as Jo Gi Chun (o). Right now he was staying here in the mountains because of his old age, but when he was young, his calction skills were said to be unfathomable. The fact that he was able to finish documents that normally needed at least 10 people alone showed how much brainpower he had. The one talking over there, its you, isnt it, Peng Ga Ho? No its not. When Peng Ga Ho got caught, he took out his usual poker face and denied it. But Jo Gi Chun wasnt that easy to trick. You think you can hide that, especially with that big body of yours? Be a man and admit that you did it. Peng Ga Ho, who put his pride on his manliness and honor, made a concerned face. Soon after, he admitted his crime. Yes, I talked. And the boy wholl be sacrificed with you would of course be Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang wrinkled his face while fixing his sses. The teacher created a situation where Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt even try to deny that he talked. Cho Ryu Hyang was clearly impressed at how the teacher set up the trap, and made a mental note to try to learn this trick. Go stand at the back of the ss, in the horse stance for 15 minutes. (TL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_stance) Alright. Peng Ga Ho, who was thinking This is a piece of cake, when he stood up, had his face contorted into that of annoyance thanks to the words Chao Ji Tian uttered soon after. Ah, I almost forgot. Peng Ga Ho, you stand for 30 minutes. Dont use your chi either. The kids were staring at him. Peng Ga Ho couldnt try to back out, especially when he admitted his crimes like a man in front of everyone. Because of that, Peng Ga Ho stood at the back of the auditorium with a very painful expression on his face. It would be devilishly hard, but as long as he tried, Peng Ga Ho could definitelyplete it. While Peng Ga Ho tried to force himself to endure, Cho Ryu Hyang, who was standing next to him, sighed. He felt that this punishment was a little unfair, but he knew that it would be useless to confront the teacher about it. After all, hed been in this situation more than just several times. He expertly took on the horse stance, and started breathingfortably. Then he concentrated on the lecture. The Theoretical Maths and Martial Arts School (м㷨ˇW). This school, which possessed an incredibly long name, was the nations biggest school of mathematics. Disregarding the size of the school, it wouldnt be a stretch to say that this was the only school in the continent that could actually teach math properly. Especially the lecture that Cho Ryu Hyang was listening to with absolute concentration. Because this was Jo Gi Chuns lecture on math, he wanted to capture every single detail about it, no matter how tiring it was. The skill of teaching chi to others is easy to teach, as you do not have to break through in order to perform it. Learning it is equally easy. But in order to obtain the true power with it requires an astronomical amount of work. Teaching to others the insights you obtained would be even harder. I hope at least one of you I teach would be able to obtain the truth and reach the limit of your powers. Have you reached the limit yet, master? Jo Gi Chun paused for a moment when one of the students asked him this question. The old man, who was unable to lie to others, answered the student with a bitter face. I, who is standing before you all, cant be said to have reached the limit. I only feel that I am closer to it. If you, who studied math for all your life, was unable to reach it, isnt it usible to say that this limit doesnt even exist at all? It was a bold question. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the boy who asked the two questions just now. The boy was from one of the 5 Great Martial ns, specifically the Nangong Great House (όm). He was the third child in the house, known as Nangong Yubin (όm). Nangong Yubin was famous amongst the students for being the smartest out of everyone in the entire school body. From martial arts to math, even calligraphy. He was unparalleled in all areas. Many envied the young man, who was a genius who was even in a great n, but Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit differently. Just how much did he work to get this far? The many talents that Nangong Yubin possesses. He didnt know about the other talents, but academic studies and martial arts was one of those arts that clearly disyed how much one worked to attain the current level they were in. It wasnt something you could ck off in just because you were a genius. Cho Ryu Hyang believed that he only won against Nangong Yubin in the mathpetition because he more time and effort into it than Nangong Yubin. It definitely wasnt because he was a genius. That was what Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking. Anyways, the teacher, Jo Gi Chun, was staring at Nangong Yubin quietly after taking the offensive question. After a while, he shook his head, saying: The limit is definitely there. Ive seen someone who reached such a level. .! So dont get suspicious and keep moving forward. If you do that, you will be able to reach such a point. I dont know about anything else, but when ites to mathematics, Ive dedicated a lot of my time toe up with a n to instruct you. So for those of you who get confused or feel that the lecture is getting to hard, dont be afraid to seek help. I understand. Everyone said this in unison, and took out a book that had the phrase Math Overview written on it. After opening it, everyone in the ss started to use their abacus. There were countless math problems in the book, and using that, the children were polishing their skills. Its a little strange. Peng Ga Ho suddenly whispered. He looked at Cho Ryu Hyang, and started to exin. When the teacher talked about mastering the Chi, in terms of martial arts, I thought he was talking about the state of the body when the energies in the body be harmonious, therefore making the martial artist would reach his/her peak condition, right? So? Peng Ga Ho had a habit of rting everything with the world with martial arts, one way or the other. Cho Ryu Hyang knew this very well. And so he listened to Peng Ga Ho with great care, as he was able to gain some insights from Peng Jia Hu sometimes. There arent many people who actually managed to harmonize the energies in their body right now. I guess there would be the 3 sovereigns, the 5 emperors, and the 7 kings (߾) who reached such a state. Yeah. Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt too interested in martial arts, but he knew about those individuals because he heard so much about them. Out of all the martial artists in the world, they were the individuals who were known to be the strongest. These 15 people governed the martialmunity with an iron grip. The 15 guests of thend. The words they uttered in the martial world was thew, and the truth. But in history, although there were people who reached the bottleneck of the martial harmony, there were none who actually broke through and entered the realm of the gods. Well, these monks say that the founder of the Evil sect, the Tian Mo (ħ), reached the godly realm, but thats just their usual religious bullshit, and others say that the leader of the Shaolin temple reached the godly realm too, but that was never confirmed. mm. I think Jo Gi Chun thinks that the Martial Harmony and the Godly Realm is the same thing. But he said that he said that he saw someone who reached the peak of the Martial Harmony, right? I think thats just a joke. The godly realms something that can only be attained in legends. Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit. Peng Ga Hos statements truly made sense. But this statement was fundamentally wrong from the start. With sweat pouring down his forehead, Cho Ryu Hyang said something to Peng Ga Ho as he fixed his sses. The teacher I know does not joke. Hey, but you cant deny what hes saying is the truth, right? Peng Ga Ho, Im not talking about that. Then what are you talking about? Cho Ryu Hyang turned his head sideways slightly. When he did so, he could feel the sweat dripping down his chin. Im trying to say that the teacher was listening to our conversation since a while back. Peng Ga Ho then turned his head with a stone-face. He could see Jo Gi Chun with his typical emotionless face. When their eyes met, Jo Gi Chun slowly spoke up. Like your friend said, I dont really like jokes. Those meatless stories never do help me progress anyways. Peng Ga Ho tried to put on a face smile, but the teachers face did not change a bit. It seemed that Jo Gi Chun was listening to the conversation since a while back. Damn it, how can he eavesdrop on his students like that? When Peng Ga Ho was insulting the teacher in his mind, Jo Gi Chun opened his mouth again. I wasnt trying to listen at first. You were just way too loud. When Peng Ga Ho realized that the teacher knew what he was thinking, he had a priceless expression on his face. Clever old man! Was he using some kind of magic? How did he figure out what Peng Ga Ho was thinking so urately? While Peng Ga Ho was trying to figure out how the teacher figured out his thoughts, Cho Ryu Hyang waited for the teachers final judgement. After a minute of thinking, Jo Gi Chun decided what to do with the students. Cho Ryu Hyang cane back in, and Peng Ga Ho can stand in that position for 30 more minutes. T-teacher, are you telling me to stand here for even longer? When Peng Ga Ho half-shouted, half-screamed at the teacher, the teacher nodded with an emotionless look. I do not joke. Please, do continue to stand. Chapter 2. My name is Zhuge Liang! Chapter 2. My name is Zhuge Liang! After Jo Gi Chuns math lecture, Cho Ryu Hyang left Peng Ga Ho, who wasining about how much his legs hurt, and went straight for the library. After a quick ID check at the entrance, Cho Ryu Hyang entered the library, and was instantly greeted with the familiar smell of paper and ink. Indeed, it was peaceful and quiet here. Other than Cho Ryu Hyang, there was no one inside the spacious room he was in. Cho Ryu Hyang enjoyed this kind of peacefulness. Here at the library, there were still countless mathematical books to be read, and reading them was Cho Ryu Hyangs only hobby, as well as a dailymitment. From a young age, Cho Ryu Hyang loved to solve mathematical problems. And as his n happened to be closely rted to the government works, he naturally came across mathematics, which he happened to be suitable for him. As long as you use the right algorithm, you always get the right answer. How appealing was that? If it was anyone like Peng Ga Ho or Un Geuk Lin, their faces would pale at the sight of it, but to Cho Ryu Hyang, mathematics was a fascinating subject that ceaselessly provided him endless joy. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared at the countless books packed into the bookshelves of the library. His eyes moved to the bottom corner of the bookshelf, where all the old math theory books were gathered, and tilted his head in curiosity. There was a old, worn out book that had one of its corners stuck out. He walked to it, and looked at the title of the book. Moon Edge Flower Algorithm Magic (ɭ_㷨g) () (TL: means book one.) It was a book with a overly shy name. It was a title he never heard of before. Is this the original? Normally, a book this old would be copied by someone else by hand, and it would be put into the archives. Most of the books in this building were like this. The originals were usually written such a long time ago, there was barely any of them here. It was rare to see an old book in the library. Thats why his curiosity was aroused. He found something quite rare, after all. He sat down on the floor right where he was standing. And then he opened the book cautiously, fearing that he might rip the paper. surawang_2 I hope I can teach theter generations my teachings with this book, as I was unable to pass on my skills during my lifetime. This was the introduction of the book. It was written in a rtively clean, and beautiful style. Every kind of measurement that exists in the world is created by mankind. And using those measurements, humans are able to measure how heavy or how big an object is. Words like inches, gallons, and such things trante the part of the world we live in into a form that humans can understand. (TL: For inches, gallons, etc., the author actually uses this: ???(, ??, ??, ???? ? ? ??? ??)?? ???(y), ???(؞). Yeah, I cant directly trante that.) It was quite an interesting subject. Cho Ryu Hyang already knew most of what the author was talking about. Bing well-versed in the art of measurements was one of the requirements a good king should possess, as the nation relied on it greatly to perform tasks. Therefore, there were many books regarding measurements. Because of this, Cho Ryu Hyang knew quite a bit about measurements already. He turned to the next page of the book. So I hypothesized something. If you can create measurements for everything in the world, was it not possible to do the same thing with numbers? Was it possible to perceive the world with numbers? Percieve the world with numbers? Cho Ryu Hyangs head spun when he read that. It was an impossible task. A senseless theory. Usually, he wouldve stopped reading a book like this here. But the writing had a mysterious persuasive power to it. After thinking a bit more, Cho Ryu Hyang turned the page. Everyone thought I was being crazy. Cho Ryu Hyang looked like he took a hit. Didnt he, too, think that the authors ideas were crazy? He was only reading the book because the concept was amusing, not because it actually seemed usible. But I didnt care. Many of the revolutionaries in history was seen as a crazy person, anyways. It was a statement that made you see a little of the authors arrogance. Anyway, the first man created measurements with his body, and used it as a standard. One fingers length, or the length of ones hand. Or even the length of the arm, and etc. The standard measurements were created with the human body as a base. But the human body was too inconsistent to be used as a standard, so a measuring tool was created. The author was right about that. Cho Ryu Hyang continued reading the next part. Following that, if the standard changed even by a little bit, the world would change tremendously. Think about it, if on the ruler, the length of an inch changed even a little, wouldnt the length of a yard be affected tremendously? Cho Ryu Hyang thought about it a little. Indeed, the world wouldnt be what it is now, if the measurements for the size and weight changed. This is what I want to talk about with the generations after me. Everyone looks different, their personality is different, and their hobbies are different. But because of that, anyone can be a standard, really. Everyones unique standard. If you look at the world with that kind of worldview, it is easy to perceive the world in numbers. Therefore, I was able to reach that state. He reached it? What does it mean? I was able to perceive the world in numbers. And everything changed. Everyplications in the world, big or small, I was able to understand. I was able to understand any algorithm with just a nce. I was able to do anything that I would normally be unable to do. I was able to move ten miles with a single step, and if I started running, I was able to fly up to the clouds. I was able to control the weather itself, and everything around me was at the palm of my hands. I became a superhuman in an instant. Cho Ryu Hyang stopped and thought a bit. Wasnt it enough to stop here? He was reading because this crazy talk was amusing to him, but reading more than this was dangerous. He could see that the author was getting more agitated. In the end, however, he was unable to close the book. He was curious what words the next page held. I thought there was no end to this power. But I got stuck in a bottleneck at the most unexpected ce. I was unable to teach to others what I had learned. Even if it was me, this was an extremely daunting task. No one was able to understand what I was talking about. I despaired. And I only realized why no one was able to understand my words when I neared death. Because everyones standard (worldview) was different, if I used my standard as the base of my teachings, no one except a person like me would be able to understand my teachings. I realized that far toote. Cho Ryu Hyang turned the page with a straight face. Why was this story in the mathematics section of the library? Perhaps the book was sorted here only because it had the word math in it. I didnt want to be unable to pass on my teachings right after I gained insights, so I leave my teachings in text here. In the future, I do not know if anyone would be able to be a superhuman by reading this, but with a thread of hope, I leave my teachings here. When he turned to the next page, he saw that the whole page was filled with numbers. Then he realized. The reason why the book couldnt be copied was because of this numbers. No one could copy these numbers onto a different book when they didnt even know what the numbers meant. Then, something amazing happened while Cho Ryu Hyang was staring at the numbers. Hah? There was a pattern to the numbers. When he realized that, his vision shook greatly. No, was it more correct to say that his vision distorted? Eh? Cho Ryu Hyang took off his sses, rubbed his eyes a bit, and looked at the book again. And he became shocked. The numbers in the pages looked like it was twisting a little bit, and they all mixed together to be one mass. When he was looking at the papers of the book with great concentration, the number mass changed into some other form in front of him. A seemingly stubborn old man with a cold re. Cho Ryu Hyang was confused. Was this not a piece of paper with just numbers on it before? Then why did it turn into a drawing just now? An even stranger thing happened next. The old man in the book started talking. [The idiots with fish eyes couldnt even tell what this treasure was. If you were able to find out what this was exactly, it would mean you have quite a bit of talent in this subject.] Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to speak, as he was too shocked to do anything. The drawing spoke again. [It was hard to write the book in such a way so that the little greenhorns were able to understand my theory, but it looks like it seeded. Since you were able to see this, you have the right to take in my knowledge.] The senior in the book looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a piercing gaze. The gaze was so lifelike, it made Cho Ryu Hyang tremble a little. [Greenhorn, are you willing to take in my teachings?] Cho Ryu Hyang realized then. This was not a mere drawing. The old man in the paper was alive. No, to be more specific, this was the consciousness of the author who lived in the past. Even if it was just magic, it was an astounding feat. But ording to the old man, this was math. The old man was staring at the boy without saying anything. Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit under this heavy gaze, and opened his mouth. This young student is ignorant, so this one is unable to find out who the great teacher is. I implore you to teach me your great name. Asking for a name politely from a book was a ratherical scene, but Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely serious at that point. This was purely guesswork, but if there was such a person like this, surely he left a mark in history. He needed to know the name of the man in order to at least be a little calmer, so he needed to ask this question to the senior. Thankfully, he got an answer immediately. The old man smirked, and opened his mouth. [My name is Liang (), and as for my surname, it would be Zhuge (T).] Cho Ryu Hyang had a dazed look on his face. The man in the paper was a much bigger existence than he realized. Zhuge Liang (T). Was this not the name of the chancellor of the Shu Han, the legendary Zhuge Kongming? This guys a crazy son of a bitch, huh? Cho Ryu Hyang thought this the moment he heard the name. Zhuge Kongming. If you look at the Three Kingdoms Book written by Luo Guanzhong, the chancellor of the Shu Han had a noble air about him the moment he appeared in the book. Starting from Liu Beis three visits, continuing to the battle of the Wuzhang ins, and the event where he instructed his followers to use his own corpse to frighten away enemies. There were many famous stories originating from this man. Was he not a person of great achievements, both in historical and realistic terms? Most of his stories revolve around his genius strategies, but there were many other mysterious rumors about him that still existed to this date. If one looks at the Battle of Red Cliffs, where Zhuge Liang was able to create the Three Heavenly Formation Strategy, there is a part where he reads the heavenly words in the sky, and changes the direction of the winds in order to win the battle. Also, there are parts where he makes the Eight Diagram Formation to trap his enemies for an eternity. There might me some exaggerations in the story, but there are parts in the Romance of The Three Kingdoms where it is implied that Zhuge Liang did indeed possess mystical powers. Therefore, even if it was a figure who existed several hundred years ago, his words had power in them. Because of that, Cho Ryu Hyang was doubtful if this man was indeed Zhuge Liang. Are you truly the chancellor of Shu Han, Zhuge Kongming? The old mans cold, arrogant face underwent a great change for the first time. His face held a tinge of regret in it. [Indeed. I am Shu Hans Zhuge Kongming.] Even though the individual himself confirmed it, it was quite hard to believe. This man was much, much bigger than Cho Ryu Hyang expected, after all. He had his own doubts, but he decided act like he believed the man for now. Please pass on chancellors knowledge to this student. [I dont have any reasons to be called chancellor by you, since Im already dead, but it shouldnt matter.] Unlike what he said, however, the old man promoted Cho Ryu Hyang from a Greenhorn to a you, when Cho Ryu Hyang addressed him as chancellor. His expression returned to the one of arrogance a littleter, and talked while covering his mouth with a feather fan. [I always liked a person with talent. I dont know what your personality is like, but you have a good talent. Thats enough to qualify. Now, experience the truth I have attained in my lifetime.] A light came out of the book all of the sudden. Cho Ryu Hyang shivered a little when he felt that something was happening. The light changed into a 5-colored light and covered Cho Ryu Hyangs entire body. Wha, whats this? With extreme heat, an astounding amount of knowledge flooded into Cho Ryu Hyangs brain. It felt like someone forced open his head and poured in an immense amount of knowledge. When Cho Ryu Hyang was about to pass out from the intense pain in his head, he could hear the old mans voice. [What I am passing onto you is neither Chi nor Technique. This is the heavenly truth of the world, so it will be a little hard for you to take it in right now, as you are a bit too young. But after a time, the powers in you will slowly awaken, so do not try to rush things.] After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, the thread of consciousness Cho Ryu Hyang was holding onto snapped. He fainted. An immense amount of information that no one would be able to take in was forcefully shoved in. Looking at the copsed child, the old man in the book talked. [I will look at the world through your eyes.] The man who revealed himself to be Zhuge Liang. He walked out of the book, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang once. There were countless people who saw his book, but there were none who was able to understand it like this child did. The talent bestowed by the heavens. It was a different kind of talent he had, but it seemed this child had something akin to it. [I dont know if its alright to ce my hopes on this boy.] The old mans power was so great, even superhuman was unable to truly show how strong he was. The power he left unto the world was equally great. But even he didnt realize this great power would be given to a little child. [Thats what makes this all so amusing, though.] The inability to see the future. Thats what made all this so interesting. [I look forward to the future.] He was unable to see the thing at the end, and died. He was so close as to be able to touch it with his hands, but his age prevented him to reach it. There was regret. Thats why he did something like this. Thats why he left his consciousness for the future generations. He was being stubborn, for the first time in his life. Chapter 3. The Academy That Turned Upside Down Chapter 3. The Academy That Turned Upside Down When Cho Ryu Hyang had woken up, 10 days had gone by. When he first opened his eyes the first thing that entered his vision was an old, wrinkly man servants face. .uurgh! Ha, have you gained your senses, young master? Cho Ryu Hyang looked around absent-mindedly. He was very confused. His head was filled with knowledge everywhere, which was stuck in countless ces in his mind. There was knowledge in his head he didnt have before. As he was organizing the knowledge in his mind, something happened. The old manservant ran outside all of the sudden. There were series of loud sounds outside, and a huge fellow ran into the room. It was Peng Ga Ho. Cho Ryu Hyang, did you just wake up now? As soon as he came in, he grabbed a seat, and sat down. He took a look at Cho Ryu Hyang, and opened his mouth. It doesnt look like youre going to die any time soon. Cho Ryu Hyang smirked. Peng Ga Ho didnt know this, but Cho Ryu Hyang right now was extremely healthy. No, his body was actually suppressing an unknown power inside from bursting forth. Surawang Chapter 3 illustration How many days was I out? You were out for ten days, you crazy bastard. Ten days?! You made us really worried. You know how anxious grandpa Jang got because of you? He probably sent word to the main house. Youre going to have a lot of fun with that. Cho Ryu Hyangs face was full of shame. Grandpa. Grandpa Jang was someone who followed him all the way from the main house to serve him. Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely grateful towards grandpa Jang because of that. Even though they had a master-servant rtionship, Cho Ryu Hyang held special feelings for grandpa. Thinking that the person was going to reprimanded by his parents because of him, he felt sorry for grandpa. Ill try my best talking to them. If youre a proper human being, it should be your duty to do so. He was making a huge fuss about it, calling me and the doctor and everything, just so that he could try save you. He went that far? Cho Ryu Hyang cautiously started to lift up his upper body. However, as soon as he tried, Peng Ga Ho stopped him and said: Just lie down for now. If you suddenly move after ten days, your muscles are going to get a shock. ..Yeah. That might happen. Thinking about it, there was a need to know a bit more about what happened to his body . But it really was quite strange. He felt like he just lied down for a little bit, but ten days had already gone by? I was so surprised when I found you leaning against the wall, unconscious speaking of, do you know this? Know what? Youre the first person in the history of the school to faint because of overwork in the library of all things. The first! Cho Ryu Hyang made a bitter smile. He had nothing to say to that. I made you get worried for no reason. Goddammit, even if you like books that much, how did you manage to faint at that ce of all things? I just dont understand you. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt faint because of overwork, but he didnt feel like exining. It was because Cho Ryu Hyang himself was still confused if the event that took ce in the library was real or not. Just rest here. Ill go call the doctor and then Ill leave. Okay. Peng Ga Ho was about to leave when he stopped by the door. He hesitated a bit, and then he opened his mouth. Stop worrying me like that. You and your weak body . Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt find an appropriate response. The reason was because Peng Ga Ho came at him at both warmly, and yet struck him heavily. Only after the doctor came in to check up on him, and prescribed him a few medicines, was he able to be truly alone. Whats this? There were immense changes going on in his body. Could Cho Ryu Hyang truly use the mystical powers and perform miracles, just like what the book said? When he thought about that, Cho Ryu Hyangs head got jumbled up a bit. Cho Ryu Hyang always thought that his rationality and logicalness was his strongest points. After attaining a power that he himself couldnt exin with words, however, his mind became chaotic. But what weighed on his mind the most currently was not this. Whats this? Since awhile ago, something, or someone, in his head was unraveling the knowledge packed inside his brain in a way that Cho Ryu Hyang could understand scarily fast. It felt like some kind of an entity was teaching him about these newfound knowledge, step by step. It was a interesting experience. As soon as questions popped up in his mind, it was answered almost at the same time. It was definitely weird. Cho Ryu Hyang closed his eyes. The moment he did so, a figure popped out in his mind. The old man in the picture! The old man looked at Cho Ryu Hyang in an arrogant way. It seemed that this old man was the one that was exining everything to him. [Have youe to your senses, greenhorn?] It was a type ofmunication where words were transferred directly into his brain, instead of being transferred by sound. Cho Ryu Hyang hesitated a little, then opened his mouth and replied. Yes, chancellor. The old man smirked at him. You dont even believe that I am Zhuge Liang, and yet you lie about it with a straight face. Cho Ryu Hyangs face went red with the old mans words. It seemed like the old man could read Cho Ryu Hyangs mind because he was in his mind. If its like this, Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to lie to him. Its a little troublesome. To be honest, its a hard to believe. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly stopped himself from shouting Dont lie! in his mind. Unexpectedly, the old mans face implied that he didnt really care about Cho Ryu Hyangs attitude. [Doesnt matter. A persons name and status in actuality just a meaningless cloak. Anyway, the time we will be able to spend talking to each other wont be long, at least for now.] For now? Does that mean they would be able to talk in great lengths in the future? When that question floated into Cho Ryu Hyangs mind, the old man immediately answered him. [Good question. Yes. Like you just thought, we will be able to talk in great lengths in the future. But that wont happen any time soon.] Even though he didnt really ask the old man the question, the old man answered immediately. This was actually quite convenient. [Youre body is still developing, so there will be some problems that appear when using the powers I gave you, but that cant really be solved right now.] What abilities were there? When Cho Ryu Hyang wondered this, the old man replied. [Are you curious, child?] Of course he was curious. If what the book said was true, then he would be able to walk great distances, and fly, even. These powers would indeed help him out a lot in life. Did the old man read his thoughts? The old mans face grew stern. [Your greed is indeed really amazing. Child, why are you trying to just take this information from me? Based on how hard you train in the future, the abilities you acquire will differ.] Then was there no ability at all? Cho Ryu Hyang became a little disappointed. The old man then smiled in a mysterious way, and said this. [For a child, you polished up your math skills quite nicely. If you go outside, youll be able to see a whole new world.] What did this mean? Cho Ryu Hyang felt sleepy all of the sudden, and started falling asleep then. Watching this, the old manined a little. [So this is the limit so far. It takes far too much power for you to talk to me right now.] The old man wasnt really satisfied with it, but he couldnt do anything about it. After all, it was a blessing to even acquire a child like this. The old man resolved himself by telling himself that the boy would be quite all right once he trained him. He had high expectations for this child. * * * Did you try finding it out? Yes. But it became moreplicated than I imagined, your holiness. Why? The person your holiness is trying to find, the number one in mathematics, is actually located at the imperial pce. The imperial pce? Yes, your holiness. A great hall. In the middle of this hall, there was a finely dressed official, and a lean middle-aged man. The middle aged man had a yful, harmless look on his face. If a person actually knew who this man was, no one would actually dare to look down on him. This man was the pope of the current Heavenly Demon Gods Church, and a member of the 15 guests of thend (߾). He was one of the 3 sovereigns, even. And this man was the Dark Emperor, Gongson Chun Gi (O) . Damn it, things really did getplicated. Gongson Chun Gi licked his lips, as if he felt inconvenienced by this whole affair. Looking at that, the man dressed in red carefully said this. If this one moves, he will be able to bring the man in. Really now? Are you going to jump over the pce walls or something? If you wish for me to do so, I will dly do it. When the man said this with absolute loyalty in his voice, Gongson Chun Gi shook his head after contemting on the mans statement a little. No, its fine. We shouldnt overexert ourselves. Getting ourselves tangled with the imperial pce isnt really good. It was regrettable, but Gongson Chun Gi decided to not go for it. It wasnt as if there werent any other ways to do this, anyways. Do we have a backup? We have one, right? The red man replied immediately. Of course. Who is it? Other than the man known as the number one in math, Ju Ho Yu (ܻ), there is the former number one, known as Jo Gi Chun, who retired recently. Jo Gi Chun? Wheres that guy at? He is currently teaching children at an establishment known as Theoretical Maths and Martial Arts School. Theoretical Maths and Martial Arts School? Whats that? Its an academy located at the Shan Xi province. It was an academy created for rich ns, and is known to be the biggest of its kind. Really? Then why am I hearing it for the first time? Its in the Shan Xi province, and it doesnt have too much to do with martial arts, it seems. It is famous for academics, but not martial arts, so the main church didnt pay attention to it. I see. Then lets use that guy. He seems alright. Should this one bring Jo Gi Chun here? Yes. He seems alright. Hes retired too, so he probably doesnt have too much to do right now, anyways, right? Yeah, itd be perfect to use him. Gongson Chun Gi had a satisfied expression on his face. With his level, he should be able to see through the formation, right? Rather than the formation itself, there are the strange equations one must solve, which is why we need him. He should be able to figure it out by himself. I didnt know this damned main church had so little talented individuals. The red man had a sorry look on his face when Gongson Chun Giined. By what time can this Jo Gi Chun arrive? If this one goes himself, this one will be able to aplish feat in a month. Take a few guys just as insurance. And leave your other jobs to Sam Bi () before you leave. This one will do that before this one leaves. As you know, you have to do this as fast as possible. Itd be bad if this information gets leaked to the public. You know what Im talking about, right? Affirmative. When the man in red set out, Gongson Chun Gi sighed once, and spoke. Yo, Gyum, what do you think? CExcuse me, but I do not understand what you are referring to What do you think about me going through all this mess just for one martial arts technique? CIsnt it something thats worth that much? Worth my ass. Is martial arts anything special? Theres a difference between heaven and earth based on who trains in it. The man in the darkness. The bishop Lim Hak Gyum, who was the leader of the the popes personal guards, Maras Heavenly Wind Division, made a bitter smile. This was a man who could be said to have the worlds strongest martial art. Thats why he was unable to say anything when the pope said he didnt care about the martial arts value. Phew, who am I to try to see more glory at this age. Just because of this one technique, I have to think about this and that, and move around everywhere. Im tired as hell. I might really just faint from stress at this rate. CWhy not pass on the task to the elders and return the the private chamber to take a rest? Gongson Chun Gi trembled. You want me to pass on this dangerous task to those narrow-minded fools? Theyre just gonna pour all kinds of insults from the back if I do that. Yeah, Ill just think of myself as a volunteer doing this for free. Lim Hak Gyumughed silently in his mind. The pope did all he could for the church, even when he wasining about this and that. Even though he possessed a strength greater than anyone else, he never showed off, and instead lowered himself to others levels and talked to them with care. He was truly the role model for a pope. Moon Edge de, was it? Why do we need it for the church, anyways? Dont we have plenty of techniques in the church already? CA dangerous thing such as that, if it goes in the hands of anyone else, Im afraid theyll simply use it to bully others. It is better if we kept it in our hands. Gongson Chun Gi sighed. It wasnt one of those yful sighs he threw around everywhere. It was a serious one. Of course I know that. But I dont know why I just dont feel like doing it. C.. Is it because Im old now? I just keep on getting more and more paranoid. Feels like something bigs going to happen in the future. The pope spoke while massaging his own shoulder. Hey, Gyum. CYes, your holiness, please speak. As you know, I really dont like bothersome things. Gongson Chun Giughed as he said that. He was annoying, bothersome, and he really hated things that required a lot of things to be done. In fact, he avoided it like a gue. He even shortened techniques in theShura Sector (_ý), which had several hundreds of techniques, to ten techniques, just because it was too bothersome to learn all of them. Thanks to that, the already powerful Shura Sector had its power multiplied by 4 times. Lim Hak Gyum believed that if Gongson Chun Gi actually sought to be the strongest, and actually tried to do it, he wouldve been able to conquer all under the heavens. This man had that much talent. Damn it, if you actually look at it, once you be a pope, you dont have to do these kind of things, right? I thought that was the case and took on the role of the pope from my teacher. But recently, Im beginning to think that my teacher just swindled me into inheriting his role. CYour follower is too dull-witted to be able to be of any help. I apologize. No, no, I wasnt talking about that. I mean Gongson Chun Gi stretched his neck a bit, thought a bit while doing so, then spoke. Anyways, theres been a lot of things thats on my mind recently. I wish to retire to the private chamber as fast as I can. CIt shall be as you say. * * * The school. At the meeting room of the school, multitudes of schrs were debating about something. Theres a student who is being suspected of cheating at the recentpetition. Cheating? Jo Gi Chun, Im sure you know who I am talking about. An elder with an air of dignity about him. He was Eu Hyun Guk ([L), the teacher of ancient Chinese literature. He looked Jo Gi Chun, and spoke up. But Jo Gi Chun simply responded with a quizzical face. What do you mean? Dont you know already? The boy who took first ce at thepetition. That boy. When are you going to punish him? Jo Gi Chun. He was a man who wouldnt even twitch if a lighting struck a boulder right next to him. His face contorted in disgust when he heard that. It was true that Cho Ryu Hyang taking first ce took Jo Gi Chun by surprise. But there was no cheating involved in any of it. Jo Gi Chun knew this better than anyone else, so he was confused about why this matter had toe up, now of all times. What are you going to do about this problem, Jo Gi Chun? Are you preparing something for the child? Hmm Eu Hyun guk. Jo Gi Chun was able to figure out why this schr was acting this way. He understood why the man did it, too. For people who didnt know mathematics as well as he, Cho Ryu Hyangs feat might indeed seem like an impossible task. Please say something about this. Is is not your subject? This bothers me greatly. Discussing all this in public, it seemed the old schr came with great resolve. Many of the students became very sensitive to cheating recently. When talking about such things, one must refrain from talking about it in public. When he was about to speak, the calligraphy teacher, Jo Yu Chun ({), wormed his way into the conversation. Thinking about it, it was indeed strange. You sure the fellow didnt do something strange? If not that, the boy mightve gotten ahold of the answer sheets. That might indeed be possible. Eu Hyun Guk agreed with him wholeheartedly. The problem they were discussing at the present had to do with Cho Ryu Hyangs answer sheet. No, it wasnt the perfect score the boy got that was the problem. It was the time that was the real problem. Everyone was given two hours time to work on the test. Most people werent even able to solve all the problem within this time frame, but Cho Ryu Hyang was different. He solved over a hundred problems in less than an hours time. This was only possible if someone actually went and memorized the answer sheet, at least in normal peoples eyes. At first, when the test overseers saw Cho Ryu Hyang turning in the paper first, they thought the boy gave up. Jo Gi Chuns face turned normal again after drinking a cup of tea. I see no problems regarding this matter. Are you serious? Even the genius Nangong Yubin is unable to solve all those problems in one hour. Jo Gi Chun tilted his head in curiosity. What does he have to do with anything? No, nothing. I was just setting an example. But think about it. Is it even possible to solve all these problems in just 1 hour? All the other schrs nodded there head in agreements, except for Jo Gi Chun. Since everyone else was thinking like this, the man wasnt even mad. These men did not know. These men did not know how deep the subject of mathematics was. The people here only got along with Jo Gi Chun because they had to work together, but in reality, they looked down on the subject of mathematics. Jo Gi Chun already knew about this. The art that only lowly merchants learned. They believed mathematics to just be a y with numbers. This was how the rest of the world viewed math. Thats why Jo Gi Chun believed that these schrs had such a reaction. If one has talent in this area, and focuses on it, this feat is indeed possible. Hoho, then do you truly believe a 11 year old boy was able to solve all these problems in that short of a timeframe? Of course. Jo Gi Chuns was being very assertive about it. In fact, he, too, could aplish this feat by himself. He didnt know about anyone else, but even now, when he retired from his job, he was able to solve problems of this caliber in an instant. Of course, this was only a result of countless days of hard work. The fact that Cho Ryu Hyang was able to do this surprised Jo Gi Chun, too. But he did believe that the boy achieved this with his own skills. If the boy did work as hard as he, would there not be results to show for it? But no one in the room seemed to think that way. They only thought that they were right, and no one listened to Jo Gi Chuns own opinion. I refuse to believe it. I demand a retest for him. Jo Gi Chun couldnt figure out why they had to go to such lengths for just this. But he decided to think about it calmly, for now. There really is no need to do such a thing. The results wont change. Even if they held another test, the result was going to be the same. There really was no need to take a retest then, was there? It was just a waste of time. Jo Gi Chun really didnt like to waste his time. Its not just me. The students are unable to ept the results, either. Quite a bit of students came to me to talk about his. Thats why I am talking to you about this. Jo Gi Chun finally understood why there was so much pressure from the teachers. If even the schrs deemed this feat impossible, wouldnt students think that way as well? The boy who seemed to have given up on the test got first ce. And he was the youngest child in the whole school, to boot! How foolish. It was a useless sense of inferiority. Jo Gi Chun wasnt the type of person to expend his energy to get emotional. It just wasnt in his nature. Getting first ce in the school in a certain subject brought many benefits. One could get a schrship, and a private room for studying. Was it because of that? Many of the students that first came here studied as if their life depended on it. They fought each other for the top spot, which had an immense effect on the school. But after the appearance of Nangong Yubin, it all changed. Since the boy took first ce in every single subject in the school, other students started to feel inferiorpared to him. The schrs in charge of their own subjects became very worried. How could they escape from this predicament? They tried to mentor various students at first. It was to get someone else to take first ce, instead of Nangong Yubin. But it all failed. Nangong Yubin was a genius of all geniuses. When the schrs were just about to give up, Cho Ryu Hyang just rolled in and took first ce in math. It was a strange thing. They thought Jo Gi Chun did something behind their backs. As the man liked to stay alone, the schrs misunderstood the mans personality. Jo Gi Chun too realized how the schrs were looking at it. They werent doubting Cho Ryu Hyang, the student. No, they were doubting the teacher, Jo Gi Chun. This ce is no different from that ce. He saw people like this in the imperial court, too. Was it like this wherever people lived? The schrs were using a fairly simple strategy on him, but he just went with it. As long as he could study math, he was willing to let some things pass. This was one of those moments. You say you want a retest? Indeed. All the teachers oversee the test, and you will make the questions on the spot, and have the boy solve it. Jo Gi Chun nodded. Eu Hyun Guk, the man who addressed this problem. Jo Gi Chun was very well aware that this man did not like him. Because Jo Gi Chun was a person who was hard to get along with, and was antisocial in general, he sometimes treated others coldly. He didnt realize it would alle back to him in a way like this, but whats done is done. Fine, do what you want. Are you fine with doing it tomorrow? It wasnt a hard task. Of course. And thats how Cho Ryu Hyangs retest was set. Chapter 4. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Retest Chapter 4. Cho Ryu Hyangs Retest The first thing Cho Ryu Hyang heard when he woke up distressed him. I heard you were having a retest. Cho Ryu Hyang felt that there was another meaning to Peng Ga Hos statement by instinct. Sure enough, Peng Ga Ho immediately spoke with an annoyed tone. They said you were cheating during the test. Unbelievable. Peng Ga Ho was angry. He knew Cho Ryu Hyang got first ce in thepetition with pure skill. Would one not be angry if someone used him/her of cheating, when he/she aplished something with their own power? Because of that, Peng Ga Ho was furious at that moment. Why arent you saying anything? Cho Ryu Hyang was unexpectedly calm. No, he looked like he didnt even care about it. It wasnt time to be concerned about such petty things. He was more concerned with the strange things that were floating in front of him. Because Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to take his eyes off these objects, he looked like he was in a dazed state to Peng Ga Ho when he talked. .That kind of test, I can always retake it. Arent you angry? Theyre using you! Of course Im angry. An angry person has that kind of look on his face? Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt being angry because there was no point in being that way. He disliked doing fruitless activities like such. Im the one whos getting pissed off. Peng Ga Ho smashed his chest with his fist in anger. Peng Ga Ho admitted that Cho Ryu Hyang was indeed a genius. He also knew that this genius always worked ceaselessly. That made him even angrier. The current situation where no one even recognized the amount of time Cho Ryu Hyang put into study, but even dared to look down upon it, made Peng Ga Ho furious. Peng Ga Ho put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyangs shoulder, and spoke seriously. Since its already like this, just go smash the old mens noses in. Show off all of your skills. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. He knew why Peng Ga Ho was being so angry. And even if he didnt say it, it was his every intention to rub his skill in their faces. Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was bothered by the actions of the school, after all. Youre alright, right? You wouldnt have any trouble at the retest tomorrow? Im alright. Right now, his physical condition wasnt what was important. The strange things that he was seeing from before. It was bothering him to no end. It was numbers. There were numbers floating in the air everywhere. You need books? Want paper? Cho Ryu Hyang was thankful towards Peng Ga Ho for rushing to him right from school after receiving word of his recovery, but right now, he wanted to be alone. There were too many things to think about right now. Compared to the things he had in mind, the test was a small matter. Its an easy task. It didnt matter if he had to retake the test several times. The importance of figuring out what these numbers were was far more important. Peng Ga Ho, who was unable to vent all his anger, went out whileining by himself. Watching that, Cho Ryu Hyang closed his eyes. He called upon the old man in his mind. He couldnt decide on what to call the old man, as he still was unable to decide if the old man really was Zhuge Liang. Sir, I have a question. [You bother me.] The old man appeared in his thoughts, and stared at him with a face of contempt. Cho Ryu Hyang, looking at the old man, asked a question. What are these numbers that I am seeing? [What do you think they are?] I do not know. The numbers were everywhere, and they were constantly changing. What did they mean? Cho Ryu Hyangs curiosity sparked just then. He opened his eyes a little, and tried to touch the number near him with his hands. Then the colorless number took on a lifelike color. Ah? The number immediately became colorless again. Wha, whats this? Cho Ryu Hyang closed his eyes in confusion. [Simpleton, you can only see the numbers at your current level. If you want to touch them, you need to train yourself, so dont be greedy.] What training to I need? What will I be able to do if I be able to touch the numbers? [Hoho, a boy who cant even walk already dreams of running.] The old man clicked his tongue, looking at the agitated boy. [You yourself represents one of the smaller numbers that make up the whole universe. But the universe was created from the small numbers like you gathering together to be one. Right now, what you have to do is to be able to feel and sense those numbers around you. Performing tasks with the numberse next.] Looking at the numbers, no, to be specific, the old man taught Cho Ryu Hyang the way to be able to be able to correctly look at the origins of the world. The Faultless View of The World (^) This was the first skill Cho Ryu Hyang inherited from the old man. * * * mm. Eu Hyun Guk frowned. It was good to have the test done in public. Make the questions on the spot, and make him solve it on the spot. There were no possibilities of cheating. This was a bit troubling. The child just solved all the problems with ease. There were not even the slightest bit of hesitation in his writings. King Shura Chapter 4 Illustration This is truly amazing. Indeed. Was his name Cho Ryu Hyang? He was only 11. Eu Hyun Guk couldnt understand why the child stubbornly stuck to mathematics with that kind of talent. While he did look down on math, he did not look down on its difficulty. But in daily life, wasnt it enough to just be able to calcte living expenses? He didnt know why one had to memorize all theseplicated equations and such. Isnt it truly foolish? Mathematicians devoted their lives on a pointless subject and wasted their time away. This was what most of the poption thought, and this was why many looked down on math. Im done. Jo Gi Chun took up Cho Ryu Hyangs answer sheet with his, and showed it to the teachers. Their answer sheets matched perfectly. All the students that were watching nodded their heads in shock. It seemed that everyone except Cho Ryu Hyang and his acquaintances doubted his skills. In all honesty, how could they believe it? The answers were answers, but at that solving speed? I dont think there are any moreints that can me made, no? When Jo Gi Chun said this, Eu Hyun Guk nodded with a unsatisfied expression. He turned to Cho Ryu Hyang after doing so. I hear you study math, and only math. Is this true? It is. Why do you study such a thing? With that kind of talent, you should be able to make it big in the subjects that I teach. Earning fame shouldnt be too difficult if you studied some other skill instead. Cho Ryu Hyang had a dumb expression on his face for a while, but he immediately rposed himself, and nced at Jo Gi Chun. To say such a thing right in front of someone who devoted himself to math all his life Even if they didnt like each other, this was too much, However, Jo Gi Chuns face did not change one bit. From the start, he wasnt one to disy his emotions outright. But Cho Ryu Hyang was furious. He didnt know why, but he was just furious. Cho Ryu Hyang put on his calm face, and opened his mouth. There is someone I respect. I wish to follow the path he treaded. Eu Hyun Guks face turned ugly. Could it be that person studied mathematics? Indeed. I pity your talent. How foolish, how foolish! Eu Hyun Guk sighed in sorrow. It really was appealing. To think there was a genius like Nangong Yubin! He wished to take the boy and teach him everything he knew. But since the boy himself said that he didnt want it, he couldnt even say anything. Indeed, one could take his cattle to a river, but it wasnt possible to force the cattle to drink. Cho Ryu Hyang bowed a little towards Eu Hyun Guk. He really disliked this man. At a public area, in front of so many students, how could he insult a fellow teacher like that? Was mathematics looked down upon this much? To think even a schr like Eu Hyun Guk would act like this towards it. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled a bitter smile. And he looked at Eu Hyun Guks forehead at a nce. A faint number was stuck onto Eu Hyun Guks forehead. .Thirty two. Cho Ryu Hyang whispered to himself. Jo Gi Chun, who was standing next to Cho Ryu Hyang, heard what he said, but since he didnt realize the significance of Cho Ryu Hyangs words, didnt do anything. Heter opened his mouth while looking at Cho Ryu Hyang. You can go rest now. You had to do something troublesome this time Its okay. It was indeed troublesome, but it was worth it. There was no one who would doubt his mathematical skills now. Life would be a little morefortable now. Cho Ryu Hyang took a step back, and took a breather. He inhaled slowly for a long time, and exhaled fast, and rapidly. Then he took a look at all the teachers faces. Andstly, he looked upon Jo Gi Chun and smiled a bit. It was as expected. Seventy one. He turned back, and walked away. A lone crane was bound to be bullied in a flock of crows. The numbers that portrayed the worth of a human being. Cho Ryu Hyang respected Jo Gi Chun even before he gained his powers. At first, Cho Ryu Hyang only respected him because of his title, but now, he respected the mans whole self. The mans passion for math didnt decline even as he aged. He even went through all this torture just to pass on his art to his students. The fact that he was able to take on all the insults regarding math, and taught the students who didnt know math well, was naturally admirable. He didnt know about other subjects, but regarding math, it became more and more profound as one got deeper into it. And Cho Ryu Hyang believed that his knowledge regarding math became more profound. The knowledge the strange old man gave him truly did help him learn math faster, after all. While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking about this and that while he walked towards the dorm, Jo Gi Chun approached him from behind. Can youe find me some timeter? When? Whenever you are free is fine. Alright. Jo Gi Chun nodded, and left to do his own thing. Looking at that figure, Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit. Perhaps the teacher had a better view of him thanks to todays events. I might just be imagining things, though. Cho Ryu Hyang always had to suffer through punishments during lectures because of Peng Ga Ho. It might be just his imagination, but he thought he saw a hint of benevolence in teachers eyes. Lets not hope for such things just yet. As he shook off that thought and walked out, he encountered someone waiting for him at the doorway. Congrats, math genius. It was someone he didnt expect to see at all. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the person in front of him, with suspicion in his eyes. Dont look at me like that, this event didnt have anything to do with me. Nangong Yubin. He was the child of the famous Nangong n, and was called the greatest genius in the history of the school. To think this child, who he never exchanged words with, would congratte him. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know how to respond to that. And when he focused on his eyes and used his skill out of curiosity, he was genuinely shocked. 74. It was an astronomical number. Most people had a value of 20-30 Nangong Yubin possessed a value about 3 times as much as other people did. He didnt know how that number got there, but if one was to simply look at it, Nangong Yubin had a talent that outstripped even Jo Gi Chun. Perhaps there really were geniuses in the world. Actually, I was also one of those people that had doubts about your skills. I came to apologize for that. He was doing pointless things, Cho Ryu Hyang thought. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know how to respond to such an action, so he just looked at Nangong Yubin with a slightly anxious face. It seemed that his action brought great distress to the boy, so he panicked a little and spoke. No, to be a little more truthful, todays test probably happened because Iined a little. I came to apologize about that. . The people around me doubted your skills, and I, too, doubted you. I think that somehow got into Eu Hyun Guks ear. Things becameplicated because of that. Sorry. Now Cho Ryu Hyang realized why this fellow waited for him here. And he was shocked once again. Were all children in famous ns like this? It was an apology that didnt even need to happen. The boy also knew that, but he came to apologize anyway. If its for that, Ill ept your apology. There was no reason to reject it. It wasnt anything troublesome to him anyway. But it seemed Nangong Yubin didnt think that way. His face turned into that of relief the moment he heard Cho Ryu Hyangs reply. A face that implied he just got a load off his back. For real? Youre epting it? .yeah. Fu~ Thats a relief. Cho Ryu Hyang was confused about what relieved him. I was actually really nervous, since it was my first time doing something like this. Nangong Yubin had a grin on his face as he said that. It was my first time seeing a genius, so I was curious, too. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses with an embarrassed expression. He was being called a genius by a genius like Nangong Yubin. It made him feel a little awkward. I hope we get along in the future. I hoped to have a rival like you. .Did you, now. Cho Ryu Hyang suddenly felt ufortable. The fact that the boy was approaching him all of the sudden like this weirded him out a little. Im not going to lose next time. I was caught off guard this time, you know. Nangong Yubin smiled, showing his white teeth in the process. Ill be expecting a lot from you next time, rival. Nangong Yubin disappeared after saying everything. Cho Ryu Hyang watched the boy walk away in a daze for a while, then fixed his sses, while uttering a few words under his breath. He might have a really shameless personality, seeing that he was able to say such a cheesy phrase like that.. He was a boy that Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt understand. Cho Ryu Hyang walked slowly. His legs naturally drew him to the library. Ah? Is your body alright today? The guard at the entrance of the library asked Cho Ryu Hyang worriedly. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know if this was a banter or not, but he just said that he was alright, and entered the library building. And he looked for a certain book for a long time. The thing that was weighing on his mind for a while. He needed to confirm it. There it is. The item he was looking for was found faster than he expected. That was because he could see the book where it was putst time. As he pulled out the book, he could clearly see the name written on it. Moon Edge Flower Algorithm Magic (1) He didnt realizest time, but it seemed that there were two volumes to this book. He opened the book carefully. And his eyes widened in surprise. As expected. The contents of the book were wiped clean. No, to be more urate, everything within the book, every single word, was gone. It was as if someone just forcefully dragged out all the characters in the book and threw it away. Did everything in the book get inserted into my brain? Even now, if he thought of something, he could feel the immense amount of knowledge swimming through his brain. His brain was filled with decades of research at once. But it was a useless thing. To make the knowledge actually something that he couldprehend and use, it required a tremendous amount of work. While he was thinking, he suddenly came up with a question, and shut his eyes immediately. Is there a second volume to this book? [There is.] Cho Ryu Hyang felt that he knew the answer even before he asked the answer. It was actually a question he shouldve asked a long time back, but he just remembered to ask it now. Does that book also contain elders great knowledge? [Child, it seems you are mistaken about something.] Mm? Whats that? Was there something about his question he didnt know about? [Idiots needs an idiotsnguage to understand things.] It was a riddle-like phrase. The old man spoke again a little after he said that. [You think there are many who trained their mathematical skills to the point of being able toprehend my knowledge?] Cho Ryu Hyang contemted upon that a bit. Truly, an existence like him was rare. But he also felt that there were indeed more like him in the world. There were many people like Jo Gi Chun, who dedicated their life to math, after all. The old man affirmed his thoughts cooly. [Youre right. There are indeed more like you. But what are the chances of them reading this one book? I presumed that there was almost no possibility for them toe across this. So as a backup, I created another text.] The old man stopped there for a moment, and made a bitter smile. And he changed the subject a little. [I saw your performance at the stage today. It seems there still are a lot of idiots that look down on math.] Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his head and smiled. It seemed that the old man felt the same way he did. The art of math was being neglected too much, past or the present. It was something he was able to experience firsthand today. [If I wrote my knowledge down on paper with numbers, of course these uneducated fools wouldnt understand it. So I kindly wrote down my knowledge with letters and gave them what they wanted.] What they wanted? When Cho Ryu Hyang became curious, the old man answered immediately. [The formation techniques. This is what I have given to my descendants.] Cho Ryu Hyang was finally able to understand what the old man was talking about. An idiotsnguage for the idiots. It seemed this was why he wrote the first book with numbers, and the second book with letters. A way to preserve his knowledge, even a little. The old man smiled. It was an evil smile that didnt really fit the image of the old man. [But there is a big difference between knowing how to catch a fish, and understanding how to handle a fish.] Cho Ryu Hyang blinked a few times. He didnt understand what the old man was talking about. [Youll understand the meaning behind my words in the future.] Cho Ryu Hyang didnt realize. He didnt realize that it would take him decades till he finally understood what the old man meant Right then, his head spun and his body lost all the strength it had before. Oops! Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes quickly, and leaned his body against the library wall to regain his breath. Talking with the old man took up too much power. It wasnt easy to handle it yet. Whilst recovering his body from the talk, Cho Ryu Hyang looked around the library. There were still many books to be read, but that was useless to him now. It wasnt like those books would help him increase his powers, anyway. It mightve seemed like a boast to others, but Cho Ryu Hyang already had more than enough knowledge about math. Perhaps too much. But there was something missing. It seemed that missing something wasnt just some simple knowledge. He didnt know what it was, but he had an endless desire to learn that something. After thinking by himself a little more, Cho Ryu Hyang put the book back into the shelf and stood up. He forgot about the promise to visit the teacher. He decided to go resolve it now. Little did he know that that event would change the course of his life greatly. Chapter 5. You can’t stop Peng Ga Ho~ Chapter 5. You cant stop Peng Ga Ho~ Peng Ga Ho was staring at his uncle, Peng Ryun Hui. He was a little confused. What? The Demon Church? Whats up with this all of the sudden? Yeah, someone picked up on their movements, so now the martial world is in an uproar. The title Demon Church held enormous weight in the martial world. Because of this, Peng Ga Ho swallowed his spit out of nervousness. The people of the church are making their move, yet theres no counter measures from the Alliance? Did you really think we wouldnt do anything about this? Then what are we doing? Peng Ryun Hui had a faint smile on this face. Our leaders going to use the Sword Emperor g (). Hes really determined to win this fight. The Sword Emperor g? Mm. Its been approximately 10 years since it wasst used. The Sword Emperor g. The greatest power which the chief of the Alliance, Dao Emperor Baek Mu Ryang, could wield. If the g was to be used, all the ns under the Alliance must have total obedience towards the chiefs orders. It was an object that could only be used once every decade, it wasnt something that one could use on a whim. But once it came out, the Alliance was able to disy their full potential. Thanks to that, the main house is sending 150 warriors, including me. I just dropped by to see you on the way to battle. Peng Ga ho had an unsatisfied look on his face. He clicked his tongue, and asked a question. Uncle. What? Cant you take me there as well? My skills have grown a lot. I can even see the path of the sword, now. You want me to take you with me? With that kind of skill? Yeah. Peng Ryun Hui, seeing his nephews stubborn face, waved his hand to silence him. Dont. Youre just a snot-nosed brat. What kind of insults will I have to take if I take you with me? You think big bros just going to sit there if I take you? Im going to get beat up on the spot. Even if big bros the n chief, dont you think it would be humiliating if I got beat up in public? What? Dad is going there as well? Why? Of course hes going. Whyd the n chief exclude himself from an event as big as this? When Peng Ga Ho heard his uncles response, his face sank. Dang it, shouldnt the Chief protect the n? Whys he going around doing all this? You rascal, did you think we didnt ce any guard in the main house? Also, the chief is onlying out because this event could potentially decide the fate of the n. Peng Ga Ho tilted his head in confusion. What do you mean, our ns fate could be decided by this? Its not like the Demon Church can strike the main house, right? I mean, that should be geographically impossible. Peng Ryun Hui, after scanning the area by using his martial sense to confirm no one was around, whispered to Peng Ga Ho. This is a top secret matter, so I shouldnt be telling you this, but I suppose it would be better if you knew. Peng Ga Hos eyes sparkled. He instinctively knew something big was going to happen. Because of that, Peng Ga Hos tone also dropped down to a whisper. Did something thats worth some cashe out? Its not something you can even hope to buy with cash. What is it? Moon Edge de Technique (е). Eeh?! Shh! Be quiet. Itd be troublesome if word got out. Peng Ga Ho was very surprised. To the point where his eyes were starting to look like giant circles He began to stutter without even realizing it. C, could that technique be the same one that Ak Jung Pae, the Sword Devil, used? Yeah. It seems that the Demon Church fellows are creeping out of their hiding hole because of that. Its almost certain, actually, since they even dared to sneak into the Alliances territory. If it really is the Moon Edge Sword Technique Id understand why the church is acting crazy over it. The Moon Edge Sword Technique. It was the sword technique that the Sword Demon, Ak Jung Pae, used. Ak Jung Pae was a figure that was said to have reached the godly realm in the martial world. He was truly a legendary figure. Not only that Peng Ga Ho thought a bit. The Sword Devil wasnt famous just because of that. No, the Sword Devil was famous because he alone destroyed the biggest Martial Alliance that existed back then. The champion of the martial world in the past. The unrivaled expert, the Godly Monk, the Great Buddhist Teacher. The man, who was originally from the Shaolin temple, couldnt even take 3 hits from the Sword Devil, and was chopped in half. Because of this event, multiple martial alliances copsed, which resulted in the 5 Great ns and the 9 Houses merging together to form the Alliance that exists today. Because of one man, the Sword Devil, the course of history turned greatly. For the North River n, who primarily relied on swords, obtaining the Sword Devils technique was extremely desirable. Peng Ryun Hui opened his mouth. The main house was unable to produce an expert for a long time. Its starting to be a problem, at this point. That is true. An expert. An expert held an immense amount of power in his hands. So much so, in fact, he/she was even capable of transforming a minor n to a major one in just one day. If the main house seeds in capturing that technique, well be able to produce more experts. Fufu, trust me, uncle. Ill be that expert and bring the n glory. Mm? You? Yes, me. Peng Ga Ho pped his chest, and responded with absolute confidence. Seeing that, Peng Ryun Huis face went through various changes. Eventually, his face settled on a very obvious fake smile, and spoke. Yeah, Ill look forward to that. Peng Ga Ho became a little annoyed, after hearing his uncles awkward response. Uncle, Im Peng Ga Ho. Do you not believe me? I wouldnt believe it even if I were you. Truthfully speaking, he had more expectations for the firstborn in the family, Peng Hyo Chun, instead of the second, Peng Ga Ho. He stopped himself from saying that out loud, and smiled. He could only smile at Peng Ga Ho. He quickly changed the subject before the conversation got any further. Anyways, Im going to leave now. It was good to see you after so long. Peng Ga Ho was a little disappointed at his uncle, since he didnt really believe in Peng Ga Ho. But he still saw off his uncle. And after his uncle went out of his sight, he quickly started packing provisions. A man cant pass off a chance like this in his lifetime. If his uncle was unwilling to take him, he would go off on his own. He was a little worried about the fact that his father was going, too, but he just had to go unnoticed. There was going to be a huge battle between the Alliance and the Demon Church. He couldnt just sit here in the countryside. Coincidentally, there was someone else who thought like Peng Ga Ho in the school. * * * You came faster than expected. Yes. Sit here. Cho Ryu Hyang sat at the seat prepared for him by Jo Gi Chun, and took a look at the teachers house. It was a home that matched Jo Gi Chuns personality perfectly. It had a very frugal feel to it. There werent many furniture, only some things that were absolutely necessary for living. Because of that, it gave off a lonely feeling. I asked you toe here for a special reason. The teacher paused a bit after speaking. Proposing something a little unusual made the person who was proposing a little hesitant. And Jo Gi Chun never made a lot of proposals like this to others, to boot. But he felt that he was going to regret it if he didnt say it now. He made a decision, and opened his mouth. The boy in front of him. If it wasnt for todays event, he probably wasnt going to even really talk to the boy at all. But there was an event today. An event that sparked some excitement inside Jo Gi Chuns heart. Especially the face that Eu Hyun Guk made. That really made him feel satisfied. Would you like to be my official disciple? .Official disciple? Yes. I have never seen a boy this interested in mathematics in my life. How about it? Cho Ryu Hyang was a bit hesitant. Truthfully speaking, there wasnt any more math he could learn from the books. This was probably because of the information the old man in his mind gave him, but there was also the fact that he read a lot of books in the past. The information in books just didnt help him anymore. But then, he couldnt really ask the old man to teach him. That was because he couldnt really talk to the old man for lengths at a time, because his mind wasnt developed enough. Learning under Jo Gi Chun was actually a big stroke of luck. That was why he was hesitant about all this. He felt that something was off, because there were far too many strokes of good luck up till now. Im just overthinking things, probably. Cho Ryu Hyang organized his thoughts, and looked at the teacher in front. And he smiled slightly. Thank you for looking at me in such a good way. After saying that, Cho Ryu hyang immediately bowed nine times at the teacher. King Shura Chapter 5 Illustration Jo Gi Chun was eying Cho Ryu Hyang with narrowed eyes. He never approached someone in his life in a humane way like this. Things like marriage and such, too, were usually prearranged. He never approached someone in life, and no one ever approached him, either. But he thought he lived a pretty satisfied life. He couldnt take care of the family, because he was so engaged in mathematics, but he himself was very content with his life. Is it like this? Was it because of his personality to not expect anything from someone? To think that it brought this much excitement when someone looked at him with an expression filled to the brim with expectations. Since teacher took me in, this student will try to learn much from teacher. Jo Gi Chun snapped back to his senses then. Perhaps he took on a really amazing disciple. He didnt really think about it before, but now that he came face-to-face with the boy, this kind of a thought popped up in his mind. Theres not much that I can actually teach you, seeing the level you have reached. But I do believe that I can teach you the path you can take regarding mathematics. Of course. If you find anything troublesome in the future,e to me. Yes, teacher. Jo Gi Chun coughed a bit, and thought calmly about something. His disciple probably knew about plenty of algorithms already. He could tell that from the boys problem solving speed. That kind of speed only appeared when one kept solving problems that required algorithms till their hand started to bleed. Then what should he teach the boy? How can he help the boy advance? Jo Gi Chuns face became a lot more serious. Perhaps he dove into this too fast, too recklessly. He could only me himself for acting too quickly. Jo Gi Chun was reminded of his life in the pce as he kept thinking. When he thought of that, hisplexion brightened. He remembered things that he didnt think was rted to math at first. But only after a long time had passed did he realize the things had a lot to do with math. I will give you homework from now on. Homework? Cho Ryu Hyang was listening carefully. The teacher probably guessed his ability almost perfectly. Even then, the teacher gave him homework. It was probably an extremely hard homework. But that was what made everything so worth it. This student will try hard toplete it. Jo Gi Chun nodded. It might not seem like it has any rtionship with math, but it will be of tremendous help to you, so try hard at it. Jo Gi Chun started to write something on paper as soon as he finished speaking. No, it would be urate to say that he was drawing. This is. Jo Gi Chun finished drawing, and asked Cho Ryu Hyang a question with a face filled with expectations. Do you know what this is? After looking at the drawing for a while, Cho Ryu Hyang answered. The numbers have a very systematic shape to it. It seems that it also moves in a pattern. North, South, East, and the West. It covers all 4 of the major directions. And. And? It seems that it is containing something inside. Jo Gi Chun nodded. He didnt show it on the inside, but he was actually extremely surprised inside. Indeed, his disciples ability really was formidable. Even he was unable to figure out what this represented when he first saw it. But his disciple was different. The boy didnt even know what that was, or what it was used for, but he was able to urately figure out its basic shape. What you are looking at is known as the Old Law (ꐷ). The oldw? Indeed. All I did was to put it in mathematical forms. Jo Gi Chun ced the paper on the table, and opened his mouth. At the imperial pce, I had one more job as a mathematician other than my official task. Saying that, he pushed the paper on the desk towards Cho Ryu Hyang. That task was to oversee and maintain all thew formations. At the time, there wasnt anyone else who could do it other than me, which was why I had to do it. Now that I look back at it, it was probably a very good experience for me. Jo Gi Chun faintly smiled. If not for this, he wouldnt have anything else to teach his outstanding student. Even though he was talking about it lightly, maintaining the formations in the pce truly wasnt a simple task. That was because the formations in the pce were created by multitudes of the most skilled formations experts in the nation. Jo Gi Chun, who was able to maintain the formation all by himself, could be called a genius on his own. Try toprehend this formation. This will be the first homework I will give you. Cho Ryu Hyang was looking just at the paper since a while back. He knew that the homeowrk he would be assigned would be quite hard. Only, he didnt expect it to be this hard. This is really amazing. He already knew a bit about formations, since he heard about it from others a lot. But to think the formation could beid out in numbers, he never realized that. It was apletely new realm to him. That made Cho Ryu Hyangs heart pound. Cho Ryu Hyang was weak when it came to these kinds of things. I will try to finish this in the near future. I believe you can do it with your skills, but if you do get curious about something, you can alwayse see me. Of course. Cho Ryu Hyang headed for his room after bidding farewell to his teacher. The formation given to him by teacher seemed exceedingly simple. But the more he looked at it, the more confused he got. Thats what got him excited. He didnt know there were still so many things he didnt know about math. After arriving at the room, he made it so that no one could enter his room, and then he opened his paper. Looking at the paper, he thought about it until he felt like his head was going to explode. Cho Ryu Hyang never saw a formation in his life. He only knew that such a thing existed due to various talk that he heard before. Because of that, when he approached such a thing with mathematics, something new sprouted in his head. It was a whole new world of number formations. To understand it and freely use it was probably beyond Cho Ryu Hyang. Theplete form of the formation. Because he never saw the legitimate version of the formation in his lifetime, he wouldnt know how to deal with the real one if it was in front of him now. But In front of him was a formation, that was at the same time not a formation. Intertwining multiple algorithms to form a whole picture. Cho Ryu Hyang decided to approach it in a simple manner. This was not a boundary formation, but a different type of an equation. When he thought that, his heart started to beat even faster. To think that such a thing known to the world as a formation could be expressed this way! Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt hide his amazement. Perhaps the words of the old man in his mind was true. If formations could be expressed with numbers, perhaps the same thing could be done with anything else. But he didnt know how that worked. Take it slowly. Lets not rush things. He took in a deep breath. Short breaths narrows ones thought. But right now, he needed to think wider. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses while breathing deeply. Formations or whatever else there was, if it could be expressed in mathematical forms, it shouldnt pose too much of a problem to Cho Ryu Hyang. Since he was at least confident with his math skills, there shouldnt be too many big problems. He decided to start thinking like this to get himself a little rxed. But once he opened it, he saw a giant monster residing inside it for the first time. And it didnt take him even a day to understand it. Chapter 6. The Daughter’s Scarier?! Chapter 6. The Daughters Scarier?! So he came to you, too. Peng Ga Ho was scared out of his mind, when someone suddenly talked to him from behind while he packed provisions. When he looked back, he saw Nangong Yubin, who had a big grin on his face. What? Youre trying to go, too, right? Where? Qilian mountains. (Bɽ) (TL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qilian_Mountains) Peng Ga Ho cursed in his mind. What? Someonee from your family, too? Yeah. I asked if I could go, like you did, and got rejected. Nangong Yubin shrugged. And opened his mouth. I figured that you were going to go, if I was going to do it, too. So I waited here for a while, so we could go together. If someone figured out someone elses thoughts, that person was bound to get annoyed. Peng Ga Ho obviously felt annoyed, and mumbled a bit under his breath. Then he asked a question. You can go by yourself, cant you? Why try to go with me? Our opponent is the Demon Church. It can be quite troublesome to go there alone safely. To be more urate, Im a little scared. Fufu, so you need this big brothers help. You think youll be a little more confident if you go with me? Nangong Yubin nodded with a smile at Peng Ga Hos arrogant words. Youre right. I do need your help. Hoh? Peng Ga Ho, who wasnt expecting Nangong Yubin to admit it immediately, put on an evil smile on his face, while stroking his chin. I didnt expect you to be so truthful like that. I like you. This big brother will listen to you, and travel with you. Thanks. Even though they were both from the five great families, they werent really well-acquainted with each other. But based on todays events, a sticky bond would form that would tightly link the two together. The two formed a n to escape the school, and went back to their own dorms. After separating with Nangong Yubin, Peng Ga Ho, at his own dorm room, became a little worried about something. Should I tell him? Or should I just go? If he just disappeared all of the sudden, that guy would definitely get worried. Peng Ga Ho thought of Cho Ryu Hyang a bit, then immediately wiped the boy off his mind by shaking his head. If he told his friend that he was going to the Qilian Mountains to fight the Demon Church, his friend was bound to get worried. He didnt want to get his friend get worried like that. Meh, Ill just tell him when I get back. When he thought of boasting about his adventures at the Qilian mountain to Cho Ryu Hyang, he got excited already. * * * How long could a person stay awake without sleeping? If a person didnt have a body trained with martial arts, he or she would only be able tost about 4 days. Then how long could a little boy, who didnt even learn martial arts, be able to stay awake without sleeping? Its a little hard to know, but it can be assumed that he or she probably wouldnt even be able to manage two days. Young master! Young master! You have to eat! Grandpa Jang, who took care of Cho Ryu Hyang, couldnt sleep very well thest two days because he was so anxious. The young master brought some piece of paper back home, and started working on some sort of math equation without even eating. Because there was an event simr to this in the past, the man thought this would pass after a while. surawang_6_NEW But this time it was different. The young master, who would solve even the hardest of problems in one day, was holed up in his room for over four days. He was mumbling to himself while writing down something on the paper. When the old man lifted the paper a little bit, he discovered that it was filled withplicated numbers and symbols,yered on top of each other. Even looking at it was this hard, but the young master already made several of these papers already. The papers were all sprawled on the floor. Young master, you should eat. ..mm. Just put it there, grandpa. Looking at the young master, who said those words with absentmindedly, the old man sighed. This wont be tasty anymore if it cools off, young master. You see, I brought a chicken for you because you didnt look too well. Ill eat itter. Just put it there, grandpa. Grandpa Jang shook his head. He sat himself down on the ground on his knees, and spoke sternly. I must see you eat it all with these two eyes of mine today, young master. Cho Ryu Hyang sighed, and fixed his sses when he heard grandpas resolute words. He was so close to getting it, and he didnt have time to waste on things like this. It felt like he could get the answer if he just yed around with the numbers more, and if he got interrupted like this, it would be troublesome. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth without taking his eyes off the paper. Im not going to die if I skip just one meal, grandpa. Do you know how many times you said that already, young master? How many? Grandpa Jang, looking at the boy, who was speaking with absentmindedness, once again sighed. Even though the young master was smart, he usually forgot about anything that was usually deemed useless to him. You refused 5 meals already, young master. This old man cant even sleep because hes so worried about you. Cho Ryu Hyang flinched, and took his eyes off the paper, while scratching his head. .Its already been that long? Speaking of, it felt like he hadnt slept for a few days. Once he realized this fact, his head spun. He suddenly became very dizzy. After managing toe back to his senses, he took a look at himself with the copper mirror. What he saw truly surprised him. His tired eyes became red from stress, and his hair was all bunched up from the excess oil. After looking at himself for a while with an open mouth, he smirked a little, and took off his sses. Looks like Ill have to wash myself first, actually. Ill eat after, grandpa. Young master. Sorry for getting you worried. Grandpa should go rest as well. When grandpa heard Cho Ryu Hyang speak in a sorry tone, he quickly wiped his sore eyes with the back of his hand, and spoke. No. Ill go fetch water for you myself. Please, eat. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt refuse grandpa, who forcefully sat the boy on the table with the food. Cho Ryu Hyang felt very sorry for the old man, as the old manservant looked as haggard as he did. Cho Ryu Hyangs chest tightened when he looked at the steaming foodid out in front of him. Did I approach it wrongly? He was so close to getting it, he felt as he could actually touch it. But the thing refused to show itself. The unwound formation the teacher drew for him. This formation, whose name Cho Ryu Hyang didnt even know the name of, was actually an incredible object. It seemed simple because teacher drew it in mere minutes, but that was a huge misconception. There were arrays upon arrays of numbers that intertwined with each other in the paper. It felt like these arrays had neither a start or an end. It was hard to even decipher the numbers that were put on the outside, but when one managed to look inside the formations, there were things that would shock someone to no end. There were countless changes regarding the numbers happening all at once within, constantly. About eight. But its not like there were no gains during the past four days. The movement of the formation. Cho Ryu Hyang managed to find the order of the arrays, and also figured out the changes within the formation. Variables (׃). Cho Ryu Hyang found out about the existence of variables. Eight variables. Cho Ryu Hyang put his thumb on his aching temple, and smiled. It was hard enough solving equations that had one variable. But there were 8 of them. If there were this many of them, of course the calctions wouldnt move along smoothly. So he changed his way of approaching the problem. It wasnt something that he really wanted to do. A truly simple, stupid n. He was just popping in random numbers into the variables, and found the answers that way. Because of that, the time he took to decrypt the formation took too long. But the thing is, even if he took all that time to go through all that, he still couldnt find the answer. The equation just refused to be solved. Whatever number he threw at it, it rejected all of them. I should just eat first, wash myself, and sleep for now. He thought he should try to approach the problem againter with a clearer mind. Cho Ryu Hyang put his hands towards the table. Hunger started toe at him like a wave, probably because he regained his senses a while back. Fighting the 15 guests would be morefortablepared to trying to solve this. * * * The 15 guests. The people who are currently ruling the martial world. The world refers to these 15 people as the 3 Sovereigns, 5 Emperors, and the 7 Kings. The 15 guests reached the harmonious stage in martial arts using their own ways, which was known to be the human limit. Each of them possessed a power equivalent to a rtively big n, and every action they made influenced the world greatly. There were individuals within the 15 guests that were said to be on a different sspared to other humans. The 3 Sovereigns. Each of them represented Righteousness (), Evil (а), and Demonic (ħ). Many people tried to rank the three, but a conclusion had yet to be reached, even after 20 years. After all, the 3 of them were at the very pinnacle. They couldnt really be ranked. That was why many martial artists desired to see the 3 fight each other at least once in their lifetime. First, the Sovereign many deemed to be the strongest. The sun that shines brightly upon the Righteous, the strongest swordsman the world has given birth to so far. The Dao Emperor (̫O), Baek Mu Ryang (). Appearing in the Martial world at the age 30, he was the first to show the power of the ones that harmonized their inner power. He did not find any who could fight him for 40 years, and right now, he was presiding over the group known to fight for the righteousness in the world, the Righteous Path Alliance (). (TL: The Righteous Path Alliance is actually the Alliance that appearedst chapter. I called it the alliancest time since I didnt know the Alliances real name, if I remember correctly.) The mans nickname was even the Unrivaled Swordsman. It wasnt an exaggeration to call him the strongest under the heavens. Also, Baek Mu Ryang was the only Sovereign that actually boasted his powers out of the three. Secondly, the most mysterious, and strange Sovereign. Known to be the strongest in the evil side. The Dark Moon Guilds (•) former manager, also known as the grim reaper from hell. ck Moon King (ҹ), Neng Mu Gi (). The guild he was in, the Dark Moon Guild, used to be one of the minor guilds in the evil side. But that was all before the extraordinary reaper known as Neng Mu Gi came into the scene. After Neng Mu Gi joined the Dark Moon Guild, the guild changed. The guild started to work as mercenaries. All of the sudden, the Dark Moon Guild became one of the biggest guilds in the side, and their name represented Evil. The one that the martial world fears the most, the emperor of the night. There was no one who was left alive after they were visited personally by the ck Moon King. Apparently, the ck Moon King only carried out about 20 missions. Compared to the weight of his name, the number of times he killed was exceedingly small. But if one looked at the people he killed, they would be shocked out of their mind. Each one of the people that he killed, was either leaders of an extremelyrge n, or were superhumans that existed before the 15 guests arrived, the 10 Absolutes (~ʮ). Out of the 10, 6 were killed by this one man. When ones inner power reaches the harmonious state, their senses get improved tremendously. Because of this, they cannot be killed by mere assassins. This means in order to kill them, a person had to fight them head-on. In this situation, an assassin would be extremely disadvantageous. But even with this disadvantage, the Night Emperor (ҹS) Neng Mu Gi managed to kill 6 experts who reached the harmonious state. That meant the Night Emperor was at least twice as strong as the experts. The martial world became extremely surprised by these events. It was deemed impossible to assassinate experts, after all. But the Night Emperor managed to do it. Out of the 10 Absolutes, only 4 remained. It was a little strange phenomenon, but when the 6 experts got killed, many more experts managed to reach the harmonious state. What happened was, the sons and daughters of the leaders that got killed by Neng Mu Gi trained themselves to the utter limit, so that they could beat Neng Mu Gi. They managed to form what is known as the 15 guests today. But even after attaining that title, they were unable to do a thing to Neng Mu Gi. Why? When experts grow in power, they begin to be able to roughly estimate the power of their opponents. Thats how they knew it. The Neng Mu Gi they considered beatable in the past, was actually something that was just impossible to reach. Because of that, quite a lot of martial artists imed that Neng Mu Gi might be the strongest out of the 3 Sovereigns. Even though the Sword Emperor (), Baek Mu Ryang also managed to kill an expert at the harmonious stage, butpared to the 6 that the Night Emperor managed to destroy, it wasnt really worth looking at. And thest of the Sovereigns, the descendent of the Heavenly Demon. Demon Emperor (ħ), Gongson Chun Gi (O). (TL: Its not just dark emperor, it was actually Absolute Darkness Demon Emperor, but thats just too Chuuninbyou to even be taken seriously. Plus, he was called Dark Emperor at chapter 2.) When his name was discussed, even the loudest of the experts went quiet. The very definition of fear in the martial world, the Heavenly Demon Church. From the past, it was said that whenever the Heavenly Demon Church made their move, the ces they swept through became a sea of blood. Gongson Chun Gi was the leader of that immense power, and was known to be the strongest in the history of the church. surawang_which But his position in the martial world was a bit strange. As one of the sovereigns, the Demon Emperor, Gongson Chun Gi never disyed his powers in the martial world. Everyone was curious about how strong he really was. But that was it. No one doubted the mans powers. The force he lead was too big and powerful to even arouse a spark of doubt in their hearts. So youre saying you do recognize Gongson Chun Gi as one of the three Sovereigns, but hes the weakest of the three? Probably, yeah. The girl with a wise glint in her eyes. She wrinkled her eyebrows as she looked at her father. What? So its not clear, then? The girls father. Currently one of the major experts in the Evil side, and the current manager of the Dark Moon Guild, Neng Pa Chun. He was known to be one of the best assassins in the world, with the nickname One hit kill (). (TL: WTF! HAXX! Sorry, just had to say that.) He had a troubled look on his face as he spoke to his daughter. The thing is, no one ever saw any of the Sovereigns actually go all out. The Dao Emperor, who is showing a bit of his power to the public, lets us barely be able to measure the rankings, but thats not that urate, since it was made so long ago. The daughters face turned uglier the longer her fathers speech continued. Eventually, she threw down her brush on the ground, and exploded. Damn it, Im not going to do this anymore! If its like this, why are you even trying to make the Martial World Sequence Records?! The names really fancy and stuff, but nothing in its urate. (TL: The Rivers and Lakes Sequence Records was actually the Martial World Sequence Records. The Rivers and Lakes part.. that was a mistrantion,) That is. Since martial power couldnt be measured by numbers, one could only measure it byparing it to something else. To do that, one must establish a clear reference to start on, but since even the reference point was messed up, everything else was bound to be inurate. I mean, if the 3 Sovereigns are like this, how are we going to rank the people below them? How are the 15 guests ranked, even? At the girls sudden question, Neng Pa Chun answered hesitantly. .Some of them are actually ranked urately. The girl responded sternly at her father. Just give up, dad. This whole thing has no hope. .If I give up like this, daddys going to be punished by the elders. Then whyd you say youd do it in the first ce? Now that grandpa retired, we have to tread a bit more carefully. Whyd you choose such a risky job? Neng Pa Chun flinched when the girl said that. Daddys the manager of the guild. Dont make me lose face like this Does saving face get us any money? Like I said before, just stop being a manager already. Thats kind of you know? Fathers the one who gave this job to me. If I give up on it now, Im going to be in a tight situation. Arrgh! The girl screamed loudly, and kept scolding her father. A littleter, she started smacking her chest out of frustration. Dont you know that old ginger is spicier than the rest? You were tricked by the elders! Neng Pa Chun finally put on a sad face, and nodded. Those old guys are ying me for a fool. Ignoring me like that. I really couldnt do anything about it this time. I had to show those old guys something, you know? . The girl shut her mouth. The man was her father, and yet hes way of work was too pathetic. Something needs to change. The girl started thinking about something carefully. She no longer felt that her father could be trusted with his job. Chapter 7. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Formation Creation Chapter 7. Cho Ryu Hyangs Formation Creation If you thought about it, the changes the elders went through were clearly big. As the Dark Moon guilds size increased, enormous profits began to be made. Even though the guild couldnt show themselves off in public to gain money, they still earned money by engaging in various jobs like bing escorts. Thanks to the various methods they used to scrape in money, they were raking in quite a lot of cash. But while Neng Mu Gi, the Night Emperor, presided over the guild, no one dared to use the money for anything foolish. For his words were thew, and every one of his actions were a subject of awe. But Neng Mu Gis son, Neng Pa Chun, didnt have any of the power that Neng Mu Gi had. When Neng Pa Chun became the president, the Dark Moon Guild, which seemed so formidable at first, began to crumble a little. How can those old guys change just like that? They couldnt even look at me in the eye when father was here. The worlds a scary ce. The girl sighed at her fathers statement. The persons different, dad. Neng Pa Chun put on a hurt face when he heard her truthful words. .I know fathers amazing, but hearing my daughter say it like that, I feel hurt. Im just telling the truth. Neng Pa Chuns father, and the girls grandfather. There was a difference of heaven and earth between Neng Mu Gi, one of the Sovereigns, and Neng Pa Chun. Personality or strength, Neng Mu Gi outstripped his son by far in both. They were different beings from the ground up. I suppose the elders just wanted to start exerting power now that Grandpa retired. Just give up. You should retire from your position, and livefortably. The girl. She was the granddaughter of Neng Mu Gi, Neng Ha Young (Ęs). The girl, who was known for her intelligence from a young age, so much so that she was even rumored to be an Unmatched Woman(Ů) Under The Heavens, became confused. Even though her father wouldnt be able to know, her grandfather most definitely predicted that this sort of a thing would happen. But seeing that he did not move an inch even though this happened, the girl figured that her grandfather had some sort of n in his mind. I cant figure that out. Her father clearly was toocking to be the manager of the greatest guild in the underground world, the Dark Moon Guild. In fact, he was reallycking. He became pretty strong in the martial world thanks to his blood, so some of the elements that hecked could easily be ignored. But his personality or his ability as a leader definitely couldnt be ignored like that, especially when he was the manager of the Dark Moon Guild. He had neither the right personality or the leadership to be a capable head. Because of that, Neng Ha Young was looking at the situation skeptically. She thought her father held a position he did not deserve. Neng Ha Young, after thinking a while, sighed. When it came to measuring up a person, there was none that could match up to Neng Mu Gi. But then, why did her grandfather put up his son as the manager? Does he have something in mind? Neng Ha Young began to think carefully. surawang_7 Grandpa disappeared after announcing his retirement. At first, everyone epted Neng Pa Chun even after Neng Mu Gi retired. This wasnt because of Neng Pa Chuns actual ability. This was because Neng Mu Gis giant shadow still lingered behind Neng Pa Chun. As the Dark Moon Guild was starting to grow, many of the stronger experts in the underground world, were invited to be the elders of the guild. Even they didnt have any problems in letting Neng Pa Chun be the leader of the guild. While he was being recognized as such, Neng Pa Chun shouldve disyed his abilities to secure his power, but his talents were far toocking for that. As time passed, and Neng Pa Chuns insufficient abilities began to be shown to the public, the Elders began to fully let out their greed. The Dark Moon Guild was an extremelyrge organization. They were strong enough to be counted as one of the 3 Great Martial Groups. If they were thisrge, couldnt they indulge themselves a bit? Even though they feared Neng Mu Gi, seeing that he hasnt even taken action even till now, they figured that the man didnt have any more attachments to this ce. Even though they confirmed it, the elders were still being careful. Neng Mu Gi scared them that much. But it wasnt like Neng Mu Gi actually didnt have any attachments, either. He too, was annoying Neng Pa Chun by starting to be a little greedy. But this is probably it. Neng Ha Young figured this was probably the final point. The elders patience probably hit the limit. If her father wasnt even able to aplish something like this, Neng Pa Chun wouldnt be just scolded. Neng Ha Young feared that. I think Ill have to go see grandpa. Father? Neng Pa Chun widened his eyes. No one knew where Neng Mu Gi was, since the man hid himself from public eye after retiring. That was why even Neng Pa Chun couldnt meet his father, even though he wanted to see him greatly. Dear, do you know where father is? Nope. Then how are you going to meet him? I think I know where he might be. Neng Ha Young stood up from where she was. Probably, no one under the heavens would be able to find her grandfather, who was determined to hide himself. All except her, that was. Remember what grandpa said to you before he left? Did he say anything about going anywhere? He couldnt remember his father telling him anything about going anywhere. Neng Pa Chun tried thinking again more carefully. Still nothing. Did father tell you anything in secret or something? No, he didnt say anything about going anywhere. Neng Ha Young grinned from ear to ear. She had a very confident look in her face. But I can find him. Neng Mu Gi told his son this when he retired. [I could not reflect upon myself till now because of all the other petty problems that came my way. I feel that I did enough for the organization already, so now I will reorganize my thoughts by resetting my mindset. So dont try to bother me if you can. But its not like you can find me, anyways.] When Neng Mu Gi said that, he gave Neng Ha Young a mysterious look. And Neng Ha Young was able to figure out the hidden meaning within Neng Mu Gis words. Ill be at the Qilian mountains (Bɽ) for a while. Qilian mountains. This was where Neng Mu Gi first met his master, the Qilian Sword Demon, and learnt martial arts. That was why Neng Ha Young was certain. Her grandfather was there. * * * After resting for the whole day, Cho Ryu Hyang was at the back yard with a wooden stick. He was contemting upon something with a very serious look on his face. If he wanted to solve the problem given to him, he should change his way of approaching the problem. So he started thinking. The answer he got after thinking a while, actually had quite a lot of restrictions. Thats why he was hesitating so much over testing it. Then, his fathers favorite phrase passed by in his mind. A person doesnt even have the right to regret over something he hasnt even done. It was a very meaningful sentence. Cho Ryu Hyang set his mind in ce after thinking about it. With a determined face, he started to draw a line on the ground. A concentrated face. Right now, everything else disappeared in the world, and Cho Ryu Hyang could only see the line that he was currently drawing on the ground. This is the most important part, now. What he was trying to do now was something extremely hard. But thats what brought him enjoyment in the first ce. Right now, Cho Ryu Hyang was carefully controlling his strength with utmost concentration, to draw a single line on the ground. Cho Ryu Hyang paid attention to even the thickness of the line as much as possible. The line he drew was as big as a small childs height. Phew. But the real problem started here. Cho Ryu Hyang breathed in deeply, and went to draw another line, parallel to the line he drew just a moment before. He checked multiple times to see that the two lines were perfectly parallel. Starting with that, he drew a total of 8 lines. The work took about 1 hour till now. But Cho Ryu Hyang, without stopping, kept drawing more lines. When Cho Ryu Hyang finished drawing thest line, his whole body was drenched in sweat. He was that focused in his work.He fixed his sses in ce, wiped his forehead, and stared at his work. Fufu. The work he created was a surprisingly perfect octagon. This was the formation that his teacher gave him. He drew this on the ground himself. Theres still one more thing. This wasnt the end. There was onest thing to be done. The circle that encapsules the octagon. Once hepletes that, his formation would beplete. Cho Ryu Hyang swallowed his spit. Then he slowly drew a circle around the octagon. The stick in his hand followed his hand movements, and drew the circle. The moment before he finished, Cho Ryu Hyang paused. Could it really.? ording to the equation, once the circle ispleted, the formation is activated. And once activated, even the strongest man in the world would be unable to destroy it. It was that strong. But he couldnt believe it. He couldnt believe that an abnormal thing could happen just because of a few lines. Suspicion and belief. Because of the two feelings conflicting with each other, Cho Ryu Hyang was at a confused state. As Cho Ryu Hyang never suffered from a emotional conflict like this, as he was a very logical thinker, this conflict confused him very much. Will it really work? After waiting for a while, Cho Ryu Hyang finally stepped outside the formation. He didnt feel the need to bet on something that was uncertain to begin with. He stepped out of the circle, andpleted the circle. Its done now, huh. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the formation with a stiff face. The formation that his teacher gave to him in mathematical form was tranted to the ground perfectly. ording to the equation, there would be an amazing amount of pressure inside the formation right now. Since Cho Ryu Hyang minimized the formation by 3 times, the pressure would be decreased, but it was still at the level a normal human would barely be able to endure. Is that really the case? Cho Ryu Hyangs posture rxed a bit. That was because there was no change in the formation even after some time. In his mind, suspicion was growing. Was there really something going on within the formation? ording to the equation, once someone goes in, not only will he be bombarded with pressure, but he will also see hallucinations of a great storm. The hallucination will continue to strengthen, until it actually bes real, and it kills the person inside. Its hard to believe. Cho Ryu Hyang was full of disbelief now. But the thing was, he didnt have the courage to go inside. Hn. Cho Ryu Hyang circled the formation multiple times, like some dog that had to do its business urgently. The reason he drew the formation was simple. Since he couldnt solve it in mathematical form, he decided to try the formation itself, and see if he could get any intuition from that. But once he made the formation, he hit another problem. Unless he went inside, he wouldnt find any solution. After moaning some more like a sick patient, Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. It seemed that he would really have to enter the formation. But he couldnt just enter it. He needed something that could ensure his safety. After thinking for a long time, Cho Ryu Hyang went back to his living quarters. A little whileter, he brought back something with him. It was a thick rope about 9 meters long. He wrapped it around a tree in the back yard, and tied the other end to himself. This got him a little braver. Just for safety measures. He didnt even know if the formation would even activate, but he prepared a rope just in case. If the formation did indeed work, he would pull himself out with the rope. After going through all the preparation, Cho Ryu Hyang breathed deeply a few times. And he put one of his feet inside the formation. TapC Once his foot entered the formation, Cho Ryu Hyang flinched. A little bitter, he had a confused look on his face. He was very anxious, but once he entered, nothing happened. He took one more look at the formation. .Does the whole body have to go in? Cho Ryu Hyang quickly reviewed the equation for the formation in his head, but there was nothing that mentioned such a thing. He was filled with relief and disappointment at the same time. It seems he was actually hoping for a supernatural thing to happen. Cho Ryu Hyang lifted his other foot with aplicated face. Would it really activate if I put in my whole body? He didnt think it would work. He was really skeptical right now. When he thought about himself putting an hour of hard work into something that didnt even work, he got discouraged. Even so, he started to prepare himself one more time. Well, there is a miniscule chance of it working. A person had to be thorough in everything. If the formation actually worked, the rope he had would be his only lifeline. .! Again, the formation did not work. The rope wrapped around his waist. He was starting to look awkward, holding the rope with his hands tightly. Cho Ryu Hyang looked around quickly. Thankfully, there was no one around. If someone actually saw him like this, he would die of shame. What a tragedy. Cho Ryu Hyang just stood in the formation for a while. Then, he started to erase the lines with his feet. He didnt want anyone to see even the traces of what happened here. Was teacher actually just joking? When he thought about his teachers serious, noble face, the chances of him joking didnt seem likely. But the teachers equation for the formation clearly said that something amazing would happen if one gets inside the formation. But once he actually tried out the formation, nothing happened. If this was simply a joke, this was too sad. You made a bad joke, teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang kept erasing the lines while thinking about his teacher reproachfully. All of a sudden, he thought of something, and trembled. He stopped erasing the lines. His eyes were shining in delight. The variables! When he thought about it, he didnt put in the 8 variables he found in the formation. No, its better to say that he wasnt able to put it in. Variables were called variables because their values could change at any given moment, after all. How was he supposed to put that into the formation? When he thought that, he started to think more and more. He was pondering upon the subject. Cho Ryu Hyang kept thinking, all the while holding onto the rope in this hands. When he gained a small insight, he once again trembled. Could it be the numbers for the variables werent the numbers that change inside the formation, but it was just numbers from the outside? If he couldnt find any answer by calcting all the possibilities he could think of, it was all right to say that there was no answer at all. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly took off the rope tied around his waist, and started running around the backyard. He was trying to find something. A littleter, Cho Ryu Hyang came back with 8 stones, all shaped differently from each other. Cho Ryu Hyang had a big grin on his face. It was as if he found giant lumps of gold. Yes, these are the variables. Things that are fundamentally the same, but can change at any time! The stones all look different. No, in the first ce, stones that look exactly like each other dont exist in the world. Even if someone tried to make something like it, it wouldnt work. That was because even though stones were allposed of the same thing, the size, shape, and the weight were all different. Nature is what changes the shapes everything to differ from one another, even though they are made of the same thing in the end. And Cho Ryu Hyang had the ability, the Faultless View of The World. Using that, he could see the values of each stone at hand. After confirming the values of each stone, Cho Ryu Hyang believed that they would make fantastic variables that wouldplete the formation without fail. Cho Ryu Hyang picked up his wooden branch, and started drawing again. This time, he drew less carefully, a little rougher than before. Thepleted formation looked a little roughed up. Cho Ryu Hyang stood inside the formation, and started to put stones at each vertex of the octagon. Did he gain yet another insight? Cho Ryu Hyangs hands were trembling nonstop as he ced the stones. The formation, too, didnt need to be drawn so carefully from the start. As long as the energy were able to flow through the lines without fail, it should work. If there were any parts that were poorly drawn, the energies that flow through the lines should be able to fix it. If it was too badly drawn, the energies would seep out of the lines. When Cho Ryu Hyang gained an insight, countless others followed. Because of the countless insights that wereing at him nonstop, Cho Ryu Hyang forgot about one important fact. When he put thest stone on the final vertex. Eh? Cho Ryu Hyangs entire body disappeared like smoke. Chapter 8. A Nail In The Pocket Can Only Stick Out Chapter 8. A Nail In The Pocket Can Only Stick Out The Five Great ns. They are the 5 strongest, most influential ns under the heavens. The five ns started off with the n known to be the strongest n under the heavens, the Nangong n. It was followed by the kings of the Sichuan region, the Sichuan Dang n. Then, the rulers of the Hebei, the Hebei Peng n. That was followed by the n at the Liaoning, which was at the corner of the martial world. They were known as the Murong n. And. There was the n that was regarded as the weakest of the five; Famous for their strategic minds instead of their martial skills, was the Zhuge n, located in Honam. Im sure most of you already know, but starting today, well stop working externally for a while due to having to repair the main houses formation. The schrly, middle-aged man. He was the current head of the Zhuge n, and was known as the Schrly sword, Zhuge Sang Lin. Zhuge Sang Lin was leading the meeting with all the active Zhuge n members in the room. The tableid in front of him. About 10 people were sitting on each side of the table. On the table, there was a giant golden box, which was about big enough to fit a grown man inside. Zhuge Sang Lin pushed the box into the center and opened his mouth. All foreign matters will be dealt by Zhuge Gi (T), and all internal matters that needs to be hidden from privy eyes will be dealt with by Zhuge Mu Hui (Tx). All the members nodded in agreement. It seemed they expected this to some extent. Zhuge Sang Lin looked at two young men seated across from each other on the far side of the table, and spoke up. As you know, this event will determine the fate of our n for the next 10 years. Because of that, everyone here will monitor your every move. Dont make a single mistake in your work. Yes. I will keep that in mind. After Zhuge Gi and Zhuge Mu Hui answered, Zhuge Sang Lin looked at everyone room, and spoke. I trust the childrens ability, but since we dont know what might happen, could a elder help them out? This one will take care of Gi with the foreign matters, head. Zhuge Yong Mok (TĿ). (TL: Zhuge Dragon Eyes. Neat.) Originially, he wasnt from the Zhuge family. But a long time a go, he married into the family and became one of the Zhuge family. In the martial world, he was known as the Dual Wielding Flying Sword (pw). Looking at him with reassured eyes, Zhuge Sang Lin nodded. Im confident that elder Yong Mok will be able to take care of Gi easily. Now then, is there anyone willing to help out Mu Hui? I will help him, head. Zhuge Yu Sung (T). He was known as the strongest in the Zhuge family, and was the uncle of the current head of the Zhuge n. Hearing his words, Zhuge Sang Lin made a troubled face. Would uncle be alright with taking care of this sort of task? This is the biggest event in the Zhuge n right now. Who would I be to back out from this? But. Zhuge Sang Lin made aplicated face. It was the same for all the other Five ns. They clung to people of the same blood more so than others. Because of that, the rankings within the n was rather murky at the moment. There were even times when the elders were able to overrule the heads decision for the family. For example, Zhuge Yu Sung, who was known as an extremely strong expert, even stronger than Zhuge Sang Lin, recieved a lot of support from the stronger experts in the family. That was what confused Zhuge Sang Lin. Unlike other ns, the Zhuge n forbid anyone weak from bing the n head. That meant if the firstborn didnt have enough power, the 2nd child was always wee to be the head. He hasnt even made a move once till now. Zhuge Yu Sungs move signaled an immense movement within the n. That was because the man never took sides with anyone till now. Until today, the man stayed neutral. This one has high regards for the second child. Thats why I just want to help him out. .! Zhuge Sang Lin couldnt hide his surprised face at Zhuge Yu Sungs words. Zhuge Yu Sung was known to be very sharp-witted in the n. Then doesnt saying those kind of words clearly mean that he was supporting the second child to be the n head? Is there some that something about the second child that I failed to see? Zhuge Sang Lin scanned through his memories, and found nothing. The second was a quiet child that simply liked to read. Except for the fact that the child was able to keep a cool head, there wasnt any other redeeming qualities. Because of that, the firstborn, who was active, headstrong, and was skilled in martial arts, seemed more likely to be the head of the family. But thanks to what happened here, that didnt seem too likely anymore. Zhuge Yu Sungs statement had this much on an impact upon the family. Because of the sudden statement from the elder, there was now a higher chance of a family feud happening in the family about the next head. This is troublesome. When he was thinking about asking the man about what exactly he was thinking, he noticed that everyone else in the room were also confused. They were ncing at Zhuge Yu Sung constantly. Is there anything else we must talk about? As if he realized that he was being watched by others, Zhuge Yu Sung asked the head this with a scolding tone. The head, brought back to his senses, panicked a little and spoke up. The next matter well talk about is. The conference continued, but no one was really listening anymore. Their mind was thinking about something else at this point. * * * Please tell me uncles motives for doing this. My motives? Whatever do you mean? Do you seriously not know what Im talking about? Are you asking me this because you actually dont know? I didnt really see the head as a stupid individual. Zhuge Sang Lins face wrinkled in displeasure. He was able to feel Zhuge Yu Sungs resolution in his voice. That child isnt fit to be the next head. Is that what the head thinks? The others are probably thinking the same, too. Dont worry about that. Their minds probably changed today. Im sure of it. Uncle! He didnt want to cause a pointless feud. How much blood has been spilt over brothers fighting to be the head till now? This kind of an event happened far too many times in the history of the Zhuge n. Did Zhuge Sang Lins thoughts appear unto his face? The elder spoke these words to him in a calm voice. I know what the head is worried about. But this is for the sake of the whole n. Will the n only prosper if brothers have to fight each other for the throne? His words were starting to get thorny. Zhuge Sang Lin furiously red at his uncle. The most respected adult in the n, the man who was nearing the harmonious stage. Zhuge Sang Lin couldnt understand why a man like this caused such an event. I too, have endured for a long time. I wanted to avoid this if possible. But its not possible. If I dyed it any longer, there wouldve been even more bloodshed within the n. If I do it here and now, we will be able to have a rtively good ending. Why did you make such a decision? How much do you know about that child? I know that the boy has a smart head on his shoulders. But. Is that all? Was there something more to it? Zhuge Sang Lin wrinkled his head and fell into deep thought. It seemed that Zhuge Yu Sung knew something else about the child that he didnt know. What was it? Was it something big enough to settle the position of the head? The head does not know Zhuge Mu Hui. Thats probably why you do not like my decision. But youll alsoe to realize soon that I was right. . Zhuge Sang Lin couldnt say anything. Even though he didnt reach the Harmonious stage, Zhuge Yu Sung was extremely good at making decisions, at least when it came to anything that he knew about. If he saw something in that boy, Mu Hui probably had an unimaginable talent within him. .I will take time to monitor the second child. Even though he didnt like the situation, this was probably the best way to handle the situation for now. As if he knew what Zhuge Sang Lin was thinking, Zhuge Yu Sungs voice became a lot more gentle. There is a saying known as Nan Zhong Zhi Zhui (֮F: A nail in the pocket can only stick out). The boys talent would be revealed anyways in this event. Ill make it happen. So throw away your first impression of him, and look at his real self. Zhuge Sang Lin closed his mouth. He was a little pressured by the elders confident words. He felt that he did indeed need to watch Mu Hui a bit more. * * * Zhuge Mu Hui felt hectic today. Starting from Zhuge Gi, his elder brother, all the elders of the n came to visit him. The source of all this camete at night. But since he already expected this visit to happen, he couldnt give the biggest figure in the n poor treatment. This is. Longjin tea. Yes. Were you unable to sleep? No, you were waiting for me, werent you. Yes. Mu Hui made a bitter smile while looking at the elder. He came without warning, and he didnt even say why. But the elder wasnt the only won who had to exin some things. He had to, too. I dont why why youre doing this. Zhuge Yu Sung. He smirked, and asked him: Do you really not know? Yes. I believe my brother is more suited to be the n head. Thats what you think, yes? Yes. Everyones going to think differentlyter. You will be the head. I will make it that way. Mu Hui made a troubled face, and scratched the back of his head. He really wasnt interested in bing the n head. That was because he thought his personality didnt match that sort of a thing at all. And couldnt you see the talent overflowing from his older brother already? He just wanted to pass on the troublesome job to his older brother, and read some books in the library in a rxed fashion. Dont try to dodge the job youve been given as the member of the n. I know what youre like. Youre slothful, andzy. . Zhuge Yu Sung opened his mouth again when Mu Hui made a difficult expression. But thats not your real self. I dont want to be a head. I dont want to fight big brother. I dont want to cause a feud. Thats probably what youre thinking inside your head. Zhuge Mu Huis rxed face trembled a bit. Noticing the change, Zhuge Yu Sung drank a bit more of his tea, and spoke. When it came to martial arts, we were always being pushed around by other ns. They rated us highly for our intelligence, but in martial arts, we were always one step behind. . As you know, this is a very shameful thing to happen. In this world, strength is key, but our main house is always known as the weakest out of all the ns. I never did like the main house because of that. Zhuge Mu Hui was a little confused. What did this have anything to do with the matter at hand? He couldnt figure out the motive of the elder. Because of that, I believed that only strength could give power to the n, so I started training in martial arts since a young age. Thats why I gave up on being the head. Thanks to that, I did gain some rewards. That thats it. The realm of harmonization is still far, and Ill probably never reach it in my lifetime. .Youre underestimating yourself too much. The elder shook his head. No, I will not reach the realm of harmonization. I studied the martial techniques of the main house all my life, but didnt reach it. No, I cant do it. You know what that represents? . The martial arts the main house possesses is weak. Compared to the martial arts of the other ns, our ns martial art itself got weak. It makes sense, seeing that none of our ancestors entered the harmonious stage. It did make sense. While all the other ns took their traditional martial arts styles and expanded upon it for centuries, the Zhuge n basicallypiled all the good points of those martial arts into one. Because of that, while they call their martial arts the most perfect style, it is actually just a randomption of techniques. Zhuge Mu Hui carefully opened his mouth. Isnt it just based on talent? Indeed. It could be because of my talent that I am unable to reach the harmonious state. I am admitting that. Looking at the elder, who coolly admitted that fact, Zhuge Mu Hui smiled. Then, Zhuge Yu Sung erased his smile instantly, and spoke up. Do not fold your own wings. I understand you not wanting to cause a family feud. But if you do that, your talent will just be wasted. . Zhuge Mu Hui put on a face of innocence, as if he didnt know what the other party was talking about. But he couldnt prevent his eyes from trembling. Do not hide your ws. No, its useless even if you hide it. I. With our current arts, we cannot even think about bing the best under the heavens. You know that already, yes? . Zhuge Mu Hui thought that it wasnt necessarily impossible, but he didnt dare say it out loud. That was because he agreed with the elder somewhat. The Zhuge ns martial art was wed. There was something unusual about their martial art, something so small that only an expert on the harmonious stage would be able to detect it. I know your talents are about as same as mine. But that is it. You probably know that now. Zhuge Mu Hui had a really troubled look. Since the elder knew this much already, he couldnt hide it anyways. When did you. learn about it? I never realized grandfather was such a sly person. Zhuge Yu Sung grinned. I wasnt sure about it even till now, actually. I dont know how you did it, but you hid your talent well. But while you can hide your talent, you cant hide your body, that reached peak condition already. The others probably couldnt see it, but I could. Thats why I was paying attention to you. Zhuge Mu Hui learnt that he had been tricked, but he couldnt do anything. The elder was sly, yet wise. Under his gaze, Mu Hui wouldve been discovered sooner orter. While he had a regretful expression on his face, Zhuge Yu Sung grabbed onto Zhuge Mu Huis hands. Mu Hui could somehow feel the immense amount of passion from those hands, and therefore made an unpleasant face. There is no depth in the main houses martial art. Because of that, the limits we can reach with this power is not high, either. .It would certainly be hard. But Zhuge Mu Hui thought if one did put his whole life into it, it might be possible. That was why he was thinking about dedicating his life to martial arts after giving up on the head position. And then after somehow reaching the harmonious stage, he would fix the mistakes that appear in their martial arts. As if Zhuge Yu Sung read his thoughts, the elder shook his head violently. Wouldnt it be nice to be able to show strength without using martial arts? The n never used martial arts to be famous, anyways. Zhuge Mu Hui put on aplicated face. Use something other than martial arts to show power in the martial world? Did that something even exist? Zhuge Yu Sung pulled out something from his pocket. Mystical Door Formation. Our houses rootse from here, and therefor we can use this to grow stronger. And when ites to formations, no one has a better advantage than us. Zhuge Mu Hui looked at the old book in Zhuge Yu Sungs hands. What is that? The greatest of our ancestors created this book. I found it not long ago. Moon Edge Flower Algorithm Magic (ɭ_㷨g) () (TL: Volume 2. Obviously.) Looking at the title of the book, Zhuge Mu Huis eyshes were faintly trembling. .Could it be? Yes. You probably heard of this a few times in the n. This is the greatest formations book given to us by the chancellor of the Shu Han, Zhuge Kongming. With this, our powers will increase indefinitely. It was something known to have disappeared a long time ago. Since Zhuge Mu Hui didnt know it would end up in his hands like this, his face started to twist into aplex expression. Chapter 9. Inviting Jo Gi Chun Chapter 9. Inviting Jo Gi Chun After his lecture ended, Jo Gi Chun called out Peng Ga Ho to talk to him. Peng Ga Ho wasnt very fond of talking to the teacher, thanks to a certain event, but once he learned that the teacher wanted to talk about Cho Ryu Hyang, his expression quickly changed. You say he is resting because hes unwell? Yes, didnt he send a message? He did indeed receive a message. But that was over 5 days ago. Was Cho Ryu Hyang too sick toe out to the lecture for 5 days? Did you go visit him? Yea. I peeked inside, and his face was no joke. He was really pale and worn. Didnt look like he slept for a few days. Peng Ga Ho barely stopped himself from saying He looked a little insane. Hmmm. Jo Gi Chun thought a little when Peng Ga Ho answered him. But he didnt realize that Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to sleep because of the homework he had given him. I should go visit him. This was his first disciple. He got worried when this disciple got sick. Jo Gi Chun was surprised at himself, for actually getting worried over someone else. He never got really worried for someone, after all. Why are you trying to find that boy? When Peng Ga Ho cautiously asked him this question, Jo Gi Chun answered with a casual voice. I was talking about mathematics with the boy. Ah. ok. Math? Again? Peng Ga Hoined in his mind about how iprehensible these fellows were. But on the outside, he had an extremely polite expression on his face. May I leave now? Yes. Youve done well. When Peng Ga Ho quietly exited, Jo Gi Chun revealed an anxious face. He wanted to visit the child immediately, but he couldnt just go as he pleased, as it would attract unwanted attention. No one knew that he took on a disciple, after all. And he didnt have any intention of revealing this to the public, either. Looking at Peng Ga Hos actions from earlier, it seemed that Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was kept this fact a secret. This is for the best. Jo Gi Chun had a glimpse of a smile on his face. The fact that Cho Ryu Hyang would work with mathematics as a profession in the future already brought satisfaction to him. But if that information was sent to the public, it would be troublesome. It would bring some obstacles to Cho Ryu Hyang in life. Right now, the view on math wasnt very positive. A useless subject. Something that only merchants learnt. That was how mathematics was viewed to the world. (TL: ording to confucianism (which a lot of Asians followed) merchants were viewed as the lowest ss in society, even lower than artists and craftsmen.) Jo Gi Chun kept studying math only because he enjoyed the art. He didnt care one bit about what others said about him. But Cho Ryu Hyang was different. You cant predict anything about the future. Cho Ryu Hyang. His disciple was still young. Very young. Because of that, his mind might change any moment. Right now, his n dealt with government matters, so the child was naturally interested in math. But this interest could be snuffed out at any given moment. And since he had a good head on his shoulders, he could either advance as a high ranking government official, or advance in the world of martial arts by practicing it. The paths the boy could take right now were endless. So even though the boy was studying under Jo Gi Chun right now, there was no need to tell anyone about it. It would only serve to be shackles for the boy. If you think about the boys young age, it wasnt right to try to decide the boys future on his own. After sorting out hisplicated feelings, he walked slowly to his house. He was going to leave his baggage there, and was going to think of a way to approach his disciple quietly. Although Jo Gi Chun didnt realize it, there was someone who was watching him from far away from a while back. No, to be specific, the man was watching Jo Gi Chun from afar for the whole day. Hes finally alone. But The man in red had a troubled look on his face. This mission was on a different scale from all the other jobs he received before. (TL: Man in red appears in Chapter 3) First of all, the man he was about to approach was not a martial artist. He was an old man who was devoted to a field that wasnt even recognized by the world. And instead of killing the man, he had to take the old man safely to the base. This was what troubled him. The only missions he did so far was abduction, murder, and arson. He wasnt used to such peaceful missions. I dont really want to do this, but whatever. This was an order from his master. Orders were absolute. He had to aplish it by any means. The man clicked his tongue. He knew that he just missed his chance the approach the target properly. The old man was about to leave the house after leaving his baggage. If I let this go, I wouldnt know how long Id have to wait to find the right chance again. The man in red, after thinking a bit, revealed his body from the shadows. The man stood in front of the door, blocking it. Jo Gi Chuns eyes held a tinge of surprise in it. You are Jo Gi Chun, yes? .Who are you? This ones from the Heavenly Demon Church. I came here to meet you because of a secret mission. Jo Gi Chun became surprised for a moment, but he immediately calmed himself down. Then he started to observe the young man in front of him, The mans probably a martial artist. Jo gi Chun wouldve probably died already if the man wanted to kill him. But seeing that the man was being polite to him, he probably had something else in mind. The Heavenly Demon Church? Even though JO Gi Chun was unfamiliar with the Martial world, but he have heard of the Heavenly Demon Church countless times. The Demon Church. Since he only heard bad things about the organization, he began looking at the man with a cautious gaze. As if the man read Jo Gi Chuns thoughts, the mans face became troubled. It seems you already know about us. A little. Ive heard rumors about it. The man in red. The leader of the Hidden Demon Corps (ħ), Um Seung Do (KI) swore in his mind. It wouldve been better if the man didnt know about it. Since first impressions were actually very powerful, it would surely work against for Um Seung Do. Rumors in the martial world tends to get out of control easily. In a bad way at that. We are not the evil organization that you think we might be. .Thats that, but what do you want with me, to appear just like that? The old mans cautious gaze did not change, as he tried to change the subject. Um Seung Do gave up on changing the old mans mind about how he viewed the church. Even if he tried to exin, the old man probably wouldnt believe him, and he didnt have time to exin, anyways. He was really tight on time. There is a matter that we need help with. Only you can help us in this matter. .This old mans only good at mathematics. Um Seung Do smiled in his mind. The old man, as expected, knew next to nothing about the Heavenly Demon Church. The Heavenly Demon Church isnt a simple martial arts organization. They were a gigantic group, that was more careful and subtle than any other groups in the world. They made no mistakes in their work. The same could be said with this mission. Um Seung Do probably knew more about the old man than the old man did himself. We know that you are extremely skilled in formations, professor. . Although Jo Gi Chun didnt show it, he was extremely surprised. He worked with formations in the imperial pce. It was done with absolute secrecy, too. He didnt think anyone would know about it How could he not be surprised, when a man he saw for the first time in his life revealed his secret just like that? Youve done your share of research, it seems. This is basic. Looking at the smiling man in front of him, Jo Gi Chun felt that this man was not that simple. It wasnt possible to try to hide anything from someone like this. Thankfully, the man didnt look like he came to harm him, so Jo Gi Chun decided to hear him out for the moment. Chapter 9-1 I didnt know a visitor woulde, so please understand if the presentation is a bit subpar. No need. After sitting in the seat offered to him, Um Seung Do looked around the room a little. As expected, this man was very frugal. There werent any decor in the room, only a bed, desk, and some chairs. Based on his personality, trying to slowly persuade him would just be a waste of time. After pouring cold tea from the teapot to his cup, Jo Gi Chun spoke up. His question was rather straightforward. Is the request rted to formations? Yes. Weve found the mostplicated formation under the heavens, and need the best of the best to decrypt it. Jo Gi Chun thought a bit. This was a very troublesome request. He never really liked getting involved with the martial world from the start, but this event gave out an ominous feeling, at that. An ominous feeling. The words from the man in front gave Jo Gi Chun plenty of it. Did the man sense his hesitation? The man opened his mouth again. The payment will be bigger than you would imagine. Im not worried about the payment. Is there something else you want? To be truthful, Jo Gi Chun was equally interested in formations as much as he was interested in mathematics. The mostplicated formation under the heavens? He wanted to see it for himself. .Arent there more talented people than I when ites to formations? Um Seung Do shook his head. He then spoke with an adamant face. No. Thats because we need someone talented in mathematics and formations both. Jo Gi Chun thought for a little bit, thought of someone, and opened his mouth. I know another person that will suit this job more. How about taking him instead? Um Seung Do already knew about who this man was. Is it perhaps Ju Ho Yu from the imperial pce? .You already knew this much? Contacting him was impossible, which is why we came to you. Ju Ho Yu. He was a person who pushed down Jo Gi Chun with skill. He could be considered the very best in mathematics in the world. He was a strange person who pursued mathematics, even though he was born in a rich family, with a clever head. Jo Gi Chun put on a troubled face while Um Seung Do was thinking about Ju Ho Yu. He didnt realize the man would even know about Ju Ho Yu. Im sorry, but I do not think I can perform what you are asking me to do. Um Seung Do red at the old schr. Was it because he was a schr? It seems the old man didnt know how scary he could be. Should he educate the old man? No, nows not the time to do this. This mission required full cooperation from the subject. The importance of all this was far too great to just use threats or lures. Using force will only be used when all else fails. After calming himself a bit, Um Seung Do thought of something. This was strange. ording to his sources, when Jo Gi Chun made his move, there were no real obstacles that prevented him from doing it. He had family, but they lived apart, and he wasnt a person to be attached to such things. He was a strange person that wanted to be alone. A person like this, whos crazy for math and formation, rejecting this sort of a request? There was something else here going on that he didnt know. What would it be? The Heavenly Demon Churchs informationwork was far bigger than even the martial world realized. They were able to learn about anything they deemed useful in an instant. But Jo Gi Chun didnt have it. He didnt have anything that would restrain him from refusing this. Um Seung Do even thought that Jo Gi Chun would go crazy when he told him about the formation. His calctions were far off. He decided to be a little more honest. If theres anything on your mind, you can tell me. Anything you want other than the payment is fine, too. We arent one of those stingy organizations you might think we are. We know how to repay a debt. He stopped himself from saying that they didnt forget betrayals, either. Jo Gi Chun was thinking. He didnt realize that he was actually standing on the fine line of life and death, but there were actually quite a lot of things that he was worried about. And the biggest worry on his mind. He wasnt sure if he should actually tell the man in front of him about this. The mostplicated formation. If he said he wasnt interested, it would be a lie. Like Um Seung Do thought, Jo Gi Chun indeed was a person whod go crazy over math and formations. But this mission was dangerous. It was an extremely enticing, yet equally dangerous offer. After thinking for a long time, Jo Gi Chun thought up something. Is it really the mostplicated formation under the heavens? Indeed. You want me to decrypt it? Yes. Jo Gi Chun nodded. Then I want to bring one more person with me. That is the condition. .Like I said before, this is an extremely secretive mission, so it would be better if little to no people knew about it. Um Seung Do never realized a loner like Jo Gi Chun would request something like this. So thats why he said he would grant almost any condition. If the person Jo Gi Chun wanted to bring was really outrageous, he wouldve refused immediately, and started threatening the old man a little, but the words out of the schrs mouth was something unexpected. I have a disciple. I wish to bring him with me. Um Seung Dos face hardened. He felt that this was a hard request to refuse. Chapter 10. Vanished Cho Ryu Hyang. Chapter 10. Vanished Cho Ryu Hyang. Following Jo Gi Chun to meet his disciple. Um Seung Dos face at the moment was very ugly. How pitiful. He wasnt able toe up with a reason to decline Jo Gi Chuns request. Of course, that was one of the reasons that annoyed him, but there was still an even bigger reason that made him angry. He was unable to predict something like this, even though he was a person who handled information in the first ce. This fact bothered him very much. He sought perfection in his work, and found satisfaction from it. Eventually, he couldnt hold it back, and asked. When did you take in your disciple? This was actually a very shameful question, at least for him. That was because he usually knew the answer to his questions before he even asked them. Jo Gi Chun, unaware of the mansplicated feelings, answered immediately. About four days. Four days? Yes. Um Seung Dos face brightened a little when he heard Jo Gi Chuns answer. Four days was a little tight for information to arrive properly, wasnt it? This wasnt an extremely urgent mission, either, so there was a possibility of a 4 day gap of information happening. But it is a problem well have to address properly. Um Seung Do arrived where Cho Ryu Hyang stayed, as he was thinking that. The moment Jo Gi Chun and Um Seung Do arrived in front of the ce. Um Seung Do put his hand on his sword hilt immediately. At the same time, a strange humming noise ringed in his ears. KiingC He reflexively jumped backwards, and looked at his surroundings. Whats this? Um Seung Do narrowed his eyes, and tried to find something. His face soon crumbled in irritation. A mistake? No way. Um Seung Dos face wrinkled even more. He was an extremely strong expert. While he didnt reach the harmonious state yet, his senses were far above those of normal people. With these senses, he felt something. A very ominous energy. What was that? He kept himself alert, but there wasnt anything particrly strange in the surroundings. But the strange feeling was still in his mind, and it annoyed him. Jo Gi Chun, who was staring at the man as if he was observing an insane person, spoke up. Anything wrong? .Its nothing. The man wouldnt know even if he said anything. Um Seung Do kept observing his surroundings. Making an irritated face, he fiddled with his sword hilt. Something mysterious was provoking his senses, but he didnt know where, or what it was. This made him feel very ufortable. Jo Gi Chun looked at him strangely for a while, then turned around, and spoke up. I came here to meet Cho Ryu Hyang. Can you bring him out? The old manservant in front of him, who looked very troubled at the moment, looked at Jo Gi Chun and spoke. The yo, young master isnt here right now. Jo Gi Chun made a puzzled face. Wasnt the boy supposed to be sick? Then why was he not in his living quarters? After analyzing the old servants face for a little, he opened his mouth with a serious voice. Is there something going on? The servant opened his mouth anxiously when Jo Gi Chun asked him. Tha, that is. Grandpa Jangs face twisted a little bit, and he closed his mouth. Jo Gi Chun, noticing that something was wrong, immediately asked him. This is an important matter. If hes not here, can you at least tell me where he is? Well, I thought the young master was in the back yard He suddenly disappeared, so I was trying to find him. He disappeared? Yes. Jo Gi Chun tilted his head in curiosity. In normal circumstances, he wouldnt have thought much about it, but wasnt this boy sick? Where was he going with a body like that? Um Seung Do, who was thinking by himself till now, stepped up and asked Grandpa Jang something. Old man, is there something behind the house? Grandpa Jang, pressured by the young mans aura, opened his mouth with a weak voice. .Th, theres nothing special at the back. Just a back yard is all. Yard? May I have a look at it? Yes, of course. Please follow me. When they followed the small path at the side, they reached a small yard with a big tree. The young master was here just now When I prepared his meal and came to look for him, he just wasnt there. Jo Gi Chun took a look at Um Seung Do. The man was observing the yard from a while back. Soon, he found a rope tied to the tree, and asked something. Was that always there? No. I think the young master put it there, but I dont know what its for. Um Seung Do started pondering a bit when he saw the rope. Its here. When Um Seung Do came to the yard, he became certain. It was here. The thing that kept provoking his senses. When he came here, his muscles tensed, and his neck grew stiff. And that feeling just became a lot stronger. This was much too clear to be false. Whats this? Why am I feeling something so ominous here? Um Seung Do looked around with a frown, but there werent anything significant around. But his senses kept warning him of something. This ce is dangerous. So dont carelessly move around. His senses were telling him this repeatedly. Um Seung Do trusted his senses. Thanks to his senses, he was able to survive multiple times, after all. And in front of him, there was some kind of invisible danger. Because he didnt know what the danger was just yet, approaching it any more would be foolish. When he made this conclusion, Jo Gi Chun was, at the moment, also searching for something with a troubled face. Could it be? It shouldnt be possible. But the signs on the floor soon turned his assumption to absolute certainty. After looking at the signs on the floor multiple times, Jo Gi Chuns face became filled with concern. Without realizing it, he started to hum in worry. mm. It was certain. This was a formation. A formation that he gave to Cho Ryu Hyang as homework. Eight Gates Restraining Formation (Ti). The question is, why is it here? He could technically say that the boy just drew it there on a whim. But that would be impossible. Activating a formation was actually quite tricky, since there were a lot of requirements that had to be met. And even if you meet all the requirements, the formation would not activate. That is because the formation would need a core. Then howd he activate it? Jo Gi Chun became confused here. If you want to activate a good formation, typically youd need a giant diamond as its core. If you wanted to keep the formation active for long, youd need to have a diamond that matched the element of the formation inrge amounts. Only the imperial pce was able to maintain a good,rge formation, since the cost of it would be beyond measure. Dont move. Theres something in front of us. Jo Gi Chuns eyes revealed a surprised expression. He thought that Um Seung Do was a typical martial artist, but it seemed that the man was more outstanding than he realized. Formations usually twist the energy of nature by a miniscule amount to create an artificial dimension. But since the dimension ispletely isted from the world, it would be extremely difficult to feel anything. He was able to detect that miniscule change? That meant that the man was an expert among experts. You can feel the energy of the formation? Formation? Aha! So this is a formation? Um Seung Dos eyes reflected wonder. Everything became clearer to him now. This strange feeling and the ominous aura. This is what he feels when he approaches a formation. Do you know what happened? Jo Gi Chun, hearing Um Seung Dos question, stroked his beard and fell to deep thought. It was hard to believe, but the one who created this formation was probably Cho Ryu Hyang. So the person trapped inside would be him. Jo Gi Chuns face stiffened. The Eight Gates Restraining formation was a formation that activated when something alive was inside. That was the requirement. Jo Gi Chun walked forward. Will you be alright? Yes. The formation exuded a magnificent aura. And seeing that the air was moving about strangely, there should be something happening inside. Because of that, Um Seung Do had a worried expression on his face. He then thought of something, and nodded. The man is an expert. Worrying about him would simply mean that Um Seung Do didnt trust Jo Gi Chuns skills. Ill wait here. Sure. Jo Gi Chun walked forward. Um Seung Do was watching Jo Gi Chun from the back with bright eyes. This is good. He would be able to witness Jo Gi Chuns power with his own eyes. Although Jo Gi Chun was pushed off by Ju Ho Yu, his skills were still rumored to be unmatched. Would those rumors actually be true? Um Seung Do sat down on the ground, and looked forward. And he just watched. He just watched Jo Gi Chun disappear into thin air * * * Cho Ryu Hyang, who was trapped in the formation, sat down. He tried to make a sense of what just happened, while scratching his head. How did this The formation activating was a good thing. No, it wasnt a good thing, it was a very satisfactory result. That was because this whole thing meant quite a bit to Cho Ryu Hyang. That was because all the information hed been absorbing till now finally saw practical use. But he got too excited. Cho Ryu Hyang, aftering up with multiple excuses as to why he ended up here, sighed. What kind of an idiot trapped himself in the formation he made? That idiot was here. Im an idiot! Cho Ryu Hyang stopped himself from saying it out loud, and made a depressed face. When he was putting down thest stone, he realized where he was, but it was toote by then. He wanted to cry. And The bigger problem wasnt this. Although he knew how to activate a formation perfectly well, he still didnt know how to destroy it. This was bothering him very much. I dont even have time to regret. It was troublesome. Then someones voice rang inside his head. [Well, youre in quite the situation.] When the voice rang in his head, Cho Ryu Hyang looked around. Then he thought of something, and closed his eyes. Elder, is it you? [Yes, its me.] Whats going on? How could he hear the old man even if his eyes werent closed? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, the old man talked. [Theres nothing to be confused about. This just means that your power just rose. Anyways, Ive been enjoying your little spectacle here. Quite an interesting approach. Idiotic, too.] Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks with an awkward expression. He didnt think the old man would observe his actions. While he was trying to see if he did anything weird before, the old man talked. [Well, thats that. So, how are you going to get out of here?] Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses. It wasnt time to chat idly with the old man. But he became a little relieved. Was there not the best formations expert under the heavens, Zhuge Liang, in his head? It didnt matter if the old man was Zhuge Liang or not, this formation should still be easy for him. Please help me, elder. Unexpectedly, he got a cold response. [Why?] .? Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt hide his confusion when he heard the old mans response. The old man smiled at him. [I cant just help you like that. You did this, so fix it yourself.] Elder! Cho Ryu Hyang asked for help with a distressing voice, but the old man didnt reply. He was actually enjoying the current situation. It was very interesting. He wanted to watch for a little longer. The boy managed to open the Mystical Door (T) without being taught anything? A 11 year old at that? If the old man didnt see it with his eyes, he wouldve found all this hard to believe. The Mystical Door was something extremelyplex, and ever-changing. It required an immense amount of calction to open. It was arguably the hardest field in the subject of mathematics. But the boy managed to solve it on his own. He knew the boy had talent, but this was just outrageous. Thats why Cho Ryu Hyangs existence became a rtively fresh experience to the old man. Just how far will you go? It was the same in the past, but activating formations really does have lots of requirements. The person has to find out the variables value, based on the ever-changing surroundings, and must put in the answer at the perfect time. Only then will the variable be the core of the formation, and be able to create a dimension of its own. The old man stroked his beard a bit, andughed. To be able to understand that at that age, the boys surely going to be a monster in the future. He wanted to see it. How far the boy would go. He wanted to see where the boy would stop. Well, right now, seeing if the boy would get out of this or not would be more important. The old man carefully observed Cho Ryu Hyangs every movement. Right then. RumbleC! The surroundings suddenly started to change. Chapter 10 Its begun. Unlike Cho Ryu Hyang, whose face was turning pale, the old man was feeling quitefortable at the moment. He knew very well what kind of formation it was. He knew about every nook and cranny. And of course, he knew how to destroy it. Well, I made it, so its obvious. The old man faintly smiled. He wanted to see how the boy would destroy the formation that he made a long time ago. The old man was feeling quite joyous as he watched the boy with a hushed breath. Chapter 11. Cho Ryu Hyang in Trouble Chapter 11. Cho Ryu Hyang in Trouble The old man from the picture. The various formations he made for fun in the past. Out of those formations, Cao Cao managed to get a glimpse of the Eight Gates Restraining Formation, and used it as a military formation. When he imed that he made the formation on his own, the old man just smiled. And when people started saying that Cao Cao was the one who created the formation, the old man pretended to not know about it. Who created the formation didnt really matter to him. He actually gave some credit to Cao Cao for being able to use it so perfectly like that. But the formation that Cho Ryu Hyang showed to Jo Gi Chun just now was iplete in many ways. The old man was able to figure that out the instant he saw it. He made it like that on purpose? To think that this boy, who knew quite a bit about formations, would do this. It wasnt just that. The boy fixed the holes in his formation with his own ways, and made itplete. It didnt seem possible for a young boy like this. It too surprising. And exciting. Even though the old man made this on a whim, this formation had some profound mysteries contained within it. If a person was unable to find this out, the person would be unable to live in such a ce. Now, show me. Show me how big your talent is. The old man was already excited to see how Cho Ryu Hyang would ovee this. Could it be? Already? Unlike the old man, who was overflowing with rxedness, Cho Ryu Hyang at the moment waspletely bewildered. Suppressing his scream inside himself, he trying to gain his surroundings. Right then, the ground flew up right in front of his eyes, and became a wall of stone. 3 more flew up, andpletely sealed Cho Ryu Hyang inside. The Restraints (i) already activated? This formation started off with sealing a person from the outside worldpletely. Right now, the space Cho Ryu Hyang was given was only about 1 pyeong. (Pyeong: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyeong) Im done for. Cho Ryu Hyang gave up on asking for help, and quickly looked around. He was trying to find a way to survive. While doing so, he stretched his hand out towards the wall. It was simple curiosity. He wanted to see if the wall in front of him was real or not. He could feel the hardness of the stone wall. Ah! Forgetting the fact that he was in grave danger, Cho Ryu Hyang shouted in admiration. This was a formless illusion. It had to be. For the illusion to feel real even though he was aware of what it was was this not surprising? It has form? Haha, how can this even He never thought such a strange thing was even possible, from the time he was born. Logically, this was impossible. But the impossible was happening right before his eyes. It was his own creation, too. At that thought, Cho Ryu Hyang felt a bit proud, and desperate at the same time. He made the formation so perfect, he couldnt find a way to get out. Cho Ryu Hyang, who was hitting at the stone walls, thought a bit. The formation will start moving again in about 15 minutes. ording to his calctions, once the formation trapped someone inside, after 15 minutes, the first transformation would take ce. Before that happened, Cho Ryu Hyang would have toe up with a way to escape. If he calcted correctly, he wouldnt even survive the first level of the eight total transformations. And if he died here, hed have died a stupid death. I cant let that happen. Cho Ryu Hyang ground his teeth. And thought. The first transformation will take ce from the north. North, South, East, West. The nucleus of the formation was there, where the greatest changes would take ce in. Storming water from the north. After calcting for a moment, Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his head. ording to the results, the effect of the transformation would be unbearably strong. The first would be the harmony of the ck Tortoise. (TL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ck_Tortoise) The 4 beasts that represented the 4 directions. The formation was being decrypted based on the beasts. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Pheonix, and the ck Tortoise. The first of the 4 beasts would be the water god (ˮ) of the north. The ck Tortoises harmony meant that a great wave was going to appear soon. The problem was, he didnt know how to deal with it, even if he knew it. For normal formations experts, this was a rather puzzling situation. When you knew how to make and activate a formation, naturally you would also know how to destroy it. If an expert of Cho Ryu Hyangs caliber got trapped in the formation, then he/she would be able to break through in less than 15 minutes. That was because the formations experts learned about formations not by mathematics, but by the movements of the world. But unfortunately, Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt a formations expert. He never really learned about formations in the first ce. The only thing he knew about was math. Relying only on math, he was trying to break through the formation. Naturally, this would be hard. What does the ck Tortoise represent? How do I get out of here alive? The more he thought, the more he realized how much trouble he was in. In order to get out alive, he kept thinking. And while he struggled like so, death quickly approached him. All of the sudden, a feeling of destion fell upon him. SwallowC Cho Ryu Hyang swallowed his spit out of nervousness. The air started to vibrate. vmmmmC The first transformation. It was about to happen now. krrrgC The ground hurtled upwards. When Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the top with difficulty, he could make out the newly-formed cliff starting to crumble. Then he saw. The sight blocked by the cliff. Ha Hahaha The slight smell that tickled his nose. Cho Ryu Hyangughed without knowing it. This was so inconceivable, he just startedughing. Isnt this a bit too much? Mangyung Changpa (fn: Unfathomable wave) Once he saw what was above the cliff, that word came to mind. He saw a sea that seemed to never end. The sea that seemed to be able to touch the sky, to boot. surawang_11 The sea was raging. Guoo The berserk winds proved just how strong the waves were. The first transformation. The ck Tortoises wrath. A giant tsunami was rapidly approaching Cho Ryu Hyang. Think. I have to think. If I dont want to die here, I have to think! Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shined as he fixed his sses. There should be a safe location somewhere. This wasnt a simple prediction or anything. In a formation, there existed a door of life (T), and the door of death (T). Since Cho Ryu Hyang didnt officially learn formations, this was all he knew, but this was enough. Cho Ryu Hyang started to slowly fumbled around the floor as he solved equations in his head. Theres a total of 8 ces that oversee the transformations. The door of life should be one of those. There were a total of 8 variables in the formation. Since one of the variables activated, that one variable should be safe out of the other seven. The problem was, he didnt know where that was. But Cho Ryu Hyang didnt give up. He was currently standing on an ind. An ind that was only about 1 pyeong. It was surrounded by water on all sides, and on that ind, was Cho Ryu Hyang, who was frantically searching for something. As the ind was small, Cho Ryu Hyang found what he was looking for quickly. But he hesitated for a moment. Is this really it? A stone small enough to fit a small child. Looking at the wide, t stone that exudes an aura different from other stones, Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit. The stone represented 5 ording to his calction. Out of the 8 vertexes in the formation, it represented the South. The opposite of the Water Gods position. Cho Ryu Hyang had to make a choice sooner orter. The situation was quite dire right now. One wrong choice meant death. Cho Ryu Hyang adjusted his sses position with a trembling hand, and made a bitter smile. If you think logically, since the Water God represented the North, it would make sense to go into the Northern vertex. But then, a feeling of suspicion quickly rose up, and changed Cho Ryu Hyangs mind. A very simple thought. It cant be this easy. When he looked back at the activation of the formation, the formation required a tremendous amount of equations to be solved. There were variables involved, too. It was tooplicated. Soplicated, it felt like his head could explode. It wasnt possible for a solution toe out easily like that. No way. A feeling of rejection rose up. And the conclusion he reached was this. But he had no confidence. Was his first answer right? Or was his second answer right? Theres a 50/50 chance. No, it seems lower, actually. KugagagakC! Looking at the giant tsunami that was right in front of him, Cho Ryu Hyang chuckled. He could see the white foam on the tsunami now. He had to make his choice. In mathematics, probabilities were the most unstable way of solving equations. That was why Cho Ryu Hyang tried to not rely on it if possible. And. He was moving towards the answer with less probability of survival. Looking at his actions, heughed. The suspicion that rose up before. He decided to believe in his senses. When Cho Ryu Hyang moved his body to the desired spot. The tsunami overtook him. * * * Its strange. Jo Gi Chun, who was currently located at the border of the formation, stroked his beard with a puzzled face. This was very strange. He noticed it the moment he entered the first transformation. The Eight Gates Restraining Formation. He could say he knew the most about it, as he was the one that restored the formation from the historic records. And When you look at the Three Kingdoms book, there appears a figure known as Cao Cao. This figure was known for creating the Eight Gates Restraining formation, and use it as a military formation. It was also said that Liu Bei was the first one to get through this formation. Anyways, the normal Eight Gates Restraining Formation was a military formation made to restrain arge amount of soldiers effectively, and kill them. Jo Gi Chun simply converted that military formation, and turned it into the standard formation. The use of a military formation clearly differs from a standard formation. But the main idea of the formations arent that different. It should open just about now. There were 8 profoundws in the formation. Jo Gi Chun knew that well, which was why he was waiting on the edge of the formation. If he waited there, there should be a wall that would appear soon enough. But what was this? Instead of a wall, a giant stone wall appeared in front of Jo Gi CHun. When he touched it, he was extremely surprised by how real it felt. Just what did the boy do? This kind of realism couldnt be achieved with the formation he gave the boy. This much realism wasparable to the Heavens Might Appearing Formation (@`) that was ced in the imperial pce. But. Jo Gi Chun looked closely at the ground. It looked sturdy. But it wasnt like he couldnt get through it. Jo Gi Chun, who gave Cho Ryu Hyang this formation in the first ce, knew the weakness of this formation. The weakness he put in on purpose. He made the formation weak on purpose. Since he already knew all there was to know about formations, he made it so that the formation was easy to get out of. But since he made it up on the spot, he was afraid that Cho Ryu Hyang wouldve found it and fixed it. Jo Gi Chun was looking for that small hole there. About now A good formation would change freely over time. A formation would only beplete if it hadplete freedom in its own region, thereby creating unexpected events inside. Jo Gi Chun moved about, observing the ground. He soon came to a halt somewhere. He began counting numbers patiently. Soon, he stretched out his hand. Now. CrumbleC The stone wall in front of him crumbled with a touch. An entrance was created, but Jo Gi Chuns face wasnt looking very well. No, it looked worse than before. Just what have you done? The formation was at least 10 times stronger than average. Jo Gi Chuns face went stiff. Chapter 12. Find Cho Ryu Hyang! Chapter 12. Find Cho Ryu Hyang! Normally, instead of the wall breaking down, the formation itself shouldve been destroyed. That was how Jo Gi Chun set it up. Haha. Did he perhaps change the whole of the formation by himself? It was unbelievable, but it seemed that was what actually happened. The boy was truly amazing. He didnt know how the boy managed this. The boy just kept on surprising him. Drrr. The stone wall was trying to restore itself. It was time for him to make a decision. Jo Gi Chun didnt know how the boy managed toplete an unstable formation like this, as this didnt even remotely resemble the formation he gave the boy. Because of that, the risk he was trying to take was even more dangerous. Dangerous? Jo Gi Chun smiled bitterly. Going into a formation he didnt know about was suicide. Normally, hed try to observe the flow of the formation, calcte answers based on the observation, and recalcte until he became sure that the answer he came up with would break the formation. But Jo Gi Chun couldnt do that right now. Cho Ryu Hyang was surely in this formation. The boy was his first disciple, and his disciple managed to get in this situation because of the homework Jo Gi Chun gave the boy. Hesitating here would simply be a waste of time. Jo Gi Chun walked towards the entrance, stroking his beard with a trembling hand. The first transformation in the Eight Gates Restraining formation. Jo Gi Chun wasnt sure of how powerful the transformation would be. The moment Jo Gi Chun was entering the formation, Cho Ryu Hyang was wiping his forehead. I was lucky. He was really lucky. It seemed that his senses triumphed over math for the first time. The tsunami turned into a giant ocean in a sh. But the ce Cho Ryu Hyang stayed in wasnt flooded at all. While looking at this strange phenomenon, Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his head. This was quite troubling. After a while, the first transformation will end. The second transformation would begin immediately after. How should Cho Ryu Hyang endure through the next transformation? Just a while ago, he was able to live because there were only 2 choices. There was a 50/50 chance of living. But after this? Theres 3 choices. Would he be lucky likest time? Thinking that, Cho Ryu Hyang made a pained face. [Theres an intruder.] When Cho Ryu Hyang heard this voice in his head, he immediately turned his head. He could see a figure far away from him. And this person was someone Cho Ryu Hyang knew well. Teacher? In the dark depths of the ocean. Under the great sea, an old man was slowly walking with a tired expression. It was Jo Gi Chun. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up in surprise, and stepped forward. The moment he did so, a voice came into his mind. [You really are an idiot.] His sight became messed up. The sea came at him full force. Cho Ryu Hyangs whole body became heavy, as his clothes got wet. But Cho Ryu Hyang endured this and grit his teeth. He knew what wasing at him this time. But he still moved. His teacher was in danger. He didnt know why his teacher was here. No, he didnt need to know. To Cho Ryu Hyang, none of that was important right now. I need to save him. Cho Ryu Hyang stabilized his body as much as possible, trying not to be swept away from the waves. His teacher was saying something towards him since a while back. Looking at the teacher, Cho Ryu Hyang tried imitating what the teacher was saying with his mouth, Look at your meet? Just what did that mean? Cho Ryu Hyang could feel that his body was running out of breath quickly. His chest was tightening. Seeing that, Jo Gi Chuns face showed urgency, and he started to repeat what he was saying earlier. Cho Ryu Hyang caught something then. He could see his teachere towards him with a weird footwork. Look at your feet? That was it. Cho Ryu Hyang understood what his teacher was trying to say. Jo Gi Chun was walking as if he was drunk since a while back. But would walking like that really help? Cho Ryu Hyang tried to imitate his teacher, but the situation just got worse. His body got heavier, and the waves got fiercer. surawang_12 Right then. [You idiot! When are you nning to use the technique I gave you!] Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses. The thing the old man taught him? He then realized. This was a formation. A fake space created by humans. And he had the power to be able to look at the truth of the world at will. The Faultless View of The World! Cho Ryu Hyang narrowed his eyes, after taking a deep breath. He could barely make out numbers that got strewn on the ground with his eyes. He started to walk towards a brightly shining blue number under him without realizing it. Eh? The pressure that pushed him down disappeared. He could breath again. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher in surprise. Jo Gi Chun, too, stared at Cho Ryu Hyang with a surprised expression. Then, the blue number he was standing on started turning red. Then, the pressure returned, and Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt breath. He stepped towards another blue number in front. After walking in such a way for a while, he reached his teacher. Teacher! Jo Gi Chun had a really surprised expression. He asked his disciple a question. When did you learn the Disintegration Steps (ƻٲ) technique? Disintegration Steps? Cho Ryu Hyang tried to think of what the teacher was talking about. He soon thought up of the teachers strange walking technique, and shook his head. I never learned such a thing. Then how did you walk around the formation? Jo Gi Chun was really confused. When he came in and solved various problems to break through the walls, he could reach the ce where his disciple was. It seemed that his student had thankfully gone to the door of life. But relief wont stay for long. The situation would get worse when the second transformation happens. He was walking towards his disciple by solving equations as quick as possible, but Cho Ryu Hyang just made a strange face, and walked straight to him. This action just surprised Jo Gi Chun so much, he almost fell from where he was standing. He did tell his student to try and imitate him, but he didnt expect his disciple to be able to do it. But look at what happened! His disciple seemed a little lost in thought for a while, but after that, the boy came to him in a faster speed than he. The boy managed to figure out the secret behind the disintegration steps? This wasnt simply a matter of discussing whether the boy was a genius or not. Even Confucius wouldnt be able to achieve the boys feat. Lets get out of here, then talk. Yes. Follow me. Yes sir. Jo Gi Chun walked carefully. Hepleted an equation which would take a normal man tens of tries to get right in an instant. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at him carefully. He didnt know how teacher did it, but somehow his teacher managed to step on the blue numbers urately without fail. How could his teacher do this without even knowing the Faultless View? Amazing. Cho Ryu Hyangs teacher surely was looking at the formation differently than he. He wanted to know how the teacher viewed the formation badly, but this was a bad time. I shouldve used the Faultless View from the start. If he did that, he wouldnt have gotten so lost like that back there While Cho Ryu Hyang was regretting what happened before, a voice rang in his mind. [Dont try to get everything the easy way, boy. What you went through today will surely aid you in the future.] Cho Ryu Hyang, who momentarily forgot about the being in his head, scratched his cheeks. Well, thank you. If it wasnt for the old man, Cho Ryu Hyang wouldve been a burden to his teacher, by stepping out of the safe zone. While he was thinking that, a suspicion rose in his mind. Was the formation I made this big? They were walking around for almost half an hour, but they have yet to see the exit. The formation he drew in the real world was small, which shouldve affected the size of the formation here, too. At Cho Ryu Hyangs suspicion, the old man smiled. [You guys are just walking in circles.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded his head. In a formation, your sense of directionpletely vanishes. It felt like they were going the right way, but that wasnt necessarily true. While CHo Ryu Hyang was organizing his thoughts that way, his teacher stopped walking. Its here. Cho Ryu Hyang looked around. It was an empty space. There was nothing special about it. His teacher smiled. Look carefully. When his teacher stepped forward, the teachers whole body disappeared. When Cho Ryu Hyang followed, the whole world went bright. Are you alright, elder? Im alright. While Um Seung Do and Jo Gi Chun were exchanging words with each other, Cho Ryu Hyang tried to regain his surroundings. Wasnt he just walking around in the seafloor? To think that was nothing but an illusion. Cho Ryu Hyang spaced out for a moment. Then, he started seeing something. The formation he made. This. It was different. The stones he put there was broken to pieces. Just what happened? When Jo Gi Chun walked to him while massaging his shoulder, Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses and spoke. Im sorry for worrying you, teacher. Jo Gi Chun nodded, and asked again. Yes, regarding that, how did you manage to activate the formation? And how did you know about the Disintegration steps? Thats. When Cho Ryu Hyang was about to exin what happened, he looked at Um Seung Do, who was looking at Cho Ryu Hyang at the moment. Before that, whos he? Jo Gi Chun seemed to think of that just now, and opened his mouth. This man needs my help, it seems. He came from the Heavenly Demon Church. The Heavenly Demon Church! Cho Ryu Hyang widened his eyes. Wasnt the Heavenly Demon church extremely famous in the Martial World? Looking at Cho Ryu Hyangs face change, Um Seung Do smiled a bitter smile. Were not as dangerous as you think. . Cho Ryu Hyang quickly realized his mistake, and his his shock. Its a pleasure to meet you. I heard you were the elders disciple? Yes. Cho Ryu Hyang was fully alert towards the man, who was being quite polite just then. He sensed suspicion in that mans gaze. Its strange. Um Seung Do was indeed looking at Cho Ryu Hyang suspiciously. He would find out everything about the boy sooner orter. But now, he wasnt suspicious of the official info of the boy. Why was there something that only belonged in the Martial World on the boys body? He didnt go through the Bone-Changing Growth, did he? This was a really nonsensical suspicion. The Bone-Changing Growth only happened when a martial artist went close to the Harmonious stage. That was why Um Seung Do knew about it. But this strange suspicion kepting back up. That was because he saw something on the boy that only could be seen when someone neared the Harmonious stage. The halo It wouldnt be visible to a normal person, but for a person like Um Seung Do, this was clearly visible. There was a light that was behind Cho Ryu Hyang for a brief moment. Must be an imagination. He observed Cho Ryu Hyang for a while longer, but the light just disappeared. This just made everything more suspicious. After looking at the boy for a while longer, he retreated, and said this with a smile on his face. Im sorry. Its a habit I got from the job. My name is Um Seung Do, from the Heavenly Demon Church. Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses when he talked. He didnt like the man. Because of that, he took a look at his forehead unconsciously. Fifty-eight The man was obviously more talented than normal people. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt take him lightly. The elder agreed to help the main church with a certain event. But the elder said that he wanted to take you with him. What do you think? What did that mean? The mans voice clearly implied that he wanted Cho Ryu Hyang to refuse. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt respond, but instead looked at his teacher. He thought that there would be some more exnation. As expected, the teacher said something, too. The man said that hed show the greatest formation under the heavens. I think this would help your education a bit, so I tried to take you with me. What do you think? You can say no if you want. Um Seung Do wrinkled his eyebrows, but stayed quiet. Say no? Is that possible at this point? This old man really didnt know how scary the church could be. Since they knew about the uing event already, they wouldnt be in a situation where they could even say no. But Um Seung Do stopped himself from saying that. He didnt know what the young man in front of him would say. The greatest formation? The moment he heard that, Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes sparkled. He didnt know much about formations, but he was already exposed to that part of the world. The Greatest Formation! He wanted to see it. The formation he created just now was incrediblyplicated already. Howplex would the greatest formation be? Looking at the boys expression, which started to be filled with expectations, Um Seung Do wrinkled his face. Theyre of the same kind. There was a saying that those who are alike, stick together. While Um Seung Do was insulting the two like that, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. I think I should tell Grandpa first. Hed get worried if I didnt. You do that. Jo Gi Chun nodded. He didnt ask the question he asked a while back. A while back, he was too excited to remember that Um Seung Do was there. But not now. He wouldnt dare discuss such things while the dangerous man was nearby. Ill learn sooner orter. He was dying to know how the boy was able to do such wondrous deeds in the formation, but it wasnt the time to ask it now. So, the disciples also going? Yes. Ill be in your care. Yes, yes. But we dont have much time, so can you hurry? Um Seung Do replied with a expression of defeat. He had to take this little boy too. He didnt really desire this to happen. It was better if fewer people knew about what was going on. He barely managed to persuade himself by saying that refusing outright would just bring him trouble. Um Seung Dos face full of sorrow contradicted with the boys excited expression. The boy was the one who wanted to go, after all. He wanted to know what the formation would be like. He was happy, as he didnt know how fearsome the ce where he was going to would be. The decision he made just now. This decision would be the single thing that Cho Ryu Hyang would regret the most in his lifetime. Chapter 13. Human Killing Medicine Chapter 13. Human Killing Medicine Inside the moving carriage. Cho Ryu Hyang, Um Seung Do, and Jo Gi Chun were all sitting in it. Um Seung Do opened his mouth. Like I said before, we dont have much time left. So well have to go all the way to the church without stopping. Um Seung Do took out a small bottle as he spoke. Im going to tell you this in advance. The trip isnt going to be veryfortable. Well have to go as fast as possible, which will probably strain you both physically and mentally. Well still be moving as you two sleep. How are we going to move while sleeping? surawang_13 They were traveling for over 6 hours already. The carriage did not stop once, unless they had to go do their business. When Jo Gi Chun asked his question with a tired face, Um Seung Do opened the bottle, and answered the question. You will have to sleep in the carriage. I wanted to avoid this situation, but this really is urgent. Please, do understand. Jo Gi Chuns face grew dark. He wasnt confident of these kind of trips, especially with his old age. Um Seung Do, as if he had seen what Jo Gi Chun was thinking, said this with a smile. Thats why we brought this. Whats that? This is a very special pill that is made only in limited amounts by the church. This is one of our pride and joy, the Heavenly Demon Spirit Pill. Heavenly Demon Spirit Pill? The Heavenly Demon Spirit Pill (ħ`). It wasnt something really precious or rare. But it was a pill that outssed most pills that were made in the Martial World. It was expensive to make, but it had the advantage of being able to be produced securely at any location. Seeing that the pope of the church controlled the production of this pill himself, one could see how valuable this pill actually was. But Jo Gi Chun and his student had no way of knowing about this, as they werent from the Martial World. A treasure is only a treasure in the hands of someone who knows its value. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang both stared at Um Seung Do with a dull face. Um Seung Dos proud face instantly crumbled. He asked the two a question. Could it be. you never heard of this pill? Yes. Um Seung Do bit his lip when he heard Jo Gi Chuns answer. How about you, young man? I never heard of it. Hnn Um Seung Do hummed a little in disappointment when he heard the answer. It was a little bothersome to tell them all about the pill. He was caught in an annoying situation. Im not even a drug dealer Um Seung Do took out a small ck pill, about the size of a fingernail, from the bottle. Well, this is a pill that is very good for you. I dont really want to get into this, so just try it. The moment you put it in your mouth, youll see how good this is for you. Jo Gi Chun simply nced at the ck pillid out in front of him, but didnt take it. He was suspicious. Taking a pill like this and eating it without knowing its purpose was something only fools did. Um Seung Do realized what Jo Gi Chun was thinking, and said this with a smile. Its not harmful for your body. . Jo Gi Chun didnt say anything. If the church wanted to harm you in any way, we wouldnt have done this in this sort of a way. We wouldve done it very silently. So much so that even you wouldnt realize we did something to you. . Jo Gi Chun still had a suspicious look on his face. In the end, Um Seung Do shook his head, and said this. Ill have to show you myself. Um Seung Do took one of the pills. He put it in his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, it melted like water, and flowed down his throat. Feeling the effects of the medicine with his own body, Um Seung Do said this with a proud expression. I think I just proved that this isnt poison. What do you think? Ill take it if I really get tiredter. When Jo gi Chun refused, Um Seung Do looked quite disappointed. It seemed that Jo Gi Chun really didnt see the church in a positive manner. This was very sad for Um Seung Do, as he was a devout follower of the church. Right then. Ill take it. Um Seung Do looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a surprised expression. This was a reaction he didnt expect at all. Um Seung Do asked a question with a happy face. You would take this pill? Yes. Um Seung Do nced at Jo Gi Chun. Jo Gi Chun was looking at Cho Ryu Hyang with a hint of reproach. Arent you suspicious of this pill? Yes. It could be poison, you know. Didnt you just eat it yourself? Um Seung Do faintly smiled. He wanted to tease the boy a little. I could have received a special training to resist poison, you know. Arent you suspicious of something like that? Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses. He then looked at Um Seung Do with a slightly confused face. Do you want me to not take this medicine? Huh? Could it be that this is too valuable for a child. Definitely not. It would be good for me to try the medicine right now, then. Right? Of course that was true. Jo Gi Chun looked like he was about to copse at any given moment. He should take the medicine before he really gets sick, but it was hard to convince the man. In this situation, if Cho Ryu Hyang eats the pill now, and shows Jo Gi Chun that the pill was harmless, perhaps that man would take the pill. Um Seung Do thought quite highly of the boy when he realized that. But Does the boy really trust in him that much? Um Seung Do wanted to show the boy how scary the Martial World could be. When he was about to open his mouth, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke up. Dont misunderstand. Im not eating it because I trust you. I would be a fool to trust you when I met you not long ago. Im not that dumb. . Jo Gi Chun was like this, too, but this boy was also too honest. When Um Seung Do was insulting Cho Ryu Hyang in his mind, the boy spoke. I dont trust you, but I feel that that medicine is very effective. Thats why Im saying Id eat it. Um Seung Do was confused. It sounded logical, but the sentence didnt make sense at all. This is indeed a precious medicine, but how did you know about it? Um Seung Do said this as he red at Cho Ryu Hyang. He tried to search Cho Ryu Hyang with his gaze. Indeed, this boy was suspicious. Um Seung Do couldnt figure out what the boy was thinking. It felt like the boy was hiding many things. What are you hiding? While Um Seung Do was thinking about such things, Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was organizing his thoughts quickly. He was able to know that the medicine was precious, using his unique sight. But Cho Ryu Hyang didnt feel like telling the man about it. Like he said earlier, Cho Ryu Hyang didnt trust the man. Cho Ryu Hyang took off his sses, rubbed his eyes, and spoke up. Its just instinct. Ins.tinct? Um Seung Do made a surprised face. And that soon turned into a tired one. He was looking at the boy with a careful gaze. It seemed that the halo he saw on the boy didnt leave his mind. It was. probably an imagination. Cho Ryu Hyang stretched out his hand. Um Seung Do put a pill on the boys hand. Will you be alright? When Jo Gi Chun said this with a worried face, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. The pill had a blue glow to it, when seen with his eyes. When something had a blue glow, it usually meant it was good. Itll be alright. Without hesitation, Cho Ryu Hyang swallowed the pill. How is it? One of the good points of the pill was the fact that the effect was immediate. When Um Seung Do looked at Cho Ryu Hyang confidently, Cho Ryu Hyangs face contorted in pain. Looking at that, Um Seung Do smirked. Ha, dont joke around like that. Im scary when I get angered, you know. Cho Ryu Hyangs face didnt change when Um Seung Do said that. It contorted even more. dokunC (TL: Didnt want toe up with the romaji for korean onomatopoeia for heartbeat. Just used this.) Huh? Cho Ryu Hyang put his hand over the ce where his heart was, and made a pained expression. His heart started to beat faster, and his breath grew short. Whats this His whole body started trembling. Cho Ryu Hyang eventually fell down, while sweating profusely. His eyes were twitching, even. Um Seung Dos face turned pale. A side effect? It cant be.. After thinking a bit, Um Seung Dos eyes shook. The Heavenly Demon Pill wasnt the best pill to ever be created, but the church paid attention to the pills a lot because it didnt have any side effects. However. The medicine guy did say there was an exception. Um Seung Do looked back at his memories. This pill was something that took years of research to be made. There was no side effect from this pill. Except one. The reversed intestines! (Kλ) This was when the position of the intestines had its locations flipped, aspared to the normal man. It was a condition that was only found 1 in 10,000, so Um Seung Do didnt realize a side effect would ur. Um Seung Do pushed away Jo Gi Chun, who was holding on to Cho Ryu Hyang, and took hold of the boy. He then searched the insides of the boy with his inner power. Um Seung Dos face then twisted. As he thought, Cho Ryu Hyang had reversed intestines. All of his intestines werepletely reversed. Damn it. Um Seung Do swore in his mind. He knew the cause of this, but couldnt treat it. Um Seung Dos mind began to get chaotic. hnn. When a painful moan rose out of Cho Ryu Hyangs unconscious body, Um Seung Do came back to his senses. Damn, he doesnt look like he practices martial arts Um Seung Dos face twisted. Cho Ryu Hyangs condition was all too clear to him. Zuo Huo Ru Mo (߻ħ) This happens when a martial artist takes too much damage while training, and his insides be chaotic. But this wasnt caused by something like a physical injury, so it was even more dangerous. What do I do? It wasnt like there was no way to fix it. There was a certain solution to this. The problem was, it was extremely dangerous. Stop! When Um Seung Do shouted this, the carriage slowly came to a halt. Before the carriage fully came to a stop, Um Seung Do said, Stay away from me for a moment. Um Seung Do left Jo Gi Chun inside the carriage, and carried Cho Ryu Hyang outside. Jo Gi Chun grabbed onto Um Seung Dos clothes, and asked a question. C, can you save him? .Ill try. Um Seung Do grit his teeth. He couldnt tell the man that this was going to be an easy procedure. He opened the carriage door. The wind from outside came into the carriage. Was it because of that? Cho Ryu Hyangs body trembled, and a painful moan came out. hn.nnn.. A, are you alright!? Wake up! Jo Gi Chun shook Cho Ryu Hyang with an urgent face, but the boy wouldnt wake up. Um Seung Do shook his head, and said this. Its the Zuo Huo Ru Mo. Ill try to fix the boy, so hold on. Jo Gi Chun looked at Um Seung Do with a furious expression. Was this caused by that medicine? Yes, but I didnt expect this either. To think that the boy had reversed intestines. Um Seung Do couldnt say anything else. That was because Jo Gi Chuns face was turning red in anger. Um Seung Do really couldnt say anything at this situation. But he did feel a little wronged. He didnt realize anything like this, either. .Ill take the insults after this. . Jo Gi Chun was looking at Um Seung Do with a furious face. Um Seung Do went outside, ignoring Jo Gi Chuns gaze. He put down a carpet from the carriage, andy down Cho Ryu Hyang on it. Damn He didnt expect anything like this to happen. Um Seung Do didnt say this to Jo Gi Chun, but Um Seung Do was also putting his life at stake here. He sat Cho Ryu hyang down, and bit his lips. Alright. Lets see who dies first here. Um Seung Do began to take out his inner power. Right then, Cho Ryu Hyang was still conscious. No, he was actually observing the area with a clearer mind than usual. He could obviously make out the conversation between the two men, thanks to that. Reversed intestines? Me? Cho Ryu Hyang was surprised. He didnt know about it either. So he half believed what Um Seung Do said a little while ago. He thought the man just said it for the show. Then. [That guys right, you idiot.] Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes widened when he heard this voice. No, his eyes wouldve widened if he could move his body. [Remember how you opened the Mystical Door (T) a while back?] Open the Mystical Door? Cho Ryu Hyang remembered what happened during activating the formation, and nodded. Yes, he did feel something strange inside him when hepleted the formation. [Usually, youd have to go through one more thing before you open the Mystical Door. I thought it was strange for you to open the door without going through that. To think your body was like this] Were his intestines really reversed, like Um Seung Do said? When Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to take this in, he heard the voice again. [You earned too much, too suddenly. Because of that, the bnce of your body has crumbled. There was a need for the intestines to reverse, because of that. Well, it happened at a strange time, it seems.] He could feel a tinge of yfulness in the old mans voice. This was a bad omen. He felt that the treatment would not be simple. His expectations were correct. [Your instincts have gotten better. Youre right. The treatment youre about to go through will be quite painful. Youd usually die in a fit of pain when going through it.] Cho Ryu Hyangs face twisted. Come to think of it, the old man had the tendency to speak as if he didnt really care about other peoples well being. [Try to endure it. If you survive.] If he survives? The old man hesitated for a while, and spoke again. [.Youll earn quite a lot in return.] What would that be? before he could even ask that, a hot energy transferred to him from his back. Cho Ryu Hyang was surprised by this extreme heat. At the same time, he could hear Um Seung Do speaking in his head. [I know youre still conscious.] What was he about to say? When Cho Ryu Hyang tried to listen, Um Seung Do spoke again. [Ill use all my energy for this treatment. Usually, this treatment ends up in the patients body expanding and exploding from excess energy.] Cho Ryu Hyang carefully listened under the heat. There wasnt much choice for him, other than to listen to the man who was treating him. [Ill try to control my output, but Im not very confident Ill do well.] This irresponsible Cho Ryu Hyang felt like spitting out insults. [Please try to endure this as much as possible. Dont get unconscious. That would mean certain death.] The moment the sentence finished, an astronomical amount of energy came into Cho Ryu Hyang. At the same time, his body expanded twice in size. [TL: Instant diabetes?] Chapter 14. My Name is Neng Ha Young! Chapter 14. My Name is Neng Ha Young! CrackC With the sound of the bones twisting about, Cho Ryu Hyangs body expanded hugely. Cho Ryu Hyang felt like his skin was going to burst. He tried to concentrate on not getting unconscious amidst all this pain. That was because he felt that if he went unconscious here, hed most certainly die. Arrgh. This kind of a pain could only be felt in hell. While Cho Ryu Hyang struggled with pain, Um Seung Do was in a trouble of his own. Damn it. Um Seung Do was letting out a stream of swears at the moment. He was pouring in his energy into the boy as much as he could, but the energy seemed like it was flowing out or something. His inner energy kept going into the boy without limit. The boy was consuming his energy like a monster. Darn Um Seung Dos body started to run out of energy. His neck went stiff, and his sight started to blur. This is bad. At the same time he realized this, the vein of energy that connected his power with the boys rapidly started to thin out. Um Seung Do grit his teeth. His heart ached. If he stopped outputting energy now, the boy might die. Even Buddha would be unable to save the boy if he stopped here. Um Seung Do had to make a choice. But there was only one option avable. He couldnt back down. Damn it, lets see this to the end. Um Seung Do slightly decreased the speed he gave away his energy, all the while swearing quite a bit in his head. He caught his breath, and switched to apletely new treatment method on the boy. Then, the energy inside Cho Ryu Hyang went through a critical change. But it seemed like Um Seung Do was in more stress than before. Right now, not only was he using his inner power, but he was also using his Source energy, which was never to be used, especially if that person was a martial artist. Kukwakwakwa Um Seung Dos inner energy was being sapped away like a waterfall. Even his clothes were starting to feel heavy. His mouth started to go dry. Right then. ClickC His inner energy stopped flowing, as if something clogged it. King Shura 14 Um Seung Do stopped his inner energy flow with a confused face. He then took his hands off Cho Ryu Hyangs back. Huh? The moment he took off his hands, he fell backwards. Did I seed? He couldnt even move his fingers. But he still had to see the result of his work. When he lifted his head, he could barely make out Cho Ryu Hyang, whose size havee back to its original size. He could also see that the boys body was expanding and contracting a little, as if the body itself was breathing. Looking at that, Um Seung Do smiled. He then copsed. * * * Are you alright? Um Seung Do stared at Jo Gi Chun with a dumb face. He blinked a bit, and stood back up. How long have I been out? About 10 days. Um Seung Dos face went pale, he immediately started to look around himself. He was in the carriage. Wh, where am I? Jo Gi Chun smiled. He knew what the man was worried about. Where do you think we are? Um Seung Do spoke with a miserable face. We havent gone very far, have we? Jo Gi Chun shook his head. We will be at Port Wuling soon. What? Um Seung Do asked a question after blinking a few times. We went past Castle Shaanxi? Yes. After taking off at Castle Shanxi, they were nearing their destination, Castle Gansu. They went past two castles in only two days. It was an amazing speed. Um Seung Do spaced out for a moment, then recovered shortly after to message the driver. [Who are you, at the drivers seat?] [Sir, we would sacrifice our lives for you.] (I have no clue if ??(M) is being used as a name or a vocabry word.) [I owe you quite a bit. Youve worked hard.] [This is nothing. This one just followed the orders you gave out.] Um Seung Do nodded. It was good that he nned everything out before he got unconscious. Thankfully, it didnt seem like anything bad happened. [Thank you. I wont forget this.] [This one just followed orders.] While Um Seung Do was feeling relief at the drivers words, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke up to him. Hows your body? Um Seung Dos face hardened. Come to think of it, he didnt check up on his body yet. How much did I lose? Um Seung Do checked his inner power with a nervous face. What he found surprised him. My power increased? Just what was going on? Why did his internal power increase, when he even used the Source energy? After contemting quite a bit on what happened, Um Seung Do nodded. His Source energy ran out quite a bit, but since he did manage to surpass his limits, his Dantians size expanded. This feels quite strange. While Um Seung Do had a dumb expression on his face, the carriages speed started to decrease. [Sir, theres a problem up ahead.] [What problem?] [Its.. I think youll have to see for yourself.] Um Seung Dos face wrinkled. The carriage slowly came to a halt. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang tried to open the door when the carriage stopped, out of habit. There was a new sight every time they went out, and then they would immediately take off to another destination. But it seemed this wasnt the case this time. Please, wait here for a moment. Um Seung Do stopped the two from what they were doing, and opened the door himself. Was there a major problem outside? Cho Ryu Hyangs thoughts were interrupted by the body of water that he could spot through the crack in the door. A giant river. He could see the yellow river, which ran across China. Near the docks, which was located not far away, were a group of people. Sir! A few people near the boats ran to Um Seung Do. He received a message from one of them at the same time. [Theyre not easy. We didnt think we could decide the oue of the fight, so we were waiting for you toe.] Um Seung Dos face twisted at the message. This n to deliver an old man was getting harder than expected. The people he posted at each checkpoint all held considerable power. But for them to not be able to fight, the people who came here probably werent normal. Um Seung Do red at the five neers that came here. What do you want here? Are you the owner of this boat? A young man with cold eyes stepped up. He seemed like he just entered his thirties. Um Seung Do sized up his opponent. This guy. He was an expert. A peak expert, at that. Um Seung Do was a bit shocked at this. This is a face I havent seen before. The problem was, he didnt know this expert. There were only about 500 experts who reached the peak so far. Their information were all stored away in Um Seung Dos brain. This just went to show how much power the church had when it came to information gathering. Then, a person he saw for the first time in his life, emerged as a peak expert. A big hole appeared in his information archives for the first time. I own this ship, yes. Who are you? The man shook his head. I cannot tell you who I am. Please understand. Ill say what I came here for. We need that ship. We tried to negotiate with the people for half a day now, which was frustrating us at this point. Um Seung Do tilted his head. You need this ship? Yes. Please let us borrow it. No, well just buy it. With the crew. When the man took out money, Um Seung Do quickly refused it. Its fine. Im not nning on selling the ship. The man spoke. Ill pay 3 times the original price. The man had a voice that implied, are you still not going to sell it? At that, Um Seung Do just smirked. Im not nning on selling it, even with 10 times the original price. The mans face stiffened. He thought Um Seung Do was mocking him. After reading his face, Um Seung Do quickly denied it. Im not mocking you, please dont misunderstand. Um Seung Do backed down here, since he didnt really want to fight. At that, the mans face softened a bit. We have an urgent matter to attend to. We need that ship. We also need the ship because of an urgent matter. Im sorry, but youll have to find a different ship. Um Seung Do kindly declined again. He was actually being really polite right now, unlike his usual self. The man in front kept pushing Um Seung Do, as if he didnt know any of that. I already tried searching everywhere. This is the only ship nearby. So please, let us use this ship. Sorry, but we do need this ship quite badly. The faces of the people on the other side started to turn bad. It seemed like they, too, were being quite patient. So what? Um Seung Do suppressed his anger, and put on a calm face. He couldnt hand over the ship, no matter how desperate these people were. He had a mission he had to carry out, after all. The man realized that Um Seung Do wasnt a normal person, seeing that he was able to take on the murderous aura that came from his side. Hes an expert. This seemingly normal man here was an expert in disguise. An expert the young man couldnt possibly estimate the power of. The man here was probably quite stronger than the young man. The young mans face turned serious. Right then, a young girl came out from the group of men. The young mans face turned pale. Maam. Its ok. Ill take it from here. The girl here was wearing a bamboo hat () that covered the whole of her face. Um Seung Dos face turned to that of surprise when he saw her. Its a girl? She was a young one, at that. Apany of martial artists apanying a young girl Um Seung Do was trying to find out who this girl was, by flipping through his mental archives. The girl spoke. Weve been rude to a great expert like you. We apologize. Theres nothing to be sorry about, is there? When Um Seung Do pretended that there was nothing to worry about, the girl adjusted her bamboo hat and spoke teasingly. Are you from the Heavenly Demon Church, by any chance? Um Seung Dos face, which seemed emotionless just a moment ago, went through a big change. He was surprised by the girl saying the name of the church. The Heavenly Demon Church! The people who guarded the young girl were also surprised. They quickly formed a wall around the girl, and looked at Um Seung Do with hostile eyes. The men looked like they would move in to kill Um Seung Do if he even twitched. .I dont know what youre talking about. Um Seung Do tried to shake it off by putting on a poker face. But he was a littlete. His timing was slightly off, it seemed. The girl wasnt falling for it. As I thought. . Um Seung Do started thinking quietly. Should he just kill everyone and leave? He could do it. But there was something that bothered him a little. [Should we take care of them?] It seemed that his underlings were thinking the same thing, but when Um Seung Do heard it, he immediately shook his head. This wasnt the ce to do such things. They were out in the open, and someone could easily see them when they fought. If this was the property of the Heavenly Demon Church, Um Seung Do wouldve taken care of them without second thought. But this wasnt the property of the Heavenly Demon Church. Things would get annoying if he got into an ident. While he was thinking about such things, the girl spoke again. Youre going to the Qilian mountains, right? We can go there together. Um Seung Do stared at the girl with narrow eyes. He didnt know who this girl was, but he didnt even care anymore. The smile on his face slowly disappeared. I guess I have no choice, after all. After sorting out his thoughts, he started exuding a fierce aura with a cold face. He didnt know who this person was, but she said things that shouldnt have been said. She knew what was going on with the church in the mountains, but still talked about it in front of him? He had to kill her now. You said something you shouldnt have said. If you have anyst words, say them here. When he made up his mind to kill someone, a fierce aura starteding out of Um Seung Do. He didnt want to kill anyone for the sake of the guest inside the carriage. But he had no choice this time. When Um Seung Do fingered his sword hilt, the girl removed her bamboo hat. Her face was exposed to him. Hak She seemed to be near 16. She was a girl that was sure to be a beautifuldy in the future. And her face was one that was inside Um Seung Dos mental archives. My name is Neng Ha Young. Pleased you meet you. Um Seung Dos face twisted badly. He took his hands off the sword hilt. He knew that this was a person that would be troublesome to kill. Chapter 15. The Secret Conversation Between Cho Ryu Hyang and Neng Ha Young Chapter 15. The Secret Conversation Between Cho Ryu Hyang and Neng Ha Young Some things happened, so well have to take the boat with the folks over there. Is that alright? Jo Gi Chun tilted his head. We dont really have problems, is there supposed to be one? Um Seung Do scratched his head. He didnt expect much, but if the man even hesitated a little, he was about to persuade him make him agree. It didnt have to be done, it seemed. It shouldnt be a problem, but it might get a little ufortable. I was asking you about that. Alright. He received permission from Jo Gi Chun quite easily. Um Seung Do came back out of the carriage, and walked up to Neng Ha Young. I received permission from our guests. Thank you. Thats a relief. Please, get on the boat. Alright, thank you. Um Seung Do nodded, and ordered his underlings to remove any traces of them being here. He then walked to the carriage. Get on the boat, please. Of course. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang boarded the boat. Seeing how this was a medium-sized ship, the interior was huge. There were 5 cabin,s and a kitchen. Cho Ryu Hyang felt that someone was watching him, while he was touring the boat. When he turned his head, his eyes met with Neng Ha Youngs. The girl whose red hair was flowing in the wind. This was the first meeting between Cho Ryu Hyang, who was to be called King Shura (_) in the far future, and Neng Ha Young, who would be known as Hidden Fox ([). Their impressions of each other was quite interesting. So that girl is the granddaughter of the Night Emperor He heard this from Um Seung Do, before he boarded the boat. Cho Ryu Hyang observed the girl carefully, after fixing his sses. The three sovereigns were very powerful. To think that she was a granddaughter of one of them Of course he would be focused on her. Cho Ryu Hyang was interested about it. So he started using the Faultless view without realizing it on the girl. At the same time, Neng Ha Young was observing Cho Ryu Hyang with a different thought. Hes wearing sses. At the time, sses were extremely expensive, and therefore couldnt be worn by many. Who was that boy that possessed this object? Whats his rtion with the Heavenly Demon Church? her curiosity sparked when she saw the boy. If he was traveling as a guest to the Qilian mountains, he should be rted to the church in one way or the other. But the boy didnt look like he practiced martial arts. Even so, Um Seung Do was treating that boy and his teacher with utmost respect. Thats why Neng Ha Young became curious and a little confused. Why are they taking this boy to the Qilian mountains? The master of this boat was obviously a peak expert. To think that a mere boy would be guarded by an expert of this caliber. There was sure to be something going on. Neng Ha Young quickly recounted all the information stocked in her head. If you took a boat from Port Wuling, you could get to Castle Gansu straight away. If they then take a carriage from there for half a day, they would be able to get into the Qilian mountains. Obviously, their objective was to get to the mountains. Neng Ha Young already knew that the church was doing something on the mountains. The whole martial world was in an uproar about it, after all. But the thing was, she didnt know what they were doing. Whats the church trying to get at the mountains? Is there a need for the church to get into the territory of the Alliance to acquire something? I dont know what theyre trying to get, up Im sure they have their reasons. Otherwise, the church wouldnt try to do something this risky. Neng Ha Young started to think deeper. Hows the boy rted to all this? He should be rted to all this somehow, even if its not a direct rtion. Right then, someone came up to her, and put a coat around her gently. Maam, its cold outside. Pleasee inside. Neng Ha Young woke from her deep thought when her bodyguard spoke to her. Is our guild also sending members to Qilian mountains? Yes. Elder Sang Dong Ha (붭) is personally leading the Hidden Moon Corps ([). Neng Ha Youngs eyes sparkled. Elder Sang Dong Ha was an expert. A harmonious expert, at that. He was the one known as the Chasing Blood Lord (׷Ѫ) in the Fifteen Guests. Thats good. Neng Ha Young smiled. There was something suspicious about the Heavenly Demon Church. Theck of information didnt let them find out what exactly the church was doing, but something is bound toe out if they investigate enough. There would, of course, be danger that follow, but he would take care of that. Elder Sang Dong Ha was the leader of the elders that harassed Neng Ha Youngs father. Neng Ha Young hoped that something bad would happen to the elder because of this event. Is there something wrong? No, I was talking to myself. Neng Ha Young looked at Cho Ryu Hyang for a little while longer, and went inside. Jo Gi Chun smiled at his disciple, who was thinking about something on the deck. He thought that his disciple was taken by that girl. Shes a pretty fellow. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at Jo Gi Chun with a confused expression. Jo Gi Chun didnt know that Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking about something else at the moment. Cho Ryu Hyangs head was full of surprise at the moment. 79 The girl showed him the biggest number so far, when Cho Ryu Hyang used his vision. This came at Cho Ryu Hyang quite heavily. While Cho Ryu Hyang was spacing out because of this fact, Jo Gi Chun took something out from his pocket and opened his mouth. Can you see this for a moment? Cho Ryu Hyang took the paper his teacher gave him. On it, there were countless numbers arranged in a strange format. This is. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the paper. He was pleasantly surprised by what he found on it. This is anguage. Jo Gi Chun smiled, and nodded. Yes. We wouldnt be able to talk in public as long as were here, so this would be a sort of a code between us. Only Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang would be able to understand the meaning of these numbers. While they were moving in the carriage, Jo Gi Chun was constantly thinking. To be truthful, he still couldnt trust these people from the Heavenly Demon Church. But the things that he wanted to talk about with his disciple kept increasing. For example, he wanted to talk about how the boy was able to activate the formation, how he was able to use the Disintegration steps, and etc. He had much to ask, and much to teach. But there wasnt a way to teach him privately. So after much consideration, he came up with this. Thankfully, his disciple understood its purpose immediately. This made Jo Gi Chun immensely happy. There werent many that recognized the results that he came up with math. But his disciple recognized it. He felt quite proud thanks to that. I couldnt ask teacher much because there were so many people watching us, either. You can use this method in the future. Cho Ryu Hyang was pleasantly surprised by this, and Jo Gi Chun was equally proud of his disciple for recognizing this instantly. And that way, the two created anguage only those two could understand. * * * This is suspicious. He knew that the two people were holed up in the passengers cabin. When Um Seung Do tried to see what the two were doing at first, he backed off in fright. Psychos. The two people were exchanging papers full of numbers with each other, and were constantly solving something. The disciple was being constantly being surprised by something, and wrote something in response. The teacher was taking that paper, and was reading it with a proud face. Theyre a different race altogether. Um Seung Do simply went to sleep, not even daring to approach the two people. He was supposed to use the private cabin, but because of the unexpected guests, he had to share the room with Jo Gi Chun. He knew Cho Ryu Hyang and Um Seung Do were quite diforted by him, but it was the same for him, too. Having to stay with people he doesnt trust was just torture. And he had to satisfy their needs, to boot. While Um Seung Do was trying to make himself sleep. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang were carefully studying formations. Of course, the conversation was held in their ownnguage. [Formations are very sensitive fellows. With even a little mistake, a formation wouldnt activate. If you think of it in human terms, a formation would be a very picky person. Thats why we cant make any mistakes with formations.] Jo Gi Chun paused for a moment after that, and wrote something else. [But the way you use is fundamentally different from other techniques. You could call it a cheat, even. Thats why it would be better for you to hide it from others for now.] A normal formation would use a gem containing the power of the heavens and the earth as a nucleus. Using that, the formation would naturally gain energy from its surroundings to open the Mystical Door and create a new dimension. But when Cho Ryu Hyang created his formation, none of this happened. There was no real way of knowing how the boy came across this method, but the boy would open the Mystical Door first, and then ce the nucleus. The process waspletely different from normal formation creation methods. This was quite an amazing achievement. [Was it called the Faultless View of The World?] [Yes.] [Youll have to thank that elder who disappeared after giving you this power. You gained the luck of the heavens.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He was thinking the same thing. The fact that he hid the fact that the old man was still there in his mind unsettled him for a bit. The old man told him to do so, but it did make Cho Ryu Hyang feel a little bad. [Your method is quite amazing, but it would be good to learn the traditional method, too. Youll learn something new when you try implementing some techniques from the traditional method.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. The method was different, but they were essentially the same thing. Like that, the two both studied formations the whole day in the cabin. * * * Im tired. Cho Ryu Hyang came out to the deck, rubbing his eyes. Seeing the sun rising from the horizon, he assumed that it was dawn. His teacher was sleeping, as well as Um Seung Do. Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was lying down, exhausted, but strangely, he couldnt sleep. Standing on the edge of the ship, he weed the cold wind that sted his body. His stress seemed to dissolve a little that way. He took off his sses, and leaned on the side of the ship. He then closed his eyes. Learning about formations from teacher was quite entertaining. It was fun approaching the world he didnt know about, and he was overjoyed that he could focus learning math this way. No matter what others said, Cho Ryu Hyang liked math. He thanked the heavens for giving him this talent. While Cho Ryu Hyang took in the wind, someone approached him from behind. Why are you out already? The wind is still cold. Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses, and opened his eyes. It was her. The girl known as the granddaughter of the Night Emperor, Neng Ha Young. Did I interrupt your private time by any chance? Cho Ryu Hyang took out his sses from his pockets, and spoke with an impassive voice. A little. Neng Ha Young, hearing that, smiled. Youre still young. Cho Ryu Hyang wrinkled his eyebrows. Her statement was true, but it was too sudden. Neng Ha Young stood next to Cho Ryu Hyang, and talked. When a pretty girl like me says that, you should just say no. Why? Thats what adults do. Cho Ryu Hyang was confused. Adults are hard to understand. Of course. Its very hard. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Neng Ha Young, whose face was tinted red thanks to the rising sun. Neng Ha Young, too, was staring at Cho Ryu Hyang. Ask. When Cho Ryu Hyang said this, Neng Ha Youngs eyes widened in surprise. Howd you know? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. You have a curious look on your face. It would be strange if you didnt ask me anything. Neng Ha Young nodded. And talked. Big sis was actually looking for a chance to talk to you. I kept trying to find a chance. I even stayed awake till now. Big sis? Cho Ryu Hyang felt a little annoyed for some reason when he heard that, but he decided to let it pass. I knew it. How? Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth as he fixed his sses. Unless someone waits purposefully, its very rare for a coincidence like this to happen. The probability is very low. Neng Ha Young grinned. So you knew this wasnt a coincident from a start? Big sis wanted to approach you as naturally as possible. That kind of a coincidence isnt toomon. I like you. Youre honest. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt hate the girl who approached him for some reason. So he opened his mouth with ax look on his face. What do you want to know? Who you are, and what the church is trying to do. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the girl without a word. Neng Ha Young didnt try to avoid the gaze. It seemed that this girls personality was rather straightforward. But he didnt expect her to ask just like that. What? Ah, is this question a little too troublesome? No. Then what? Whyd he hesitate? After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang realized his reason for doing so, and smiled. Nothings free, you know. Its equivalent exchange. If you gave someone something, you earned something in exchange. That was what a trade essentially was. Neng Ha Young nodded when she heard that. It was true. Theres nothing free in the world. When she thought that, she immediately wrinkled her face, as if she thought up something else. Its not free, even if a pretty girl like big sis is asking? .. Cho Ryu Hyang had a startled look on his face. Whats all this have to do with you having to be pretty? Oh? So youre admitting that big sis is pretty? When Neng Ha Youngughed happily and teasingly asked Cho Ryu Hyang this, Cho Ryu Hyang began to observe Neng Ha Young in detail. After examining her as if he was grading a cow, he nodded. You are indeed pretty. But this has nothing to do with trade. Neng Ha Young sighed. Thats why youre still young. Again, its that age talk. Cho Ryu Hyang talked as he adjusted his sses. Yeah, Im young. So no freebies. This wasnt an easy opponent. She couldnt get anything just by provoking him. Neng Ha Young sighed again, and asked. You want money? Should big sis give you some? Looks like you have quite a bit of money. Of course. I have a lot of it. Cho Ryu Hyang smirked at Neng Ha Youngs response. But this isnt something that can be earned with money. You know that, right? He knew who the girl was, and he also knew the value of the information she was asking for. He should then gain something that has an equivalent value to this information, but he had no intention of giving anything away just for money. Neng Ha Young put on a regretful smile. Youre quite smart, huh? You know what trading is, even at this age. I studied hard to be smart, you know. Neng Ha Young chuckled when she heard that. This kid was quite funny. She spoke. So, what do you want? Finally, the question he was waiting for. Cho Ryu Hyang adjusted his sses. He probably get some information regarding the martial world with this exchange. I want. When Neng Ha Young heard what Cho Ryu Hyang had wanted, theposure on her face disappeared altogether. Cho Ryu Hyang actually wanted something that even she didnt expect. Chapter 16. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Hide-and-Seek Chapter 16. Cho Ryu Hyangs Hide-and-Seek These little things are ying around, huh. The man hidden in the shadows. Um Seung Do smirked when he listened in on the conversation between the two children. Cho Ryu Hyang thought that Um Seung Do was sleeping, but that wasnt it at all. Um Seung Do was a peak expert. He managed to pick out Cho Ryu Hyang trying to sneak out, and followed the boy. When he tried to leave quietly, seeing that the boy was just resting outside, he noticed Neng Ha Young approaching from behind. Thats why he was hiding here, looking at the two. He was looking at the two children trying to look like a pair of adults, since it was quite cute to him. But then, all of a sudden, the two began to talk about the secrets the church had. King Shura 16 Should I teach a lesson to these kids now? Um Seung Do thought carefully. He could do exactly that to Cho Ryu Hyang, but for Neng Ha Young, acting violently towards her was quite dangerous. Her background was the problem. Then what should he do? While Um Seung Do was thinking about such things, the conversation between the two children kept progressing. I had something that I was curious about in the martial world for quite a while now. What is it? If this big sis knows it, Ill tell you all about it. Before Cho Ryu Hyang could even open his mouth, Um Seung Do intervened. [Dont try anything dangerous like that. The main church isnt as easy to take on as you might think.] Cho Ryu Hyang froze when he heard Um Seung Dos voice. His face ashened as if he was a little prankster who just got caught by his parents. His back was full of sweat. He was awake? He forgot about the fact that he was in the same boat as one of the members in the Heavenly Demon Church. The organization strong enough to turn the martial world into a sea of blood. It would not be wise to talk about their secrets when on the same boat as them. After thinking that, Cho Ryu Hyang closed his mouth. What is it? .I almost made a mistake. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled bitterly. When he thought about Um Seung Do listening to them from somewhere, he shivered. He was listening from the start? He felt a little annoyed when he felt that he was being watched. When Neng Ha Young saw Cho Ryu Hyangs annoyed expression, she quickly responded. Theres someone here? . Neng Ha Young began to observe her surroundings. Theres nothing nearby. Cho Ryu Hyang, who didnt even know martial arts, noticed something when she didnt? Neng Ha Young wrinkled her eyebrows, and extended her senses as far as she could. But trying to find Um Seung Do with her level of skill was near impossible. Come out. Um Seung Do didnt have any intention of doing so. You think Im crazy? Whyd Ie out? Hed only look bad when he came out after looking at two kids. Even though he revealed his presence to Cho Ryu Hyang, he wasnt keen on doing the same thing to Neng Ha Young. Thinking that, Um Seung Do didnt reveal his presence. He concealed it even more. He brought out his technique to his limit. Hes not even considering revealing himself, huh? Cho Ryu Hyang got a little annoyed when Um Seung Do didnt reveal himself even after a long time. He was originally going to let it pass, since this whole thing was his fault, after all. But to think that the man would just stay hidden, when his existence was already exposed. Was he not mocking them? When Cho Ryu Hyang thought that, he felt quite annoyed. He didnt want to leave the man be. He wanted to do something to the man. Is there a way. At this point, this was a matter of pride. After thinking something for a while, Cho Ryu Hyang caught his breath. Didnt he have a secret weapon, something that other people didnt have? He didnt know if it would work in this situation, but it was worth trying. Youre looking down on me, arent you? When Neng Ha Young, who still couldnt detect Um Seung Dos presence, bit her lower lip in annoyance, Cho Ryu Hyang came up to her. Wait here. Why? Just watch. What are you going to do? Cho Ryu Hyang began walking without replying. He caught his breath. The Faultless View of The World. He used that. Um Seung Do was currently hidden in the darkness, and was smirking at the children. You wouldnt ever be able to find me. It was quite amusing to see two children do this. Seeing them get angry, and seeing them trying to find him was funny. But thats where that all ends. His stealth technique is on the peak. Even in the Heavenly Demon Church, there arent many that can see through his stealth technique. In front of Um Seung Do, the attempts the children made to look for him just seemed like childs y. In short, it was pointless. Um Seung Do thought that he was ying a hide-and-seek game where he definitely couldnt lose. But then. Ah? Um Seung Do tilted his head a bit. That was because Cho Ryu Hyang began to walk right towards him. Probably a coincidence. His technique was good enough to let him go unnoticed right in front of others. But. Grab. Youre going a little too far. .. Um Seung Do stared down at Cho Ryu Hyang with a dumb face. He didnt even get cautious when the boy came up right next to him. Apetition with a child who didnt even know martial arts seemed ridiculous, after all. But this arrogant child came right up to him and grabbed onto him. How? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the mans face, and then nodded. He thought that since he, too, mocked the man, they were even. Right then. CrackC Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt breath anymore. Um Seung Do grabbed onto Cho Ryu Hyangs cors, and held the boy up in the air. Um Sung Do did this so fast, that Cho Ryu Hyangs top clothing was actually about to be ripped off. You., what are you? Right now, Um Seung Dos face resembled that of a demons. Not only did he have a face of an adult who got angry over a game with a child, he was also using violence. Talk, kid. Or you die. The polite man that Um Seung Do was before was gone. A martial artists pride. That pride of his was injured, and therefore his animal instinct wed outside. In his hands, Cho Ryu Hyang was nothing but a helpless child. While Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to breath. You should stop here. Hes going to die. Neng Ha Young came up to the man, and red at him. She couldnt think at all before because she was astonished that Cho Ryu Hyang managed to find Um Seung Do. But when Um Seung Do grabbed onto the boys cors, Neng Ha Young came back to her senses. Dont interfere, girl. Unless you want to die. I cant do that. When she stomped the ground after finishing her sentence, 4 men appeared right beside her, like a ghost. They were the bodyguards that came with Neng Ha Young. Maam. Um Seung Do ground his teeth. He then growled like a ferocious beast. You think I cant kill you all? Neng Ha Young smiled in front of Um Seung Dos murderous gaze. It was a smile that she tried to make as rxed as possible. Can you? Um Seung Do smiled. It was a very unsettling smile, which almost started to show his gums. Neng Ha Young thought that this was extremely frightening, but she didnt try to look it. If she got pushed back here, something bad would happen. That was the Martial World that Neng Ha Young knew about. Of course. Hell kill them. He was going to kill them all. His murderous intent reached the peak, after all. His injured pride made him forget everything else, and made him go berserk. Neng Ha Young saw this, and just shrugged. Youre actually going to kill us. Yeah. Youll feed our bodies to the fish, I assume? The fishes are going to have a rare feast. This was the middle of the river. There was nowhere to run, and even if they could, Um Seung Do was confident that he could kill them all. Plus, it was easy to get rid of the corpses. When Um Seung Do thought all this, Neng Ha Young spoke up. Youre assuming that I boarded the boat of the Heavenly Demon Church without any preparation, arent you? Do you really look like an idiot to you? You think I didnt contact the guild when I boarded? . Um Seung Dos face went stiff. He forgot about something because of his emotions going out of control. The girl wasnt just famous in the Martial World for being the grandchild of one of the three sovereigns. Damn it. Her cleverness was already quite famous. The information that the churchs spies in the guild brought in about the girl was quite amazing. When he thought about all this, the murderous aura around him weakened considerably. it was easy to kill the girl now. But having to deal with the guild after that was troublesome. There would be an interrogation from the church to find out why Um Seung Do caused this, and he didnt want that to happen. You thought well. Neng Ha Young sighed in relief in her mind. It seemed her threats worked, thankfully. She nced at Cho Ryu Hyang, who had fainted not long ago, and spoke. You should let go. He doesnt look like he can talk, anyways. Um Seung Do stared at the boy in his hands. His eyes started to getplicated. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang woke up after a quarter of the day passed. When he opened his eyes, he could see his teacher, who seemed full of worry, with Um Seung Do at the side, who had a stiff face on him. Are you awake? .Yes. Youre not hurt anywhere? Yes, Im alright. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Um Seung Do as he said this. The terrifying aura he felt from the man right before he fainted. Martial artist. He forgot that the man was a martial artist. When he thought back on what had happened, what he did just then was quite foolish. Just because he got a little annoyed back then, he taunted a martial artist from the Heavenly Demon Church. This did indeed seem quite foolish. When he thought that much, Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. No. I became like that only because I was weak. It wasnt that this was all his fault. He was only like this because he was young and weak. There was nothing wrong about what he did to the other side. Didnt the man actually provoke him first? Not only did he listen in on the conversation between Cho Ryu Hyang and Neng Ha young, he even dared to provoke them by staying in the dark indefinitely. This was something he wouldnt have had to gone through, especially if he had strength that equalled the other sides. I need strength. This was the first event in his life that made Cho Ryu Hyang crave power. Well be at Castle Gansu soon. Were almost there. It seemed that the teacher didnt know about this yet. That was good. He didnt want to make his teacher worry. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Um Seung Do. Um Seung Do, too, was looking at the boy at this time. The man had aplicated face. Cho Ryu Hyang looked away soon after. He, too, felt a bitplicated at the moment. He didnt know how to greet the other side. It was same for Um Seung Do, too. Damn. It was better not to kill, when you couldnt take care of it cleanly. Um Seung Do knew this well, but he still tried to kill the boy right then. His emotions were out of control there. But howd he find out? Um Seung Dos skills were one of the finest in the church. When the boy found him just like that back there, Um Seung Do went out of control for a moment. This is suspicious. That boy is suspicious. Wrinkling the paper in his pocket, he started to think carefully. The paper in his pocket contained the data on the boys physical stats. He already read it countless times. But no matter how many times he read it, he couldnt get the information he wanted. The boy never learned martial arts? Thats a lie. He couldnt believe it. Even if the boy learned martial arts from a peak expert from the time he was in his mothers womb, he wouldnt be able to see through Um Seung Dos stealth technique. And then it says that the boy never learned martial arts? No, there was something in the records. The Six de Technique and the Heavenly Power Technique. This was the most basic technique a swordsman or a fighter would learn. But with just that much skill, the boy managed to detect him. Theres something else other than the data we have on him. The boy was definitely hiding something. But Um Seung Do didnt know what that was. Thats what bothered him. It wasnt the right time to ask, either. He was wondering if the boy would tell him anything, especially with what happened before. Hes really getting on my nerves. While Um Seung Do was thinking about all this, Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was thinking about what was to happen in the future. Then. They could feel the ship slowing down. Um Seung Do stood up, and spoke. Were here. Weve arrived at Castle Gansu. Really? Cho Ryu Hyang stood up. He learned that he would need strength to protect himself, for the first time in his life. Im not going to go through anything like that ever again. Hed need strength for that. Then, what was strength? How would be get it? This event caused Cho Ryu Hyang to think carefully about strength. These things that he would constantly think about would eventually set the base for his title in the future, King Shura. Chapter 17. Cho Ryu Hyang Knows Chapter 17. Cho Ryu Hyang Knows The master of the Heavenly Demon Church, Gongson Chun Gi. He looked at the muscr old man that came to him, and grinned. Its been a while, Guardian Wu. Getting here was troublesome, right? The old man called Guardian Wu. (TL: Dharmap (Protector of thew) Guardian) His actual name was Wu Gyu Ho (o). He was one of the three experts in the harmonious stage in the church, and he was also one of the people that served Gongson Chun Gi ever since the pope was a young boy. Im just happy to see you healthy. Im always healthy. Now, sit here. Of course. Guardian Wu sat down on the seat Gongson Chun Gi offered him. Gongson Chun Gi then took his teapot, and filled Guardian Wus cup. I heard some things happened while you came here? Thing..s? I know something happened. Its ok. Just say it. Ah, yeah, err You can say it. You mean. You mean the Emei Sects female monks. Yeah, what happened? I didnt really get what the other guys were telling me. Guardian Wu anxiously gulped down the steaming tea, and spoke. The people over there were insulting the main church, so I kindly educated them, hoho. Educate them? Not go beat them to death? Hak! What are you talking about.. When Gongson Chun Gi said that, Guardian Wu widened his eyes and denied it quickly. Im old now, so I dont just go around killing people anymore, your holiness. Gongson Chun Gi red at Guardian Wu. When the old man avoided eye contact a little, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Hey, Gyum. [Yes, your holiness.] Is this old man telling the truth? Guardian Wu made a surprised face, then quickly red at the area behind Gongson Chun Gi. Lim Hak Gyum sweated a bit when he noticed the re. How could he just go on and say that it was a lie, just like that? [.Yes. For now.., hes telling the truth.] Hoh? For now? So theres something hes not telling me. Oh, and you dont have to just go and message me like that. In front of this old man, your stealth technique is just fools y. Guardian Wu was a harmonious expert. In front of his senses, Lim Hak Gyums skills would just be petty tricks. Hak Gyum, youll have to speak carefully. For all of us. When Guardian Wu carefully said this, Lim Hak Gyum made a troubled face. Wasnt this a threat? Guardian Wu, what are you doing in front of me? Did you go dull or something? O, of course not, your holiness. Uhahahaha. When Guardian Wuughed anxiously and shrunk back a little, Lim Hak Gyum spoke up carefully. ording to the reports this one got, Guardian Wu didnt kill anyone, as he said before, but he did personally destroy the dantian of 80 female monks. What? Eighty? He personally destroyed their dantian? Yes. When Gongson Chun Gi looked at Guardian Wu with a face that said, I knew it, Guardian Wu lowered his head and whispered a few words. They were insulting the church, so. You destroyed their dantian just because of a little insult? A full grown adult like you shouldnt do things like that. Trying being more kind. Because of things like this, the main church just gets insulted by everyone. Im sorry, your holiness. Gongson Chun Gi sighed at the old mans response. Oh yeah, you brought everyone from the Blood Wolf Corps (Ѫ). Are you trying to fight the Alliance? Guardian Wu spoke with a determined face when he heard Gongson Chun Gis words. I brought them when I heard that a bunch of trash from the Alliance were trying to annoy us. If you just give the word, I will present you the head of the Dao Emperor. One of the three sovereigns, the Dao Emperor. Gongson Chun Gi chuckled when he heard the old mans words. It might be possible. The Blood Wolf Corps boasted the most power out of all the other corps, after all. Everyone in the corps were all peak experts. There were about five hundred of them here. You never change. Im quite surprised. Gongson Chun Gi poured tea into his teacup, and spoke. The main church mustnt have blood on our hands any longer. This is just a repeat of the past events. Its an evil cycle. Gongson Chun Gi, unlike all the other popes in the past, belonged to the moderate faction in the church. This was a very revolutionary event, as something like this never happened in the church, where the blood and strength ruled over all. I just dont understand. Guardian Wu just couldnt understand the popes thoughts. If youpared the military power the church possessed currently to the past, you would see that the church currently was at the peak of its power. Even though this was the case, Gongson Chun Gi still forbade the church from making any major moves in the Martial World. Your holiness, werent they the ones that provoked us first? The main church simply retaliated a little strongly. Gongson Chun Gi nodded. Yeah. In most cases, they were the ones to provoke us first. We need to really show the churchs power this time. We need to massacre everyone thates to the Qilian mountains, and go down to Sichuan to kill everyone in the Alliance. Gongson Chun Gi once again nodded at Guardian Wus murderous words. Thats not a bad option. But if we do that, the bnce crumbles. The bnce? Yeah. The bnce between the church, the guild, and the alliance. If this perfect bnce crumbles now, everyone would start fighting. If this happens, everyone would suffer quite badly. We can only obtain something bigger if we make great sacrifices, no? Something bigger? Heavenly unification! The main church extending out into the maind. Gongson Chun Gi stared at this excited old man for a while. And then he spoke. It must be good for you, to still be so full of passion. Isnt the expansion to maind an old desire of the church? You want to see the people of the church be massacred? If we go out into the maind, thousands will die. Perhaps even more. The men of the church isnt that weak, your holiness. I trained them to be stronger than any other in the Martial World. Gongson Chun Gi nodded. I have to agree with you on that. Most of them are too healthy. Thats what worries me more. Guardian Wu realized that this was a crucial chance. He wanted to persuade the pope for them to expand into the maind now. Arent the boys I brought here today the ones that you trained with great care? Didnt we train them just for a situation like this? Why would the pope create the Blood Wolf Corps, especially if he wasnt going to use them? Guardian Wu just couldnt understand what was going on in the popes mind. A powerless justice is nothing but an empty voice. Thats why I brought them up. Well, like you said, I also trained them in case of an emergency. Then what should we do when these people attack us? Shouldnt we at least strike back? Gongson Chun Gi smiled yfully. Yeah, Im worried about that, too. But after thinking for a long time, I reached a conclusion. Just give the word. This one is already ready. The pope is definitely going to tell him to defend. He didnt like this very much, but the popesmand was absolute. He wouldnt tell me to just defend and not retaliate, right? Guardian Wu was thinking of taking care of all the experts in the Alliance if the chance came. Then. The pope issued a weirdmand. If they attack us, lets just run. ..? Guardian Wu wasnt sure of what he just heard. Ehh Our boys are fast, right? .. Guardian Wu wasnt able to close his mouth. He was sweating all over his forehead. R, really..? Have you ever seen me joke? Gulp. It was true. The pope seemed yful andzy, but when it came to matters like this, he wasnt the type of person to throw a joke. Just tell me its a joke instead. Running? The strongest organization in history, the Heavenly Demon Church, just running from the enemy? With the pope here, at that? If this were to get out in the public. Guardian Wu seemed like he was about to cry. Unless theyre idiots, they wouldnt attack the church carelessly. Im just telling you to always think of the worst case situation, Guardian Wu. Is there anything worse than just running away? It seemed better to just get massacred. Guardian Wu just sat there in a daze, listening to the rest of the popes orders. * * * Inside the moving carriage. Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking about something. Neng Ha Young, was it? What she told him before he got onto the carriage was still lingering in his mind. [Heres an advice from big sis. Youre in the Martial World right now. And here, strength is everything. I dont know how you just found that man, but without strength, its just better to pretend you didnt see him. So be careful, Dont to anything that would shorten your lifespan.] She was right. His chest grew tight because of that. What are you thinking about? When his teacher asked him a question, Cho Ryu Hyang regained his senses. I was thinking about something else. They say well be arriving soon. Arent you excited? Teacher had an excited expression on his face. As this was a face he didnt see often, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher with a curious face. The mostplicated formation under the heavens. Was his teacher excited because of that? But what his teacher said next was something Cho Ryu Hyang didnt expect to hear at all. They say well be meeting the pope of the Heavenly Demon Church right after we arrive. The pope of the Heavenly Demon Church? Was this something to be this excited about? Hes someone who never revealed himself to the public so far. Dont you want to see who he is? The pope of the Heavenly Demon Church was the representation of god. (Messenger->representation (A little mistrantion there. Sorry -_-;)) In the Martial World, he was known as an amazing expert, and was the leader of the strongest organization. It would be a lie to say that one wasnt excited, but was it really worth getting as excited as his teacher, who was usually extremely calm? As if he read Cho Ryu Hyangs expression, Jo Gi Chun spoke. A religion holds immense power. Think about it. Even the king himself if reluctant of fighting because of the one person in control. It was true. A situation where too much power was given to a single person. That was what a religion was, and was what the Heavenly Demon church currently was. Did you take a look at Um Seung Do driving the cart? What? What does that mean? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, Jo Gi Chun began whispering. Hes probably an extremely strong expert. Someone stronger than we might think. The fact that Um Seung Do was an amazing expert. Cho Ryu Hyang knew that best. An expert of this caliber is working as a carriage driver. And he has to do our biddings at that. This isnt something we can just ignore. He began to understand what his teacher was saying a little bit. It just goes to show how powerful the pope is. Thats why a religion is a scary thing. But there was some other factor involved that made Jo Gi Chun really interested in the pope. Since a long time back, the imperial pce dered that the church was a demonic religion, and began to oppress the religion to a scary extent. But not once was the pce seed in destroying the religion. They werent even able to sneak a peek at the shadow of the pope, even. But the two people here would be able to meet the pope with a method like this. Were here. Please get off the carriage. Um Seung Do stopped the carriage, and opened its doors. They could see arge manor outside the carriage. This was the Gansu branch of the church, and was also the ce where the pope was currently staying at. The pope is here. Cho Ryu Hyang was excited, too, it seemed. It was obvious for a person to be curious about a man that was said to be the strongest in the world. After going inside for a moment, Um Seung Do walked back out with aplicated face. Once he saw Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang, he hurriedly organized his expression and spoke. Pleasee inside, sir. The pope is waiting. When they went inside, with Um Seung Do as their guide, they encountered two people. After taking Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang here, Um Seung Do quickly went outside. He determined that this wasnt a ce for him. Is he the pope? The muscr old man whose ck robe seemed like it would rip apart at any given moment. His defining features were his big physique, and his tiger eyes. That old man was wearing the ck Dragon Robe () and was looking at them in the chair ced in the middle of the room. And behind the old man, stood a middle-aged man who was smiling at them. The old man in the ck Dragon Robe spoke. I am Gongson Chun Gi. Are you the ones that will help us out this time? Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shined. He suddenly felt curious. He began using his special vision to observe the pope. * * * At the moment, Guardian Wu just wanted to drop dead. That was because he had to wear the ck Dragon Robe, and pretend to be the pope of all things. Why cant he just reveal himself He couldnt understand why the pope would do all this. Werent they just people who came to destroy a formation? They werent even martial artists, so was there even a reason to hide himself? [Fix your expression. It would be embarrassing if they found out now.] Guardian Wu made a regal face again, and looked at the people in front of him. One old guy and one young guy. After looking at these two people, Guardian Wu began to wonder about something. Eh? The young guy was staring at the pope, instead of him. Guardian Wu wasnt the only one that was surprised by this. Hm? It would be hard to say that the boy noticed, but this was still a bit strange. There was nothing that gave away the fact that the Gongson Chun Gi was actually the pope. The pinnacle of normalcy. The man barely had any presence right now. Compared to that, Guardian Wu really was fit to be a pope. You could feel the aura of a conqueror just by standing near him. [Your holiness.] [Dont do anything that actually gives us away, alright? He probably didnt notice it.] Guardian Wu nodded a little, and opened his mouth. Please, take a seat. I prepared some snacks. The moment Guardian Wu spoke, Gongson Chun Gi brought out tea and snacks at a frightening speed. Guardian Wu looked at all this anxiously, but Gongson Chun Gi performed everything naturally. surawang_17 When he was about to leave, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. Um, this person is.. Ah, his hol, I mean, that person? Haha, hes called Guardian Wu. I forgot to introduce him. He helps me out quite a bit. Im Guardian Wu. Please treat me well. Gongson Chun Gi easily pretended that he was Guardian Wu and introduced himself. Jo Gi Chun introduced himself as well, but Cho Ryu Hyang was staring at the man with a very serious face. The boys whole body was sweating, as he stared at Gongson Chun Gi. When Jo Gi Chun began to get a little confused. Gongson Chun Gi scratched the back of his head, and talked. Guardian Wu, an interesting fellow appeared, it seems. Gongson Chun Gi took a look at the confused Guardian, and then began staring at the boy. At this, Cho Ryu Hyang went pale. Hey, boy, when did you acquire the Godly Eyes ()? Once he heard this question, Cho Ryu Hyang fainted. Chapter 18. I need a disciple Chapter 18. I need a disciple Ha! This boys interesting. Gongson Chun Gi caught the falling boy, andughed. Guardian Wus eyes widened when he saw it. How long had it been since hest saw the popeugh so joyfully like this? Wasnt this augh of pure joy, and not the light-heartedugh that the pope usually used? The boys body isnt even developed, but he dared to get the Godly Eyes? This boys really weird. Your holiness, what do you mean? This boy really messed up the order of doing this. Contrary to what he was saying, Gongson Chun Gi had an amazed expression. The fact that the boys Godly Eyes were open meant that he was seeing things that differed from what others were seeing. Seeing a different world. Just that already meant that the boy had taken a step into the world of superhumans. If you were looking at this from a martial artists point of view, the boy already entered the harmonious stage. Well, this is a bit different from martial arts After thinking about something for a while, Gongson Chun Gi stretched out his hand and started to search the boy. His eyes soon sparkled. Hoh? Gongson Chun Gi said this, as if he found something, then turned to the confused Guardian Wu, and spoke. Guardian Wu,e out with me for a bit. Yes, your holiness. Guardian Wu and Gongson Chun Gi left Cho Ryu Hyang on the ground, and came outside. Aftering out, none of them spoke for a while. How much time had passed? When Guardian Wu started to feel a bit impatient, Gongson Chun Gi spoke up. Guardian Wu. Yes, your holiness. This is a first. I dont understand. I think I might be able to grant you your lifelong wish. You can be happy. My lifelong wish? Guardian Wu tilted his head in confusion. What was his lifelong wish again? When Guardian Wu kept trying to figure it out with a confused expression, Gongson Chun Gi answered him with impatience. Wasnt your lifelong wish for me to get a disciple? I think I found someone I like today. .! Guardian Wu widened his eyes in surprise. T, truly? Yeah? You think Id just lie to you? Who was Gongson Chun Gi? He was a person that never took on a disciple just because it wouldve been annoying. The Heavenly Demon Churchs only worry was right here. It could easily be said that the popes martial art was the strongest under the heavens right now. The problem was, this martial art wasnt able to be passed down. No matter how much the elders and the guardians begged, the pope refused to take on a disciple. But to think that the problem would be solved like this. Guardian Wu quickly came back to his senses. He felt that this was the crucial moment. The heavens had granted him a chance to save the churchs future. He spoke to the pope with a face full of determination. Ill take care of it, your holiness. What? Wouldnt the old man that calls himself the boys master be a hindrance? If you just tell me to do so, Ill take care of him without a trace. When Guardian Wu said this, Gongson Chun Gi wrinkled his face. He clicked his tongue in displeasure. This is why the church gets insulted by everyone. Why wouldnt we get insulted when we just go around killing people for one little thing? And dont get too greedy yet. The boy didnt agree to this yet. Guardian Wuughed. Hehe, youd have to be insane to refuse to be the heir of the church. The Heavenly Demon Church lead a force of 10,000 men. Fame and riches. You could acquire both by bing the heir. Well, we dont know for sure. Anyways, I actually called you up here was to tell you to not do anything foolish or say something useless, Haha, Im not even an immature child, theres no way Id do something like that. Well, if its you, its certainly possible. An old man with too much energy is always dangerous. Kh, hum hum.. When Guardian Wu put on a disappointed face. Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Lets talk with that old man first. * * * Jo Gi Chun, while stroking Cho Ryu Hyangs head, felt a bitplicated. Was I being too greedy There were too many things he was worried about from the start. But he still brought his disciple here because he wanted to let the boy see and experience the world a bit. But it seemed to be a foolish decision. The boy seemed too frail and weak for all this. Since Jo Gi Chun felt like he gave the boy an unusually heavy load, he felt very sorry. While he was thinking about many things, Gongson Chun Gi and Guardian Wu entered the door. Jo Gi Chun determined that the middle-aged man was actually the pope, and the old man was the Guardian. His judgement was correct. Is this boy your disciple? Yes. After pausing a bit, Gongson Chun Gi spoke with an awkward smile. Hes pretty interesting. What was his intention? When Jo Gi Chun observed the man in front of him a bit, Guardian Wu came up. And asked a question. What do you think about the church? You mean the Heavenly Demon Church? Yes. Jo Gi Chun felt that something was a bit off at that moment. This was from the instinct he developed after living for a long time. That was why he chose his next words carefully. I think its quite different from the rumors that circte the world. Guardian Wus face lit up in pleasure. This was the same for Gongson Chun Gi. The rumors about the church isnt all true. Many of them are exaggerated. To think you would recognize it, I thank you. Its just what I felt after observing the church. No need to feel thankful. Well, Im still thankful for your words. Anyways, Ill get right to the main point now. Jo Gi Chun nodded. He, too, wanted to get straight to the point, instead of talking mindlessly for a long time. Gongson Chun Gi sat on the throne on one edge of the temple, and spoke. To be honest, I have an interest in your disciple. To be even more honest, I think the boy has potential to be my heir. So Im going to make a rude request here. . This was it. The thing he was feeling from a while back. Jo Gi Chun bitterly smiled in his mind. And he thought. Isnt this a good thing? Cho Ryu Hyang was a talented boy. The boys talent for math was but a fraction of the boys true capability. Yes, that was it. Didnt he think this from a while back? He thought that he would let the boy take a different path if a chance came up. He always put this possibility in his mind, and steeled himself for it. But when it actually happened, Jo Gi Chun hesitated. To think he would hesitate to make a decision that would ultimately benefit the boy Jo Gi Chun felt much regret because the time he spent studying with his young disciple was far too short. It was hard to let go of the feeling of wanting to teach the boy more. Gongson Chun Gi, who was observing Jo Gi Chuns face, opened his mouth. I am aware this is a hard decision. I dont want to say this either, but he is a boy I dont want to let go. Gongson Chun Gi was serious. That was why he said this with honesty. He wanted Cho Ryu Hyang that badly. If any of the guardians or elders of the church saw this, theyd be extremely surprised. To think that the pope would be think be this passionate about this. They wouldve been amazed. But they were mistaken. Gongson Chun Gi didnt take on a disciple for a legitimate reason. He wanted to take on a disciple, in fact. The elders werent aware of this, but he really tried hard. But there wasnt a single person so far that had the capability to understand his teachings fully. Thats why he didnt take on a disciple yet. Jo Gi Chun, who was staying silent all this while, asked something. Are you truly the pope of the Heavenly Demon Church? Yes, I am the owner of the church. What can you do for this boy? What can I do.. Gongson Chun Gi pondered on this seriously. He was the master of the Heavenly Demon Church, and he was one of the few people that possessed both fame and wealth. Being a master of the church meant that his words carried great responsibility. Thats why he had to be careful with his response. Would you be satisfied if I said that I would dedicate every fiber of my being for this boy? Jo Gi Chun nodded, as if he was satisfied with the answer. He wanted to hear that. The words that promised to give the boy something that he would never be able to give. He wanted to hear those words. surawang_18 If its that, Im fine. The worries in his mind became lighter. Seeing the old man nod, Gongson Chun Gi smiled faintly and spoke. There was only a few times in my life where Ive been this anxious. Thanks for agreeing to all this. After saying this, Gongson Chun Gi rolled up his sleeves and talked. Should we move onto the next step? Is there still more to be done? When Guardian Wu made a confused face, Gongson Chun Gi nodded. Shouldnt we hear what the boy has to say? We got permission from the teacher, but we didnt hear the boys opinion yet. Are you trying to wake him by injecting internal strength? If its that, this one will When Guardian Wu stepped forward and tried to put his hand on the boy, Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. That methods too rough. It also leaves some negative effects afterwards, so its not good for children. I have a better method. Just watch. Gongson Chun Gi put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyangs forehead. He then smiled a mysterious smile, one that was different from all others before it, and spoke. Its time to wake up, boy. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang was dreaming. In the dream, Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to look back on what had happened. The door opened here When the door opened, he could see two people. A old man in a ck robe, and an ordinary middle aged man. After that After the old man said a few things, the middle aged man came up and prepared some snacks. Cho Ryu Hyang began to focus on this very moment. Just what did I get surprised by? For some reason, he couldnt remember. He was definitely surprised by something, but he couldnt remember it. Cho Ryu Hyang folded his arms, and fell into deep thought. What was it? It was really important. Even as he was pondering on this, the events in front of his eyes kept progressing. After this.. If it was like before, the events should transition to the part where the middle aged man began introducing himself. But it didnt continue. The man who was preparing the snacks stood up, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang straight in the eyes with a mischevious smile. Cho Ryu Hyang flinched a bit because of how lifelike it was. Eh? Ara? This didnt happen before. Cho Ryu Hyang stepped back with a surprised face, and stepped back. The man just stepped forward, and grabbed onto Cho Ryu Hyangs wrist. You trying to run again? I cant let you do that. . Cho Ryu Hyang tried to throw off the mans hand frantically. But it was impossible. He didnt understand. It was definitely his dream, but the man in front of him somehow felt a bit foreign. Why? When Cho Ryu Hyang was about to resist, the man grinned and spoke. You saw it? . You saw it, didnt you? Cho Ryu Hyang began to turn pale. The feeling that he saw something he wasnt supposed to see. With this feeling, the fog in his mind lifted, and he could see the truth thaty behind it. You should pay for seeing my secrets, boy. The mans forehead began to split in two horizontally. While Cho Ryu Hyang was looking at this with a terrified face, a blood red eye that appeared from the forehead. The mans original two eyes, and that blood red eye. A set of three eyes were staring at Cho Ryu Hyang. Ah! Once Cho Ryu Hyang saw this, his whole body trembled. He finally remembered. This was it! The reason Cho Ryu Hyang fainted. It was because of the impossible number on the mans forehead. 96! That number left Cho Ryu Hyang speechless, but something even more amazing than that happened after. Something that made Cho Ryu Hyang afraid. The numbers on the mans forehead came together, and soon turned into a giant red eye that stared at him. Something like this never happened before. The numbers turned into an eye and red at him? This phenomenon left him breathless. Its time to wake up, kid. We have quite a bit to talk about. When the red eye curved upwards as if it wasughing. Cho Ryu Hyang was forcefully pulled away from his dream. Chapter 19. Um Seung Do Wants To Live Chapter 19. Um Seung Do Wants To Live Gongson Chun Gi grinned inside Cho Ryu Hyangs dream. Now that the boy was out of his dream, he just had to get out on his own. The Heavenly Demon Church had countless spells of sorcery, and the one Gongson Chun Gi used just now on the boy was the Demon Circle Eye (ħ݆). This was a high-ss spell that could interfere with the opponents mind, and because of that, Gongson Chun Gi was able to get into Cho Ryu Hyangs dream. A while after Gongson Chun Gi left, Cho Ryu Hyang, who was standing there like a stone statue, moved. Cho Ryu Hyang stretched his neck to loosen his muscles a bit, then opened his eyes to look around. He then spoke with a surprised tone. He has quite a bit of talent. The moment Cho Ryu Hyang spoke, his body became as soft as y, and turned into the body of an old man. The old man. Zhuge Liang waved his feathered fan and looked around. The spell to get into a persons dream It resembles that guys spell a bit. Zhuge Liang smiled unconsciously when he thought of someone from the past. To think Id see the trace of Shiyuan (Pr: Pang Tong) here. * * * Hak! When Cho Ryu Hyang regained his consciousness, Jo Gi Chun came up to him. Are you alright? Cho Ryu Hyang calmed himself, and opened his eyes. He could see his worried teacher, and the muscr old man. Whered the other one go? The middle aged man that scared him in the dream. After looking around for a while, Cho Ryu Hyang soon nodded. He could see the middle aged man, who had his eyes closed with a wrinkled face, sitting at one side of the temple. This isnt a dream. The mysterious presence he felt in the dream. While Cho Ryu Hyang was feeling a bit dizzy, the middle aged man opened his eyes. The moment Gongson Chun Gi opened his eyes, he started wondering about something. What was it? He just paid a visit to Cho Ryu Hyangs dream, but it felt like he had missed something. What was this? The feeling that he had just missed something huge? Gongson Chun Gi thought about it for some quite some time, then regained his senses, and approached Cho Ryu Hyang. There was something even more important to be done. Was this not the boy who could be his first disciple? Hm, hm. So, you woke up? . Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the man with an awkward face. He still couldnt really determine whether if he was still in the dream or not. After observing the boy for a while, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Go rest for now. Theres a lot to talk about, but that cer. Guardian Wu seemed surprised. Your holiness! Why are we not taking care of this now? Matters like these had to be settled quickly. He wanted to take care of everything before the pope changed his mind. To Guardian Wu, the heir to the church had to be chosen quickly. But unlike Guardian Wu, Gongson Chun Gi thought of the boys well being first. Be quiet, dont you remember the phrase haste makes waste? C, could it be that youve changed your mind? Dont worry, its not that. Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. He didnt want to rush an exhausted child. Gongson Chun Gi took a look at Jo Gi Chun, and spoke. If you go out, the man who brought you here will be waiting. Hell guide you to your room, so please have some rest there. Well talk after that. Jo Gi Chun nodded, and smiled. He felt satisfied by seeing Gongson Chun Gi be considerate towards Cho Ryu Hyang. He could feel that Gongson Chun Gi put the safety of the boy first and foremost out of anything. That moved Jo Gi Chuns heart. Lets go rest. Yes, teacher. When Jo Gi Chun tried to support Cho Ryu Hyang to get out,, Guardian Wu came to him with haste. Ill take care of him for you. In Guardian Wus eyes, Cho Ryu Hyang was already the heir to the church, Thats why he treated Cho Ryu Hyang with great care. Im fine. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to walk away on his own, but Guardian Wu was insistent on helping him. Already the man had started to pour in his inner energy to strengthen the boy a bit. Dont refuse me, young lord. This old mans doing this because he wants to. Cho Ryu Hyang felt bothered by how the old man suddenly addressed him, but he didnt talk. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt even have the strength to do so. He wanted to rest for now. Jo Gi Chun looked at the boy with aplicated face. * * * Did you find out about Cho Ryu Hyang? Yes. But we werent able to find the specifics because time was short. Well be able to find out more if we searched longer. Just show me what you found. Neng Ha Young looked at the paper that her bodyguard gave her. Her eyes sparkled soon after reading it. His family runs a mercenarypany? Yes. Thats all we found out for now. The name and the approximate age, and the appearance of the boy. To find all this so far was truly quite amazing. The time given was short, and the information about the individual was already non existent, after all. Neng Ha Young expected this, but she was still disappointed. It felt like the boy had something special about him, but the information about the boy was toocking. Neng Ha Young tapped the table with her index finger, and spoke. Is there no information about him regarding martial arts? I apologize. We have not found out that much yet. The boy definitely learned something. A type of martial arts that was very profound. There would be no way for the boy to find a hidden peak expert like that otherwise. Move everyone in the guild who is currently avable. That boy definitely has something to do with the Heavenly Demon Church. I understand. If she found out the boys rtion with the Heavenly Demon Church, she would be able to find out what the church was currently trying to do in the Qilian mountains. Thinking that, Neng Ha Young looked back at the time when she separated a few days back from Cho Ryu Hyang. Well have to split here. This was the first thing Um Seung Do said when they reached the docks. Neng Ha Young stared at Um Seung Dos face when she heard that. Werent we supposed to go to the Qilian mountains together? Something bad happened at the church, so I must apologize. Um Seung Do was trying to push away the overly inquisitive girl here. Wicked girl. If it was Neng Ha Young, she would be able to catch onto what the church was trying to do with just a small evidence. After all, she was pretty famous for her intelligence. In other words, she was bothersome. That was why Um Seung Do had to get rid of this cursed thing here. Neng Ha Young red at Um Seung Do. Wasnt his n too obvious? This man just didnt want her to know more about what was going on with the church. I just want to know about it even more now. What were they doing on the Qilian mountains? Wasnt there any way to find out? She thought for a while, but couldnte up with anything. This is a tricky excuse. Something happened at the Heavenly Demon Church. This was an excuse that prevented anyone from prying further. Neng Ha Young, who was biting her lower lip in frustration, finally came up with something. She smiled. Um Seung Do forcefully smiled at her in response, even though he felt that something bad was going to happen. So we separate here. Yes. Its a little regretful, isnt it? It is. But what can we do? Um Seung Do swore at Neng Ha Youngs face, and made a regretful face. Neng Ha Young spoke right then. Lets introduce ourselves more properly before we leave, shall we? Introduce ourselves? I think we already know plenty about each other. Neng Ha Young ignored Um Seung Do, and opened her mouth, Come to think of it, I didnt even ask you your name yet. Big siss name is Neng Ha Young. Whats yours? Cho Ryu Hyang, at the moment, was trying to board the carriage in front of him. He could see the troubled Um Seung Do with Neng Ha Young. He could immediately see that there was something going on with the two. Cho Ryu Hyang took a look at his teacher, and quickly settled on a decision. And he spoke. Cho Ryu Hyang. Um Seung Dos face twisted. Was the boy dumber than he thought? Could that boy really not see that this wasnt a time to speak? Could it be, this boy spoke on purpose? When he saw the boys face, it didnt seem like a possibility. No, the boy did say his name on purpose. Um Seung Do ground his teeth, and thrust Cho Ryu Hyang into the carriage. We should hurry, young sir. We dont have much time. Looking at Um Seung Do, who put quite an emphasis on young sir, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He knew what Um Seung DO was trying to hide. So he leaked some information. Neng Ha Young. Come to think of it, he only knew that she was the granddaughter of Neng Mu Gi. He didnt actually know her name. Well really have to say goodbye here. Um Seung Do said this, and quickly took off to the Qilian mountains. The boys name was sure to be a clue for that crafty little girl. Shell surely try to find out what the church was nning with the information. He really didnt like these kids. We must hurry. If the girl found out about all this after the event, then it would be all fine. But if she found out during the event happened, that would be different. The only option for him now was to finish all this as fast as possible. If only we undo the formation at the Qilian mountains. After that, things would get much easier. Thinking that, Um Seung Do moved faster. * * * ..Its going to take a while? Yes. Um Seung Dos face twisted. He thought that nothing was ever going his way. Jo Gi Chun, not caring a single bit about what Um Seung Do was thinking, looked at the stone wall with aplicated face and spoke. This is a bigger formation than you might think. Its not something that can be undone in just a day or two. To Um Seung Do, Jo Gi Chuns words were just like the death sentence. Um Seung Do made a horrified face, and spoke to Jo Gi Chun. Its quite embarrassing to say this to you, but the church no longer has any time. The people from the Alliance figured out what we were doing, and now theyre swarming in like moths to a me. Is there any way to do this faster? They had to avoid a fight with the Alliance. This was the will of the pope. And the will of the pope was thew to Um Seung Do. Jo Gi Chun looked at Um Seung Do, and nodded. He knew that they didnt have much time. Why else would they leave Cho Ryu Hyang to rest and bring him here urgently? Just what is in here? Just what is it that is making you people so cautious? Jo Gi Chun still didnt know what the Heavenly Demon Church was, exactly. But he still could figure out that the organization was quite outstanding. Indeed, the formation here could definitely be called the mostplicated formation under the heavens. But if the people from the church made up their minds, they could always break it open by force. But they didnt do that. They were approaching the formation as carefully as possible. That meant that there was something in the formation that was extremely valuable to them. Should I tell him? Um Seung Do thought a bit here. Should he tell the truth to the old man? Did the old man have the right to know about what was in the formation? surawang_19 While he was thinking about all this, Um Seung Do remembered the message Guardian Wu gave him. [The boy might be the next heir to the church, so treat him with care. The old man could also be an important figure in the churchter, so treat him well. You know what Im talking about, right?] If he didnt understand the message when he was told that much, he would be an idiot. But to think that that arrogant little boy would be the heir? On their way to the Qilian mountains, Um Seung Do saved the boy once, but also tried to kill him. Back then, he just saw the boy as a disciple of the old man, after all. And he could get away with it just by saying that the boy was about to leak the churchs secrets. But, a heir? What was this? He was just about dead now. To think that he tried to kill a person who was about to be the young lord of the church. by choking him, no less. Um Seung Do wanted to scream when he thought that, but he didnt do so in front of Jo Gi Chun. But he really was feeling bleak. A message from Guardian Wu was almost guaranteed to be the truth. Im screwed. Is there any way to redeem myself? There was only one way for Um Seung Do to live. He had to look good in front of this old man, at least. His rtion with Cho Ryu Hyang was at its absolute worst, but didnt he act quite well in front of this old man, at least? And the boy really revered his master quite well. He just had to look good in front of the old man. That was the way to live. Theres something extremely precious inside this, so we had to approach it carefully. So what is it? Based on what the object was, Jo Gi Chun could use it while undoing the formation to an extent. That was because the formation would inevitably be damaged while being undone. Um Seung Do spoke with a serious face. The strongest man from a hundred years back. Sword Devil Ak Jung Pae. This is his tomb. To be more truthful, this was the ce where Ak Jung Paes treasuresy. With his martial arts technique. The Heavenly Demon Church came to retrieve those items. Chapter 20. If You Don’t Know Where To Go, Just Go Straight Chapter 20. If You Dont Know Where To Go, Just Go Straight At the Taebaek (̫), located near the Shaanxi castle (ʡ), lies a dangerous mountain. Two boys arrived at this ce, known as the Martial Fire Peak (X), at about noon. .I think were lost. When a boy with a thin physique muttered this, the tanned boy in front twitched a little. Without saying anything else, the two kept moving forward. How long did they walk? They could suddenly see an open field in front of them. Oh!? The tanned boy who was walking at the front. Peng Ga Ho smiled in joy. He soon came back to his senses, and smiled proudly. Umhahahaha! How is it? Did you see? This ability to be able to travel to new locations skillfully like this? You can admire big brother as much as you want. The thin boy. Nangong Yubin came into the empty field, looked around, and opened his mouth with a worried expression. We somehow found the right path. But is this really castle Gansu? Hmph! To think youd still doubt me after seeing all this. Youre a person who doesnt trust others too much, it seems. Since we traveled in a straight line, obviously wed be at castle Gansu. Does really it work like that. Nangong Yubin brushed off a leaf on his head, and faintly smiled. To be truthful, traveling in a straight line, especially in the mountains, was nearly impossible. But he didnt retort to Peng Ga Hos words too much, because this could really be castle Gansu. Come to think of it, this was all just an idiotic trip. Nangong Yubin thought of what had happened, and bitterly smiled. Peng Ga Ho and Nangong Yubin. They were both young, and didnt know much about the world. Since they were usually being taken care of by others all the time, a long trip like this was a first for them. These two both held a high position in society, ever since they were young. Thankfully, they were smart. The thing that mattered the most in a travel. Money. They both packed their pockets full of money. We have enough money, so lets think about how to travel. Do you know the way to the castle, by any chance? When Nangong Yubin asked this question without much expectation, Peng Ga Ho answered with a rxed expression. Fufu, this is quite a dumb question,ing from such a smart person like you, Nangong Yubin. Is there anyone in the world that doesnt know how to get to castle Gansu? Nangong Yubin shrugged with an embarrassed expression. I dont know the way. At which direction is castle Gansu located at? That would be.. West? Thats it. Nangong Yubin shouldve disagreed to Peng Ga Hos idea here. To think they would travel from East corner of the continent to the West corner in a straight line. Even Nangong Yubin didnt see thising. This was justpletely unexpected. Well, we did save a lot of time. Nangong Yubin brushed off the dust and the branches on his clothes, and smiled bitterly. It was toote to be regretful. But Nangong Yubin was still a bit satisfied. Thanks to Peng Ga Ho, he was able to experience many things that couldnt be bought with money. He trained his body during the hardships they went through, and saw many strange and exotic things. Andstly, the quote that was forever etched into his mind. If you dont know the path, go ask someone who knows about it. Nangong Yubin trembled when he thought of the past 20 days. Even though Nangong Yubin trained his body with martial arts, this trip was still very challenging. What direction should we go in now? When Nangong Yubin asked this, Peng Ga Ho spoke while brushing off the various objects on his clothes. Fufu, since we found the path here, wed be able to reach castle Gansu if we follow it. When Peng Ga Ho said this. Castle Gansu my ass. If you follow this road, youll end up at the Martial Fire Peak (X), kids. Nangong Yubin and Peng Ga Ho turned around. And they sighed. They were surrounded by 10+ people. Bandits? There were about 20 of them. Looking at them, Nangong Yubin whispered to Peng Ga Ho, who immediately nodded. Peng Ga Ho stepped forward. Hey, bro, youre the top dog, right? What? Bro? Top dog? The eyebrows of the muscr man at the front twitched. Iron Hands (F) Sim Duk Hoon (RӖ). He, the master of the Martial Fire Peak, grew angry. Why did the boy have to use the word, top dog, instead of a more proper word like boss? It wasnt like he was the local gang leader or anything. Sim Duk Hoons mood immediately turned for the worse. When was thest time I heard something as arrogant as this? The memories of events like this only happened a very long time ago. The only thing he could remember was pulling the tongue of another arrogant fellow and hanging him on a tree. Since he was always pampered with praises from his minions, Peng Ga Hos casual style of speaking was something Sim Duk Hoon hadnt seen in a long time. When Sim Duk Hoon thought of this, his face began to show some hints of confusion. Come to think of it. These two were obviously nothing but amateurs. Compared to him, who lived in the martial world for more than twenty years, these boys were really just amateurs to Sim Duk Hoon. But they actually dared to treat him in that matter? Did these kids have a death wish? Or did they actually have something backing them up? When he thought that much, he started to feel nervous. Because of that, he took a careful look at these two kids. Then he justughed. I started to get worried over nothing. It seemed he started to worry more about useless things as he got older. The boys clothes were torn up, and were covered in dust, as if they hadnt cleaned it for a few days. They were definitely some lost kids that just came here without knowing anything. When he thought this much, Sim Duk Hoon sighed. It seemed hed have to see blood in broad daylight. Hehe, dont be angry, boss. These are just babies who dont know anything, after all. You want to be the one to get beat up instead then? The co-head, Suh Sang Joon, who was standing next to his boss, was quietly repressed into a small corner by Sim Duk Hoons re. Sim Duk Hoon, looking at that, repressed some of his anger, and looked at the arrogant babies in front of him. I dont know where you beggars are from, but cant you see what kind of a situation youre in? Are your eyes just there as decoration? Peng Ga Ho looked around for a moment, then tilted his head to the side. It seemed he didnt really understand. Then, once again, he just went on and said whatever he wanted to say. Hey bro, where the heck is this Martial Fire Peak, anyways? Its just another word from Castle Gansu, right? Were in a hurry, you know. This little son of a bitch. Sim Duk Hoons patience ended here. His minions all surged forward towards Peng Ga Ho and Nangong Yubin. In a moment, with a satisfying smack, those two idiots will be strung up like dogs. Thinking that, Sim Duk Hoon calmed his mind, but he immediately made a confused expression. The boy who was standing there quietly had a sword in his hand. He had pulled out his sword in an extremely clean manner. If it ended there, he wouldnt have thought much about it. But then the big kid up front could also be seen with a big sword in his hands,ining. Damn, are you trying to get me annoyed, or what? And then. PapapakC Chapter 20 Kuak! Kehoh! Sim Duk Hoons eyes widened so much that it seemed like it would fall right out of the sockets. His minions, his trusty minions were all being beat up. These kids werent just normal children. Actually, they could be called experts at this level. A first-rate expert, at that. The minions, however, learned their martial arts by picking up some moves in the streets. In short, they were third-rate. Obviously the minions wouldnt be able to deal with first-rate experts. Looking at the swordy each of the kids were disying, Sim Duk Hoon screamed in his heart. Damned Five Families! The kids were definitely disciples of the famous Five Families. Those bastards from the family only cared about how pure-blooded their members were. A year in one of the five families is equivalent to 10 years in the martial world. This was the rumor floating in the martial world, and it wasnt so far-off from the truth, either. The amount of practice the people from the ns went through was unknown, but the fact that they were from the five families would still get them recognized in the martial world. But why? Why would these kids roam the mountains without even a single guard, then? Why didnt they just take that perfectly fine path over there, and roam the wilderness? This He immediately felt that he was caught in a bad situation. He felt that blood was going to be spilt from a while back. But to think that the ones whose blood is being spilt would be his. Sim Duk Hoon keptining in his mind. If only he knew that these kids had ties with the five families, he wouldnt have made a mistake like this! He might be stretching it a bit, but this was the kids fault. While Sim Duk Hoon wasying out all these excuses, the situation had already closed up. Since the skill difference between the kids and the minions were quite big, Peng Ga Ho and Nangong Yubin were able to subjugate the bandits without shedding a drop of blood. Sim Duk Hoon came back to his senses when he heard the painful moans from his minions, and immediately set out to fix the situation. Where are you young lords from? His proud look from before had vanishedpletely, and his way of speaking had turned almost shamefully polite. You dont need to know that. Where are we? Peng Ga Hos question was answered immediately. Yes, young lord. This is the Martial Fire Peak, located at the Taebaek in castle Shaanxi. Is there anything else you want to know? What? Castle Shaanxi? Martial Fire Peak? Are you crazy? This isnt castle Shaanxi, its castle Gansu. Sim Duk Hoon made a troubled face for a moment, then immediately spoke. Young lord, Ive worked here for a very long time. hehe. Looking at the Sim Duk Hoon, who was bowing in front of him, Peng Ga Ho began thinking. Trying not to get noticed by Nangong Yubin too much, he began whispering to Sim Duk Hoon. Bro, is castle Gansu far from here? Eh? No. If you follow this road here, itlle out. Its a one day trip in a carriage. Hehe. What? So we were just about there? Peng Ga Hos face warmed up, and he looked at Nangong Yubin with a look of pride. See? My n was wless! Nangong Yubin, who grasped Peng Ga Hos personality after traveling with him for so long, smiled and opened his mouth. Yea, good job. Big bros a reliable man. Peng Ga Ho and Nangong yubin smiled at each other. Then, Peng Ga Ho suddenly opened his mouth. Were almost there, so why not eat before we leave? Where? Peng Ga Ho made an evil smile, and nced at Sim Duk Hoon. Nangong Yubin, who followed Peng Ga Hos eyes, scratched his cheeks and spoke with a small voice. .Good idea. When Nangong Yubin agreed, Peng Ga Ho turned around. Hey bro, is the food here tasty? What? When Sim Duk Hoon made a confused expression. Peng Ga Ho wrapped his arm around the mans shoulder naturally, and spoke. Im kinda hungry after moving my body a bit. Give me some food, yeah? Ah sure. Sim Duk Hoon wiped off his sweat, and spoke. Of course we have to treat you boy heroes. Our food might not be that good, but follow me. Im kind of picky, you know. If the food isnt good, I get violent. .Ill tell the chef to be careful. This ck-hearted bastard was sure to be something bigter on. To try to steal a bandits food. It seemed Sim Duk Hoons luck was especially bad today. Sim Duk Hoon, who was filled with anxiety for some reason, led the two boys to their hideout. The two happy boys and the miserable bandits headed for the Martial Fire Peak. But Peng Ga Ho and Nangong Yubin still hadnt realized this: the fact that their destination was going to be an extremely dangerous warfield. They didnt expect it at all. * * * While Jo Gi Chun was observing the formation he was assigned, Cho Ryu Hyang wasying in his room, exhausted. But for some reason, the tired boy couldnt go to sleep. So he kept his eyes closed, and started to think. The Faultless View of The World. It became weird. He couldnt really exin it, but something about it had changed. He felt this after he met the pope. Before that was. what should he call it? It was something that he didnt think was significant. But after he met the pope, that insignificant something seemed much more important. Since when was it like this? When he thought for a while, an answer floated up. Was it since then? After eating the Heavenly Demon Spirit Pill. After treating the side effect from the pill with inner energy, something about the Faultless View had changed. Did it break? The red eye that was on the head of the pope. That was definitely not an illusion. That was because the eye was able to stay visible, even if he looked at it with the Faultless View. Cho Ryu Hyang slowly opened his eyes, and looked at the ceiling. Then, everything, including the ceiling, could be seen with numbers on it. It definitely changed. In order to use the Faultless View, Cho Ryu Hyang had to breathe deeply, and had to focus his mind. But not now. Now, as long as he willed it, he could see these numbers. And the numbers were moving around him, as if they were alive. To think they were moving as if they were asking for Cho Ryu Hyang to touch them This was like. Its like theyre alive. When Cho Ryu Hyang thought this much, he could hear the voice of the old man in his mind. [Sometimes, the things that can be seen with the eyes isnt everything.] The old man, after saying that, paused for a while. When he spoke again, his voice held an eptable tone in it. [It doesnt sit right with me since it feels like Im handing a little child a treasured sword, but since I know that youd be able to understand it, Im telling you now.] Cho Ryu Hyang waited quietly. He felt that the old man was about to teach him something. His prediction was indeed correct. Seizing Conversion Technique (׽Q). This was the name of the second equation he learned from the old man, and this would enable him to freely change the value of any number contained within matter. This wasnt something that stopped at the point of sight, like the Faultless View. This was a terrifying ability that enabled the boy to be able to use the numbers in actualbat. Chapter 21. The Spark of The Alliance-Demon War Chapter 21. The Spark of The Alliance-Demon War The number of people that gathered in order to strike down the Heavenly Demon Church numbered around 5,000 men. Since their numbers kept on rising as others joined in, the estimated number of martial artists in their group would number about 8000 when they would fight the Heavenly Demon Church. Thanks to the immense amount of people here, the Gansu Branch of the Alliance were extremely troubled. The people they could house in the Gansu branch were limited, so they were unable to hold all the members that came in. Because of that, the Gansu branch rented out all the houses in the area to house the members of the Alliance. However, even that was reaching its limit. There really were an immense amount of peopleing in. Since crowds of people who imed to be allies of the Alliance kept gathering, the Gansu branch eventually had to build tents for the neers. Except for the Zhuge n, who went into istionism about a year ago, every n connected to the Alliance sent their elites. Right now, 5000 experts are under yourmand, and in 4 days, about 2000 more will arrive. The strategist of the Alliance. Mystical Hand Sanguan Zhongda. The old schr, who was nearing the age of 60, was reporting something politely to a person. There werent many people he had to show respect to in the martial world. The person in front of him was one of those people. That man was one of the three sovereigns, Baek Mu Ryang, the Dao Emperor. I made the people here quite troubled. I feel a little sorry for them. Were here to y the great demon. Everyone here is sure to respect your decision. Will they. Baek Mu Ryang. He, who had a saintly look about him just a moment ago, suddenly grinned. But did they trulye here because of my order? Theyre really overdoing it with the amount of people theyre bringing here. Sanguan Zhongda had a faint smile on his face. They probably have an ulterior motive. Its no surprise, considering the fact that you were the one that was pulling the strings all along. I just let them have a small peek at the hidden truth. The hidden truth. It was the fact that the Heavenly Demon Church was actually after the tomb of Ak Jung Pae, the Sword Demon. He leaked that fact a little on purpose. The effects were immediate. Multiple ns that belonged to the Alliance gathered their elites, and sent them here. They were obviously aiming to take the legendary martial arts technique. They werent here to destroy the demonic church. The Alliance pretended to not notice their intent. By the way, do we still not have any info on who ising from the Heavenly Demon Church? No. Since they are a organization thats quite hard to infiltrate, their actions have yet to be revealed. Che, thats always the problem. The Heavenly Demon Churchs trait as a religious group made them very hard to infiltrate. Even if someone managed to get in, they would always stay in the outer circle of the church. The churchs closed nature proved to be useful in keeping out information. The ck Moon Guild probably knows about all this at this point, right? Yes, they shouldve noticed by now. Whosing from their side? I heard the Chasing Blood Lord ising. Hoh? Sang Dong Ha, that fellows on the move? (TL: Chapter 15) Yes, sir. Things are getting pretty fun. The Dao Emperor Baek Mu Ryang started tapping on the table next to him, and spoke. By the way, do you actually think that everything will go ording to the n? Sanguan Zhongda smirked. Have you ever seen anything this big ever go ording to n? Yeah, youre right. I wonder whats going to go wrong this time. I wonder what kind of unexpected variables there would be this time. Im not really worried about those variables. What worries me is the possibility that we would be put into the worst possible situation. The worst situation Baek Mu Ryang had a yful smile on his face. surawang_21 Are you talking about him? Yes. Youre not really sure about the results, even with me? Right now, yes. Baek Mu Ryang made a sad expression when he heard this. Why do you think Id be weaker than him, when were both one of the three sovereigns? The figure they are talking about. They were talking about the Dark Demon Emperor, Gongson Chun Gi. I dont think that you would lose. Dont misunderstand Then what? I just think you should try to avoid fighting him. Cant I just beat him up? That would justplicate things, but if thingse down to the worst, you would have to do that. Itsplicated, huh. Sanguan Zhongda smiled. Of course it would be hard for the likes of Baek Mu Ryang to understand. That man was only interested in fighting, so the man was a littlecking when it came to politics. Despite all that, the reason why Baek Mu Ryang was able to be the leader of the Alliance was because of his unparalleled strength. His immense strength was what gave him power and fame. If you look at it that way, Gongson Chun Gi would truly be an amazing person. Gongson Chun Gi possessed undisputed strength, and he also was talented in politics. Sanguan Zhongda didnt want to admit it, but Gongson Chun Gis every move was something that had every possible situation imaginable ounted for. This was something that had to be noted carefully. And. The Heavenly Bnce. To think there was one more person who knew about it other than he. It was quite a shock. The bnce between the three powers. To think that the one maintaining it wasnt him, but the Heavenly Demon Church. It wasntt something he could easily ept. It hurt his pride quite a lot. This is definitely something I have to look into. The one that nned everything up till now was Sanguan Zhongda. He was the one that made the leader make his move, and he was also the one that leaked some info to the ns. Thats how he created this immense battle between the two sides. Just to confirm one thing. If the leader of the Heavenly Demon Church truly wants to maintain the bnce, hell try to avoid this fight at all costs. But even that will be too hard now. The things that were at stake here became too big. In the worst scenario. One of them would suffer a hit they wont be able to recover from. Then the bnce would crumble. That cannot be allowed to happen. They decided to work with the Dark Moon Guild with that purpose. If only one of the powers take a hit, the bnce would crumble. Then what would happen if all three of them took a hit? The bnce would be maintained. The ck Moon Guild was actually the variable that made the two other powers hesitate from making a move. Show me, Gongson Chun Gi. Prove to me that you were the real master of the martial world. If Gongson Chun Gi showed even a slight movement of trying to avoid the fight, Sanguan Zhongda would do anything in order to cancel the fight between the two powers. * * * You found something interesting? Mystical Hand Sanguan Zhongda. He was massaging his forehead as he was looking at the White Tiger Lord. The White Tiger Lord. Sanguan Jin Gul, Sanguan Zhongdas nephew, nodded and spoke. Yes, the spy we put in the ck Moon Guild brought some interesting information. The ck Moon Guild? Yes. Its about the girl that you told us to monitor carefully, Neng Ha Young. Thats why I came here in a hurry. Neng Ha Young. Sanguan Zhongdas tired face turned into one of interest. Since a long time back, he had constantly tried to create inner conflicts within the guild. His strategy somewhat worked, which caused various cracks to appear in the ck Moon Guild. But the one that was carefully fixing these cracked was Neng Ha Young. She was only 15. At that age, most girls would fanatically try to collect various essories, but not Neng Ha Young. She was carefully trying to maintain the bnce between the guild and the Alliance in the shadows. She wasnt someone to be taken lightly. What is it? Seeing the expression on his uncles face, Sanguan Jin Gul made a satisfied smile. She was trying to find a person. A person? Yes. It was a order that was personally given by her. Because of that, the ck Moon Guild is expending everything they have to collect information. Yeah? Whore they trying to find? Its him. Sanguan Zhongda tilted his head a bit when he got the document from his nephew. That was because he had seen a name that he didnt recognize on it. Cho Ryu Hyang? Blue Sky Mercenaries? Yes, hes the heir to the Blue Sky Mercenaries. Hes now 11. Sanguan Zhongda made a confused expression as he put the document down. Whys Neng Ha Young trying to find a little brat? We got a detailed exnation as to why she was trying to find him. Its all in the document. I dont have time for that. Tell me yourself. Sanguan Jin Gul made a surprised expression. His uncle always did things the official way, no matter how urgent a matter was. But to think that this uncle would be this rushed. Did his uncle find this matter extremely important? Sanguan Jin Guls face turned serious. Neng Ha Young seems to believe that the boy has a connection to the Heavenly Demon Church. The Heavenly Demon Church? Yes. Why? Whats the Heavenly Demon Church got anything to do with this? Sanguan Zhongda didnt understand. But when he heard what his nephew said next, his face stiffened. It seems that she has met up with a figure from the church. Sanguan Zhongdas face changed greatly. This wasnt something that couldnt be ignored. The Heavenly Demon Church and the ck Moon Guild met up with each other? Is this true? I can swear my life upon it. Sanguan Zhongda nodded when he heard this. And he gestured his nephew to continue. When he saw his uncles gesture, Sanguan Jin Gul organized the information in his head based on the level of importance. He then told his uncle these information carefully. Neng Ha Young immediately went back to Gansu aftering in contact with the people from the church, and began to search for Cho Ryu Hyang. Since this event wasnt covered up quite well, the spies we imnted in the guild were able to attain this information easily. Shes collecting information without even trying to hide her movements? This must be quite urgent. Yes, she did seem hurried. But the information they collected on the boy will probably be minimal. We were hindering them from getting the info since while back. Did you do that? Yes. Since all this happened pretty fast, I did it on my own ord. Is there anything wrong, perhaps. No, you did well. Sanguan Jin Gul made a happy face when he got praised. After all, his uncle rarely praised anyone at all. Cho Ryu Hyang. A brat appeared at an unexpected time. Sanguan Zhongda began thinking. He soon opened his mouth. You said Neng Ha Young was here, at Gansu? Yes, shes currently residing in the ck Moon Guilds Gansu branch. So she came here for the events in the Qilian mountains? To think that shede to the Alliances territory just for that, shes quite rash. We dont know why she came here yet. Well investigate. Shes probably here for whats going on with the mountains. She probably made this move separately from Sang Dong Ha. What shall we do? Sanguan Zhongda began thinking. He soon spoke. Its good to get rid of unpredictable variables. Leak the info that shes here to Sang Dong Ha. And leak the info about who shes trying to find, too. Yessir. It wouldnt have much of an effect in the whole situation, but its better to get rid of this variable, anyways. Well try to be as quick as possible. Good. Now, leave. Yes, uncle. Even now, Sanguan Zhongda didnt realize what kind of a rtionship he would have with Cho Ryu Hyang in the future. * * * The Sword Emperor g really is quite useful. To think Id have the rare luck of seeing all of you, hoho. The n leaders gathered here made an awkward smile when they heard this. Well, youre all busy, so I should understand. If I get sad because none of you want to meet up with an old man, youll just see me as an annoying senior, after all. It seems your style of speaking hasnt changed, chief. The old beggar. When the king of all the beggars in the martial world, Tae Eul Shen Gai, said this, the tense atmosphere in the room rxed a little bit. Looking at the old beggar, the chief smiled. Youve gotten old. We all age, you know, did you think I wouldnt get old? The time I found you as a child seems just like yesterday. Youve really aged. .Are you trying to set the mood by talking about things from the past again? The chief looked at Tae Eul Shen Gai with a sorrowful look, and spoke in a low voice. I seem to remember a young beggar that begged me to save him when I look at you. At least you were cute back then. now. well. Damn. why are you bringing up a story from thirty years ago? Tae Eul Shen Gais face went red as he started toin, but the chief didnt stop teasing the man. Huh, now that hes old, he just goes on to being all hostile to his savior. Times have been quite hard on me. They say you should never take in a young animal without caution. old saying are always true, it seems. Chief, please. Lets just get on with the meeting. The chief took a look at the old beggars face for a moment, and then nodded with a face of understanding. Since the old beggar wants me to stop so much, I will. Lets get on with the meeting. Why did the chief always tease him? While Tae Eul Shen Gai was trying his best not to startining, the chief went on talking. Thank you foring here to take care of the Heavenly Demon Church. I appreciate your hard work. The representatives of the ns all nodded. While they dide here because of the Sword Emperor g, they all had ulterior motives for being here. Ak Jung Paes Moon Edge de Technique. No one was daring to say it out loud, but they were all here to take it for themselves. To them, the Heavenly Demon Church was just an obstacle. Theres not much that I can give for you hard-working people. but I will make a proposal here for you. This is something that Ivee up with, and it hasnt been told to anyone yet. I think youll all like it. Sanguan Zhongda, who was standing behind the chief, made a confused expression. Why did the chief make it sound so grand? Just what was the he going to say? Sanguan Zhongda started getting anxious. I know that youre all here for a personal reason. Its sad, but this is reality. I understand. Everyone at the meeting room made a strange face. They were all keeping their movements secret. Since this was a matter that was quite embarrassing to talk about, everyone pretended to not know anything about it. But why did the Sword Emperor mention this? What did he have in his mind? Ill make a proposal as the chief. You came here because of the Mood Edge de Technique, right? Ill give it to you. Take it. .! Ill give it to the n that finds it first. How is it? Isnt this something that youd like? Ooh! Chief, are you speaking the truth? When Tae Eul Shen Gai said this, Baek Mu Ryang nodded. I always speak the truth. You know that, right? You know how truthful I am. Tae Eul Shen Gai thought a little bit, and nodded. Come to think of it, he never saw the chief lie. Looking at that, the leader of the Hebei Peng n, Peng Mu Chun (ʏ\),ughed out loud. Kuhahaha! I like you, chief. The Peng n sees you in a new light. Ive been told to be quite bold when I was young, hahaha. Sanguan Zhongda stood behind Baek Mu Ryang with a stupid look on his face. Was I underestimating him? The chief he was looking at now wasnt an ignorant musclehead. He was a clear-minded person who was analysing the situation quite urately, and he also knew how to make the situation be advantageous for him. And. The chief seemed to have a sly side to him, too. The meeting room, which seemed quite unmotivated just a while ago, was now bursting with energy. The power to move the hearts of men. The chief was the master of maniption (ӹg), it seems. The chief, feeling the heat in the air, nced behind himself. Sanguan Zhongda was standing there with a pale face. [What youve been nning till now is useless at this point. Truthfully, wasnt the martial world too peaceful till now? I didnt like the martial world in that state. The martial world should be a ce where strength rules over all.] It seemed the chief expected all this from the start. I was an idiot. Sanguan Zhongda made a bitter smile when he heard the chiefs message. He was being yed all along. The chief just struck him at the best possible moment. This gave Sanguan Zhongda quite a shock. Ive learned a good lesson. Sanguan Zhongda bowed down to the chief with a feeling of defeat. He was thanking the chief for teaching him a new lesson. Looking at that, the chief smiled. It was finally time for the Alliance to rule the martial world. Ive waited too long. A still pool of water was bound to spoil. Sometimes, someone had to clear it out, even with excessive measures. That was what the chief thought, and the chiefs decision would spill much blood on the martial world. The first Alliance/Demon war was about to begin. Chapter 22. A Teacher’s Affection Chapter 22. A Teachers Affection Hey teach. What? Why do you like me? Because Im smart? Because Im able to understand everything you teach me? ..Where in hell did you hear something so stupid? Young Gongson Chun Gi looked up at the man sitting on the top of the tree. Then whyd you choose me? You had disciples other than me. You think I chose you? You didnt? The man with the red hair. He, who was the previous pope of the church, the Hellfire Demon, made a dumbfounded face. He then replied to his disciple with a smirk. A teacher doesnt choose his student. The student is the one that chooses his teacher. Whats that supposed to mean? Youll see when you get a disciple. Yeah? Young Gongson Chun Gi tilted his head in curiosity. Looking at that, the pope spoke. By the way, you know what I wish the most these days? What? I wish a guy like you bes your disciple. A person as idiotic as you. Seriously, Ive never seen a person as dumb as you during the seventy years of my life. Is that apliment? When young Gongson Chun Gi asked this with a happy face, the pope just muttered something while looking up at the sky. .I wish I could see my teacher nowadays. Ive probably sinned too much for that to ever happen, though. You should be a good person, teach. When the pope heard Gongson Chun Gisment from below, he justughed. I should. Its a little toote, though Hey, what was teachers teacher like? My teacher? Yeah. Teachers teacher. My teacher. hehe, he was a dense old man. Young Gongson Chun Gi made a surprised face. He then asked a question. Like you? .Sometimes, I just cant tell if youre just joking or telling the truth. That just drives me crazy. Im always truthful, teach. That just makes me angrier, damned disciple. Dont get angry, teach. Its bad for your health. Thats what the medicine guy said. He even gave you pills for itst time, remember? Damn it. who do you think made me eat those pills in the first ce? Hah The fact that theres no one talented as this idiot makes me sad. Thats how the pope passed on his martial arts techniques to young Gongson Chun Gi, all the whileining about his own circumstance. After several decades, Gongson Chun Gi was looking up into the sky at the same ce where he held the conversation with his teacher. Chapter 22 I was actually messing with you a little back then, teach. Your reactions were just too funny. Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and stroked the the same tree the previous pope sat on. I thought you were joking back then, but I guess it was actually true, huh. A disciple really was the one that chose the teacher. I kind of understand what you were talking about now. Touching the rough bark of the tree with his palm, Gongson Chun Gi kept muttering to himself. It doesnt happen often, but I want to see you at times like this. I was kind of jealous of your straightforwardness. Especially when this kind of stuff happens. The person who chooses the disciple isnt the teacher. The teacher merely provides a chance for the disciple to take him, but the final decision is always made by the disciple himself. Cho Ryu Hyang, was it? I wish he would be one of those cheeky people you wanted me to take in. I dont really want to take in an indecisive person. Id rather take a ferocious one. Gongson Chun Gi stared up at the sky, and jumped up to the tree branch his teacher liked to sit on. He spoke again while lying down on the branch. Come to think of it, I think I thought that you were going to be my teacher from the start. Thats probably why I didnt refuse you when you said that I would be your heir. Gongson Chun Gi looked up at the sky, which was obstructed by several leaves and branches, and smiled. The view heres actually pretty good. Its indeed a ce that teacher wouldve liked. In the beginning. Gongson Chun Gi met the pope at Gansu, and not the main headquarters of the church. Thats why Gongson Chun Gi believed that his meeting with Cho Ryu Hyang mightve actually been fate. * * * I should go meet the boy. Oh! You finally decided? Decide? Im not the one to decide. The kid is the one thatll decide. Im just afraid that the kid would refuse. Guardian Wu smiled a little as he followed Gongson Chun Gi. There was no way that was the case. The popes the one that makes decisions. And the child would definitely not refuse. Think about it. How could you refuse, when a person offered you money and fame? Hehe, if theres a person like that, hed have to be either crazy or insane. Unfortunately, the boy they were meeting seemed to be either one of those two. I find you quite interesting, how about you? Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to figure out what the pope meant. When he made a confused expression, Gongson Chun Gi scratched his cheeks and talked. Well? Do you want to try being my disciple? Im Gongson Chun Gi, the pope of the Heavenly Demon Church, by the way. Cho Ryu Hyang answered Gongson Chun Gi without even a hint of hesitation. No. ..Really. ..Why? Why dont you want to? Guardian Wu left the pope behind and grabbed onto Cho Ryu Hyangs hands. He looked into the boys face with a desperate expression. Is it because of the rumors about the church in the martial world? Dont trust them, young lord. Theyre all fake. Cho Ryu Hyang made a troubled face. He didnt know why this bearlike elder was being so lively here, but the old mans actions here was just bothering him. I Right when he was about to speak, Guardian Wu started talking again. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If you be the heir to the church, youll be able to control 100,000 followers of the church with the tip of your hands. If you want, you can have a giant feast for yourself every day, and you can acquire anything you ever wished for. How is it? I. When Cho Ryu Hyang was about to speak, Guardian Wu yet again cut the boy off. It seems that the young lord hasnt seen the tremendous power of the church yet, but. Stop, you idiotic fool. Youre starting to say some inappropriate stuff. To a child. Gongson Chun Gi pulled back the old man, who was talking non-stop in front of Cho Ryu Hyang., and apologized. Sorry. This old mans quite immature. He troubled you quite a bit. Please understand. Please reconsider. Something like this wont ever happen again in your lifetime. I told you before, dont you remember? You can take a cattle to the river, but you cant force it to drink. A person mustnt try to create a rtionship thats bound to not work out. Dont you think so? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Looking at that, Gongson Chun Gi made a regretful face, but soon shook his head. I respect your decision. Since unlike this old man, Im a responsible adult. But I do have to leave you with an offer. Gongson Chun Gi spoke whilst looking at Cho Ryu Hyang. If your mind ever changes, just tell me. You can tell me while you are here, or even after you leave this ce. Im a patient person, so I can wait. Guardian Wu thought that thatst part was just a big fat lie, but he didnt say it out loud. He just started punching his chest in frustration. Cho Ryu Hyang, who was looking at the old man, spoke. It seemed that he finally got a chance to speak up. Its a proposal I am thankful for, but I already have a teacher. Gongson Chun Gis eyes widened. You refused me because of that? Yes. A person must never take on two teachers, after all. When Cho Ryu Hyang said this, Guardian Wus face brightened considerably. He looked at the pope with eyes filled with respect. Your holiness is indeed amazing. You were able to predict all this. This is really amazing. Its good that you know. Isnt this case closed, then? Yep. Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face when he heard this conversation. He didnt understand what was going on. While Gongson Chun Gi was trying to think about what he should say next, Guardian Wu spoke to Cho Ryu Hyang with a smile. We already got permission from your teacher. The young lord doesnt have to worry about that, hoho. .! Gongson Chun Gis face twisted a little when he saw Cho Ryu Hyangs face change. It was toote to fix anything now. This darned old man. Gongson Chun Gi red at Guardian Wu with murderous eyes, then spoke. Weve made a mistake. You shouldve heard this from your teacher first, but it seems that the order got reversed. We got too rushed on our side. Cho Ryu Hyangs face shook noticably. Gongson Chun gi, who was observing the boys face, kept talking. Dont go on thinking that your teacher abandoned you. He treasured you so much, that he made this painful decision, believing that it would be good for you. Thats why he agreed to all this. . It felt like he was hit was a jackhammer. Cho Ryu hyang rubbed his eyes a little. What did they just say? Did he listen correctly? It looks like we really came at a bad time. How about talking again after you go meet up with your teacher? ..Yes. Lets. He had to talk with his teacher first. It felt like he could be able to ept all this after talking about why his teacher made this decision. * * * Well, things ended up like this because of that. I apologize. Jo Gi Chun looked at Gongson Chun Gi, who had visited him while he was observing the formation, and sighed. It seemed that it was an ident. And he was apologizing, too. After listening to everything, it seemed that he too, had to take some responsibility. Ill go talk to the boy. Could you? Jo Gi Chun nodded, and went to the room that his disciple was in. Cho Ryu Hyang was waiting for him. The boy, who had prepared some tea on a small table, stood up when he saw his teacher enter and proceeded with the formalities. Teacher. Yes. Lets sit. Yes. Jo Gi Chun sat down on the spot where Cho Ryu Hyang was sitting, and poured some tea for himself. I heard that the order of events have been switched. Even so, the end result shouldnt be too different. .Teacher. This felt ominous. When Cho Ryu Hyang made a dark face, Jo Gi Chun spoke. Ive been thinking since a long time back. If something good happened to you in the future, I would let you go. And that just happened to happen here. .. But it seemed that human greed was really a scary thing. Jo Gi Chun finished pouring tea for himself, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. A whileter, he spoke. It wasnt easy to let you go. Even now, I cant really ept it. But I know thats just a product of my greed. .. I cant turn back from the path of mathematics now, but youre different. You still have plenty of chances. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at his teachers face. Jo Gi Chun too, gazed upon the boy. How long did they look at each other? Cho Ryu Hyangs face changed quite a bit during that span of time. At first, a surprised face, then a regretful one. And the face atst settled on an emotionless expression. Cho Ryu Hyang began talking slowly. Teacher is. very selfish. .. Even when you say that you are doing this for me, it still sounds selfish. Teacher knows what I want, and what I want to do, more so than anyone else in the world, dont you? He did. More than anyone. But thats why he felt that he had to give up on the boy. He couldnt have a boy with this much talent tied down by math. That would make him truly selfish. Yes, like you said, I am a selfish man. Ive lived that way till now. I have never regretted any of decisions, nor have I ever looked back at anything. . He even ignored his family out of selfishness. When he thought that much, Jo Gi Chun made a bitter face. But the moment I said that I would give you up to the pope of the church, Ive regretted my decision. Even now, I regret saying that. Jo Gi Chun put the teacup to his mouth. His trembling hand clearly showed how much he regretted his decision. I dont know if you believe me, but I think I will continue regretting this. But even if I do, I wont think that Ive done a bad thing. Indeed, like you said, I must be quite selfish. Cho Ryu Hyang stayed silent when he saw his teachers trembling hand. He was able to see that his teacher didnt make this choice easily. Because he was his teacher. Because he knew what his teacher was like. As they talked with each other, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to realize that his teacher made a difficult decision. But so what? Just what does that change? His teacher was trying to send him away. Even though his teacher doesnt want it, he is trying to push away his only disciple. Since his teacher treasured Cho Ryu Hyang very much, the teachers mind wouldnt change. What should I do? Cho Ryu Hyang asked himself a question. But he didnt really need to do so. He didnt want to leave his teacher. How should he make it so that he didnt have to leave his teacher, then? As much as Jo Gi Chun loved his disciple, Cho Ryu Hyang respected his teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang also knew that there was no one else like his teacher in the world, a person who understood Cho Ryu Hyang to that degree. I like math. No, to be specific, he liked studying mathematics with his teacher. It was like that in the past, the present, and it wouldnt ever change in the future. He couldnt abandon his teacher, who he could learn from, and share discoveries with. That was his conclusion. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher again. He could see his teacher, who possessed eyes eyes of firm determination. Cho Ryu Hyangs face slowly wrinkled when he saw it. This wont do. His teacher wouldnt take it. His teacher had a look of determination in his eyes, and through it, one could see that the man didnt make this choice for merefort. The man made this choice, firmly believing that Cho Ryu Hyang would benefit from this. That just served to make Cho Ryu Hyang want to stay with his teacher more. It was because he could feel how much his teacher cared for Cho Ryu Hyangs future. What kind of a disciple would leave a teacher like that? Cho Ryu Hyang organized his thoughts, and spoke. Teacher said that you were a selfish man. I dont know if thats true, but teacher can continue living the way you did. I too, will live selfishly from now. Jo Gi Chun closed his eyes. Good. It seemed that his disciple understood his intentions, one way or the other. It hurt him to see the cold eyes of his disciple, but didnt he brace himself for that already? There was no need for him to be sad, or regretful about all this. When he set his mind on this, his disciple opened his mouth. I know youre trying to give me up for my sake. Since I understand your purpose, I willply with your wishes. .Good. Will you listen to the choice Ive made, then? Dont you already know what I want you to do? Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses. And spoke. I want to follow your decision, and my wishes as well. As you know, I am a realist. Jo Gi Chun stared at his disciple. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. And Im quite greedy as well. Humans cant live greedily, doing whatever they want. But Cho Ryu Hyang right now was going to be greedy. Im going to take on two teachers now. I hope you would agree with my wishes. It was a foolish request. But this was the best Cho Ryu Hyang coulde up with at the time. Do you truly believe that the pope will agree to this? Ill make him. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. After having Jo Gi Chun agree to his n somewhat, Cho Ryu Hyang began thinking. He had to get the pope to agree to this. Otherwise, his beloved teacher might leave him. Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to avoid that at all costs. Chapter 23. Scalawag Guardians Chapter 23. Scwag Guardians Gongson Chun Gi massaged his head, and a painful moan came out of his throat. Whyre you here? .I heard Your Holiness was in danger. Me? Who said that? The wrinkly old man. He was one of the 8 guardians of the church, the harmonious expert Ju Sang San. He sweated a bit and started ncing towards Guardian Wu. Seeing that, Gongson Chun Gi red at Guardian Wu. Oho, so that old man called you over. Guardian Ju started to nod vigorously. Guardian Wu frantically began trying to exin himself with a pale face. Your Holiness, this is a misunderstanding. I told him this before I left the church. Misunderstanding my ass. Are you trying to start a war with all these people? Do you really want to see a bloodbath? Guardian Wu and Guardian Ju. The two bowed down fearfully. That was because Gongson Chun Gi had left his usual yful attitude behind, and was raging at the old man. Guardian Ju, a member of the fifteen guests known as the Blood Sound Demon (Ѫħ). The reason Gongson Chun Gi was angry wasnt just because he came here. If Guardian Ju hade alone, Gongson Chun Gi wouldve greeted him happily. But the problem was, he didnte alone. He brought two of the ten martial groups inside the Heavenly Demon Church. Guardian Wu brought 500 of the strongest experts, the Blood Wolf Corps. Guardian Ju brought the Wind Demon Corps (Lħ) and the Yama Corps (_), which totaled 4000 men. If you would add the 500 experts stationed in the Gansu branch, the grand total of the martial artists currently in the Gansu branch would be an astonishing amount of 5000 men. The Gansu branch obviously couldnt house that many people. Because of that, they had to set up tents to amodate the experts. The boys in the Blood Wolf Corps are good, but since theyre a small group, wouldnt it be hard to fight the Alliance? When Guardian Ju said this with a cautious voice, Gongson Chun Gi wrinkled his face. If it was then, we couldve avoided the whole battle to begin with. But not now. Since the men at the Blood Wolf Corps were the elites of the church, they could easily get themselves out of a tight situation. Even if they were stuck in an extremely dangerous area, they would get out without much injury. But when the Wind Demon Corps and the Yama Corps, both weaker than the Blood Wolf Corps, join in, the whole story would be different. Their mobility would obviously decrease. ..Is there no choice other than to spill blood.. Gongson Chun Gi had to abandon the idea of running away. His face stiffened. He didnt want to fight, but only on the condition that they would suffer no injuries. He had no desire to avoid a fight by giving up their own flesh and blood. The fact that the church had to go into a battle with the Alliance bothered Gongson Chun Gi greatly. First secretary (һ), are you there? Yes, Your Holiness. Come in. Um Seung Do entered the meeting room politely. Looking at Um Seung Do, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. You said they would move in about four days? Yes. By the time everyone gathers on both sides, who would have the advantage? Um Seung Do cautiously asked a question. Do I have to put Your Holiness and the chief of the Alliance into the equation? Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. Nope, exclude me and him. Then the church would have a 30% higher chance of victory against the Alliance. Damn, so its just 30%. Gongson Chun Gi made a depressed expression. A lot of people were going to die here. It would be a different story if they had an absolute advantage against the enemy, but they didnt. Both sides would suffer from great losses in this case. Is there any chance that they would retreat? Um Seung Do hesitated a little at this question. He didnt know what kind of an answer the Pope wanted. Because of that, Um Seung Do tried to be as cautious as possible as he answered the question. Unless they lose most of their men, they wont retreat. Damn it. ording to what this one found out, Baek Mu Ryang had made the information about the Moon Edge de Technique public. What? Why? I believe that hes trying to use it as an incentive. That old dogs determined to fight us, huh. The price of a martial arts technique in the martial world was immense. Especially a martial arts technique that had the capability to shake the world. When a martial arts technique of that much value appeared, every martial artist in the world would try to get it using any means possible. Gongson Chun Gi pressed down on his aching temples, and spoke. By the way, how long would it take for the formation to be undone? He said it would take about ten days. Too slow. Thats the best he could do. Actually, hes not sure if he could even do it in ten days.. Damn it. Nothings going right. The battle would happen in four days. That would mean that the church would have to hold on for seven whole days. Just how should the church aplish that? Should we just go crush them? If he just followed his personality, he wouldve done that a long time ago. But he couldnt do it. If he did that, something that he didnt want to see happen the most would happen. A lot of people would die if he did it. While Gongson Chun Gi was trying to think of some kind of a solution, Um Seung Do spoke up. Your Holiness. What? Lord Cho Ryu Hyang wishes to see you. Now? Yes. He wanted to meet you as soon as possible. He mustve made his choice. Gongson Chun Gi nodded. Come to think of it, nothing good happened since he came here. Except for meeting the boy. That was the only good thing that had happened to him so far. When he thought that much, his terrible mood lightened a bit. Where is he? He is residing in the cabin at the back. Good. Ah! You guys dont have to follow me. Yes. When Gongson Chun Gi went outside the meeting room, Guardian Wu and Guardian Ju both sighed in relief. Immediately after that, Guardian Wu began to growl at Guardian Ju. Stupid old man! Whyd you sell me out? Wasnt it true, though? When Guardian Ju said this, Guardian Wus face started to look more and more dangerous. Dont you have any sense of loyalty at all? Pah! To hell with loyalty. I want to live long. Im still healthy, and I dont want to get beat up to death by His Holiness. Healthy my ass. Are you actually trying to live till you be an useless old man? Of course I am. Guardian Wu and Guardian Ju. They were old rivals, as well as friends. After fighting each other like that for a while, they looked down at their wrinkly hands and grinned. Kuhehe. It took me thirty years to get myself all the way here. Im definitely going to live long and witness the world that His Holiness will create. I cant die before that. Um. I definitely cant. One could feel quite a bit of determination in that voice. Looking at Guardian Ju, Guardian Wu spoke with a sad face. ..Senile old man. Are you really still saying that? His Holiness has no intention of going out into the martial world. He decided that years ago. Dont you know about that? Hehe, you dumbass. Thats why youre socking all the time. What? D..Dumbass? Yeah, dumbass. You stayed next to His Holiness for that long, and you still dont know what hes like? I dont know His Holiness? This Wu Gyu Ho? Guardian Ju. He thought of something from the past, and spoke. Its not like youd know about something just because you were next to it for a long time. Dont you know His Holiness holding it in desperately, even now? Hold in what? Did you forget what kind of a martial art His Holiness practiced? It was a demonic art that requires one to kill a person every day. You dumb idiot. Dont you know that the His Holiness overcame that years ago? Hah This is why a person needs to die when they get old. Fufu. Youll see soon enough. Looking at Guardian Ju, who had a mysterious smile on his face, Guardian Wus eyes began to narrow. You This is suspicious. Did you bring all these boys here, even though you knew everything? To make His Holiness fight? Fufu, you figured it out? Youre not just an idiot, huh. You Guardian Wu grabbed Guardian Jus shoulders violently. You did something good for once. Good job, you bastard! Puhahaha! This is what they call the wisdom of life. Kuhahahaha! The two old friends looked at each other, andughed. surawang_23 Um Seung Do, who had been hiding in the room all this time, felt that this wasnt the ce for him and tried to sneak out. Did that tick them off? Guardian Ju called out to Um Seung Do. Yo, Seung Do. Ye, yes! Sir. You asked His Holiness a silly question a while ago. A silly question? What was it? While Um Seung Do was trying to look over the previous situation, Guardian Ju spoke. You asked him if you should exclude him and the Chief of the Alliance, I believe? Ah! He remembered that question. But just what was wrong about it? Guardian Ju spoke after reading Um Seung Dos face. Dont you know what the problem is? I do realize that His Holiness is stronger than the Chief of the Alliance, but. But that was just a prediction made by the church. Even though he did believe in the power of the church, but since he mainly dealt with information as a job, he usually had to suspect everything unless it was certain. His Holiness is on an entirely different level. Guardian Ju spoke whilst having his arms folded together. You said the church held a 30% advantage over the enemy before? Yes. Is it urate? When Guardian Ju asked this, Um Seung Do answered back with a slightly offended expression. Yes. Hoh? Then what do you think would happen if His Holiness and the Alliances Chief entered the fray? That is. Um Seung Do began thinking. Even though His Holiness was quite strong, the Alliances chief wasnt an easy foe. They were both a part of the three sovereigns, after all. So what would happen if they both entered the battle? Nothing would change, right? 100%. Guardian Wu, who had been staying quiet all this while, opened his mouth. What? Its 100%. Um Seung Do opened his mouth, then closed it again. What? Its not even a 90%, but a full 100%? That would mean that the church would have no casualties at all, but was that even possible to begin with? It seemed that these old men had a bit too much loyalty in them. They had to look at situations like these as coldly as possible. Um Seung Dos eyes began to show a tinge of disappointment. Dont go off ignoring what we said, now. Well, it shouldnt matter, though. Youll see soon enough. Thats true. When Um Seung Do saw the two old men, who were ncing at each other with a smile, his face began to getplicated. It seemed that they knew something about His Holiness that he didnt know about. What would that be? As a person who handled information, not being able to predict the power of his own allies and the enemies was a critical problem. Well see what happens, damned elders. He couldnt figure out what was going to happen in the future right now. There were too many variables in y. At times like these, it was better to just try to crush the enemy with pure force, rather than to try toe up with a decent strategy. The Alliance/Demon War. Um Seung Do felt his blood boil when he thought about the war. After all, he too was a martial artist. There hadnt been anything as big as this recently. Just what would happen? Um Seung Do forcefully tried to cool his head as he stared out the window. Then, Guardian Ju opened his mouth with a confused expression. By the way, just who is His Holiness meeting here? Was he called Cho Ryu Hyang? Whos that kid supposed to be? Uh? Come to think of it, you dont know about it yet, huh. About what? The disciple that His Holiness is taking in is Cho Ryu Hyang. Guardian Jus movements stopped for a split second. He then widened his wrinkly eyes and shouted. W, what? Disciple? His Holiness? Yeah, a disciple. Whyd you tell me that now?! You goddamned old man! Ah, I forgot. Guardian Wu couldnt say anything else. That was because Guardian Ju was already gone. Chapter 24. The Young Lord of The Heavenly Demon Church Chapter 24. The Young Lord of The Heavenly Demon Church Its raining. Gongson Chun Gi stared up at the sky, and muttered. [This one will go get a coat as fast as I can.] Dont. It would just be a waste of time. After saying that, Gongson Chun Gi began to walk amongst the silver slivers of water mindlessly. Not even the rain from the sky could wet him. There was an invisible shell that surrounded his entire body. A person that surpassed human limits. That was the pope of the Heavenly Demon Church, Gongson Chun Gi. Gyum. [Yes, your holiness.] Youll have to stay outside. No need to have you get shamed. Gyum couldnt really believe the popes words, but who was he to disobey? Lim Hak Gyum hid himself behind a pir, and stationed himself there. Then, Gongson Chun Gi massaged his shoulders and spoke. If I just walk outter without a word, just follow me and dont ask any questions. [Of course.] Damn it, to think just getting a disciple would be this hard. Afterining in a small voice, Gongson Chun Gi opened the door and entered. You waited for me? Looking at all this from the back, Lim Hak Gyum smiled. His holiness always looked outgoing and rxed. But it seemed that when it came to mental stress people had with disciples, he was the same as everyone. This was something unfamiliar, but it was something good to see. Lim Hak Gyum always looked at Gongson Chun Gi with reverence and respect. * * * Thats it? There arent any other conditions? ..Yes. Thats not very bad. Well, well go with what you want. Cho Ryu Hyang was getting confused, because the pope agreed to this too quickly. The Pope had an unflustered reaction. Cho Ryu Hyang put away all the ns he had in mind to persuade the pope, and stayed quiet for a while. Soon, he asked a question. Just what is it that you like about me? Gongson Chun Gi smirked at Cho Ryu Hyangs question. What? You want me to confess my love to you, now? Thats embarrassing. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt react to Gongson Chun Gis joke, and kept a straight face. That was because he couldnt really understand this whole situation. The Pope looked like he would agree to any condition as long as Cho Ryu Hyang became his disciple. It wasnt very believable. No one ever does anything for someone that much without a motive. No, something like that did indeed happen. The love a parent shows to their child. Cho Ryu Hyang believed that nothing in the world was free, other than that. You werent very attractive to me in the beginning. But once I realized your true value, I changed my mind. Gongson Chun Gi stopped there. He then spoke with a serious face. Anyways, you were truthful about bing my disciple? ..Yes. It was the truth. The Pope of the Heavenly Demon Church. This was a chance to be the heir to the church. It would be a lie if Cho Ryu Hyang said he wasnt tempted to be the heir. Ill give you onest chance. If you dont want to do this, nows the time to run. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Gongson Chun Gi. Unlike what he had said earlier, Gongson Chun Gis eyes looked quite shaken. The man was regretting what he said just now quite a lot, it seemed. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled when he saw that. I will never run. Neither now nor the future. Gongson Chun Gi took a look at Cho Ryu Hyangs face, and made an embarrassed face/ ..Did I look anxious, by any chance? Yes. A lot? Yes.. Well, shit. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at theining man in front of him. He didnt know if the Pope was acting all this out or not, but the Popes reactions still eased his mind a little. Hey, promise me something. Okay. The moment you go out, youll be my disciple. That means that youll have to start thinking highly of yourself. What does that mean? You asked me earlier, right? What I liked about you? Yes. To be honest, I was ready to agree to any condition that youd throw at me. Thats how much youre worth. Wasnt the hope thinking too highly of Cho Ryu Hyang? The boy made an embarrassed face when apliment came at him. You heard the rumors about me in the martial world, correct? Yes. The strongest man under the heavens. And the living god of the Heavenly Demon Church. The rumors in the martial world hinted that the Pope was actually a being that resided in the heavens. This is a secret, but Im actually even more amazing than the rumors. I am indeed worthy of your respect. It was an extremely shameless and a brazen statement, but strangely, it didnt seem that out of ce when the Pope said it. While Cho Ryu Hyang showed a bit of a dumb face because of the previous statement. Gongson Chun Gi grabbed onto Cho Ryu Hyangs shoulders, and spoke. A great person like me chose you. So its ok for you to be a little prideful. Did the Pope want to say that? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled, and nodded. When Gongson Chun Gi saw that, he made a serious face and spoke. Im not telling you this to make you feel good. Keep this in your mind. Youre a person that I recognized. So dont go bowing down to anyone other than me. No, dont bow down, even to me. Do you understand what Im saying? Cho Ryu Hyang, at that moment, had to redetermine his impression of the Pope. The Pope wasnt just a shameless person. He was prideful and ambitious, which was what made him say that. Cho Ryu Hyang felt something right then. It was a feeling that implied that perhaps he might actuallye to respect the person in front of him someday. Cho Ryu Hyang stared into Gongson Chun Gis eyes, and spoke. Ill keep teachers words in mind. After hearing that, the stiff face of the Pope turned into a grin. I wanted to hear that. Gongson Chun Gi pat the boys back, and spoke. Congrattions on bing my disciple. Thank you. Teacher. The proper ceremony will take ce once we get to the main church, but you will be regarded as a heir to the church from now on. Because of that, youll be treated ordingly. Be treated ordingly? What did that exactly mean? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a curious face, Gongson Chun Gi grinned. Youll see soon enough. It took Cho Ryu Hyang less than an hour till he understood what the Pope meant. * * * Gongson Chun Gi looked at the figure outside the door, and smirked. That was because Guardian Ju was standing next to Lim Hak Gyum with an anxious face. Guardian Ju rushed out the moment Gongson Chun Gi walked out the door. Is that boy. No, is he your Holinesss disciple? Yes. Hes my disciple. Oh! Finally! Leaving Guardian Ju, who had an ecstatic expression on his face, behind, Gongson Chun Gi began thinking about something else entirely. This is the start. What should he teach his disciple? It seemed that the boy didnt know a single thing about martial arts. Gongson Chun Gi began to list out all the martial arts that he knew in his brain. Guardian Ju came to his senses at that point. After looking at the cabin next to him for a moment, he slipped away. He had to be somewhere else. * * * Young lord, this is Um Seung Do. Yes, pleasee in. The door opened, and Um Seung Do walked in respectfully. The moment he saw Cho Ryu Hyang, he dropped down onto his knees. When Cho Ryu Hyang widened his eyes in surprise, Um Seung Do spoke. I heard that you became the heir of the church. Ah.Yes. Rumors spread fast, it seemed. When Cho Ryu Hyang thought that, Um Seung Do bowed down to Cho Ryu Hyang. Please forgive this ones crimes up till now, young lord! .. How should he respond to this? While Cho Ryu Hyang was acting a bit troubled over this, Um Seung Do began to talk with a determined face. If you want, I will pay for it with my life. Cho Ryu Hyang slowly opened his mouth when he saw that Um Seung Do was actually prepared to take his own life. ..I really cant get used to this. Was this the so-called way of the martial artists? It was true that Cho Ryu Hyang didnt really know what he should do when he looked at Um Sung Do. He thought that he would just have to get used to it, but it seemed that that wouldnt really work out. What should he do, then? Honestly, he didnt really have to think of anything. There was an easy solution to all this. Cho Ryu Hyang sighed, and opened his mouth. Ill forget about everything that happened before. So you can stop. Please stand. .. Um Seung Do didnt even twitch. He seemed immovable. Just what did he not like? When Cho Ryu Hyang was about to ask that question, Um Seung Do spoke. You can act as you want, young lord. . There is no need to act politely to any of us in the future. There is no need to ask us to do anything. Justmand us. You have the right to do that. Cho Ryu Hyang closed his mouth. When he heard Um Seung Dos words, he realized just what kind of a choice he had made a while ago. The heir to the church. It was one of the biggest positions one could get in the martial world. Cho Ryu Hyang, who was in a dazed state for a brief moment, looked at Um Seung Do, who was still bowing at him, with aplicated face. He slowly opened his mouth. You may. stand. To thinkmanding someone would be this awkward. Um Seung Do stood up with frightening speed. And spoke. Is there anything else the young lord would like? There is. nothing. Um Seung Do lightly bowed with a polite expression. After that, he opened his mouth to say something. The elder wishes to meet the young lord. Ive been ordered to escort you to him. The elder? Yes. He is one of the eight guardians of the church, elder Ju Sang San. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. When do we leave? Now would be the perfect time. What was going on? Cho Ryu Hyang felt a bit suspicious, but he still stood up. I will guide the young lord. When Cho Ryu Hyang followed Um Seung Do, he was able to see an auditorium far away. Whats this? For some strange reason, his heart was beating quite loudly. It felt like something big was about to happen. Cho Ryu Hyang entered the auditorium with a strange feeling. There, he saw. He saw the reason why everyone in the world feared the Heavenly Demon Church. A part of that reason was awaiting him. It was a giant auditorium. However, the whole ce was packed. A total of 5000 people. Everyone in the Gansu branch of the church was waiting here silently. A breathtaking feeling of solitude. Cho Ryu Hyang walked up to the pedestal, guided by Um Seung Do. While Cho Ryu Hyang was looking at these people with a dumb face, Um Seung Do came up next to Cho Ryu Hyang and looked at the people down below. He then gathered energy from the pit of his stomach, and shouted. Heavenly Demon Bow! (ħ) The moment Um Seung Dos roar rang across the auditorium, the people in the auditorium all simultaneously put their feet together, and knelt down. KoomC! A vibration, resembling that of an earthquake, shook the auditorium. After that, they all paused a bit, then shouted. The Godly Church Under The Heavens! () Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. A shout that made his hair tremble. It was his first time seeing this many people gathered in one ce, and the aura exuded by each of them was really no joke. It was absolutely breathtaking. This is. It wasnt a bad feeling. He was surprised by how excited he felt when he stood in front of all these people. A pool of spit gathered in his mouth, and his body started to get hot. This whole thing was an experience that he couldnt really put to words. Everyone here are the people that will follow the young lord in the future. Please look after them. Two old men, one wrinkly, and one big, could be seen next to him. When Cho Ryu Hyang looked at them, the wrinkly old man introduced himself. The names Ju Sang San, young lord. I wasnt able to prepare much because of the time. Forgive me. Since he didnt know the manners of the church yet, it was kind of awkward for him to speak. Guardian Ju stepped back, as if he realized that. If you were surprised by this, I apologize. No, there is no need to apologize. You shouldve at least done this much, after all. When Cho Ryu Hyang turned his head, he could see Gongson Chun Gi approaching him with a smile. Were you surprised? By just this much? How could he not be surprised? Gongson Chun Gi pat Cho Ryu Hyangs hair a bit, and stood on the center of the pedestal as if this was the most natural thing he could do in the world. Once he stood in the center, everything went quiet. After taking in the silence a bit, Gongson Chun Gi looked at the 5000 martial artists standing there in rows. He slowly opened his mouth. A heir to the church has been decided. A tiny whisper. But there wasnt anyone in the auditorium, who was unable to hear these words. After saying that, he put Cho Ryu Hyang, who still had a shocked look on his face, in front of him. This boys the one who will take care of the church for the next hundred years. What do you think of him? Uwaaaa-! The whole area was engulfed with shouts. This was the first meeting between Cho Ryu Hyang, who would be known as King Shura in the future, and the Heavenly Demon Church, which would be known as the Absolute Religion (~). Chapter 25. The Hidden Truth Chapter 25. The Hidden Truth The Chasing Blood Demon, Sang Dong Ha. He was a member of the 15 guests, and was also the strongest member of the Dark Moon Guild. Right now, he was in a confused state. Who did you say you came here to meet? Grandpa. The Night Emperor? Yes. Sang Dong Ha sweated a bit when he heard Neng Ha Youngs calm reply. The Night Emperor? What was this nonsense? Didnt the man go into hiding a long time ago? Didnt youe here because of whats going on in the Qilian mountains? Neng Ha Young simply stared at Sang Dong Ha. Why would Ie all the way here for that? Because.. Elder Sang Dong Ha couldnt say anything. She was right. There was no reason for her toe here. And right now, that wasnt the real problem here. So, did you meet him? Neng Ha Young didnt answer the elders question. She simply smiled, and looked behind Sang Dong Ha. Elder Sang Dong Ha, when he saw the girls actions, felt a cold chill run down his spine. When he slowly looked behind himself, he could see an old man leaning on a table. A seemingly ordinary old man, who didnt really exude any kind of aura. But the moment their eyes met, Elder Sang Dong Ha froze like a frog that encountered a snake. Just when? Elder Sang Dong Ha never allowed anyone to get behind his back, once he had be a harmonious expert. But there were always exceptions. Especially when it came to the old man in front of his eyes. Its been a while. S, sir. Elder Sang Dong Ha stumbled backwards with a pale face. He soon realized just what he was doing, and and quickly greeted the old man. Elder Sang Dong Ha greets the manager. Manager, yeah right. Youre being too polite to a retired person. Apletely white hair,bined with a pair of bored eyes. This was one of the three sovereigns in the martial world, the one known as the messenger of death, the Night Emperor Neng Mu Gi. You look well, Sang Dong Ha. I, its all thanks to you worrying about me this much. Sang Dong Ha was looking at Neng Mu Gi with a timid face. He let out a suppressed moan, and ground his teeth. The old monster here didnt change at all from the past. It was still strong. And that unique presence. That presence of the old man, which was being exuded out the body like mist, was pressuring Sang Dong Ha greatly. Did youe here because of the Heavenly Demon Church? So he knew? Sang Dong Ha carefully answered with an anxious face. .Yes. You made a wrong move. What? When Sang Dong Ha made a confused face, Neng Mu Gi took a seat and spoke. I said you made a bad choice. What does that mean. Why did youe here? Thats. When Elder Sang Dong Ha didnt answer, Neng Mu Gi answered the question for him. You came for the Moon Edge de Technique, Ill bet. Huk! How did he know? Especially when it was an information he acquired with great difficulty? An excessive greed can only bring harm, Sang Dong Ha. Sang Dong Ha bowed. Neng Mu Gi always made the right decision. Not once did the man make a wrong choice, and not once did the man lie. But not this time. Its the Moon Edge de Technique! That legendary technique is at stake here! There are many martial artists that became famous in the martial world. But there are few that gets remembered for a hundred years. And out of all those famous experts, theres one that stands out the most: The Sword Devil, Ak Jung Pae. The ridiculous sword technique he showed the world. That technique was still known as the strongest sword technique to date. How could Sang Dong Ha give up on that? Even if that technique resided in the pits of hell, he would still jump down without a moments hesitation. It looks like you arent willing to give up. .. It seemed that greed sometimes brought courage to people. If Neng Mu Gi told Sang Dong Ha this in the past, Sang Dong Ha wouldve given up immediately. But not now. Im not the me from the past. Sang Dong Ha, whilst sweating profusely, never said that he would go back. Neng Mu Gi, after observing Sang Dong Has attitude with a dull face, said something. It wouldnt be too bad for you to be greedy, for once. Sang Dong Has face brightened considerably. It seemed that Neng Mu Gi agreed with his decision. Thank you. Neng Mu Gi looked at Sang Dong Ha with a calm face, and opened his mouth. Be careful of the Heavenly Demon Church. Yessir. Sang Dong Ha wouldve been careful of them, even without Neng Mu Gis warning. Even though the ck Moon Guild was quite big, their inner framework wasnt set properly, unlike the one of the Heavenly Demon Church. Sang Dong Ha knew that well. I warned you. Sang Dong Ha smiled faintly. It seemed that even an old monster turns tame after a long time. Neng Mu Gis warning only served to make Sang Dong Ha feel at ease. Sang Dong Ha, satisfied with Neng Mu Gis current self, quickly said his goodbyes. You must have a lot to talk about with your granddaughter. I will take my leave here. Neng Mu Gi didnt respond. Sang Dong Ha knew that was Neng Mu Gis own way of giving permission to people. He quickly walked out the door. Neng Ha Young, who was staying quiet all this time, opened her mouth. What does that mean, grandpa? Neng Mu Gi loosened his stiff face, and smiled a little. What does what mean? The thing you said about being careful of the church. It means exactly what it sounds like. Neng Mu Gi spoke while pouring some tea to his cup. That guys on the mountain. That guy? Gongson Chun Gi. The Pope of the Heavenly Demon Church. He was here? Neng Ha Youngs eyes sparkled when he got ahold of this information. The Pope? But the Dao Emperor from the Alliance ising, right? Thats right. Hm? This is the first time the three sovereigns actually got this close, right? Neng Mu Gi smiled. That is true, huh. Right. Huh? Could it be, did grandpa meet the other sovereigns before? ording to the official records, the three sovereigns never met each other face-to-face. All the official records said that. This fact always managed to get on Neng Ha Youngs nerves. They never met once for forty years? Forty years. That is not a short amount of time. Therefor, it was understandable for a person to be suspicious about it. Unless the three sovereigns all tried to steer clear away from each other, this feat was almost impossible. Neng Ha Young researched this subject out of curiosity. She soon reached a conclusion. Surprisingly enough, it seemed that the three sovereigns didnt avoid each other. Its just that since each of their territory was so different, they never really encountered each other. There was never a case where, in the history of the martial world, great martial artists with different alliances didnt sh with each other. That alone made this case unprecedented. Neng Ha Young found this rtionship of the three sovereigns quite amazing. Thats what made this so suspicious. The three sovereigns. Did none of them ever wonder about the strength of the other sovereigns? They were, in the end, human. Did they really never get curious about others? But. If any one of them moved in to meet the sovereign from a different party, the bnce between the three powers wouldve been broken. That was because a meeting between two sovereigns had to develop into a conflict. That was where Neng Ha Young got stuck. Then, her grandfather, Neng Mu Gi, spoke. What do you think? Do you really think we never met each other? If they met each other before, one out of the original three would surely die. But that didnt happen. Thats why Neng Ha Young couldnt answer. I dont know, grandpa. Did you meet any of them before? Neng Mu Gi didnt answer, and just smiled. He was admitting something. Neng Ha Young narrowed her eyes. She was getting curious. How was it, grandpa? What do you want to know? I want to hear about how you felt. You always want to know the most difficult things. This has to do with why I visited you, grandpa. The reason you visited me? Yeah. I actually managed to get myself an annoying job. Neng Ha Young told her grandfather about the Martial World Sequence Records. Neng Mu Gis face turned serious when he heard about it. The Martial World Sequence Records. It is a dangerous idea. Really? Just what about it was dangerous? While Neng Ha Young was trying to think of an answer, Neng Mu Gi sipped on his tea. And after thinking about something for a while, he began talking with a tone of hesitation, which was unusual for him. Right now, there are only two people who clearly know the rankings of the martial world. Whos that? Me, and Gongson Chun Gi. Neng Ha Young paused a bit. She had felt that she missed something huge from her grandfathers response. What would that be? What did she miss? When she carefully went over her grandfathers words again, a thought struck her mind. At the same time, Neng Ha Young trembled. G, grandpa, could it be? The Night Emperor, Neng Mu Gi. He looked at his granddaughter and smiled. The girls only w from the past was her own intelligence. She always managed to learn things better off not knowing. Because of that trait, Neng Mu Gi had no choice but to speak the truth. Right. I met all three of the sovereigns in the past. It was an unofficial meeting. And that meeting was the reason why Neng Mu Gi decided to go into hiding. After observing the mans face, Neng Ha young carefully opened her mouth. Could you perhaps tell me about it? Neng Mu Gi hesitated for a moment. He then spoke. Are you sure that you can take it? Neng Ha Young nodded with a serious face. Surely, this secret of grandpas was a truth no one else in the martial world knew about. surawang_25 But that was why she wanted to know about it so badly. She knew that she could only survive in the martial world by relying on information. And that hidden truth actually had a very clear, distinct form, unlike what Neng Ha Young had suspected. Chapter 26. The Monster in The Formation Chapter 26. The Monster in The Formation Jo Gi Chun was working on something with a serious face. There was brown y in a basin. He had been kneading it since a while back, and was trying to make something. After working with the y for quite some time, Jo Gi Chun produced 5 y statues of men on horses. Jo Gi Chun had a satisfied look on his face. A horse rider. After looking at the 5 palm-sized figures carefully, he took out a small pouch. tterC The pouch was full of shiny ck stones. They were obsidian. The rare gem that was produced in small amounts at the south. A single piece, no bigger than a fingernail, was worth five mansions. Jo Gi Chuns pouch was full of it. First, five. Jo Gi Chun muttered with a small voice, and picked out five pieces. And with a needle that he had prepared a while back, he stabbed each of the fingers on his right hand once. Drops of blood came from each finger with a sting of pain. Jo Gi Chun marked obsidian pieces with his blood. After marking them, he put each of the pieces into the y figures. With that, the most basic preparation waspleted. Shall I go in, then? Jo Gi Chun started off with the five y figures. He was going to the tomb of Ak Jung Pae. To be more specific, he was going to the formation that surrounded the tomb. * * * Jo Gi Chun took a few deep breaths once he reached the tomb. Something like this took a lot of toll on his body because of his age, but he couldnt afford to do anything else. There wasnt any time. Four days. He had to show them some results before four days passed. Jo Gi Chun walked up the mountain, then stopped. The ce where stones with strange markings on them surrounded the area. It would be dangerous to go any further. Right after this point would be the formations area of influence. Jo Gi Chun observed the border of the formation carefully. An expert. When it came to formations, Jo Gi Chun was an expert. That was why he could see the border of the formation clearly with his eyes. After looking at the border carefully, he took out the five y figures he brought. The borderline. He put the y figure on the line. Hoo. He had to be careful, from now on. Jo Gi Chun slowly pushed the y figures into the border. A momentter, the figures were all inside the formation. Jo Gi Chun kneeled down, and put his right hand inside the border. He looked quite ufortable in that position. Unfortunately, he had to stay in that position. Until the first transformation took ce, that is. Thankfully, the first transformation took ce quite soon. The five y figures in the formation were trembling slightly. Jo Gi Chun wrinkled his eyebrows when he saw that. This is too fast. That wasnt a good sign. The first transformation was taking ce, even though it hasnt even been that long since he pushed the figures inside. KrrrC The whole formation began to tremble. At the same time, the five y figures in the formation began to get bigger. Jo Gi Chun was observing this with a careful face. A formation is an artificial area created by bending the power of nature to a persons will. The inside of a formation could be regarded as an entirely different world. That was why some supernatural things could take ce inside naturally. Like now. Neigh~ Five martial artists, each one of them seated on a horse. The y figures that Jo Gi Chun brought had turned into human beings on horses in a moment inside the formation. They were currently looking at Jo Gi Chun, who was outside the formation, awaiting orders. First, one. Jo Gi Chun pulled up his sleeve on his right arm. And with a face full of concentration, he moved his pinkie a tiny bit. Then, the horseman on the far right began to move forward. Usually, once a formation was activated, you wouldnt be able to see the other side. After all, the insides of a formation and the outside world was two separate worlds. But Jo Gi Chun, as mentioned before, was an expert when it came to formations. So he used some of his tricks to look inside. That trick of his would be the y figures. Jo Gi Chuns right hand was currently in the formation. Normally, when a persons body part was inside the formation, most formations would not activate. That was the basic condition. But Jo Gi Chun had some agents to help him. The invincible agents that could take on any sort of danger. The five martial artists. The y figures, that used expensive obsidian as the core. They were moving inside the formation right now, like a real person. And Jo Gi Chun was able to feel the changes in the formation the y figures would experience. As expected, this is hard. Truthfully, the formation here was something Jo Gi Chun saw for the first time in his life. The strange stones that wereid out outside the formation. The strange markings on the formations were old mathematical symbols, ones that barely anyone used in this day, which formed severalplicated equations. At first, Um Seung Do suspected that it would take Jo Gi Chun a long time to even solve the equations on the stones. But that was a big misunderstanding. Jo Gi Chun solved the equations on the stones the moment he saw them. But the problems started there. When Jo Gi Chun solved the equations on the stones, he could see that the equations exined what the formation does. Someone, someone that had an incredible amount of confidence in his/her mathematical skills, set up a formation here. He even put the answers to undoing the formation with it. Whoever made this had a lot of confidence. The thing was, Jo Gi Chun couldnt even decipher the formation, even with the answers on the stones. Jo Gi Chun knew what the formation did, and how it transformed, but he still couldnt break through the formation. Only a martial artist can do this. How would he even undo a formation from the inside, if he wouldnt even be able to move? Because of that, Jo Gi Chun was thinking of finding the trick to undo the formation and bring it back to the Heavenly Demon Church. Mm? Jo Gi Chuns face began to get a little clouded. That was because he could feel an immense pressure as he went deeper into the formation. If the pressure he was experiencing was this much, the y figures were probably feeling an unbelievable amount of pressure. The figures werent saying anything, and were trying their best to fulfill the mission Jo Gi Chun gave them. Especially the horseman on the far right. He was the one to reach the gate of the first trial. An Imugi that could not be a dragon.. (TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_dragon#Imugi An Imugi is a lesser dragon that resembles a snake. Once it collects enough energy, it turns into a full fledged dragon.) The first trial. He had to break through the Imugi that could not ascend, and enter. Like all other formations out there, it was using metaphors to describe the actual trial. Jo Gi Chun saw the use of that sentence several times, when he was studying formations in the past. The formations that used that metaphorical sentence were truly wild and violent. The descriptions were usually attached to formations that were designed for mass murder. Because of that, Jo Gi Chun moved his pinky with great care. Then, the martial artist at the front hesitated a bit, then moved in. Once it went inside, nothing really happened. The formation was tranquil, contrary to what Jo Gi Chun had suspected. When Jo Gi Chun began feeling a little strange, something came out in front of his eyes. Even before Jo Gi Chun realized what it was, he let out a painful moan. Keuk! It felt like his pinky was being ripped out of his hand. Jo Gi Chun endured the pain with his old body. He almost got his right hand out of the formation identally. If he had pulled his hands out of the formation then, everything wouldve ended. Everything he prepared for this moment wouldve been useless. Too close. Jo Gi Chun felt relieved, even with all the pain. He had managed to avoid a critical situation. And once his pain subsided quite a bit, he began to get suspicious. The first trial. There was something in there that was capable of breaking a y figure in an instant. As Jo Gi Chun didnt manage to see what it was, he naturally got curious. Just what is it? Since he was looking inside the formation with a proxy, his reactions were obviously slower than normal. Thats why he wasnt able to observe the thing inside the gate of the first trial very well. What should I do. Jo Gi Chun was in conflict. It wasnt like he would be able to see what was inside just by sending another one in. As long as he was able to confirm what was in the first trial, everything else would move on much easily. After thinking for a long time, Jo Gi Chun finally made a decision. Ill get everyone to go in at once. He didnt have confidence that one or two was going to do the trick. The only sure way to find out was to take all four of the figures in to check. Thinking that, Jo Gi Chun tapped the ground with his fingers, excluding his pinkie, with speed. Tok tok tok tokC Then, the four martial artists outside the gate began moving. Jo Gi Chun made up his mind as he watched them move. He didnt know what was inside, but it was guaranteed that one or more of the martial artists would get destroyed in there. That would mean that he would have to go through the same pains he feltst time. Would I be able to endure it? Jo Gi Chun had never trained his body in his life. He wasnt confident that he would be able to endure the pain that he went through just now. But Jo Gi Chun soon became calm again. There wasnt anyone else that could do this, other than him. If someone had to do this, it would be him. When he admitted that, his mind eased a bit. Right then, the four martial artists reached the gate to the first trial. I must send them in, all at the same time. Jo Gi Chun set up the y figures carefully. And after preparing his mind for the worst, he pushed the four figures inside. Like before, nothing happened the moment he put in the y figures. This was the important part. The four figures began to turn their heads to look at the surroundings. At the moment, however, Jo Gi Chun was immediately assaulted with immense pain. CrumbleC Two y figures got destroyed in an instant. Keuk! Jo Gi Chun, feeling pain akin to having two of his fingers rip from his hands, screamed inside his mind. If he lost consciousness now, everything he did up till now would go to waste. He quickly manipted the two figures, and pushed them further inside. He needed to see what was inside. Once he pushed in the two figures further into the formation, he could see something. There was a giant cave inside. In the middle of the cavey a giant pond. The pond seemed to be dark, and full of poison. Where is this? Once he thought that. CrackC! Another figure broke apart. Jo Gi Chun trembled as he felt the immense pain strike his body, and used hisst figure to look around. He had to see what was destroying his figures. And right there, he saw it. T, this isnt possible. It was a snake. A giant snake that was bigger than a house. There were a pair of red horns protruding out of its head like a crown, and its body was encased in ck scales. This snake was stuck onto the ceiling of the cave, and it was looking down at Jo Gi Chun with a smile. Yes. The thing was smiling. Jo Gi Chun felt terrified when he saw the snakes smile, which seemed to regard Jo Gi Chun a toy. EC8898EB9DBCEC9995+26ED9994+EC82BDED9994 But what happened next surprised him even more. [A lowly human like you managed to see me.] .! Jo Gi Chun, outside the formation, was so surprised, that he almost screamed like a little girl. [You are not qualified to get in here. Get out.] Thest thing Jo Gi Chun saw was the snakes tail hurtling towards him. Chapter 27. The Reason Why Guardian Ju Is Better Than Guardian Wu?! Chapter 27. The Reason Why Guardian Ju Is Better Than Guardian Wu?! In China, there exists an ancient text known as the ssic of Mountains and Seas (ɽ). No one knows when it was made, or who made it, but the book contained stories and information regarding all the mystical beasts, gods, and demons in the world. The book also contained information about the beings known as Imugi. When Cho Ryu Hyang heard that his teacher, Jo Gi Chun, was injured, he ran to his teacher with a pale face. Um Seung Do, while following the boy, began thinking. He looks ordinary. The heir the Pope had chosen. In his world, the heir was the child of God. That was why all this was so hard to understand. The boys skeleton was small, so it wasnt suited for martial arts, and the boy didnt seem that talented in it either. But his suspicions ended there. Um Seung Do didnt get any more suspicious. He wasnt the one to choose the heir. The Pope was. The strongest under the Heavens, and the representation of God. A person like that chose this boy, so the boy must have a special quality no one can see. And that was enough to erase all his suspicions. That was a good enough reason to satisfy everyone else in the Heavenly Demon Church. The Pope had that much of an influence over the people. Huff, huff. Um Seung Do looked at the tired boy with a straight face. Come to think of it, this boy was a person he would have to guard for a lifetime. So he had quite a bit of time. He had a lot of time to see if the Popes decision was indeed correct. So he wasnt really hurried to check the boys true potential. Teacher! You came? Gongson Chun Gi, who was inside the room, looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and opened his mouth. He greeted the two guardians next to Cho Ryu Hyang. But Cho Ryu Hyang was no longer looking at them. His eyes were looking at Jo Gi Chun, who wasying down on the bed with a pale face. W, what happened? Lets talk outside. The man just went to sleep. It would be troublesome if he were to wake up. Gongson Chun Gi dragged Cho Ryu Hyang outside. And instead of saying what had happened, he simply began thinking. Cho Ryu Hyang waited patiently for his teacher to speak. He knew rushing things here wouldnt do anything. But his body revealed how anxious he truly was. Gongson Chun Gi slowly opened his mouth as he stared at Cho Ryu Hyangs trembling arms. There seems to be problems with the formation. What do you mean? That guy saw something strange in there, apparently. Something strange.. Gongson Chun Gi stroked his chin, and grinned. He says that he saw a dragon (), or an Imugi in there. What? What does that mean? Cho Ryu Hyang made a dumb face. You cant believe it, right? I cant, either. But since the words came from his mouth, it should be the truth. Thats right. Jo Gi Chun despised jokes. ording to his personality, he wouldnt lie in a situation like this. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to see if Gongson Chun Gi was actually lying or not, but soon gave up, and opened his mouth. So whatever was in the formation hurt teacher? Seems like it. But since I didnt see what it was myself, I find it hard to believe.. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes turned serious. Hows teacher doing? Hes a little dehydrated, and a little unstable. But since you can recover from those, theres not too big of a problem.. Gongson Chun Gi, who had stopped talking for a bit, scratched his cheeks and spoke. There seems to be a little problem with his arm. What problem? ording to him, that dragon thing took his arm. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes widened. He tried to get back in the room to check, but was stopped by Gongson Chun Gi. Dont worry. Its not what you think it is. What else would it be, then? His arm looks fine on the outside. Its just that he cant move it. ..! Seeing that hes under a pretty strong spell, there does seem to be something in there. Gongson Chun Gi made a troubled expression. We could destroy the formation, but since that would destroy the object inside, it puts us in a troublesome situation. Cho Ryu Hyang adjusted his sses, and spoke. Ill go. You? Yes. Gongson Chun Gi stared at Cho Ryu Hyang, who had a serious look on his face, and shook his head. I know your Godly Eyes are from a different branch than mine, but this is still too dangerous. I cannot allow it. I can do it. A stubborn face. Gongson Chun Gi stared at his disciples determined face for a long time. He seemed to think of something, and smirked. Youre going to do it even if I say no, arent you? .. I guess disciples not listening to their teachersmands is a long tradition of the church. It indeed has a long history. When Gongson Chun Gi jokingly said this with a smile, Cho Ryu Hyang made an apologetic face. But he had to do it. If there was something in there, only he, who learned a little about formations, could do it. And Cho Ryu Hyang was actually quite confident of his survival. After all, he had a secret weapon, known as mathematics. Gongson Chun Gi spoke up. Disciple. Yes, teacher. You are the disciple of that guy in the room back there, but you are also my disciple. Yes. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shook a bit. He could feel that Gongson Chun Gi was truly worried about his disciple, through the mans eyes. This kind of an emotion was exceedingly hard to resist. Gongson Chun Gi put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyangs head. You might not know this, but I really like this new disciple of mine. Thats why if that disciple were to get injured in any way, I might just go crazy. .. Do you truly have to go? Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth, then closed it again. Like what Teacher Gongson Chun Gi had said, going into the formation would be very dangerous and reckless. But he was too angry at himself to only be patient and wait here. What was he doing while his teacher was getting injured? He was just enjoying his time as he became the heir to the church. Cho Ryu Hyangs regret and sorrow was simply telling him to go into the formation. Damn it, he was right. Gongson Chun Gi massaged his shoulders, and startedining. When Cho Ryu Hyang sent his teacher a curious look, Gongson Chun Gi told the boy what happened. Aah. That guy told me to not tell you about what happened before he passed out. He probably said that so that you wouldnt go into the formation, but I made a mistake. I dont know what to tell him when he wakes up. .. The formations that dangerous. But youre still going in it, am I correct? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Good. When a man makes a choice, he should stick to it till the end, even if the results of his choice may seem bad. Cho Ryu Hyang got his teachers consent. He looked at his teacher, and said his goodbyes. Disciple, dont look so happy like that. This teachers feeling veryplicated inside right now. There shouldnt be anything you should get worried about. Of course there shouldnt be. You can get out on your own when it gets dangerous, right? You shouldve learned a bit about formations from that guy. Yes. Normally. I would restrain you, but. Since your Godly Eyes are a bit special, Ill believe in you. Thank you. Cho Ryu Hyang thought while adjusting his sses. He would definitely finish everything with his own hands. * * * Gyum, I said all that to the boy before, but I dont think I can let him go off on his own. I feel like a father that pushed his own child into a river right now. Lim Hak Gyum faintly smiled. He was always a little touched by the disys of humanity that the Pope kept showing him every now and then. [This one will go.] Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. No, the boy will notice if you go. His eyes are a bit special, you see. He was worried. Lim Hak Gyum would be seen through by his disciple, no matter how good Lim Hak Gyums stealth technique was. If his disciple managed to find Gyum, the boy would also realize that Gongson Chun Gi was trying to help. If that happened, the boy would think that Gongson Chun Gi didnt believe in his own disciple, and had to send a person to guard him. That wouldnt be good. When he thought this much, Gongson Chun Gi began regretting saying the things he said before to look cool. Gongson Chun Gi began to contemte on what to do. He opened his mouth a whileter. Hnn, I dont really want to do it, but I guess well have to call in the old men. [.This one will bring the Guardians here.] Lim Hak Gyum switched ces with one of his underlings outside, and disappeared. And a little bitter, two people could be seen outside running at frightening speeds. It was Guardian Wu and Guardian Ju. Your Holiness! Yeah. Im not deaf. Speak more quietly. What happened? Did the enemy invade? Id be happier if that happened instead. Huh? Its even worse than that? When Guardian Wu asked this with a surprised face, Gongson Chun Gi responded. It has to do with my disciple. Did something happen to the young lord? When Guardian Ju, who had been quiet till now, asked a question with a surprised face, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. Something really big happened. Its quite troublesome. This one will take care of it. When Guardian Wu stepped forward, Guardian Ju pushed him away and opened his mouth. You stay out of this. Your Holiness, leave this to me. That is a good attitude. Who should I choose. Gongson Chun Gi thought about who to choose as he looked at the two expectant Guardians. But he soon thought of something, and made his decision. I think you would be more suited at doing this,pared to Guardian Wu. When Gongson Chun Gi nodded at Guardian Ju, Guardian Ju put on a mirthful face, and Guardian Wu put on a face of despair and sadness. Y, Your Holiness. What? Guardian Wu spoke with a desperate face. This one canplete whatever Your Holiness throws at him faster than that guy. Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. Not this time. Kuhahaha! You idiot, didnt you hear His Holiness? Im better than you. Keuk! Gongson Chun Gi simply stared at the two men without saying anything, then spoke up. Guardian Wu, youre body is just too big for this mission. So dont be too sad. What? When Guardian Wu put on a face of curiosity, Gongson Chun Gi grinned. Since Guardian Ju is so small. hes suited for a mission like this. Kuhehehe. Gongson Chun Gisugh made Guardian Ju feel that something bad was going to happen. That feeling would soon be a reality that would strike against Guardian Ju. Chapter 28. For Teacher Chapter 28. For Teacher Neng Ha Young was looking straight at her grandfather, with red eyes and a blush. Neng Mu gi took in her gaze without a word. Promise me something, grandpa. What? To never tell anyone else about this story, ever again in your life. Neng Mu Gi nodded. I promise. Neng Ha Young began thinking about something, then called out to her grandfather with a sad face. Grandpa. Yeah? I think itd be better to not make the Martial World Sequence Records in this age. I wont make the Martial World Sequence Records for this era, to protect your honor. She took out the partiallypleted sequence records from her clothes. She observed it carefully for a moment, then put it down on the table. The sequence records had all the martial artists of this generation listed ording to the order of power. Neng Ha Young didnt need it anymore. I dont want to do it, but since I told myself that I would do it, I will make the sequence records in the future. But not now. Neng Ha Young stopped speaking, and looked at her grandfather. I will wait until the next generation appears. I still have a lot of time left, after all. Neng Ha Young bit her lip, and stood up. She expected it to an extent, but knowing the truth truly made her feel ufortable. That was because she had absolute confidence that her grandfather was the strongest man in the world up till now. After seeing his granddaughter say her goodbyes and leave, Neng Mu Gi opened his mouth. Yup (). The empty room. In that room, where only Neng Mu Gi was thought to be in, a second person appeared out of nowhere. Yes, master. The man that appeared was the Night Emperors only disciple, Shi Yup (ҕ). He was a young man with a pale skin, and a smooth face. He appeared in front of Neng Mu Gi with a polite attitude. Neng Mu Gi looked at the young man, and spoke. How was it? What do you mean? How was my granddaughter, in your perspective? Shi Yup thought for a moment. What should he say? After thinking a bit, he spoke. She looked wise. Did she, now. Yes. But she is in quite a bit of danger. A girl that gets a little too smart would endanger herself. Her intelligence itself would be her enemy. Perhaps that was true. The martial world was a world of men. Living in that world with a womans body. That in itself was extremely dangerous. If a woman didnt have a reliable shield around her, living in the martial world would not be easy. Shi Yup quietly thought about his teachers words. Then he realized. His master, who seemed cold and uncaring. The only thing his master actually cared about was Neng Ha Young, his masters granddaughter. It seems that he does care about his own family. It seemed that Neng Mu Gi, who didnt even seem like he would bleed when stabbed, actually had some attachments to his family. While Shi Yup was thinking about such things, Neng Mu Gi opened his mouth. I think the time hase to let you go. Neng Mu Gis words. It took a while for Shi Yup to process it. Once he did, his eyes shook violently. The words he didnt expect out of his masters mouth. When his master spoke, all his thought processes paused for a split second. And after recovering, he immediately went down on his knees and bowed towards his master. M, master, are you trying to throw me away? Yes. Im sorry I was sote. Shi Yup trembled at Neng Mu Gis words. No, not yet. This was too early. There was still much to learn from his master, wasnt there? I am not ready. Neng Mu Gi shook his head. You have already inherited all of my techniques a long time ago. Now, you just need to break out of your shell. But this is still too early. Master, please take back what you have said. Neng Mu Gi looked at his trembling disciple with a emotionless face. You need to learn how to live on your own, now. .! EC8898EB9DBCEC999528ED9994EC82BDED9994 Living on his own. Thats right. Shi Yup had forgotten how to live without orders a long time ago. A manual human. Once he realized this fact, his face froze. Neng Mu Gi, seeing that, opened his mouth with a bored face. You are no longer my subordinate. So go. Go anywhere you want. Live the way you want. Neng Mu Gi said this, and looked out the window. Shi Yup, seeing his masters quiet self, couldnt approach him. This cant happen. He had served his master for almost 20 years. He had so much loyalty towards him, that he could kill himself if his master told him to do it. But there was something else that couldnt be exined with loyalty. Why cant I leave him? Because hes admirable? Shi Yup began thinking. And he immediately found an answer. Neng Mu Gi was his teacher and master, and at the same time, a father like figure. Others were jealous of Neng Mu Gis position as one of the three sovereigns, but Shi Yup knew what it was really like for Neng Mu Gi to be one of the three sovereigns. His masters life wasnt filled with riches and prosperity. His master actually led a deste life, contrary to what others believed. Shi Yup never saw Neng Mu Giugh out of joy so far. That was why Shi Yup wanted Neng Mu Gi to be happy, at least once. The reason why Shi Yup trained day and night under his master, was to at least make his master feel a sense of aplishment. Shi Yup had never disobeyed his master, for his masters happiness. But not now. This was an order that he couldnt obey. ..I will not leave. Neng Mu Gi didnt respond. He simply looked out the window with an uncaring face. Shi Yup felt a sense of sternness from his masters attitude. Neng Mu Gi was a man that wouldnt back down from a decision, no matter what happened. Shi Yup, knowing that, made a desperate expression. But after thinking for a long time, Shi Yup faintly smiled. He already knew what Neng Mu Gi was truly worried about, didnt he? Come to think of it, Shi Yup could take care of his masters only worry himself. He felt that he could make his master truly happy by doing that. Thank you for taking care of me from now on. Neng Mu Gi did not reply. He simply turned around, and stared at Shi Yup. Shi Yup opened his mouth, under his masters gaze. Master, from now on, Ill. You idiot. I am no longer your master. Shi Yup trembled a bit when Neng Mu Gi said that. What else should he call Neng Mu Gi, other than master? Shi Yup, after thinking a bit, thought of a word in his mind. He never dared say it before, and he never said it in the past. It was a name that Shi Yup would never get to say in his life, except in this moment. I will now stay near teachers.. rtive. And I will protect her. With my life. Neng Mu Gi did not say anything. But Shi Yup could tell. His teacher wanted to ask Shi Yup to do this. Stay healthy, teacher. .. Neng Mu Gi looked at Shi Yup, who was leaving the area without a word. The boy was his disciple, but he never called the boy that. He had found the boy in the streets, dying, and he had imparted all his techniques to the boy, and made the boy live hidden from others. Everything changes. Even people change. When Neng Mu Gi thought that, he faintly smiled. The boy couldnt live without orders. Thats what worried him the most. But didnt the boy just act and think on his own? Neng Mu Gi was satisfied at that moment. Shi Yup went on to do something he didnt need to do, but since Neng Mu Gi knew what Shi Yup was like, he epted his disciples decision. If the boy started improving himself starting now, and besplete, a legendary swordsman would appear in the martial world. And that swordsman will protect his granddaughter. Then, his granddaughter would be safer than anyone else in the world. Neng Mu Gi closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. Once he did so, he could remember the conversation he had with his granddaughter a moment ago. * * * Fourty years ago, Neng Mu Gi had an ambition. Heavenly Unification. It was something every martial artist, no, every man dreamed of. Neng Mu Gi wanted to aplish that dream badly. So what should he do, in order to unify the world under one power? What was the most efficient method? Neng Mu Gi thought for a long time. An answer soon came to him. The strongest in the world. This was the martial world. In this world, power isw. Therefor, his dream would naturally be aplished if he became the strongest. But. That wouldnt be nearly enough. Then what else would he need? Neng Mu GI was again able to reach an answer in a short amount of time. He needed something backing him up. He needed an organization that had immense power to support him. Neng Mu Gi, after investing quite a lot of time, satisfied one of two requirements for his dream. The Three Great Powers. The Alliance, ck Moon Guild, and the Heavenly Demon Church. He became the leader of the ck Moon Guild. He no longercked much power. The only thing he had to do now, was to eliminate the two other rivals in the world. So he went to visit them. The first person he visited was the leader of the Alliance, the Dao Emperor, Baek Mu Ryang. It wasnt hard to meet the man. Neng Mu Gi walked through the main gate without any disguise whatsoever, but no martial artist saw him. No, they werent even able to detect his presence. As long as Neng Mu Gi willed it, he could make someone right in front of him not be able to notice him. After all, he was a man that surpassed human limits. A man that surpassed the normalcy. That man, after seeing Baek Mu Ryang, put on a serious face. Ten steps. He was about ten steps away from Baek Mu Ryang. Neng Mu Gi had started thinking at that point. For the first time in his life, he had met a person that he wasnt sure if he could win against. Once he went beyond ten steps to approach Baek Mu Ryang, he would have no choice but to reveal himself. He didnt want that. That was because he had a feeling that he might lose. That was why he studied the enemy for a long time. When he did so, his conviction of victory slowly rose. At least an arm. At worst, he would die if he went up against the Dao Emperor. Unfortunately, it seemed the rumors about Baek Mu Ryang were true. After observing Baek Mu Ryang for half a day, he made up his mind. He decided to to meet the Demon Emperor. With that, Neng Mu Gi set off for the Ten Thousand Great Mountains (ʮfɽ). Impregnable. (y: Hard to attack, imprable.) Death on ess. (֮: Everyone who enters, dies.) That was what described the Heavenly Demon Church, residing in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. A ce where no one in the martial world was allowed to enter without permission. But of course, this only applied to normal people. There was no one that could stop Neng Mu Gi from entering the church. After he climbed the mountains, he saw that man. The man who was sitting down with azy position, coupled with azy expression. It was the Demon Emperor, Gongson Chun Gi. This is. Neng Mu Gis eyes changed once he saw the Pope. He only felt one emotion that moment. Disappointment. Neng Mu Gi wrinkled his eyebrows. He just came after meeting the Dao Emperor. That was why he believed some of the rumors about Gongson Chun Gi that circted the martial world. Didnt hee all the way here with a pretty big expectation for the man? But. Hes dead wood. (TL Note: Dead wood = useless person) The thing that was in front of him was nothing but a scarecrow wearing some fancy clothes. It seemed that this man simply became a sovereign because of his position. Neng Mu Gi felt disgusted when he thought that this thing was on the same rank as him. Lets kill him. He stepped forward, determined to kill the Pope. He took another step. Neng Mu Gi slowly began walking forward to kill Gongson Chun Gi, then stopped five steps away from his target. He changed his mind. This is strange. Something was off. It was something that couldnt be exined, some kind of strange feeling of danger. What is this? Neng Mu Gi couldnt determine what was making his instincts tremble like so. So he stepped back, for now. He began to observe the surroundings. There is no need to hurry. He thought that the feeling would soon pass. But he was dead wrong. Half a day. Neng Mu Gi just stood in ce, staring at Gongson Chun Gi for half a day. Thats when Neng Mu Gi finally realized. Something is wrong here. While Neng Mu Gi was thinking about something with a serious face, Gongson Chun Gi yawned, and went to sleep on his bed. Even then, Neng Mu Gi couldnt do anything. He has no openings. No, to be honest, the man was full of openings. But was it because the man had this many openings? Neng Mu Gi didnt have the courage to attack. This kind of a weird feeling was something he had never encountered in his lifetime. And after exactly half a day had passed, Gongson Chun Gi woke up with sleepy eyes, and began to go on a walk through the garden. Neng Mu Gi, who was following the Pope, opened his mouth with a stiff face. When was it? At that time, the sun was already setting, and the sky was getting colored blood red from the sun. Gongson Chun Gi wasnt even surprised when he heard Neng Mu Gi speak. He just made an awkward face. Youre quite perceptive, arent you? Once Neng Mu Gi heard this, he realized. He realized that this man in front of him was observing him from the beginning. This man was acting as if he didnt notice, from the start. Even the Dao Emperor was unable to detect Neng Mu Gis technique. What all this implied was all too clear. Neng Mu Gis eyes began to grow cold. Do you know who I am? Gongson Chun Gi nodded. And grinned. They say that there is a ck moon watching over the evil sky. Youre quite amazing, just like the rumors say. Neng Mu Gi ground his teeth while listening to Gongson Chun Gis words. Indeed. Gongson Chun Gi was a martial artist. One whose power even Neng Mu Gi couldnt fathom. But he couldnt back down now. He hade too far to go back. Ill kill him. The moment Neng Mu Gi stepped forward with his expressionless face. Gongson Chun Gi saw the heavens and the earth split in two. Chapter 29. A Legendary Meeting Chapter 29. A Legendary Meeting Whether it was the past or the present, Gongson Chun Gi was strong. Very strong. No one under the heavens seemed to be able to get stronger than he. When he faced off against Neng Mu Gi. The Gongson Chun Gi from forty years ago. Even then, he was strong. Hoh? Gongson Chun Gi, who was sitting at the desk with a bored face, became curious. That was because a little while ago, something, something very strange and unique, entered his area. It seemed so small and insignificant, that even Gongson Chun Gi nearly missed it. This is interesting. What? Gongson Chun Gi stroked his chin, and smiled mischievously. He then stood up. At the same time, he faced the Demon Doctor (ħt) Sunwu Jo Duk, who had been making a report on pills, and spoke. Hey. Yes, Your Holiness. What do you wish? Is that report important? What kind of a prank did the Pope have in mind this time? Thinking that, Sunwu Jo Duk responded with a calm voice. Yes. Its very important. The medicinal supplies are getting low. Huh? Why? We are mass-producing the Heavenly Demon Spirit Pill, like you ordered a while back. Oh, yeah, right. Gongson Chun Gi respondedzily, and spoke while looking at the door. Is that report as important as your life? What? Would you risk your life for that report? Sunwu Jo Duk thought for a moment. The new Pope of the church, Gongson Chun Gi, had a bad habit of hiding something, then asking others questions about it. The problem was that whenever the Pope did this, the things he hid from others were often very important. But then, while Gongson Chun Gi liked ying around, he never risked a persons life doing it. The word life came out of that mans mouth. This deserved to make him think a bit more. Sunwu Jo Duk proudly replied, whilst stroking his gray beard several times. Of course my neck is more important. I can make hundreds of these reports, anyway. Gongson Chun Gi grinned. Then get out. I have no intention to protect someone as old as you by killing myself in the process. Sunwu Jo Duk suddenly became a lot more cautious. Is it an assassin? Maybe, I think its a little different from that. Could a man who strolls in here in broad daylight truly be an assassin? Gongson Chun Gi smiled when he thought about that. At the same time, Sunwu Jo Duk spoke with a serious tone. Ill bring the boys from the ded Killer Corps. No. Theyll just be a bother. Gongson Chun Gi waved his hands in annoyance, and leaned against the table. This isnt something that can be solved with numbers alone. Hes that good? Yeah, hes that good. Right. The person that was approaching him right now wasnt someone that could be overwhelmed by just numbers. Just get out as if you dont know anything, and sort out everyone in the area. I want to stay alone with this guy. Its too dangerous. Do you not know me? Im super strong. I know. Thats why its dangerous. Whats dangerous? Sunwu Jo Duk smiled. That assassins in danger. Wouldnt we have to catch him alive, to interrogate? Well, I dont know if I could actually capture him alive. When Gongson Chun Gi spoke with a hesitant tone, Sunwu Jo Duk finally realized how serious all this was. That was why he spoke again with an even more serious tone. Should I bring those old men here? It would certainly be a little better if those old gluttons were here.. Gongson Chun Gi paused, and smirked. But that would hurt my pride, dont you think? . Sunwu Jo Duk didnt smile. He looked around a bit, then spoke. It wouldnt be enough with just a few guards, right? I already told them. Theyll leave once you leave. Why dont you just bring in the old good-for-nothings instead? They should do their job for once. Dont you think they would be getting tired of ying around every day, by now? Arent those old guys your friends? Arent you being a little bit too offensive, just because they arent here? Sunwu Jo Duk became enraged in a second. What do you mean, friends? I never befriended a bunch of good-for-nothings. Gongson Chun Gi nodded. I knew it. No wonder they said that they never befriended a stupid medicine man. Those cheeky bastards.. Right before Sunwu Jo Duk spewed out more insults, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. Hesing closer. You should get out by now. Will you really be alright? I could help, if the situation is really urgent. Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. Youll be a bother. .Alright. Even though he still wasnt a harmonious expert, he had reached a peak level in martial arts. But Sunwu Jo Duk was more skilled in the art of medicine than martial arts, and had built up quite a reputation for his poison. His poison was strong enough to kill a harmonious expert, after all. But I would still be a bother? Sunwu Jo Duk faintly smiled. He realized that this wasnt the ce for him. You know it would be troublesome if you just died here, right? Gongson Chun Gi nodded. I know. Itll be more embarrassing than troublesome, though. Right. Ill take my leave, then. Sunwu Jo Duk bowed, and walked up to the door behind him. He stopped in front of the door, and spoke without looking back. The old pope told me to take care of you well. I know. This old man hasnt done anything significant for you yet, so Ill be angry if you just died here, okay? Yeah. Well, I have my own reasons for not dying. My life is just getting better after studying martial arts for that long. I cant just die here. Gongson Chun Gi smiled, and spoke again. I have no intention to die, so just get out and wait. Lets have dinner together or somethingter. Okay. Ah, and if its possible, can you leave him alive? Well have to interrogate him. Ill try. Sunwu Jo Duk opened the door with a satisfied face. And the moment before the door closed, someone else came into the temple. Gonson Chun Gi didnt respond at all to this. Actually, he pretended to not notice the man, and observed the intruder in his own ways. He got quite surprised. This is. It was amazing. There was no other way to describe it. Gongson Chun Gi kept trying to stop himself from smiling. He was happy. To think there was another human that attained this much power, other than his mentor. He even began to be thankful for learning martial arts, for the first time in his life. When will he attack? What weapons will he use? Wait, does he use weapons? Howll he attack? He kept thinking of new questions that came and went in mere seconds. Come to think of it, he couldnt even remember thest time he observed and inspected an enemy like this. Come on. He wanted to see the intruder. He wanted to see how that guy got to such a level. Surely the man used different meanspared to him, to get to this level. I want to see him. He wanted to get a glimpse of the world that man saw. That was why Gongson Chun Gi pretended to be weak. After a short while, the intruder began to move. One step. Another one. The man stopped exactly five steps away from Gongson Chun Gi. Why? What went wrong here? While Gongson Chun Gi was yawning with a rxed face, something happened to the intruder. A look of suspicion rose in the mans face. The man knew something was wrong. Something. The man found something wrong about Gongson Chun Gi. Then. Gongson Chun Gi stretched his arms, theny down on the bed. He then proceeded to go to sleep. It was impossible to attempt to fake sleep in front of an expert like this. Hed have to sleep for real. This was definitely a big gamble for Gongson Chun Gi, too. But Gongson Chun Gi smiled in his mind. Wouldnt things get more exciting this way? So he slept. He fell into a deep slumber and woke up, but the intruder hadnt moved a bit from his previous spot. Exactly five steps. The man was looking at him from that distance. Hes very careful. What should he do? What should he do to make that guy move? Gongson Chun Gi headed for the back yard whilst thinking that. He hadnt felt something like this in a while. The feeling that every one of his cells wereing alive. This feeling of life. His body was filled with a feeling that couldnt really be exined by words. He didnt find anyone he could fight seriously after his teacher passed away. Was I frustrated? Gongson Chun Gi leisurely walked around the back garden while thinking this about himself. The twilight in the distance dyed the back garden in a shade of red. While Gongson Chun Gi was thinking on his own, watching the scenery, the man exactly five steps away from Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Since when? Gongson Chun Gi felt the mysteries that surrounded the man all but disappear the moment that man spoke. There was only one man in the world that could show this much skill in stealth. Gongson Chun Gi sat down in a spot he found nearby, and opened his mouth. Youre quite perceptive, arent you? The mans face twisted by a minute degree when Gongson Chun Gi said that. It seemed the man wasnt very well versed in hiding emotions. When Gongson Chun Gi thought that much, the man spoke. Do you know who I am? Of course I do. Thinking that, Gongson Chun Gi nodded. They say that there is a ck moon watching over the evil sky. Youre quite amazing, just like the rumors say. When the assassin heard his words. The hesitation in the Night Emperors face all but disappeared. Hesing. Gongson Chun Gi smiled. He couldnt wait. Right now, this battle between the two ultimate experts didnt require much time. That was because petty tricks were meaningless in front of an ultimate expert. They had to bring out their full strength right off the bat. Because of that, everything would be settled in mere moments. One strike would determine life and death. His life depended on this one strike. Was it because of that? Gongson Chun Gis mouth went dry. This is it. The feeling of his entire body, from head to toe,ing alive. He could feel his blood pumping out of his heart like a raging horse. Gongson Chun Gi was happy. No, he was so happy that he wanted tough loudly on the spot. At this moment, where he was standing together with his opponent, he thanked his teacher for teaching him martial arts. Dont kill someone like this? That was crazy. He had epted a hard request without even realizing it. Gongson Chun Giughed a bit when he thought about his exchange with Sunwu Jo Duk. It was easy to kill. Trying to capture someone who was trying to kill him, was not. But that is what is making all this so worthwhile. He didnt think it was impossible. That was because Gongson Chun Gi believed himself to be the strongest under the heavens. Gongson Chun Gis eyes widened when he thought that much. The cold feeling running down his back. The moment his entire body was awakened by a frightful feeling, Neng Mu Gi came at him like an arrow. At the same time, Gongson Chun Gi saw the heavens and the earth split in two. I can see it! As every fiber of his body tensed, Gongson Chun Gis response was as fast as light. He stopped breathing, and lifted both his hands upwards. He held a position where the two palms of his hands were facing each other. All he had to do now was to add internal energy into his arms. CrackC His two arms, which were injected with an unbearable amount of internal energy, expanded with a strange sound. Gongson Chun Gi felt immense pain from this, but he still smiled from the adrenaline. Block it! Block it! Block it! When one begins studying swords, he/she is taught how to slice. After that, he/she will be taught how to pierce, which would eventually evolve into a single beam of light that will snuff out an enemys life. But the thing that was approaching Gongson Chun Gi wasnt a line. Dot. The man who became one with the sword, became a single dot that came for Gongson Chun Gis heart. A sword that found the shortest distance to the enemy, and pierces. Its fast! The strongest technique. This technique demands the user to focus all his energy into the tip of the sword, and release it explosively. Neng Mu Gi thought that even a god would be incapable of blocking this attack. But. ChiiiiC With a sound of something burning, Neng Mu Gis sword came to a halt right in front of Gongson Chun Gis heart. He had failed to pierce his target. Neng Mu Gis eyes started to get dull. But he had to ask. Neng Mu Gi opened his mouth with a tired voice. .What is the name of this technique? Gongson Chun Gi made an awkward face. He didnt know what to say. After trying to think up of something cool, he simply shook his head, and spoke. I dont know. I just blocked as I saw fit. TududukC Gongson Chun Gis two sleeves burst right that moment. At the same time, the sleeves burnt away into little bits. Neng Mu Gi observed all this with a bored face, then put his sword back in its hilt. It was meaningless now. I lost. Kill me. Gongson Chun Gi blocked his technique with just two arms. Neng Mu Gi had felt some sort of an immense pressure from those arms. He felt miserable. His lifes work all but crumbled with this encounter. He couldnt even stand because of how tired he was. His previous attack really was his all. That was dangerous. Gongson Chun Gi, too, was tired, even though he looked fine on the outside. Like Neng Mu Gi, he spent all his energy in that block. If the other side was faster even minutely, or if he made a slight error while blocking he didnt even want to think about it. Gongson Chun Gi stretched his neck. CrackC Hearing the cracks from his neck, he smiled. That was quite something. I dont think I had this much fun since my teacher passed away. . Did youe here because of the ck Moon Guild? No. This was my independent action. Really? Thats good. Gongson Chun Gi took a seat on a rock next to him, and spoke. You want to have some food before you leave? .. Neng Mu Gi was speechless. This was the first meeting between Neng Mu Gi and Gongson Chun Gi, that wasnt known to the world. Chapter 30. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Challenge Chapter 30. Cho Ryu Hyangs Challenge The Book of Mountains and Seas was theption of all the information from the Chinese myths and stories. In it, one could find information on the Imugi. But even in a book like that, therey no information about a red horned, ck scaled Imugi, many times bigger than normal. Even the Guangya (V), which rivals the Book of Mountains and Seas, contained no information on that type of an Imugi. A ck scaled Imugi with red horns. It was a strange existence that had never been seen in the world until now. * * * This shouldnt be possible. Cho Ryu Hyang sorted his thoughts as he mbered up the mountain. A formation was something created by man by bending thews of nature to his will. Since it is not something made by god, living beings can not survive in a formation for long. But his teacher saw something alive. It didnt matter whether it was a dragon or an Imugi. The fact that something lived inside a formation was amazing in itself already. He climbed higher as he thought that, and reached a ce that had strange stones arranged all over the ce. Cho Ryu Hyang approached one, and observed it carefully. From the shadows, there was someone watching him do all this. Dammit. Dammit! Ju Sang San. He served as one of the eight guardians of the church, and was also known as the Blood Sound Demon in the martial world. He was a fearsome man. A person like that, was currently buried in the ground with only his head poking out. He was observing Cho Ryu Hyangs every move. Do we really have to go this far? This really wasnt something to be happy about, the Pope selecting him. He didnt know why, but the Pope told him to not get within 900 meters of the boy. But that wasnt all. To think hed make me use a third-rate technique like this. Burrowing (g: A technique to move faster in the ground). Ju Sang San felt despondent. He had to crawl along the ground like his life depended on it, in order to use this technique. Ju Sang San had even reconsidered taking the mission, taking into ount the shameful position he would have to take. But whose order was it? The Popes orders were absolute. Plus, was he not serving the Popes first disciple right now? This mission was something to be proud of. There was nothing shameful about this at all. For the church. Ju Sang San strengthened his weakening resolve, and wiped sweat off his face. He became as quiet as possible, and observed the young man in front of him. * * * This is. He knew what the symbols on the stone meant. They were mathematical symbols that were in use a long time ago. Those symbols were inteced to look like a beautiful pattern etched onto stone. Cho Ryu Hyang had no idea how they were made, but the symbols were glowing. Cho Ryu Hyang calmly began to trante the symbols. He soon realized that they were not as hard as he had first thought. They were not in much use in this day and age, but as long as you knew them, tranting them was not hard at all. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes brightened once he finished tranting a part of the symbols. This is anguage. Someone, someone from the past, created anguage using mathematics, and had done so using a way that was very simr to his teachers method.. Since he already knew something like this before, he didnt encounter too much trouble. Once he realized what it all was, everything became easy. He could instantly trante everything else that was written on the stone column. An Imugi. Stones such as these often talked of things like the Imugi. A snake that failed to transform into a dragon. That was an Imugi. Formations are usually described using metaphors, but apparently, this time it was not so. Cho Ryu Hyang paused at thest sentence. There was something in thest sentence of the column that caught his attention. Only a person holding the dragon ball can go in? (TL: I thought using the word Cintamani would be a bit weird, so I substituted with the next best thing.) When Cho Ryu Hyang thought that, he heard someoneughing in his mind. Zhuge Liang. He wasughing. What is it? Zhuge Liang didnt respond immediately to Cho Ryu Hyangs question. But the old man did seem very amused. [Greenhorn, I now understand why you are so talented in Math.] The reason he was talented? What did that mean? When Cho Ryu Hyang put on a confused expression, Zhuge Liang spoke. [The answer justes to you once you contemte on a problem for a long time. Greenhorn, thats probably your biggest advantage.] Zhuge Liang paused, and then spoke whilst gazing affectionately at the stone in front of Cho Ryu Hyang. [A human life really is unpredictable. That is why it is so amusing.] Now, what did that mean? Cho Ryu Hyang was waiting for an answer, but Zhuge Liang did not continue. He simply stared at the stone for a long time, and then spoke with a faint smile. [There are times where the old triumphs over the new. I really like it when that happens.] This too, was not really understandable. While Cho Ryu Hyang was confused, Zhuge Liang stared at him and said, [Greenhorn, it seems that you were destined toe here. So dont mull over useless things, and enter.] Cho Ryu Hyang realized something. Does the elder know about this ce? Zhuge Liang didnt respond. He just fingered his feathered fan, and smiled. Cho Ryu Hyang was convinced that the old man knew something, but he did not press further. EC8898EB9DBCEC9995+30ED9994EC82BDED9994 I have to go in anyway. Zhuge Liang. The old mans words were right. No matter how much he thought about the formation, the answer wouldnte to him. He had to go into the formation, and find the answer for himself. I was being a cowardly bird. A bird surprised by a bow (֮B). It meant that once someone was surprised by something, he/she would again be surprised by something simr. It seemed that Cho Ryu Hyang had be overly cautious after his suffering inside the formation that he had created a while back. Come to think of it, this was different from what happened before. He wasnt afraid of what was inside. After all, Cho Ryu Hyang had the weapon known as Mathematics, didnt he? Cho Ryu Hyang steadied his breath. He could see an entirely new worldid out in front of him. Cho Ryu Hyang began to walk into the formation. * * * You came? Yes, senior brother. Thanks foring all the way here. Why would I note, when senior brother called? Hehe, your words are a bit thorny. You heard me well, if thats the case. The Dao Emperor, Baek Mu Ryang. He stared at this young junior brother of his, then smirked. I wondered why my teacher was taking in a disciple in his final years, but I think I understand a little now. You have grown much since thest time I saw you. Im envious. Was he in his thirties? The man in the white clothing and the white bandana spoke impudently.. I just am a person that everyone is envious of. You see the line right over there? I know you want me, but youll have to wait, senior brother. The two stars that support the whole of the Alliance. One was a star high up in the sky, the Dao Emperor Baek Mu Ryang. The other was a star in the mountains that calmly gathered light, the member of the 15 guests, the Lion Sword King ({ӄ). The mans name was Yu Sul Bin(ѩn). A man who hated evil, and valued justice. Unlike Baek Mu Ryang, he nurtured four children as the core disciples of the Alliance. Unlike his appearance, which made him look like he was in his early thirties, he was actually a harmonious expert in his fifties. By the way, why did senior brother call me all the way here to a dangerous town like this? The Lion Sword King did not go outside a lot. At least, publicly he didnt go out. He was the hidden sword of the Alliance. The man who would lead the Alliance after Baek Mu Ryang retires. Come to think of it, this town doesnt have a red light district. I chose a town without women, which are like oxygen for you. I made a big mistake, sorry. Yu Sul Bin grinned and shook his head. There are no towns that doesnt have any women. Senior Brother really doesnt know much about women. To think that you think that women only exist in the red light district. hm, it seems that you still have much to learn. Hoho, my knowledge in that area,pared to you, is just like an ignorant child, which shames me. Could you please teach this ignorant senior brother? How does tonight sound? Ill enlighten you. Yu Sul Bin made a face of Sure, Ill be generous for once. towards Baek Mu Ryang. Seeing that, Baek Mu Ryangughed loudly, and shook his head. Tonight would be a bit troublesome. Do you have a meeting with someone? No, I have a mission for you. Starting tonight. Yu Sul Bins yful face suddenly turned serious. Sometimes, he went outside in order to perform unofficial missions. He came all the way here for the same reasons. But this mission was a little different from ones in the past. Usually, he would be debriefed on the mission before the trip, but this time, everything was extremely secretive. It has to do with the Demon Church, correct? You are indeed correct. What do I have to do? Baek Mu Ryang faintly smiled. Now that his strongest weapon was ready for use, the way he would use it would either bring great profit to the Alliance, or it wouldnt do anything at all. In two days, there will be a battle against the Demon Church at the Wisdom ins (ƽ). Yu Sul Bins eyes sparkled. Really? Were fighting them? Arent there a little too many men here for all this to just be a joke? I wouldnt put it past you, senior brother, to tell everyone that this whole thing was just a joke. Do I seem that untrustworthy to you? That makes me sad. Yu Sul Bin grinned at Baek Mu Ryangs words. I just meant that senior brother would do anything as long as it benefits the Alliance. So you werent insulting me. Right. As long as it was for the future of the Alliance, he could do anything. Baek Mu Ryang rubbed his chin, and spoke. This could bring a huge profit to the Alliance. So you must seed. I have no one else but you to rely upon. Im Yu Sul Bin, you know. Yu Sul Bin was quite proud of his name. That was because he believed that a name was something that represented a persons worthiness. Baek Mu Ryang, knowing that, nodded. I know. Why would I not know about my junior brother, who never fails? But you will have to be a bit more careful this time, since one could say that the reason for this whole fight is because of this. Hoh? Yu Sul Bin made an excited face. He was sad that he wouldnt be able to fight in the battle, but he received an important mission. What was the mission, then? What must I do? Baek Mu Ryang didnt reply immediately. This was because of the mans habit of pausing before saying important things. When the Alliance-Demon war begins, everyone will inevitably gather at the Wisdom ins. So while thats happening, you must take some people from the main branch, and seize the Moon Edge de Technique. That is what you have to do. The secret retrieval of the Moon Edge de Technique. That was the mission that Yu Sul Bin received. I will bring it back, on my honor. I trust you, junior brother. Behind the front that was the Alliance-Demon war, a secret n was thus being hatched. Chapter 31. The Imugi’s Wish Chapter 31. The Imugis Wish An Imugi that failed to be a dragon cannot survive in the material world for long. That was because it failed to be an immortal being selected by the heavens. It was in a simr case in the past, too. The day where there was quite a bit of rain. It used up all the power it had in order to ascend. Already, a half of his body had turned into a dragons. Once he ascends, his other half will also transform, turning him into a full-fledged dragon. But unfortunately, the gate of heaven did not open on that fateful day. It settled its tired body in the bottom of the Dragon Pond (Ȫ). It was waiting for its death quietly. The being that was neither a dragon or an Imugi. It was fated to soon die and disappear from the world forever. The one that appeared in front of the dying being was a human, something that it regarded as worthless before. [.Youre lucky.] When it opened its eyes, it could see something in front of it. A thin human male. A weak human that didnt even look like it could lift a twig. However, it was currently very weak. At this rate, he would be thrashed by this weak human, and spit out his Neidan (ȵ) and die. That was the fate of most imugis that failed to ascend, after all. Having his stomach cut open by a human, and having his Neidan ripped away from his body. It quietly epted its fate, but the human simply stood there, looking into the pond for a long time. An arrogant look. The human didnt look afraid at all, even when looking at a giant half-dragon half-imugi monster. Actually, he had an excited look on his face. I never saw a dragon that failed to ascend. Interesting. [.] Are you dying? It looked up towards the human. It then proceeded to smile. Those eyes the human possessed were something that youd attain once you surpassed the limits of the human race, wasnt it? It was happy that it got to see something so rare before death. Do you wish to live? [Cocky little thing. Do not speak so casually, lowly human.] I cant do that. Im a little bored, you see. It didnt respond, and shut its eyes under the pond. It wanted to rest. Come to think of it, It used up too much energy. It used up too much time of its life polishing its power. Now that It had failed, it didnt want to do anything. It just wanted to rest. I will give you life. It snorted in amusement. The human was insane. There was no way to hide its giant body in this world. Its body had turned too big because of the half of his body bing those of a dragons. This world could not support a massive body like that. It would slowly get dissolved away from the world, and die. Youre lucky that you met me. Lucky? Whos he kidding? The man stretched out his hand towards the pond, not caring if It would get angry or not. That was the first meeting between It and Zhuge Liang. [Do you have a wish, human?] A wish? [Yes. A wish. I will grant you a single wish.] You? Something that failed to even be a dragon? Zhuge Liang smirked. But he knew. He knew that this new friend of his, even though it failed to be a dragon, still held immense power. Zhuge Liang leaned back on his chair, and spoke. I aplished everything I wanted to do by my own hands. But there is one thing that bugs me. Theres no one who can understand on my teachings properly. There was no one who could understand Zhuge Liangs teachings in the present world. The fate of having no disciples. That ultimately meant that his knowledge would fate away once he died. [It bugs you? Would what you said be your wish, then?] Is that how it works? Well, this isnt something even you can do, anyways. It twisted its body to look at Zhuge Liang, and smiled. [Human, you are underestimating me. I will grant you your wish.] Really? Haha, if that happens, I too, will grant you a single wish. Its face turned extremely serious. [.Humans make easy promises. I do not trust promises made by humans.] The past or the present, humans made promises that theyd never be able to keep. You dont trust me? It paused, and began to think. After a moment, It shook its head. [I trust you, human. You are special.] Should I be happy? Zhuge Liang smiled. And that was how a thousand year old promise was made. * * * [You promised.] It was saved that time, by that man. Perhaps the man did it because he was bored. But they still made a promise. And It had fulfilled its part of the promist. That was how It repaid the man who introduced It to the world of Math. [.Hesing.] The time wasing. The one who wouldplete the promise would being soon. It closed its eyes, and waited patiently. There was no need to hurry. Didnt he fail to ascend a thousand years ago due to haste? It couldnt make the same mistake again. * * * Its cold. The formation was strangely cold. The giant aura that suppressed everything inside, and the seven giant mountains werent a problem for him. But the strange coldness inside didnt seem to be rted to the formation. It seemed to be something that came from the location itself. Its strange. Indeed, this was something extremely strange. This formation here was a formation, and at the same time, not a formation. It was something where a pocket of space was twisted a little bit, so that it would bepletely cut off from the rest of the world. Most of the space that got cut off retained its original shape. Why? This type of a formation was, for some reason, extremely strange, and at the same time,plicated. But. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses. He still had his special vision, didnt he? The power to perceive the truth of every being in the world was nonsensically powerful when used in a formation. Cho Ryu Hyang, who had been leisurely walking through the formation, stopped and turned his head. The cave that suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. Cave of Disturbance (}_) He could see the words someone wrote on top of the cave entrance. At the same time, he was clearly able to sense that the cold power that covered the inside of the formation was originating from this cave. Its here. This was it. Whatever hurt his teacher, it was inside here. He could feel it. Cho Ryu Hyang walked inside filled with absolute confidence. Whatever was inside, he wasnt about to let it go peacefully. A feeling of rage pulsed within his body. Thanks to that, he was able to resist the power of fear. But Cho Ryu Hyang shouldve been careful. The thing inside was bigger than he had thought, and it was very much real. Jo Gi Chun felt the formations power using y proxies. Because of that, Jo Gi Chun experienced what happened inside indirectly. However, Cho Ryu Hyang was taking on the energy head-on. Thats why the moment he came in, he looked up. He felt a presense there. And the moment he did so, he opened his mouth in surprise. .A dragon? Cho Ryu Hyang, believing that his eyes were broken, tried using the Faultless View of The World multiple times. But the thing in front of him did not change. It wasnt an illusion. It cant be true! How could such a giant being exist? Cho Ryu Hyangs brain stopped processing because he was so overwhelmed by the sight in front of him. He was frozen. He knew that things inside a formation tended to move a bit away from reality at times. But this was too much. How could a living being exist like this? This wasnt even possible! While Cho Ryu Hyang was standing there in shock, It moved. ShashashaC The dragons body smoothly slid off the stgmite on the ceiling. The two red horns resembling a crown, and the ck, scales resembling obsidian. Lastly, the pair of golden eyes that seemed to stare straight into ones soul. Those two eyes held iparable joy at the moment. [Its been a thousand years.] Dragon. No, the imugi made a satisfied expression. At the same time, Cho Ryu Hyang stumbled backwards with a pale face. It spoke? Cho Ryu Hyang thought that at this point, he was used to strange and mysterious things. But this was on apletely different level. [I kept my promise, human.] When the giant being approached him, Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt breath. The aura the imugi exuded from its body was too powerful. Cho Ryu Hyang began to slowly walk away. But while he did so, he noticed something extremely strange. I cant see the number. Even though the monster was clearly real, it didnt have a number on itself. Unreadable. Since something like this had never happened before, Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely confused. The imugi spoke whilst looking at that. [It is time for you toplete your promise, human.] The moment the imugi stopped talking, one of the scales under its chin began to glow in red. VoomC Cho Ryu Hyang simply stood there, listening to the sound ring throughout the cave. surawang_31 DokunC Whats this? Cho Ryu Hyang pressed on his chest with his hands. His heart began to beat extremely fast. Right then, the old man in his brain, spoke. [Hes still very stubborn. To think that he was waiting for a thousand years] At that time, Zhuge Liang made that promise on a whim. No, to be more urate, he made the promise because it was interesting. He saved a dying being and made a pointless promise. But that promise eventually found its way back to him, a thousand yearster. It was quite surprising, but at the same time, Zhuge Liang was amazed by the imugi that managed to keep the promise for a thousand years. He said that humans forget promises easily? It was true. Zhuge Liang could only admit it. Humans easily made promises, and easily forgot them. He couldnt do anything about that. Zhuge Liang faintly smiled. He expected it once he saw the stone column outside, but to think the one in the formation would really be him. When he was thinking that, the boy asked him a question. Do you happen to know something about that monster? Of course he did. But Zhuge Liang didnt say anything. Things would only get annoying if he spoke. But Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt an idiot. The boy managed to find out that the two had a sort of a rtionship with each other. Cho Ryu Hyang was about to ask that question, but Zhuge Liang was one step faster. [Greenhorn, you must fulfill a promise in my stead.] What promise? The moment Cho Ryu Hyang thought this, Zhuge Liang responded. [You see that scale over there?] The scale that turned red from heat. Strangely, it was a scale that faced an opposite direction from all the other scales. When Cho Ryu Hyang saw it, he could begin hearing the sound of his heart in his ears. DokunC dokunC Eh? Cho Ryu Hyang tightly held onto his chest. The area on his chest where the heart was located began to feel like it was burning. Zhuge Liang just kept on talking as if he didnt know what was going on. [That is the Reversed Scale ([). It is a crucial ingredient an imugi needs to be a dragon.] Its a ingredient that imugis need to be dragons? Zhuge Liang nodded. [It is the ingredient used to make the Dragon Ball (). ] DokunC dokunC Cho Ryu Hyangs heartbeats began to get louder. And once Cho Ryu Hyangs couldnt hear anything other than his heartbeat, Zhuge Liang began to talk to the imugi, whilst looking straight at the being with Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes. [In the past, I have given you a name. I gave you a new life. And now, it seems I will be giving you a chance to ascend.] The ck-scaled imugi. The imugi could see a faint trace of the human from a long time ago, inside the little boys eyes. A strange, proud human that wouldnt bow down to anyone. But thanks to this man, it would be able to get another chance to ascend. [Its been a while.] Zhuge Liang smiled at the imugis words. It seemed that hed have to change his opinion about the imugi being a lowly life form. After all, the imugi was the only being so far that was able to understand his teachings perfectly. Plus, it was still alive, and it was able to recogize him in this state. That guy was pretty good. Zhuge Liang fiddled with feathered fan in his hands, and replied. [It really has, hasnt it, Tian Nu.] Tian Nu (ŭ: Heavens wrath). It was the name Zhuge Liang made for the imugi. The imugi spoke while looking at Zhuge Liang. [I fulfilled the promise I made with you.] A promise even Zhuge Liang forgot about. [Hes still very intelligent, I see.] A long time ago, there existed people who could understand the words of Zhuge Liang. One was the imugi in front of him. The other was Pang Tong (Pr). These two were the only true friends Zhuge Liang had, the people he could talk to about math without holding back at all. [I waited a thousand years so that you would be able to meet that boy.] A little at a time. A tiny amount The imugi had been using a miniscule amount of energy over the years to let the two meet. [Now, fulfill my wish.] The imugis wish. Its wish was all too clear. And Cho Ryu Hyang had the power to fulfill it. Chapter 32. The Alliance-Demon War Chapter 32. The Alliance-Demon War No matter how much time passes, there is one rtionship that would never changed in the martial world. Light and Dark. ck and White. A rtionship between two opposites. This was the current rtionship between the Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Church. I really cant do anything this time. Gongson Chun Gi sighed. He wanted to avoid fighting. He tried really hard to not resort to violence. He wanted to avoid spilling blood whenever possible. Damn it. Even then, Gongson Chun Gi hesitated. If youe out of the Gansu Branch and walk for about half a day at a slow pace, you would reach the Wisdom ins. Many of the church members will be fighting there. Even if the two sides didnt mutually agree to fight there, they both had to choose that ce as the battleground. And once they both get there, they would have to battle for their lives. Gongson Chun Gi clenched his fist unconsciously. He had to use his full strength now. After all, it was all too clear that many of the church members would die if he hesitated any further. Gongson Chun Gi stepped up the tform, and took a look at the 5000 martial artistsid out in front of him. Once he saw them, he smiled without realizing it. That was because he could clearly feel the message the martial artists were trying to deliver through their gazes. You guys wanted to fight this much? Their boiling blood. Their loud, beating heartbeats were clearly transferred to the Popes ears. A sort of desire for fighting that a Martial Artist possessed. That desire, which they have been suppressing for years, now burst forth like a volcano. Damn it. He made a mistake. He took on the energy of the martial artists full force. Thanks to that, Gongson Chun Gis desire of stopping the fightpletely vaporised. After all, he too, was a martial artist. .Well, we did endure for quite a long time. Once Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth, the whole area suddenly became deathly quiet. Gongson Chun Gi slowly kneeled down. He was trying to match his height with the martial artists, from the tform. It seems Ive neglected your desires too much. I never realized what you guys really wanted. In this world, you cant get something without fighting for it. This was the martial world. The world considered to be the most primitive of them all. Gongson Chun Gi grinned when he thought that. In this dog-eat-dog world, a strong mans words were thew. And it seemed now was the time to establish who the stronger man was. They were waiting too long for this. We cant just let them go when they came all the way out to our yard, can we? Are you ready to fight? The 5000 shouted in harmony when Gongson Chun Gi asked a question. Yes! Gongson Chun Gi faintly smiled when he heard the loud sound ring throughout the area. When he felt the aura these guys were exuding, thest bit of hesitation left in his mindpletely disappeared. Gongson Chun Gi now exuded an extremely tyrannical aura, now that he had gotten rid of his hesitation. This aura slowly covered up the entire area, and began to twist upwards like a tornado. Good. Then lets go show these fools of justice what real fear is. Once Gongson Chun Gi waved his hand, the martial artists all split in two to make a path in the middle. Gongson Chun Gi walked down that path, with Guardian Wu following him like a shadow. The moment Gongson Chun Gi walked out of the auditorium, the five thousand martial artists became a giant tempest that followed him. The Gongson Chun Gi who lost hesitation. He would destroy anything that would get in his way. And that was something truly unfortunate for the Alliance. * * * Amitabha. The blotched hand that was rolling the rosary beads. That hand stopped for a moment, and began to tremble slightly. Teacher, is something wrong? The Shaolin Sect. They too were here for the war. They even brought one member of the 15 guests. The Buddhist King (), Godly Monk (ɮ) Kongye (ҹ). That man was looking forward with a dark face. So war is inevitable. The tyrannical killing aura that inhabited the air. There was an immense amount of it covering the whole area. After all, a battle of the century was about to take ce. Everyone here is ready to fight. Kongye nodded, and began to pray once more. But after a short while, he opened his mouth. Mu Ho. Yes, teacher. If something happens, will you take our sects disciples and run? Mu Ho paused for a bit, and opened his mouth cautiously. What situation might the teacher be talking about? Kongye opened his eyes, and looked at his youngest disciple. The boy was very religious, and was full of intelligence. The boy held immense talent that outstripped all of the Shaolin sect. Because of that, Kongye couldnt allow this boy to die an early death. Youll see when the timees. Mu Ho didnt understand, but stepped back anyways. That was because there was a matter that required more attention. Itsing. From far away, he could see a massive ck wave inching towards them. The Demon Church. Mu Ho tightened his fists once he thought of them. The Demon Church. Even thinking of that word would make a martial artist tremble in fear. Dont be scared. The Alliance had more people than the Demon Church. Plus, werent all these people elites of the elites that were sent by countless ns within the Alliance? It didnt matter what the motives of each of the ns were. They were all here for one purpose: To destroy the church. The Alliance even had the Dao Emperor, the one known to be the strongest in the continent, and the hope of the Shaolin Sect, teacher Kongye. They held the advantage. There was no need to be scared. But why was he still afraid? I must be overreacting. Mu Ho shook his head. He looked forward after taking a deep breath. He could see, then. The five thousand martial artists in ck. Mu Ho felt as if his heart was being squeezed when he saw this giant crowd of martial artists inch towards the Alliance. Then, he saw something. The ck wave. And the one standing in front of that wave. The giant presence that could be felt all the way here. Could it be Mu Ho began to tremble. He was not the only one. Everyone near him began trembling, because of the person at the front of the ck wave. The enormous power that exuded from that man. That power brought a single name in everyones minds. Gongson Chun Gi! Mu Ho unconsciously stepped back, whilst screaming in his mind. There was indeed information that the Demon Emperor was going to be here. The mysterious expert hidden in the dark, shrouded by countless rumors. He thought that the rumors about the man were all a lie. After all, the words used to describe the Demon Emperor simply seemed exaggerated. But in reality, it seemed that even those words werent enough to describe Gongson Chun Gi. Mu Hos face began to turn pale. No way! This was a strength that no one could stand up against. How could a human actually be this strong? Can you see the Pope? .Yes, teacher. When Mu Ho said this with a trembling voice, Kongye stepped in front of him to block his sight. That man is not your enemy yet. Do not be afraid. Mu Ho could finally calm down once his teacher stepped in front. The Popes presence from afar had felt like a giant mountain only moments ago. He felt like he was going to faint. At that moment, someone from the Alliance began to walk forward. When that man did so, the immense presence that was present before began to subside. The Dao Emperor! When someone shouted that, everyone turned their heads. Thats right. If there was a Demon Emperor there. They had the Dao Emperor here. The Dao Emperor was walking forward with a gleeful smile. At that moment, the Alliance members heads were filled with expectations. Could it be? Could it be? Something that was only possible in dreams and stories. Two Sovereigns, the Dao Emperor and the Demon Emperor. There was finally a chance to see two of the sovereigns battle each other. There can only be one sun in the sky. At the time where just about everyone in the Alliance thought of this. The ck wave came very close to them. At this distance, with the martial artists power, both sides were clearly able to make out each others faces. The man assumed to be the Demon Emperor, raised his hand. BamC! Every martial artist from the church mmed their foot down, and stopped. The ground shook for a brief second. What followed was a deathly silence that covered the battlefield. The elites of the Alliance began to fondle their weapons in anxiousness as they faced those of the Demon Church. The Dao Emperor began to walk forward. In a fight, a martial artists spirit was extremely important. At a time like this, if he were to defeat the enemy leader, his forces spirit will rise to an astronomical level. And that spirit would serve to bring him victory. The Dao Emperor began to send out a powerful aura from his body. That aura spread out like ayer of fog, that covered the whole field. I have never lost in my lifetime. He had not lost once since he began learning swordsmanship. The strongest man under the heavens. That title was surely made for him. Why? Because no one in the world could take his strongest blow and survive. But in this world, there existed two people that could rival him. One of those two people was in front of him now. Finally. He was able to meet one of the sovereigns. His excitement couldnt be described by words. Just how long did he wait for this? This is unfortunate. One thing. There was one thing the Dao Emperor regretted. It was the fact that his body was already well past his prime. Everyone ages with time. And as one ages, the body gets weaker. Even if one trained the body to the point where even a sword wouldnt be able to prate the skin, after a certain period of time, even that body would get weaker. The Dao Emperor, who was facing the Demon Emperor, was sad because of this. He wasnt afraid of being killed by a strong man. He was afraid of being unable to show his full strength to a strong opponent. An expert can measure a skill of his opponent just by seeing the mans shadow. The Dao Emperors whisper. To Gongson Chun Gi, this whisper sounded like thunder in his ears. What do you think? Do you think you can win against me? (TL: No idea who is speaking. Im assuming its Gongson Chun Gi though.) The Demon Emperor, Gongson Chun Gi. He, too, began to walk towards the Dao Emperor. He had an annoyed expression on his face as he spoke. I cant lose to an old man like you. If I lose, theres someone whode climbing out of his grave to get me. Gongson Chun Gi thought of the message that his dead master was trying to say to him a long time ago, and smiled. C The Alliances sword has a Ghost stuck onto it, so be very careful. Really, be very careful. His teacher, who was famous for living life as he pleased, told Gongson Chun Gi to be careful twice. There really seemed to be something about the Alliance that was worth noting. But. CrackC Gongson Chun Gi cracked his knuckles like a gangster. Indeed, the Dao Emperor Baek Mu Ryang lived up to his name. After all, Baek Mu Ryangs aura was so powerful, a normal man would immediately lose the power in his legs and kneel whening in contact with it. But unfortunately, Gongson Chun Gi was not a normal man. Meeting me would be your misfortune. Why? Because Im going to fight seriously here. Im not going to hold back, so be prepared. Gongson Chun Gi grinned after saying so. This officially marked the first Alliance-Demon War. Chapter 33. Nanman Beast Gate Chapter 33. Nanman Beast Gate Jo Gi Chun frowned as he tried to lift himself from the bed. He couldnt feel anything in his right arm. From the shoulder to the finger. It felt like there was a useless lump of meat stuck to his shoulder. Jo Gi Chun retraced his memories as he massaged his right arm. An Imugi. ording to his knowledge, there was no way for a living being to live inside a formation. As a formation was a space created by man, the space inside it was extremely unstable. It wasnt a ce where a creature could live inside for a long period of time. But There was one exception. I need to confirm that. He had a reason to go back into the formation. The right arm that had been taken by that guy. That act gave Jo Gi Chun some hope. If what he thought was right, he should be able to get his arm back. Jo Gi Chun lifted his stumbling body, and leaned against the bed. And he soon made a confused face, as he didnt understand what was going on. Its too quiet. From the beginning, this ce wasnt a very noisy spot, but it wasnt as quiet as this before. When he stepped outside, he couldnt see a single person around. This was getting suspicious. Jo Gi Chun quickly walked over to the Building of Righteous Gathering. Thankfully, there was a person there. Is it alright if I ask you a question? A thin, middle aged man who had been inspecting documents previously, saw Jo Gi Chun and blinked a few times. Soon, the man began to get suspicious of Jo Gi Chun. Who are you, and why are you here? Jo Gi Chun made a troubled face when the middle aged man became alert towards him. How should he exin this? After thinking a bit, Jo Gi Chun remembered the ne he received from Gongson Chun Gi. The ne shaped like a me. Gongson Chun Gi told him to use it whenever he needed the churchs help. Do you know what this is? Once Jo Gi Chun handed the man his ne, the mans eyes widened. The man thought about something for a moment, then stood up and bowed respectfully towards Gongson Chun Gi. Is there a problem? It seems the ne worked. Jo Gi Chun put the ne back in his pocket, then opened his mouth. I have a question. I will answer it to the best of my ability. I cant find anyone here, did something happen? The middle aged man calmly spoke. His Holiness went to the Wisdom ins today. The Wisdom ins! Jo Gi Chun finally realized why there wasnt anyone here. The battle between the Heavenly Demon Church and the Alliance. This battle was to take ce at the Wisdom ins. So it was today. Jo Gi Chun began to feel a bit ufortable the moment he realized that. That was because he thought of something ominous. W.. What happened to Ryu Hyang? The middle aged man thought for a second, then quickly responded. Could you be talking about Lord Cho Ryu Hyang? Yes. The young lord went out to the ck Skull Mountain this morning. The ck Skull Mountain. Ak Jung Paes grave was there. Once Jo Gi Chun realized this fact, his face turned pale. The ominous feeling he had from earlier. That feeling seemed to be caused because of this. How long has it been since the boy went up the mountain? The middle aged man became a little surprised when Jo Gi Chun began acting this urgently. H.. He went out after breakfast, so about half a day has passed. Is there a problem? Jo Gi Chun wasnt listening any more. He was already dragging his old, tired body towards the ck Skull mountain as fast as he could. * * * [I want to be a dragon.] An expected wish. The Imugi, who was looking down upon Cho Ryu Hyang, had a sort of a desperate look on its face. [Little human, do you think you can you fulfill my wish?] DokunC The thunder like heartbeat that was ringing in Cho Ryu Hyangs ear since a while back. It wasnt his heartbeat. The sound wasing from the Imugis heart. [Dont be scared, greenhorn.] Dont be scared? How can he not be scared in front of this giant, tyrannical being? It would be weird if he was actually calm. [A real dragon is much bigger than this fellow. This guy is cute whenpared to a dragon. ] When Cho Ryu Hyang heard the old mans words, he smiled. What an unamusing joke the old man was making. But it seemed that the joke calmed Cho Ryu Hyang down a little. He let go of his chest, and opened his mouth cautiously. What should I do for you? The promise that Zhuge Liang made a thousand years ago. Cho Ryu Hyang was tasked with fulfilling that promise. If one thought about it, Cho Ryu Hyangs first teacher was Zhuge Liang, not Jo Gi Chun. He learned about the Faultless view from Zhuge Liang, and acquired immense knowledge of mathematics. Because of this, Cho Ryu Hyang was actually thankful that he got the chance to repay the old man. This wish, therefore, was one that Cho Ryu Hyang could not afford to decline. The Imugi slowly opened its mouth while looking at Cho Ryu Hyang. [In order to be a dragon and ascend, one needs a Dragon Ball.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded when the Imugi said that. Thats right. If you thought about it, every single one of the stories that has dragons never failed to mention a Dragon Ball. That made everything simple. He just had to make a Dragon Ball out of the Reversed Scale that the Imugi had. After all, didnt he have the Seizing Conversion Technique (׽Q)? Cho Ryu Hyang could essentially change the value of objects in this world to his fancy. It was a terrifying technique. But the conditions in order to use it are too harsh. Thankfully, it seemed like the conditions matched perfectly in this situation. He could see a red scale sending light out everywhere in front of his eyes. The Reversed Scale, whichy under the Imugis chin. He just had to change the value of the scale, and change it into a Dragon Ball. It shouldnt be very hard. When Cho Ryu Hyang walked forward in a rxed manner, he was stopped by Zhuge Liangs voice. [Dont take this lightly, greenhorn. Do you even know what a Reversed Scale is?] Cho Ryu Hyang paused. What was the old man trying to say? Cho Ryu Hyang didnt exactly know what a Reversed Scale was. No, there was no way hed know it in the first ce. Whatd he know about a Reversed Scale, when this was the first time even seeing an Imugi in his life? [Only a dragon can possess a Reversed Scale. And at the same time, a dragons only weakness is its Reversed Scale. In short, if you handle the scale without care, this guy might die.] Cho Ryu Hyang frowned unconsciously. Why? Why would the old man say this, especially when he just became prepared? Cho Ryu Hyang put on aplicated face. Then, Zhuge Liang spoke to him with a low voice. [Since that guy is determined to do this, Im telling you to do the same, greenhorn.] Determination. Cho Ryu Hyang lifted his head, and took a look at the Imugi. However, he immediately turned away, as he made eye contact with the Imugi. This is. Cho Ryu hyang felt that he was suddenly burdened with an immense task. [I trust you, human. If anything goes wrong, it would be my fate, and not your mistake, so you dont have anything to worry about.] Cho Ryu Hyang swallowed his spit. To be determined. He could really feel what that phrase meant. The Imugi in front of him was prepared to die. Since Cho Ryu Hyang felt that determination of the Imugi in full force, he felt that he couldnt really back down now. [I stayed alive as a monstrosity that wasnt either a dragon or an Imugi. I want to see an end to this now.] Cho Ryu Hyang stayed quiet. He closed his eyes, and began to breath slowly. As I thought, nothing is free in this world. Yes. Nothing in this world was free. As he received something from Zhuge Liang, he had to give something back. Equivalent Exchange (ȃrQ). This was exactly that. Cho Ryu Hyang forcefully calmed down his anxious heart, and grit his teeth. His hands slowly took on a watery sheen. He was beginning to use the Seizing Conversion Technique. * * * Its quite a sight, brother. Indeed. Its the Moon Edge de Technique, alright. To think that it could make the people of the maind this active. This really is a rare sight. The two men with coppery skin. The one who seemed to be the older one, the man with an arrogant face, opened his mouth while looking down from the hill. We got lucky. We managed to reel in some really big guys. Thanks to that, we got to see a giant battle like this. Big guys you mean the Dao Emperor and the Demon Emperor? Yes. Does brother really believe that these people are as strong as the rumors say? The two men. They werent from the central regions. They were from the far south. They were from the mysterious n that was located in the region of Nanman. Nanman Beast Gate (UҰFT). They came from that n. I dont believe in rumors. I only believe what I see with my eyes. The man with an arrogant face. He, the one known to have the most talent in the history of the n, was the heir to the Nanman Beast Gate. Gu Hui (x). He spoke with a small smile on his face. I dont know about the others, but these two are the real deal. I dont think that even father could win easily against them. Are they really. They really are that strong. I cant even measure their power with my eyes. This really got interesting. Gu Huis younger brother, Gu Mun Ha (), closed his mouth. To him, his father was a living god. The living legend of Nanman who was regarded as a god. The man who was treated equally to his father, was his older brother. Gu Hui. The man destined to be the strongest of the world in the next generation. Since a man like that was the one to say this statement, he could only believe it. I will. confirm it with my own eyes. That will be for the best. Gu Hui looked upon the Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Church from afar, andughed on the inside. The one to find the Moon Edge de Technique was neither the Alliance, not the Heavenly Demon Church. Gu Hui is Nanman Beast Gate. The one who wasnt even from the central regions, was the one to find traces of the legendary technique. He even jumped into the formation on the tomb, fully aware of what dangers might lie inside. Well, I managed to see something unbelievable, thanks to that. He managed to go inside after struggling through the formation. The fact that he studied formations quite a bit helped him a lot. But the thing he saw inside was something that really was unbelievable. Should I call it a dragon? Gu Hui was used to meeting nonhuman creatures. Thanks to that, he was able to look at the giant being without flinching. He could see then. That thing wasnt a holy being like a dragon. It was just an Imugi that failed to ascend. He could remember the conversation he had with the Imugi that time. [How unfortunate. Youck talent.] The thing truly became sad when it looked at Gu Hui. He wascking? Gu Hui scowled. [You were not chosen. And therefore, you do not have the right to be here. Leave.] Gu Hui stared at the thing with a straight face, and spoke. You say that I amcking? [Yes. A little.] Then, do you believe that there is a human more talented than I? The thingughed. It seemed to find all this amusing. [Of course, arrogant human.] He was destined to be an emperor since the day he was born. Even a person like he wascking? Since this kind of a thing was new to Gu Hui, he just stood there looking at the Imugi. He soonughed. How unfortunate. He thought about killing the Imugi, but thats not how he worked. Then he thought of a more amusing idea. I hope you meet the one you want to meet. [I will. Soon.] Gu Hui began to think aftering out of the formation. And the end result was this. The Alliance-Demon war. The reason for everything that was going on here, was the Nanman Beast Gate. The ones who had been hidden in the shadows for so long were finally baring their fangs. Chapter 34. The Ascending Dragon Chapter 34. The Ascending Dragon Baek Mu Ryang slowly pulled out his sword. The sword that had apanied him in all the time that he spent in the Alliance. The sword that knew no defeat, was pulled out of the hilt. White Tooth (). Once Baek Mu Ryang pulled out the sword, the surrounding air fluctuated a little. The energy of the battlefield was getting fiercer. You have the right to make me use this sword. Should I be thankful? When Gongson Chun Gi responded with a somewhat sour face, Baek Mu Ryang shook his head. No, I should be the one thanking you. Anyway, Im going to be using this child here. Dont you have any weapon youll use? Gongson Chun Gi lifted his hands up a bit, and spoke. These are enough. I knew it. Even though Gongson Chun Gi was standing there with a rxed position, it seemed like Baek Mu Ryang couldnt even get a needle through the Popes defenses. Thats what Baek Mu Ryang liked. His blood was boiling after a long time. And This guy was a bit different. There was something about the Pope that separated him from all the other enemies that Baek Mu Ryang faced in the past. I dont exactly know what that something is, though. The Dao Emperor stopped thinking there. There was no time to think such useless thoughts when battling an expert like this. There are so many people here. It wouldnt do if we disappoint them, yes? VoomC Baek Mu Ryangs sword began to vibrate, then started to twist about like a living being. Gongson Chun Gi, seeing that, narrowed his eyes. Lets go easy for now. The moment Baek Mu Ryang muttered that, his sword began to emit a bright light, and proceeded to disappear. When Gongson Chun Gi turned his head, something happened. PyutC! A white-hot sword nicked Gongson Chun Gis ear. Many of the martial artists who were watching this spectacle, shouted in surprise. Energy Control Technique (Ԛg)! Once a person trains his sword technique to the absolute limit, he/she can bring out a full potential of a sword in a fight. That was the Control Technique. The Energy Controlling Technique was a level above the Control Technique. It was a technique that symbolized peak power. The martial artists who saw this amazing technique, became extremely excited. This guys trying to kill me from the get go? Gongson Chun Gi smirked while saying this, and twisted his whole body. When he did so, a white sword passed by the ce where he had been previously. Baek Mu Ryang stopped attacking, then grinned at the Pope. How is it? What? Didnt that act just now make a pretty good show for the audience? Seeing the Pope run everywhere mustve been immensely satisfying for them. Running Well, I guess idiots will see this that way. Gongson Chun Gi swept his messy hair upwards, and grinned. Dont tell me youre also thinking that? Baek Mu Ryang shook his head. He knew. His attack just now was only performed to measure Gongson Chun Gis strength. But his attacks didnt really provide him with information, no matter how outstanding they looked. But this little bit of information he gained served to make Baek Mu Ryang plenty excited. His Mind Eye () is opened? The Energy Control Technique was as fast as swinging a sword at point nk range. Managing to dodge that sword using the eyes was, in the first ce, impossible. That meant that the opponent would have to dodge using his/her instinct. But then, Gongson Chun Gi reacted to Baek Mu Ryangs sword half a beat before the sword struck. Once Baek Mu Ryang thought of this, his grip on his sword got stronger. This man was worthy of being his opponent. No, this man was something more of a monster, contrary to what he had been thinking. Damn it, moving my body like this after such a long time made me tired. Gongson Chun Gi sighed while massaging his muscles. After a while, he spoke with a small voice. Anyways.. I guess its my turn to show you something? Ill look forward to it. Baek Mu Ryang gripped onto his de, and exhaled. He was expelling all the negative energy from his body. Now, what should I use Gongson Chun Gi thought for a moment, then grinned like an evil child. It would only be fair if I made you move as much as I just did, right? Everything began there. Baek Mu Ryang lifted his de in caution. At the same time, his sword tip touched something invisible. BamC! Baek Mu Ryang, who had been pushed back significantly, wrinkled his brow. It was good that he blocked an invisible attack out of instinct. But the power of this attack was stronger than he had expected. An energy st? But the energy contained in this attack was far stronger than a simple energy st. While he was trying to think of what technique Gongson Chun Gi had used, he noticed the Pope smiling at him with a grin. Baek Mu Ryang put on a strange face when he saw that. Come to think of it, the Pope didnt get into any sort of an attack position when attacking. Dont be surprised already. Im just getting started you know. Gongson Chun Gi, who had his hands behind his back, moved his index finger a few times. Immediately, a sinister energy began to surround Baek Mu Ryang. Hm! Baek Mu Ryang began to focus his energy into his sword tip. There was no way he was going to fall for the same trick twice. He soon released the energy he gathered into his sword outwards. BabababangC! The energy that was expelled outwards hit something invisible, and triggered an immense explosion. There was so much power, in fact, that the ground between the two sovereigns broke apart. Only then could Baek Mu Ryang understand just what technique Gongson Chun Gi had used. Hidden Palm ()! This, too, was a peak technique. When the martial artists all shouted out in surprise, Baek Mu Ryang disappeared. He was moving. Like a mad tiger. Baek Mu Ryang snaked through the invisible energy sts attacking him, and was moments away from stabbing Gongson Chun Gi. At that moment, the Dao Emperor felt a sting. His expression changed greatly. Danger? Gongson Chun Gi was staring at him with a mysterious smile, without moving an inch. The man didnt even flinch at him. Baek Mu Ryang grit his teeth. The instinct that developed after battling countless experts in the past warned him ceaselessly. But his hesitation was short-lived. Baek Mu Ryang changed the course of his sword from a stab to a slice to attack his target. ChiiiC A smell of burning air pierced the nose when Baek Mu Ryang sliced through empty space. At the same time, something managed to touch the tip of the sword. BaamC! Baek Mu Ryang was pushed backwards with great force. Even when being pushed away, Baek Mu Ryang grit his teeth and tightly gripped onto his sword. He almost let go of it because of the immense force the explosion caused. Eh? You blocked that? But theres no way youd have seen that! Gongson Chun Gi tilted his head in confusion. Gongson Chun Gis curious face soon turned into an excited one. Baek Mu Ryang then realized something. At the same time, he felt something hote up from within himself. It was rage. Im being underestimated? Me? Thats right. Gongson Chun Gi seemed to look at Baek Mu Ryang with eyes filled with contempt. It was a look that Baek Mu Ryang usually gave to his opponents. GritC Baek Mu Ryang grit his teeth. His rxed aura slowly faded away. He soon looked at Gongson Chun Gi with an enraged face, and spoke. Im sorry, Pope. It seems I yed around a bit too much in front of you. Ill take you on seriously from now. Baek Mu Ryang began to emit a white, visible aura from his body. Gongson Chun Gi made an irritated face when he saw Baek Mu Ryangs fierce aura. He could feel that the man was prepared to die. That wasnt something that he wanted to see. But. He had to take it. Otherwise it would be rude towards his opponent. Gongson Chun Gi slowly put his hands in front of his body. Then I, too, will do my best. Baek Mu Ryangs stiff face loosened a bit. He knew that his opponent was finally taking him seriously. Isnt this something that I always dreamed of? Dying to a strong opponent. That was something that truly made a martial artist happy. He had no regrets now. Baek Mu Ryangs old heart began to beat vigorously again, just like it had in his youth. When Baek Mu Ryang put all his power into his sword, though, something happened. He saw something strange in front of him. Whats this? Baek Mu Ryangpletely forgot about the opponent in front of him, and began to look at something else. When he saw it, he blinked a few times. He was trying to confirm if the thing he was looking at wasnt an illusion of sorts. Once he confirmed that it wasnt an illusion, his jaw dropped down. Only then could Gongson Chun Gi feel that something was wrong. What? Is there something behind me? Gongson Chun Gi slowly turned back. He, too, repeated what Baek Mu Ryang had done previously. No, he was worse. He started to stutter everywhere when he saw it. D, dragon? I, is that a dragon? Baek Mu Ryang nodded without realizing it. Far away, at the peak of the mountain that barely anyone could see, was a column of light that extended all the way to the sky. And in the middle of that light, was something that was slowly rising, twisting, into the sky. KuoooC! Clouds, and lightning. The one that was slowly climbing through those was clearly a dragon. surawang_34 At that moment, everyone at the Wisdom ins was looking at the mountain. They all had the same expression stered onto their face. Every one of them was staring at the dragon with a dumb face. It was hard to believe. A dragon? An ascending dragon? At that moment, something happened to the martial artists at the Wisdom ins. Some of the martial artists from the Alliance began to move towards the ce where the dragon was. Gongson Chun Gi came to his senses when he saw that. At the same time, he felt a chill run down his spine. He knew the ce where the dragon was. Ak Jung Paes tomb. Thats where the dragon was ascending from. Disciple, just what did you do over there. Gongson Chun Gi began to get a little hasty when he thought of his disciple. Thanks to that, he lost his usual calm and made amand. Dont let them get to the dragon. Gongson Chun Gi instantly regretted what he said. Everyone else who had been looking at the dragon came back to their senses, and began to move towards the mountain. The people of the Alliance, even though they havent beenmanded at all, simultaneously began to move. Gongson Chun Gis face turned stiff. The whole situation was getting very bad now. He couldnt do anything to reverse the whole situation. Damn it! Dont let any one of them get there! Block them! Understood! Clearly, the people of the Heavenly Demon Church were elites. The moment Gongson Chun Gi gave out his order, they blocked the path to the mountain. It would be hard to get through the path to the mountain when the only path to it was blockedpletely. But that also meant that both sides would never be able to give up their position. Damn it! The moment Gongson Chun Gi swore in his mind, the martial artists of the Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Church shed. CrackC! Blood and flesh flew everywhere with an ominous sound. Gongson Chun Gis face turned sinister when he saw that scene. Chapter 35. The Little Monster Chapter 35. The Little Monster Humans can sometimes unleash unthinkable amounts of power. Like now. Jo Gi Chun was running. He was running so fast, he even began to wonder where he was getting all this energy from. He ran as if his life depended on it, and eventually reached the ck Tooth Mountain. Jo Gi Chun didnt stop thinking even when he was gasping desperately for air in front of the formation. Soon, he began praying. Please, dont let me be toote The formation in front of him was clearly somewhat off. It was strange that a creature was living inside it, and what made it stranger was the fact that that creature happened to be a dragon. The formation was simply a bag of mysteries. But There were some clues that Jo Gi Chun managed to spot because of how strange the formation was. He began walking into the formation, whilst trying to calm his jumpy heart. There was no time to waste now. The hypothesis he had thought of that could work. If it actually worked, he could manage to destroy the formation. The only thing Jo Gi Chun didnt want happen was seeing his disciple fight that monster. Jo Gi Chun grit his teeth, and walked into the formation. * * * The world is made of numbers. That was the truth. The Moon Edge Flower Algorithm Magic. He met Zhuge Liang through that book, and once he realized the profound truth of numbers, his life had changed. His rxed life as a young boy had disappearedpletely. I wonder what wouldve happened if I didnte across that book? The present would bepletely different from what was happening now. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly discarded his thoughts, and began breathing. He was using the Faultless view of the world. Right now, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to see the world in numbers. The world was covered in it. Things will get important from here. Seizing Conversion Technique. Cho Ryu Hyang stopped breathing. That was the only way to use this technique. And of course, that meant that he could not keep up using the technique for an extended amount of time. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly extended his hand. He could touch the red-hot scale of the dragon, something that resembled hard, ck steel. Cho Ryu Hyangs hands simply passed through the scale, as if the scale was made of tofu. GritC He could feel the imugi trembling from pain. The imugi was probably feeling an unspeakable amount of pain right now. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to ignore the imugi, and focused. When he did so, he could see something inside the scale. It was the true form of the Reversed Scale on the imugi. This is. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes widened. The thing he was seeing right now wasnt the Reversed Scale. It was a giant mess of numbers. That was what was making him so surprised. Damn it. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lip. He finally found out why the Reversed Scale was the ingredient for the Dragon Ball. The numbers were too tangled. There was chaos to the likes of which he had never seen before. Just looking at it made Cho Ryu Hyang feel annoyed. He couldnt figure out the heads or tails out of this mess. But he had to somehow untangle it. There definitely is a pattern here. The numbers were all tangled up, but it did follow a certain pattern. Right now, Cho Ryu Hyang had to figure out what that pattern was. Only when he would use the pattern would he be able to create a Dragon Ball. But. Cho Ryu Hyangs face turned red. He was already running out of air. After all, his body was untrained, and unconditioned. He would naturally have not much time to hold his breath. That fact bothered him quite a bit. Ill take a step back for now. Cho Ryu Hyang hesitantly pulled his hand out of the scale. He could feel the imugi trembling again. It looked like it was suffering a lot. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to say something, but couldnt. He just stood there and started to calcte as fast as he could. Damn it! Damn it! The mess of numbers he saw earlier. He couldnt find the answer from it immediately, so he decided to stuff all the numbers in his head for now But even if Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely smart, he couldnt memorise all those numbers in that short of a time. But he somehow managed to cram all that information in his head. Because of that, it was hard for him to think of anything else other than math right now. Even a moment ago, he almost lost the numbers in his head by getting distracted. He managed to barely avoid that situation, but he still felt a bit cold thinking about it. Ill apologizeter. Cho Ryu Hyang began to split the giant mass of numbers into smaller parts. At the same time, he began to drill the numbers into his head, so that he wouldnt forget itter. Finding the answer to the problem, and memorising the original format the numbers were in. He had to do these two things at the same time. Cho Ryu Hyang put his hands up in the air while gritting his teeth. And he began to write something down on the air, without any utensils. It was as if he was writing something on paper. He was writing the numbers in his head midair, at incredible speeds. The amazing thing was, his left hand and his right hand were writing two different things. One hand was doing calctions, while the other was memorising. Cho Ryu Hyang was easily managing to do something that others would be astounded at. First of all. He had to find the head of this messy array of numbers. Cho Ryu Hyangs face as he kept trying out different methods quickly went through many different changes. At first, his face was one of annoyance, as he was trying to surpass his limits by calcting and memorising something soplicated all at once. But his face began to get calmer as time passed. Unlike his brain, that was being pushed to the limit, Cho Ryu Hyangs face began to get more and more peaceful. surawang_35_new [Hes getting more and more focused.] Zhuge Liang quietly muttered to himself. The boy really was focused. Right now, Cho Ryu Hyang forgot about the existence of the imugi in front of him, and even forgot about that he was in a formation. The war going on in his mind right now didnt allow him to remember such a thing. Cho Ryu Hyang wouldnt even notice a thing if a lighting strikes right in front of his nose. That was how focused he was. [I never saw a human that resembles you so much.] Zhuge Liang simply smirked when the imugi said this. [Tian Nu, do notpare me to a monster like this.] [A monster.] [Yes. This boy is truly a monster. Even I cannot believe what I am seeing right now.] Cho Ryu Hyang didnt slow down a bit, even while Zhuge Liang was talking. Cho Ryu Hyang, when he neared the endpoint of his calctions, stopped writing in the air, and began to simply twitch his fingers. With a single twitch, he was solving countless equations he thought up of. He was reducing as much useless movements as possible. The imugi and the old man kept watching the boys spectacle with excitement. What made this boy truly fearsome was the boys focus. While the boys intelligence, and knowledge was could be considered as talent, those two qualities couldnt even match up to the boys capability for focus. As Cho Ryu Hyang got more focused, his calctions were getting faster. Something that was already so fast, was still getting even faster. [Hoh?] Zhuge Liang stared at Cho Ryu Hyang whilst fiddling with his fan. The boy was skipping multiple steps when calcting. He added new knowledge to the knowledge he had previously, and using that newfound knowledge, created even more knowledge to absorb. And with this, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to utterly annihte the equations that wereing at him. This was quite an experience, even for Zhuge Liang. I can see it. Cho Ryu Hyang could see the answer to the whole thing lying far away. That moment, every process in his body except for breathing paused. He was devoting all his energy into solving the thing. Even though his eyes were wide open, the visual information he was taking in wasnt even being registered by his brain. Cho Ryu Hyang was simply staring forward with a daze. He could then begin to see something unique from the set of numbers in his mind. He could see numbers that were somewhat different from others. Numbers that didnt follow the pattern. I found it! Cho Ryu Hyang managed to find the answer, and he wasnt about to let it go. He managed to chase down the thing that was trying desperately to escape his grasp. He finally had the answer in his hands. That was when Cho Ryu Hyang returned to his senses. Once he found the answer, he could begin to see his surroundings again. That was when he noticed that something was off. The imugi was looking at the entrance. Whats going on? How much time had passed? What happened? His brain began to process everything that he had ignored while calcting, and Cho Ryu Hyang was bombarded with information of what had happened. A vibration? Yes, there was a slight vibration. Thats right. There was a tiny vibration in the ground while he had been calcting. When he followed the imugis gaze after realizing the fact, his eyes widened. Teacher? It was his teacher. Jo Gi Chun was standing at the entrance with a tired face. How did he get here? Even Cho Ryu Hyang was able to get through the formation, so it was of course possible that Jo Gi Chun would be able to enter. While he didnt possess Cho Ryu Hyangs sight, Jo Gi Chun still was a master of formations. He probably got through the formation without much difficulty. But this wasnt a ce where his teacher should be. Cho Ryu Hyang felt that this was going to get dangerous, so he blocked the imugi from approaching his teacher. Teacher! The imugi, who was about to swallow Jo Gi Chun whole, paused when he heard Cho Ryu Hyangs cry. [You know this man?] He is my teacher. [Teacher.] Come to think of it, there was such a rtionship in the human race. Was it something along the lines of someone who resembles a parent? The imugi stared at Jo Gi Chun for a while, then slid back to where it was previously. SlideC The ck scales moved across like a beautiful wave. Jo Gi Chun made a confused face when he saw the imugis attitude. But when he remembered something significant, his became astounded. You chose him? This boy? The imugi stared at Jo Gi Chun, and nodded. [I chose him.] Jo Gi Chun was stupefied. He recovered after a bit, andughed loudly. He pulled out something from his sleeves. Then there was no need to bring this all the way here. ckC A sound of stones hitting each other. Jo Gi Chun had brought quite a bit of jewels from the Heavenly Demon Church. The imugis eyes brightened when it saw the jewels. [You figured it out?] Jo Gi Chun faintly smiled, and nodded. Indeed. I also figured out how to destroy it. Thankfully, the little hypothesis Jo Gi Chun hade up with about the formation had been correct. The imugi stared at Jo Gi Chun without a word for a moment. Soon, it nodded slowly. [You are quite worthy.] The secret of the formation. The imugi didnt think anyone would be able to realize it in such a short time. This human was amazing, wasnt he? The imugi kept thinking for a bit, then quickly inhaled. The imugis action seemed somewhat dangerous for some reason. When Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the imugi with a confused look, the imugi exhaled the air inside towards Jo GI Chun. Teacher! Cho Ryu Hyangs shout echoed throughout the cave. The imugi spoke while the boy was running towards his teacher. [Dont be afraid. I simply gave back what I took from him.] Cho Ryu Hyang remembered something when he heard those words, and opened his mouth with a hint of excitement. Can you move your arm? Jo Gi Chun, who had been thinking the same thing, carefully lifted his right arm, and nodded. I can move it, it seems. Thats good. Thats really good, teacher. Jo Gi Chun spoke when Cho Ryu Hyang made a relieved smile. Im the one whos really relieved here. I feel relieved knowing that you are safe. Teacher. Jo Gi Chun tried to say something else, but dropped down onto the floor, as he had been too anxious just a moment ago. This is really relieving. I thought you were in terrible danger. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt need to hear any more. His teacher was worried about him. Cho Ryu Hyang began to scratch the back of his head from guilt. Wasnt he feeling the same thing a moment ago? He felt terrible when he thought that the imugi did something to his teacher. Im safe, so dont worry, teacher. Yeah. Jo Gi Chun stood up. His disciple was safe. That was all he needed to know. Cho Ryu Hyang suddenly felt his curiosity rise, and smiled. He asked something to his teacher, as he couldnt just hold it in. Did you figure out how to destroy the formation? Cho Ryu Hyang only came here to destroy the formation by altering the formations nucleus by using the Seizing Conversion Technique. He didnt know the actual destruction method of the formation. Jo Gi Chun simply smiled, and responded. It seems this formation is a little special in that it never existed in this world before. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes glinted. His teacher knew about all the formations created in the world. When his teacher talked about a formation that never existed, he naturally got curious. Just what kind of Jo Gi Chun organized his thoughts, looked at the imugi, and talked. Look carefully. Can you see that the cave and the outside has a definite border between them? A border? Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the cave entrance, and nodded. Indeed. The outside and the cave had a definite border between them. Dont you realize something from that? Cho Ryu Hyang fell to deep thought when Jo Gi Chun said that. His teacher gave him a question, which meant that he could solve this on his own. What was the answer? The border is definite? In a formation, a border was very important. It was what divided a border from the outside world. But then, why is there a such a clear border inside the formation itself? Cho Ryu Hyang shouted in surprise when he thought that much. Ah! Do you know the answer? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, then quickly asked something. May I confirm it? It would be good if you do. Cho Ryu Hyang walked all the way to the cave entrance unsteadily. Is such a thing possible? If what he realized was possible, it would really be amazing. After looking at the entrance for a long time, Cho Ryu Hyang walked out and back. He then proceeded to simply freeze. You realize it now? Yes. This formation it really deserves to be called the best under the heavens. Cho Ryu Hyang truly thought that. He looked at the imugi and spoke with a low voice. A formation that covers another formation. in other words, a formation in a formation this is amazing. Making a single formation as intricate as this takes an incredible amount of work. There were two of those here. Making them seperately wouldnt be much of a problem, even for Cho Ryu Hyang. But the problem was, one would have to put a formation inside another formation. The variables one would have to consider would increase indefinitely. Making something like this was outside the realm of man, which meant that this formation was created by that imugi. [Should I keep waiting?] Cho Ryu Hyang came to his senses. Didnt he have something to do? Cho Ryu Hyang desperately hid his face of reverence and respect, and began to steady his breath in front of the imugi. I have to finish this in one go. He couldnt let the imugi go through that much pain again. Cho Ryu Hyang prepared himself to finish everything in one go, and grit his teeth. Chapter 36. The Dragon’s Gift Chapter 36. The Dragons Gift [The time is now.] Soon, the thousand years of waiting will finally be over. The imugi looked down at Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was looking at the imugi. It was the appointed time, but it wasnt guaranteed that the gates of heaven would open. Even an imugi that lived for thousands of years wouldnt be able to predict that. But there was one thing that was clear. This was thest chance for the imugi. [Start] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He stopped breathing, and extended his hands outwards. He was putting his hands inside the Reversed Scale. CrackC The scale let out a horrific sound. And when Cho Ryu Hyang heard it, he became a little confused. The array is different? The order of the numbers were slightly different from the original. What happened? Did he memorize wrongly? He could hear Zhuge Liang talk in his mind. [Trust your calctions, greenhorn. Dont be intimidated just because its outer appearance changed a bit. After all, the true form of this thing never changed.] Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his mind. Didnt he see the true form of the Reversed Scale a while back, and found the answer from it? The numbers in the Reversed Scale mightve moved around a bit, but there was no time to be concerned about that. I need to finish this as quick as possible. Anxiety made Cho Ryu Hyang hurry. His hands inside the scale began to move around quickly. The hands mixed the numbers around, or gathered unneeded numbers to throw them away. Every time Cho Ryu Hyang made such a move, the imugi trembled as if struck by lightning. Cho Ryu Hyang could clearly feel the imugis pain. A little more. Cho Ryu Hyang grit his teeth. His face was turning red from holding his breath, but the moment before he reached his limit, he managed to carve out something out of the Reversed Scale. It was a glowing ball of light. When he unknowingly stretched his hand out to the ball, he could hear something. DokunC A sound of the heartbeat. Cho Ryu Hyang, who forgot to even breathe, stared at the sphere in his hand. This is. It was a Dragon Ball. A ball that was emitting a golden light. When he brought the ball outside the scale it was in, the whole cave began to tremble. KrrrC The ceiling shook, and the ground trembled violently as if it was enraged. The cave and the Dragon Ball were rejecting each other. [Thank you, human.] The imugi looked upon the Dragon Ball in the boys hands with a face of happiness. The Dragon Ball started to slowly lift up into space. While Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun was looking at that with a daze, the imugi ate the ball. KiiingC A bright light, resembling that of the sun, suddenly shone out of the imugis mouth with a sharp noise. Mm. Cho Ryu Hyang closed his eyes on reflex. When he opened them, his mouth fell in surprise. The Dragon Ball, which was previously the size of a childs fist turned into a giant globe that fit the imugis mouth. [The promise was fulfilled.] When the imugi said that, its body began to emit a 5-colored light. This light covered the entire cave, and even stretched all the way to the ceiling. KwaaangC! The beam of light stretched all the way to the sky. When it did so, heaven immediately responded. An immense amount of rain and thunder began to descend. KraamC! The imugi smiled while getting drenched in by all the rain. Unlike the past, the gates of heaven opened this time. [Finally.] Its been a long time. CrackC It writhed once, and its ck scales fell apart to reveal the divine, golden scales hidden beneath. The reddish horns soon turned milky white, and the imugi was filled with energy. Its size expanded by three times. The imugi, who turned big enough to fill the entire cave, made a confused face. The transformation isnt over? Normally, an imugis transformation would end here. But the body kept sending strange signals. There was something at the back, itching to get outside. The imugi thought for a bit. Should it try to ascend now, ignoring that itch? Or should it ept the changes the body is trying to go through? It didnt think for too long. The imugi inhaled, and put its power into its back. It decided to go through the changes at once, and then ascend. KriikC CrackC The imugi felt violent pain in its back as the flesh and scale torn apart. But the pain didntst long. Soon, it felt a cool,forting sensation run in its body. Ah. Ha. Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun both signed in amazement. Zhuge Liang, who saw the spectacle, whispered under his breath. [..You became an Yinglong?] Yinglong (). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinglong) It was a legendary divine creature (F), the king of dragons, whose power was so strong that it could epass the whole world. The imugi, who had frowned just a moment ago, became a little confused when it finished transforming. It had a pair of bat wings on its back. The imugi knew what this meant more than anyone. pC When the wings were spread open, it covered the entire cave. The imugi. Tian Nu seemed to be in a daze for a moment. Its life as a suffering imugi wasing back to it in a shback. Then, it suddenly looked down on Cho Ryu Hyang from the middle of the beam of light, and opened its mouth. surawang_36 [You have the right to take what is sealed inside here.] Something sealed inside? The imugi smiled mischievously as Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused expression. [It will be a perfect reward for you.] That was all it said. Cho Ryu Hyang, who was about to ask a question, had to block his ears. That was because the imugi looked up at the sky, and began to shout. KwauungC! Dragon Chant (). That was the name of the sound that a dragon makes before ascending. When the dragon let out that sound the sky and the earth both began to let out a sound. VoomC Cho Ryu Hyang became shocked by the fact that his body, too, was letting out a sound. The imugi that became a dragon let out that sound for a while, then began to p its wings. FoomC The wings let out a sound of cool, refreshing air that couldnt be heard by any wind. Tian Nu began to ascend. It was ascending up to the heavens, piercing through thunder and lightning. KurururungC! The divine dragon that was ascending to heaven. That sight gave a feeling that couldnt be exined by words. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the sight from down below. They were looking at it until thest remains of the dragonpletely disappeared. Just how much time had passed? Shuaa The dragon already ascended, but it was still raining. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang werent minding the rain, however. They were in too much of a daze to even notice it. When the column of light disappeared, and the surroundings were filled with the sound of the rain, Jo Gi Chun spoke. The pond is dry. Cho Ryu Hyang took his sses off, and turned his head. He was immediately greeted by a dried up pond. And at the middle of that pond was a small box. That must be the reward the imugi mentioned. Yes. Just what was inside? Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun approached the box. They took the box, and brought it under a part of a stone cliff where there was no rain. Ill open it. Jo Gi Chun nodded when Cho Ryu Hyang spoke. Was this really something the imugi, no, the dragon left behind? When he opened the box with excitement, he could see a single book, and a purple orb that was filled with cracks. Moon Edge de Technique (е) The name that was written on the book. Cho Ryu Hyang realized that this was the book that Gongson Chun Gi mentioned a while ago. Didnt he say about 10,000 people were fighting for the acquisition of this book? The book was that valuable. The Pope will be happy. Yes.. Wasnt this something that Gongson Chun Gi was desperately trying to get? Cho Ryu Hyang did not care about how much value this book held, but still put it in his pocket. The problem was the ball. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the ball that was emitting purple light, and then looked at Jo Gi Chun. Whats this? I dont know. It was something that the imugi gave him. Something that the imugi gave as a reward. It probably was something profound. Ill just take it for now. Sure. Cho Ryu Hyang grabbed the orb with his bare hands. PachiC! Eh? He felt a little spark. When Cho Ryu Hyang reflexively tried to pull back, the purple orb emitted a bluish-purple lightning that came at him. PachichichiC! The lightning mercilessly pierced through Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Uu uaaaa! Ryu Hyang! Jo Gi Chun ran to the boy with a surprised face, but the only thing he could do was to stop the boy from falling. J, just what. Jo Gi Chun had a serious expression on his face. Cho Ryu Hyang was currently trembling, as if he was struck by real lightning. And seeing that the boys body jerked violently every now and then, the boy took a serious blow. While Jo Gi Chun was making a confused face, someone came up from the ground. W, what happened? What happened to the young lord? Jo Gi Chun became surprised by the man who came out of nowhere, but soon settled down once he realized that this man was someone he knew. It was the Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Church, Ju Sang San. The man looked dirty and miserable, but seeing the mans face made Jo Gi Chun feel relieved. I dont know. He touched a strange orb and fainted. Just a moment, please. Ju Sang San quickly examined the boys pulse, and frowned. Whats this? The pulse was irregr. It seemed that the body was shocked by something powerful. And that pulse wasnt very strong, either. Ju Sang San made a stiff face, and opened his mouth. Lets head back to the base. Yes. Lets. When Ju Sang San took Cho Ryu Hyang on his back and tried to leave, however, he sensed something. Ju Sang San looked back. There was someone there. Eh? Whats this? I found a bigger fish than expected? Ju Sang San frowned. There was a smiling young man in white clothes in front. That man was a person everyone would know if they were involved in martial arts. It was one of the member of the fifteen guests. Ju Sang San ground his teeth as he talked. Lion Sword King? What the hell are you doing here? The one who was to inherit the Alliance after the Dao Emperor, the Lion Sword King Yu Sul Bin, appeared. What made everything worse was the fact that the man didnte alone. The seven elders who were slowly approaching them in a slow trot. Seeing them made Ju Sang Sans face twist greatly. Damn it, he brought the Martial Seven Stars, too? The Alliance had seven experts that were extremely close to getting to the Harmonious Stage. That was the Martial Seven Stars, the hidden force of the Alliance. To think that all seven of them would be here. What should I do? Ju Sang San quickly tried to think of something. If he tried to escape here alone, he probably could. But with the young lord? Can I do it? He would barely make it. When he thought that much, though, he realized that there was Jo Gi Chun, too. But then. Dont worry about me. When Jo Gi Chun said this, Ju Sang San could feel a chill go down his spine. He turned back to stare at Jo Gi Chun in shock. I lived enough already. Just think of letting this boy live. .. This old man was already prepared for death, even before he said anything, huh? Ju Sang Sans face becameplicated, but he soon just smirked. Dont look down on me like that. Ju Sang San carefullyy Cho Ryu Hyang on the ground. He gave up entirely on escaping. But he couldnt let himself be killed easily. Ju Sang San turned around, and grinned. Just what did youe here for, anyways? Lion de King. Yu Sul Bin smiled. While Ju Sang San was thinking of what to do, he, too, was scanning the area with his sense, and made sure that there was no one around. Ju Sang San, the Blood Sound Demon. Other than that old man, there was no one else to be worried about. This was almost a chance given to him from heaven. If he lost this one chance to kill that old man, just how many more would that old monster kill? Dont you know why? Yu Sul Bin looked around the wrecked surroundings, and grinned. Wheres the goods? Ill kill you without pain if you just give me that. Goods? What goods? When Ju Sang San pretended to not know anything, Yu Sul Bin exploded in a fit ofughter. Puhah! Lets not make this any moreplicated, yeah? You know what Im talking about. It seemed that this guy already knew everything. He probably came knowing that this was the tomb of Ak Jung Pae. Ju Sang San shouted with an angry face. You bastard. You really dont have any matters, eh? Dont you have to show at least some respect to your elders? Just what do they teach over there at the Alliance? Yu Sul Binughed. It seemed that he was dumbfounded by Ju Sang Sans words. Kukuku, Im not low enough to pay respects to a small fry from the Demon Church, you see. You you really are brave to the point of idiocy. Of course. Id have no problems handling you alone, but I also have the elders from headquarters, too. It wouldnt make sense if I wasnt feeling particrly brave. It was all true. Ju Sang San could only swear in his mind, and look for an opening. Then. Jo Gi Chun, who had been doing something on his own this whole time, whispered to Ju Sang San. After three seconds, run forward. Whats this? Did that old man have a n? One. Ju Sang San was torn. Should he trust Jo Gi Chun and move? Two. Jo Gi Chun was slowly counting, disregarding Ju Sang Sans thoughts on the matter. Yu Sul Bin, who was looking at them, spoke with a confused face. By the way, whos that kid and the old man over there? Do you know them? Three. The moment Jo Gi Chun uttered that word, Ju Sang San shot forward like an arrow. Shit! Fuck! Damn! He decided to trust Jo Gi Chun. Chapter 37. The Alliance’s Attack Chapter 37. The Alliances Attack Normally, making a formation required meeting many conditions. One had to take geography, temperature, wind, and time into consideration when activating a formation. And that wasnt all. The formation had to be drawn perfectly. A perfect circle. In order to draw that, formation experts usually had to carry arge amount of tools along with them to draw. Jo Gi Chun was also like that in the beginning. But that was a long time ago. When he learned that formations could be made with math, he also acquired some shortcuts that let him bypass many of the annoying requirements when making formations. And recently, his formation creation skills were boosted significantly once again when he met Cho Ryu Hyang. CraackC! The earth began to wave like a body of water, then began to crack all over the ce. That was the beginning. Yu Sul Bin, when he saw this, stopped grinning, and became alert. Whats. this? A giant tree began to grow all of the sudden. A silver tree that pierced the earth. It instantly grew tall enough to block the light from the sun. While Yu Sul Bin was looking at this spectacle with a stupid face, one of the seven old men spoke with amazement. Ho, this is amazing. I never saw one of this type before. Uncle Feng Ho Zi, do you know what this is? Hah? You dont know what this is? I dont. Just what type of magic might be this terrifying? When Yu Sul Bin asked this, the old man shook his head when answering. This isnt magic. Its a formation. What? A formation? This? Yu Sul Bin became puzzled. The formations he knew about wasnt this amazing. The old man who answered him moments ago, looked around some more, and opened his mouth in astonishment once again. Yes. It seems that an extremely skilled formations expert was with the Demon Church. Cant you do anything about this? The old man with a long beard. He was a person who was skilled in all kinds of things, and was the one who took care of the temple at the Alliance. In short, this old man was very talented. But even he simply made a troubled expression right now. I dont think I can. The difference between the creator and I is too big. Plus, it seems that we are already trapped inside. Yu Sul Bin frowned. Feng Ho Zi was a respected formations expert in the Alliance. If even he said that, then there really was no way to destroy this formation. Come to think of it, that old man behind the Blood Sound Demon. That man was doing something behind the old demons back. That old man was probably the one behind all this. Goddamned Demon Church Bastards. While Yu Sul Bin was just standing there gritting his teeth, the first transformation took ce. KoomC The silver tree that seemed to grow endlessly soon stopped. When Feng Ho Zi saw this, he grew worried. Be careful. If Im right, this should be. He didnt need to continue. That was because the thick roots of the tree began to wriggle around, and move. KrrrC Uwah! Whats that?! Its disgusting! When Yu Sul Bin made a horrified face, Feng Ho Zi opened his mouth. Even though everything heres an illusion, if its this well made. BangC! Feng Ho Zi and Yu Sul Bin stopped talking, and moved sideways. There was a tree root the size of a giants arm stuck in the ce where they were moments ago. When Yu Sul Bin saw the floor that got pierced quite deeply by the root, his face turned stiff. Well have to expect at least a broken limb when getting hit by one of those roots. Damn it. Yu Sul Bin fondled his swords hilt. He shouldve known that everything was going too smoothly. To think that the tables would be turned on them like this. Yu Sul Bin quickly looked around, all the while swearing in his mind. BamC BangC! The tree roots were constantly assaulting Yu Sul Bin and the uncles, but it wasnt much of a problem. It would be dangerous if they got hit, but they werent sitting ducks. To them, the tree roots were simply an annoyance. But. The one that worried him was Ju Sang San, who somehow hid himself during all the confusion. That old demon was the biggest problem here. Damn, where is he? Because he got so shocked by the formation, he missed the old demon slipping away under his nose. He regretted it greatly, but the past has already passed. Now, all he could do was to take care of everything as fast as possible. Yu Sul Bin stretched his senses to the limit as he dodged the roots. I have to find him as fast as I can. He was in a disadvantageous situation, but he was still prepared to meet Ju Sang San head on when the old demon came. After all, he was an expert at the harmonious level. Something like an ambush simply wont work against him. But there were his uncles. They didnt step into the harmonious stage yet, so if Ju Sang San ambushed them, they would probably get heavily injured. Because of that, Yu Sul Bin had to focus on finding Ju Sang San, and protect his uncles all at the same time. Then. ShwiikC Yu Sul Bin heard something streak towards him, and quickly swung his sword. KangC! A small pebble was thrown at him. Yu Sul Bin quickly turned and ran towards the direction the stone came from, but stopped just as fast. Realising something, he then began to run back while screaming at the top of his lungs- Uncle Feng So Zi! Feng So Zi. He became alert when he heard Yu Sul Bins voice after dodging a tree root. Toote. A small shadow jumped towards Feng So Zi. Feng So Zi became surprised, but he still managed to instinctively stab his sword at the shadow. But even so, a rushed attack like that would never work against a harmonious expert. Ju Sang San softly pushed away the sword that wasing at him, and punched. CrackC! Feng So Zis knees bent powerlessly. At the same time, his body quickly fell downwards to the floor. Son of a bitch! Ill kill you! Yu Sul Bin quickly struck towards Ju Sang San. A white-hot sword. As expected of a disciple of the Dao Emperor, Yu Sul Bins sword was filled with white energy. ChiiC! Ju Sang San, who expected all of this to happen prior, simply smiled and dodged the de. Your uncle is not dead yet, idiot. Yu Sul Bin paused when he heard the old demons voice. And there he saw the uncle, who was suffering from two broken legs. Only then did he realize what Ju Sang San was trying to do, and trembled in rage. You goddamned demon. Ju Sang San was a seasoned veteran. He knew how to take on multiple enemies in a battlefield like this. He wouldnt kill his victims even when he had the chance. Instead, he would make them be unable to move, which would force the victimsrades to take care of the victim. The victim would be a dead weight to the whole group. Son of a bitch. Yu Sul bin grit his teeth. This was dangerous. With a injured person in the battlefield, the risks the others would have to take would rise significantly. This just meant that Ju Sang Sans chances of victory were just increasing. This really was the perfect way to fight. Arent you going to chase me? Ju Sang San sent an energy st at Yu Sul Bin, then stepped back, and smiled evilly. Then just wait. Ill kill every single one of you as fast as I can. Yu Sul Bin, who was about to give chase, stopped. If he chased the old demon, there was no telling what would happen to the uncles. The is the beginning, novice. Survival of the fittest, a dog-eat-dog world. A ce where that phrase fit in perfectly was the Heavenly Demon Church. Ju Sang San, having lived there his whole life, was very used to battlefields like this. What he had gone through in the past was much worse than what was happening here. Because of that, Yu Sul Bin, who had been living in a much moreforting environment in the past, couldnt hope to fight against Ju Sang San. Dont worry about Feng So Zi. Well take care of him. Yu Sul Bin nodded with a stiff face when Feng Ho Zi came to get the injured uncle. Ill leave him in your care. Just go kill the demon. I was just about to. PshhC Yu Sul Bin sliced the tree root that wasing for his head, blood red tree sap sttered on his body. Yu Sul Bin made a ferocious face with the blood-red sap on him. Right now, he was extremely mad at himself. He thought he got tricked by Ju Sang San. Just because of a damn pebble. He became so alert, that his body responded to the pebble unconsciously. Because of that mistake, one of the uncles lost two legs. A regretful mistake. Im not going to fall for it twice. Yu Sul Bin grit his teeth, and widened his senses. Ju Sang San, who was watching all this from afar, just grinned. You really think this same trick isnt going to work twice in a row? Ju Sang San could clearly see what that boy was thinking. Even though their skill levels were about the same, in terms of experience, Ju Sang San outstripped Yu Sul Bin by far. Ju Sang San smiled as he cooked up a strategy to take care of the boy. Come to think of it, this really is amazing. Ju Sang San looked at the giant silver tree in the middle with a look of amazement. This situation here really was a heaven-sent opportunity. He knew that Cho Ryu Hyangs teacher was skilled in formations, but he didnt realize that the man could do something so amazing like this. If even he was surprised by this, just how surprised did those guys get? It was probably something like a sucker punch to the face. Theyll be safe in there, right? The silver tree. Young lord Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun probablyy there. And that was probably the safest ce in the whole formation. By the way, just what is this tree made of? He didnt know what this tree was, but it wasnt normal. The tree was barely scratched after taking quite a lot of blows from just about everyone. And then there was Yu Sul Bin, who cut a whole root with a single sh. That was something to be alert about for sure. So, how shall I attack next. Ju Sang San evened out his breath as he thought. He was trying to hide his presence. BangC! Feng Ho Zi dodged a tree root to the side, and thought for a moment. There was something he didnt understand going around here. This is strange. The fact that there existed an amazing formation like this. That in itself was amazing, but there was something else that was even more surprising. How can a single formation perform two different tasks? A normal formation would usually perform simple tasks with a single objective. For example, killing everyone in the formation. If there was amand like that, the formation would try to indiscriminately kill everything inside. In the beginning, Feng Ho Zi thought that this was the case. But that wasnt it. Only the people from the Alliance were being targeted. Ju Sang San hasnt been targeted by a tree root a single time this whole moment. This was weird. In the beginning, a formation didnt even have the power to distinguish different humans. But from what he was seeing right now, the formation was doing just that. After thinking some more carefully, Feng Ho Zi opened his mouth with a serious face. Sul Bin. .. Yu Sul Bin. .Yes? Yu Sul Bin, who wasnt hearing anything because he was so concentrated, quickly came back to his senses and looked at the uncle. What is it? That ce. Its suspicious. Yu Sul Bin followed the uncles gaze. He soon opened his mouth with narrowing eyes. .Youre right. The silver tree. While looking at the trees center, Yu Sul Bin nodded. Right then, Feng Ho Zi nodded. It looks like the nucleus of the formation would most likely be in here. The nucleus? Yes. As long as thats gone, the formation would be destroyed. Oho? They didnt have the power to destroy the formation based on skill. But they did have the power to destroy it with brute force. But if I move, that guys going toe for you. Feng Ho Zi knew that. But there was no time to just wait and do nothing. That would just cause more damage. It wouldnt be good if we just dragged time, either. Mm. Yu Sul Bin furrowed his brows, and began to think. He had to choose. After a while, he slowly opened his mouth. Well have to sacrifice. a bit. Amitayus. (TL: Its a buddhist thing. I think.) While everyone was nodding, and praying at the same time, Feng So Zi, who had a painful expression stered onto his face, spoke. .Just leave me here. Yu Sul Bin shook his head. We cant do that. I dont want to be a burden to all of you. Yu Sul Bins face became red when he heard Feng So Zis words. Are you telling us to be monsters that leaves one of their own behind to die? We cant leave you here! But. That kind of a thing is something that only the Demon Church does! Dont say anything anymore. You just have to go back with us in one piece. Yu Sul Bin said this, and piggybacked Feng So Zi onto his back. He then took off his belt, and used it to tie him and Feng So Zi together. Ill take care of uncles life from now. If you die, I die. So dont say anything else about leaving people behind. Nephew. Feng So Zi made a pained face, but Yu Sul Bins mind was already set. And now, a fierce battle was to take ce. But at the same time, thanks to Yu Sul Bins choice, everyone else in the group was letting out an extremely fierce aura. They all became united as they prepared their minds for death. Lets go. Yes. The silver tree. The experts of the Alliance began to move towards its center. Chapter 38. The Last Lesson Chapter 38. The Last Lesson Cho Ryu Hyang dreamed. In the dream, he had be a small butterfly. Whats this? It was a strange dream. He remembered bing unconscious after touching the purple orb, but to think that it would make him have such a strange dream While Cho Ryu Hyang wasining quietly in his mind, what he was seeing in front of him changed drastically. He was a small butterfly with white wings. Cho Ryu Hyang pped his wings, and looked around. This was a ce filled with a lot of people. And he could see some familiar faces in their midst. Teacher! Gongson Chun Gi. The Pope of the Heavenly Demon Church came in his sight first. Even in a crowd of people like this, it was impossible to hide the mans presence. Cho Ryu Hyang. He pped his white wings in joy and tried to approach his teacher, then stopped midway. Teacher. His teacher was furious. Hey. old man. Gongson Chun Gi slowly turned his head, and looked at Baek Mu Ryang. Was this what you really wanted? One sh. Just one sh between the two sides already caused tens of people to die. The blood of the young martial artists ran down the battlefield. The whole ce was filled with the sounds of their screams and ceaseless fighting. They were in a situation that Gongson Chun Gi desperately wanted to avoid. surawang_38 Answer me! Baek Mu Ryangs serious face didnt change one bit. He prepared himself for the final attack, and opened his mouth. Sacrifice is inevitable in order to get rid of evil. And the people here were already prepared to die from the start. What? Evil? The Heavenly Demon Church is like a poisonous snake. We are prepared to sacrifice anything in order to get rid of you people from the world. Gongson Chun Gi smiled. The two sides of his lips twisted upwards to form a smile. But his eyes were not smiling at all. Did you just call us a poisonous snake? Yes. The Heavenly Demon Church is something that must be erased for the good of the world. Dont you know that? Gongson Chun Gi smiled. That guy truly believed that the church was something evil. It was nonsensical. That mans logic made no sense at all, which made this all too funny. Ku, kuku, kuhahaha! Gongson Chun Giughed. He looked up towards the sky, andughed. After a while, he abruptly stoppedughing, and opened his mouth. To think that there was a person as stubborn as my teacher. Its funny. Gongson Chun Gis body began to release apletely different aura than before. It was a blood-red aura, a very dense and violent one, at that. I dont have time, so Ill show you my real power. You should be honored to see this. Gongson Chun Gi fondled his ck bracelet on his right arm as he spoke. He slowly took off the bracelet, and talked. I wouldnt have time to restrain myself after this. So if I were you, Id run right now. Thats quite insulting. Its an advice, you idiot. PshaC Baek Mu Ryang jumped backwards, as he got assaulted by his enemys violent aura. He gripped his swords tightly, and looked forward. What he saw, surprised him greatly. T, this. It made Baek Mu Ryang feel unnerved. Gongson Chun Gis gray hairs slowly began to turn ck again. That wasnt all. Gongson Son Chun Gis body, which was full of wrinkles, began to expand, making him look young and powerful again. Crack, snapC The muscles rapidly reconstructed itself. Bones were being put in ce again. Gongson Chun Gi was changing at a frightening pace. This isnt possible! Wasnt this the legendary Rejuvenation effect (߀ͯ)? Hehe. Gongson Chun Gi, ignoring his opponent right beside him, exhaled, then grinned. This doesnt feel so bad. He hadnt felt this way in a long time. Just how much did he suffer from suppressing his power in all the time? When he let his power out like this, it felt heavenly. Within moments, his body was bursting with immeasurable power. You said we were evil, right? Fine. Ill show you what a real demon is like. .. Baek Mu Ryang grit his teeth. Come to think of it, he heard of something a long time ago. The reason why the Heavenly Demon Church did not fall, even with everyone on the continent persecuting them. A power unrted to neither religion nor devotion. The power that stood above everything else. Shura Environment! It was a martial art that only the Pope could learn. Everything happening to the Pope right now had to do with that. First, a single blow. Gongson Chun Gi grinned. He then made a rxed fist with his hand, and lightly punched towards Baek Mu Ryang. A very rxed movement. The end result, however, wasnt light at all. BangC! A highly pressurized st of air came at Baek Mu Ryang. Shit! Baek Mu Ryang swung his sword towards the sting towards him. A white cloud of energy came from the sword, and formed a wall in front of Baek Mu Ryang. It was the strongest technique of the Alliance, the Absolute Dao Sword Technique. He used that. The st and the white sword energy met each other head-on. KukukuakuangC! There was a st! An explosion as the earth torn apart. Something that flew away like a rag doll. Surprisingly, the one that was sted away was Baek Mu Ryang. ..Hes unlucky. Gongson Chun Gi nced at Baek Mu Ryang, who had thrown up blood and fainted, then looked back at the battlefield. Everyone was still fighting. Damn it. Seeing blood made his body go crazy. An immense, uncontroble power. It was currently making his whole body crave blood. It felt like he was about to go crazy. You think Id lose? PshhC The bloody aura around Gongson Chun Gi began to get lighter. He was desperately keeping his power at bay. Otherwise, if he lost control here, things would get extremely bad. I am Gongson Chun Gi. Gongson Chun Gi spoke his name in his mind, tightly formed a fist in his hand, and walked forward. One step at a time. He began to walk upwards in midair. E, Empty Steps (̤̓)! Some of the martial artists down below shouted in surprise. Gongson Chun Gi walked over the countless martial artists using this technique, and arrived at the middle of the battlefield, in the sky. When he looked down, he was able to see numerous corpses. DokunC Gongson Chun Gi grit his teeth and smiled. He could smell the fragrant blood from everywhere. When he felt that he was slowly being driven insane from this, he hurried himself. Baek Mu Ryang lost. Hes over there,ying on the ground like a corpse. If you dont want to die, leave. He wanted to end this quietly, and peacefully, while he was still sane. But it seemed things just dont go the way you want it to sometimes. Why should we listen to a demon like you?! Yeah! Some idiots of the Alliance began to speak up. They werent backing down, even when afraid. Idiots When Gongson Chun Gi frowned, he could hear someone whispering something from afar. Isnt the Moon Edge de Technique over there? That must be why these people from the Demon Church are trying so hard to not let us pass. That was the final blow. After all, even mentioning Moon Edge de Technique held significant power. Everyone who were afraid of the Popes aura became active again. They really are idiots. He couldnt do anything anymore. He had to use the most effective method, now. Fear. Gongson Chun Gi was about to nt the fear of the church into the hearts of the people here. I warned you, you dumbasses. He calmed his breath. He was really about to lose it because of all the blood. No, he was about to feel really good because of all the blood. Damn it! I have to do this as fast as possible. There was no time. Gongson Chun Gi stopped breathing, and lifted his right hand up into the sky. Then, a round sphere was formed above the hand. A sphere that resembled a drop of blood. While the martial artists down below were growing cautious, Gongson Chun Gi put down his hand. When he did so, a rain of blood began to fall to the ground. Shura Environment, the third chapter. The Demon Blood Rain (ħѪ). A red rain of destruction began to rain down to the ground. That was thest thing Cho Ryu Hyang saw. PaaC! Eh.? Are you awake? .Yes. Thats good. You didnt wake up toote. What was that supposed to mean? Cho Ryu Hyang blinked a few times, and made a confused expression. Then, he began to feel a little hazy. Come to think of it, his body was really hot right now. Cho Ryu Hyang breathed rapidly with a red face. But what was that thing from before? What was it? A simple dream? But didnt that just now seem too realistic to be false? Ill have to ask teacher Gongson Chun Giter. Cho Ryu Hyang thought this, even when his brain was getting a little hazy from all the heat. Can you stand? Yes. Then Im sorry to say this, but can you stand right now? I have something to show you. Cho Ryu Hyang thought that it was strange that he was hearing teachers voice from somewhere afar. When he managed to stand up, his body stiffened on the spot. T, teacher. This. Jo Gi Chun. He was currently wrapped up in silver vines, and was hanging in midair with only his face exposed. What. What happened? Why was teacher exhibiting a phenomenon that only happened to formations? We are inside a formation I made. Jo Gi Chun paused a bit, and spoke with his calm voice again. And I became the formations nucleus. The nucleus? Cho Ryu Hyang could understand everything then. At the same time, he became enraged. Why.why did you do this? Normally, a formations nucleus was something that had an immense amount of power condensed inside, so it was the most sensitive, and the most dangerous part of the whole formation. Thats why most formations experts used a gem that could take in a lot of energy, and control the whole formation using it. But how about using a human to rece the role of the gem? That was a dangerous concept to behold. Even a slight miscalction would lead to the body exploding from all the energy. Something that must never be tried, even with multiple lives. Even if the person survived, there would be a big problem. The human body wouldnt be able to contain the power of the formation for long. It was inevitable. There was no time to make a formation using a gem. The situation was dire. Jo Gi Chun looked at his angry disciple with calmness, and opened his mouth. Theres not much time left. This ce is no longer safe. Cho Ryu Hyang could feel his head rapidly cool when he heard his teachers words. Come to think of it, his teacher was someone that knew even more about formations than he. But that teacher made a formation like this, even while knowing the consequences? Surely there mustve been a reason for this. He shouldnt get angered like this just like that. What do you mean? The enemies areing. Im not confident that I can resist. Cho Ryu Hyang turned pale. Enemies? Resisting? What was that all about? They are almost here. KrrrrC The earth began to shift. At the same time, Jo Gi Chuns face twisted from pain. Watch. This is thest thing I will teach you. KraaamC! With a giant explosion, the wall fell. And the people of the Alliance, each of them with demonic faces, attacked. Chapter 39. The Teacher Buried in His Heart Chapter 39. The Teacher Buried in His Heart These guys, did they figure something out? The Blood Sound Demon, Ju Sang San. He flinched when he saw the people from the Alliance run full speed towards the center. That was because the young lord, Cho Ryu Hyang, was located in that spot. Even so. Ju Sang San made a face of disgust. These people were running with their backs open, knowing full well that he was after their tails? Disrespectful pricks. Do I really look that weak to you? Of course, Ju Sang San had no idea that the other side was staking their lives on this one bet. Ju Sang San moved with a face of annoyance. Fast but quietly. He quickly approached his enemies. And when he arrived at their location, he began to put strength into his fingers. PachichichiC An immense amount of energy condensed into Ju Sang Sans fingertips as it emitted a dangerous sound. Now. PyutC The energy condensed in his fingertips flew out like lightning, and went for the expert at the very back. Uncle! When Yu Sul Bin shouted out a warning, the expert at the back, Feng Sul Zi, noticed the danger behind him. At the same time, he spun his body like a top in order to dodge Ju Sang Sans attack. He only dodged because he had no confidence to block Ju Sang Sans blow. But that was exactly what Ju Sang San was going for. A small pause. That would be enough. First, one guy. Ju Sang San faintly smiled in the dark. The expert that fell behind the group just now would be a good target for him. Would you still run with this guy in danger? When Ju Sang San exposed his body from the dark, Yu Sul Bin hesitated. He was contemting on whether he should save his uncle, or just run. When he did this, Feng Ho Zi quickly warned him with a stern voice. Dont look back. But. Uncle wouldnt be able to resist that demon alone. Ju Sang San was a harmonious expert. The only way to face that man would be for Yu Sul Bin to make his move. Bastard! Do you think youre the only one prepared to die here? Dont look at your uncles this lightly! Yu Sul Bin closed mouth when he got yelled at. Uncle was right. His uncles werent cowards. They werent cheaters, either. Stopping here to go back would be an insult to his uncles determination. KangC! When he nced back, Yu Sul Bin could he Feng Sul Zi desperately trying to keep Ju Sang San upied. Yu Sul Bin burned the image of his uncle into his mind, then moved on. Uncle will die. When he thought that, he felt unimaginable grief from his heart. He was prepared for this event, but when he actually faced the situation in real life, it was unbearably painful. Damn it! The only way to make his uncles death not be in vain would be to run as fast as he could. That fact alone made Yu Sul Bin go berserk in rage. Uaaaaah! Yu Sul Bin took out his sword, and began to sh at all the tree rootsing at him. ChuaaC ChiiC! As they kept moving forward, the amount of the tree roots increased significantly. But even that couldnt block the raging Yu Sul Bin. Even though he was carrying a patient on his back, Yu Sul Bin was relentlessly chopping down everything at a rapid pace. Ill destroy it. They were close. The tree roots were annoying, but they would soon arrive at their destination. And whatever there was inside, until Yu Sul Bin didnt destroy everything there, he would not be calm. Then. PingC! He could hear something flying towards them again. Already? Yu Sul Bin looked back with a pale face. Did his uncle buy them only this much time? Yu Sul Bins face turned demonic when he looked back. That was because he could see Ju Sang San, drenched in blood,ing towards them at a frightening speed. Then. Bam-! Someone behind Yu Sul Bin blocked Ju Sang San with a sword. At the same time, Yu Sul Bins face filled with pain. Uncle Feng Jin Zi! Go! Uncle Feng Jin Zi, the one who always enjoyed reading books in a quiet spot. He covered their back, and stood firmly on the spot. Yu Sul Bin looked at his uncle with a pained face, then bit his lips and applied strength to his limbs. he couldnt stop here. He could see his uncles who were filled with determination running besides him. Yu Sul Bin, and the experts of the Alliance couldnt turn back now. Damn it! Damn it! He thought everything would go smoothly. But didnt he lose two of his uncles just now? If he counted the injured, too, a total of three people were lost already. Uncle, where is it? When Yu Sul Bin asked this with a tone filled with malice, Feng Ho Zi squinted his eyes, and pointed somewhere. Its there. Will the formation break if I destroy that? Probably. Alright. VoomC The moment Yu Sul Bin heard his uncles answer, he put an astronomical amount of strength into his sword. After shaking unsteadily for a while, a white cloud of energy began to seep out of the sword. Haa! With a shout, Yu Sul Bin leapt to the sky, and threw his sword. ShuaaaC! A white lightning descended upon the center of the silver tree with a sharp noise. Break. Yu Sul Bin was confident. After all, he was using the Energy Control Technique. It was a mere imitation of the actual technique, as Yu Sul Bin wasnt proficient at it, yet, but it would suffice. KoomC KakakamC! With a sound that shook the heavens and the earth, the silver tree that got hit by the white lightning split in half. * * * To be truthful, making a formation right here on the spot wasnt hard for Jo Gi Chun. The original formation broke because of the immense amount of energy generated from the dragon, but wasnt this originally a ce where there were two formations drawn in a single spot? Jo Gi Chun simply restored the formation from its broken state. But of course, he wasnt able to restore the formation to its former glory. Even Jo Gi Chun, the master of maths and formations, wasnt able to execute the equations that the imugi used in order to create the formations perfectly. The formation he made hurriedly was the outer formation of protection made outside. He restored that first, and decided to use the inner formation for a different purpose. KukuakuangC! Watch carefully. This is thest thing I will be teaching you. That was thest thing he said. After that, the experts of the Alliance broke through the broken tree. I found you, you godforsaken rats. ShuaaC! There was no warning. There were no questions. The man at the front simply stabbed out front. Jo Gi Chun couldnt dodge the mans move. Truthfully, Jo Gi Chun had no intention to dodge, either. He just calmly epted his end. StabC He could feel the cold metal digging through his flesh. Even though he was wearing silver vines like armor, even that couldnt block Yu Sul Bins sword. Jo Gi Chun threw up blood, and smiled. With this, the formation wasplete. Jo Gi Chun didnt have the power to be able to activate two formations on top of each other at the same time, but he could activate the formations in order. ChuaaaC! Blood spattered everywhere, and Jo Gi Chuns body fell to the ground with a spasm. The activation requirement of the second formation. With the destruction of the formations core, the requirement was met. Is it over? Yu Sul Bin wondered out loud. The squirming man on the ground. He could see that this man was the core of the formation as soon as he saw the man. That was because Yu Sul Bin could sense a high concentration of energy gathered inside the old man. When Yu Sul Bin saw the old man with his heightened senses, he could immediately feel the high energy signature, and stabbed. But strangely, the energy inside the old man didnt disperse immediately. T, teacher. Hm? Come to think of it, there was that kid who was just standing there like a statue from a while back. The child who just stood there, covered in his teachers blood. What? Is this old man your teacher? Yu Sul Bin smirked as he cleaned the blood off his sword. The childs whole body was trembling as he crawled towards the dead teachers body, and began to shake it. But there was no way a dead person would be moving. When the old man didnt respond at all from the childs actions, the child began to moan like a crying animal. Ah, ou. Auu. It looked like the child wa trying to talk, but the words werent forming in the childs mouth. Che, whats this? Showing a little bit of humanity, even though youre from the Demon Church? Damn it, this is annoying me. They were ridiculous people, the Demon Church. Yu Sul Bin took up the sword he was cleaning just a moment ago, and opened his mouth. Anyways, it looks like youre rted to the Demon Church somehow, so I cant let you live. It didnt feel right to kill such a young child like this, but he had to do it. He couldnt leave any possible threats alive. PyutC The sword dropped down, and a single line approached Cho Ryu Hyang vertically. But. Youuu! KramC! Yu Sul Bins eyebrows twitched. A small shadow had just blocked his de. What? Didnt you run away? Yu Sul Bin grinned when he saw Ju Sang San. He thought he lost the demon for sure. Thats why he had given up on acquiring the Moon Edge de Technique altogether, but what was this? You. Do you even know who you tried to attack just now? Ju Sang San trembled in rage as he red at Yu Sul Bin. He almost lost the precious heir to the church just now, didnt he? Yu Sul Bins eyes shined when he noticed the fierce aura generated by Ju Sang San. Hoh? Whats this? Is this kid really that important? . Ju Sang San didnt respond. Instead, he put his hands together, and got in a certain position. He gave up on running a long time ago. He wasnt about to leave the heir here and run. He was going to stake his life here to fight. But the problem was, he wasnt certain that he would be able to save the young lord, even if he threw away his life. Even so, this old mans not about to let you die earlier than me. He wasnt about to see that happen, even if he got blinded in the process. As Ju Sang San prepared himself for death, however, something happened. DudududukC! The formation was beginning to shake violently. Feng Ho Zi, who had been observing at the whole situation carefully, turned stiff. Move back, Sul Bin. What? This is suspicious. What do you mean? ..Its a formation. Again? What was that all about? Dont formations end when the core gets destroyed? He destroyed the core just now, so why was there something else happening? This was getting annoying. Even though hes an enemy, hes truly someone to be respected. To think the man created a formation expecting something like this to happen. Feng Ho Zi could barely see it. The final creation of the dead man lying over there. When he sighed in amazement, the ground split like a turtles shell, and red magma began to spout from the cracks. The Rage of the Fire Dragon. That was the final formation Jo Gi Chun created in his final moments. KrrrC! Hee! When Yu Sul Bin leapt away from the red magma seeping out of the ground, the child who had been hugging the old mans body looked up. At that moment, the two looked at each other straight in the eye. You impudent brat.. The child was looking at him with a eyes that would appear only in nightmares. The emotion portrayed onto that face was all too clear. Resentment (Թ). EC8898EB9DBCEC9995+39ED9994+EC82BDED9994 Cho Ryu Hyang was ring at Yu Sul Bin from inside the formation. His teacher died throwing up blood in front of him. Thanks to that bastards sword. What was he doing all that time? Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes as much as he could, and looked at Yu Sul Bins face. His face, movement, expression, and speech. Cho Ryu Hyang burned all that in his mind like a tattoo. He would never be able to forget about this man now. Not even in his dreams Young lord. Ju Sang San thought that the death of Jo Gi Chun was inevitable. There really was no way to save the man in time. And at the same time, he was infinitely grateful for what Jo Gi Chun had done. The man died in the stead of Cho Ryu Hyang. Thanks to Jo Gi Chun, Ju Sang San was able to save the young lord in time. What wouldve happened if Yu Sul Bin used his sword at the young lord first? What wouldve happened if the one on the ground right now wasnt Jo Gi Chun, but was Cho Ryu Hyang, instead? Ju Sang San probably wouldve gone insane. ..Follow me. Cho Ryu Hyang took his eyes off Yu Sul Bin, and used the Faultless view of the world. There was no time to be sad, nor be angry anymore. That would make him go against his teachers wishes. But even when walking, he couldnt really ept the fact that his teacher just died. He felt like he was going to go mad. He could hear the sound of his heartbeats ringing in his ears. Cho Ryu hyang desperately tried to think of other things as he moved through the formation. But it was all useless. There was probably no one who would be able to maintain his sanity when covered in his teachers blood, in front of the teachers corpse. But Cho Ryu Hyang barely managed to not let go of his sanity. This formation wontst long. Cho Ryu Hyang grit his teeth. They had to get away from the formation as fast as possible, before the formation used up all its power. The one thing that pained him the most was the reality of not being able to recover even his teachers corpse. There really was no time. If they hesitated here, trying to recover teachers body and get killed by the people from the Alliance, they really wouldve made teacher die a dogs death. They had to avoid that at all costs. I will. I will definitelye back. Cho Ryu Hyang knew why his teacher made a formation like this. His teacher wanted to spare the life of this foolish disciple. Jo Gi Chun wanted to save his disciple so much, that he sacrificed his life for Cho Ryu Hyang. And when he thought that, Cho Ryu Hyangs body began to tremble uncontrobly again. At the same time, his vision blurred. Cho Ryu Hyang quietly cried while wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He wanted to cry and shout from grief on the spot, but there simply was no time. I still had a lot of questions to ask him. It hurt. But he didnt know where exactly it hurt. Cho Ryu Hyang. On the day he lost his first teacher, he realized what unforgettable pain and resentment felt like. Chapter 40. The Burning Hatred Chapter 40. The Burning Hatred The first Alliance-Demon War. The result of this battle was really something like a nightmare for the Alliance. Baek Mu Ryang, the leader of the Alliance, and the member of the three sovereigns, lost to Gongson Chun Gi. And in addition, the Sword King stepped down from his position as the leader. Thanks to that, the Alliance lost quite a lot from this war. Many experts died, and the central figure stepped down. Morale was also at its lowest. And unlike the Alliance, the Heavenly Demon Church earned much from the battle. * * * The Lion Sword King, Yu Sul Bin, looked at his senior brother, the past leader of the Alliance, with a dark face. ..I failed to retrieve the Moon Edge de Technique. Please punish me, senior brother. Baek Mu Ryang. He looked upon his junior with a exhausted face, and sighed. This isnt your fault. It was all caused by myck of skill. Theres no need for you to get so worried like this. Yu Sul Bin shook his head. No, senior brother. It was all because I rushed things.. All of the uncles died in this mission. Its my fault, senior brother. Yu Sul Bin began to cry as he talked. To him, his uncles were like his precious grandfathers. People that were that dear to him died in front of his eyes. They died in the hands of the Blood Sound Demon, Ju Sang San. Yu Sul Bin couldnt do anything despite of being only an arms length away from his dying uncles. This event truly made him realize how weak he really was. Hecked experience. He had realized that the hard way. It was sad that Feng Sul Zi and Feng Jin Zi had to go. But their deaths werent for naught. Baek Mu Ryang pat his juniors back, and spoke a few words. You managed to survive. That alone is enough. No, its not. I need to be punished for my misdeeds. Otherwise I wouldnt be able to live anymore. Yu Sul Bin sat on his knees in front of Baek Mu Ryang. He bowed down, and spoke. Please give me a punishment, senior brother. Huh. Baek Mu Ryang let out a regretful sigh as he looked at his junior brother. Yu Sul Bin was a rxed, easygoing person. But at the same time, the man was extremely efficient and responsible in his missions. Likewise, the man usually felt that he himself would be responsible for everything. This is tiring. Baek Mu Ryang massaged his shoulders, and smiled inside. Baek Mu Ryang was feeling very unstable right now. He experienced the might of the Pope, and when he was utterly destroyed by the man, he felt desperate. This kind of feeling was not something he had ever felt before in his life. Just one blow, was it? It didnt even look like the Pope gave it his all. A light punch. Baek Mu Ryang wasnt even able to take that. It was saddening. His sky-high pride was shattered in an instant, and it even made him feel like it was a shame to not have died there on the battlefield. Following the defeat of Baek Mu Ryang, the Alliance had to suffer from the Popes wrath. A massacre. Because of a single man, the pope, the whole situation flipped 180 degrees. If the monk from the Shaolin temple, the Godly Monk Kongye, didnt intervene, the casualties wouldve been even higher. Didnt the great monk lose an arm while trying to block the Popes attack. The price for blocking the Popes attack was too high. Kongye was one of the strongest martial artists even among the fifteen guests, and yet. Even he wasnt able to block the oing attack, and lost an arm. Truly, the Popes power was frightening. Didnt the Pope enter a Godly Realm already? The realm above the Harmonious stage. The towering wall that even the strongest experts didnt dare to climb. The realm that one would reach after climbing that wall would be the Godly Realm. Perhaps the Pope already reached that state, Baek Mu Ryang thought. Punish me, senior brother. Baek Mu Ryang was snapped awake from the words of Yu Sul Bin. He immediately sighed in his mind once more. Taking responsibility for all this trouble and stepping down was something that Baek Mu Ryang shouldve naturally done. Something that immense happened mere days ago. Did Baek Mu Ryang have to give out the punishment and stir up the Alliance once again, especially when it was beginning to calm down? It seemed unnecessary. That was why Baek Mu Ryang felt bothered when Yu Sul Bin simply came and started to ask for a punishment. Right now, Baek Mu Ryang needed peace and quiet, but everyone around him simply wouldnt let him go. It is tiring. Baek Mu Ryang looked up at the sky with a tired face. He didnt want to do anything right now. He just wanted to rest. * * * The Heavenly Demon Church, Gansu Branch. In the Resting Pagoda, there was a casket. In the caskety Jo Gi Chun, and in front of it stood Gongson Chun Gi and Cho Ryu Hyang. I heard what happened. A stuffy voice. Gongson Chun Gi thought for a long time, and looked at his disciple. It mustve been hard for you. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt say anything. He simply looked at his dead teacher with pale, lifeless eyes. surawang_40 His eyes were all puffy from crying, and his face held no life. Gongson Chun Gi, looking at that, pulled out a small gourd from his sleeve and opened his mouth. This guy, did he enjoy drinking? ..I dont really know. A dry, raspy voice flowed out of Cho Ryu Hyangs mouth. His tired self somehow managed to open his mouth. Is that right? Gongson Chun Gi sat down on the edge of the casket, and opened his mouth. You know, it doesnt really look like this boring fellow drank much, especially when you take a look at his personality. What do you think? Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a bit, then nodded. Probably. Cho Ryu Hyang never saw his teacher drink. It didnt really look like his teacher liked to drink, either. Then Ill have to drink this in his stead. I brought a good one on purpose, but to think it would be wasted like this. Gongson Chun Gi drank a few sips directly from the gourd, then suddenly asked Cho Ryu Hyang a question. By the way, do you know anything about this fellows family? .. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt respond. That was because he didnt know about it. I didnt know much about teacher. Indeed. When he thought about it, he didnt know a single thing about Jo Gi Chun. In the past, they always talked about math and formations, pretending that they knew everything about each other already. Pretending that they understood each other perfectly. Thats how they functioned. But when Cho Ryu Hyang actually tried to think about his teacher, he came up with nothing. Did his teacher like drinking? Who was his teachers family? He didnt know the most basic thing about teacher. He felt desperate. When Gongson Chun Gi realized that his disciples face was getting darker, he opened his mouth. Im going to give the corpse to his family. What do you think? .I think that would be for the best. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt feel that he had the right to hold onto the corpse. He was even shameful that he was here in the first ce, when he knew next to nothing about his teacher. He felt ashamed. Gongson Chun Gi, looking at that, opened his mouth. Thats how it is. It was the same for me, too. . You think you know a lot about someone, but once you think about it, you know next to nothing about him. Thats what a human rtionship is. It looks like he gave you a good lesson, even after death. . Cho Ryu Hyangs chest felt stuffy again. That was because he just remembered something his teacher said before death. [You. have to live.] His teacher was worried about him, even when dying. Cho Ryu Hyang, when he thought about that, couldnt even lift his head. But do you really know nothing about your teacher? Think carefully. Cho Ryu Hyang began to think when Gongson Chun Gi said this. Right. It wasnt like he really knew nothing about his teacher. He knew what his teacher liked, and what his teachers personality was like. And his teacher was the only one that could talk using mathematics. The information about his teacher that others didnt know about. He knew about those. So dont be so sad. This really isnt your fault, either. Gongson Chun Gi put his hand on the sniffling boys head, and smiled. Come to think of it, youre really cocky, arent you? Trying to take all the burden on yourself, just how arrogant are you? Cho Ryu Hyang fiddled with his sses, and made aplicated face. He didnt know how he should respond. Disciple. Yes, teacher. Youre still young. Am I right? Yes. Yes. He was young and powerless. He couldnt do anything when Jo Gi Chun died. Its alright to ask for help from adults. After all, arent there a lot of good adults like me around? It was a really arrogant statement. But it somehow disyed how much Gongson Chun Gi cared for his disciple. Cho Ryu Hyang, who realized that, tried to smile for Gongson Chun Gis sake. When Gongson Chun Gi saw that, however, he simply grinned and said something. Your face is really funny. Like, really really funny. Should I bring a mirror for you to see? .Its ok. When Cho Ryu Hyangs face rxed a bit thanks to his teachers joke, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. You know, this friend here. He was probably satisfied. After all, he managed to save you. That was probably the only thing he wouldve wanted at that moment. .. But you wouldnt be satisfied with that. Am I right? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. And his eyes began to reflect eyes of rage, unlike before. He couldnt be satisfied with surviving. He managed to live by getting drenched in his teachers blood. There was no way he would end it at that. .I need to be repaid for what was done to teacher. Revenge. The Alliance. He had to receive the payment from Yu Sul Bin for killing his teacher. That was the only thing Cho Ryu Hyang could do while he was alive. If there at least wasnt a motive like this, he wouldve gone crazy a long time ago. Gongson Chun Gi, after observing the bloodthirst contained within the boys eyes, scratched the back of his head and spoke. You know, I dont believe in buddha or anything, but like these monks in the temples, I dont like the word revenge. It feels like blood. .. The people Gongson Chun Gi killed in the battle was said to be a thousand. That was why Cho Ryu Hyang really couldnt say anything when Gongson Chun Gi said that with such a straight face after killing so many people. But. I know for a fact that there lives an unbeatable monster known as obligations and resentment (Թ) in the martial world. You know, that things so big, that even I cant do anything about it. Gongson Chun Gi paused a bit, then looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and opened his mouth. I hope that you dont get devoured by that monster. . Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt say yes straightaway. That was because the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was to take revenge for his teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang just looked at Gongson Chun Gi without a word. Gongson Chun Gi stared back with aplicated expression. Damn it, if you feel that way, Ill help you. After all, I dont really like the guys at the Alliance either, anyways. Thank you, teacher. Gongson Chun Gi wasntfortable seeing that the only thing that drove his disciple to learn martial arts was revenge, but hepletely understood what Cho Ryu Hyang was feeling right now. Gongson Chun Gi, believing that time would wash away the feelings of revenge, opened his mouth. Dont be too thankful. The training youll get from me will be hellish. Im prepared. There was nothing one could get for free in this world. Bing the heir to the church was sheer luck, but it wasnt like he could just learn the martial arts of the church for free because of that. Martial arts demands one thing in return of learning it. Dedication. Martial arts should be hard, just like how living and dying is a hard thing. Its obvious that one would have to approach death closer if he/she wants to be strong. Am I right? Yes. When Cho Ryu Hyang responded with a resolute voice, Gongson Chun Gi leaned back a little in his sitting position, and spoke. In order to take revenge for this guy, in order to survive in this world, youll need martial arts. A strong one at that. Yes. The purpose of him learning martial arts was definite. When Cho Ryu Hyang set his mind in stone like this, Gongson Chun Gi fell into a deep predicament. Should I just teach him the Shura Environment. The experts at the Alliance werent weak. The only martial arts that could surpass them was the Shura Environment. Normally, he would just pass on the martial art without even thinking about it. But right now, Gongson Chun Gi was greatly concerned about it. There was no doubt that Shura Environment was strong. It was probably the strongest in the world. But doesnt this martial art have a terrifying side effect not many know about? Can this boy ovee it? The effect of turning insane when seeing blood. Berserking Blood Effect (Ѫ֢). Even Gongson Chun Gi, who overcame many, many walls after years of training, still was unable to surpass this side effect. After using a certain amount of strength, the blood in the body goes crazy. Then, the sanity in the users mind slowly disappears, and in the end, it turns the user into a blood-craving monster. Should he really teach such a thing to his disciple? A one that craves revenge, at that? Gongson Chun Gi thought and thought again. Is there anything I can use? Teaching the Shura Environment would be detrimental for the boys development. After thinking for a long time, Gongson Chun Gi put on a bright face, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. Come to think of it, I heard you still have the Moon Edge de Technique. Do you? Yes. Let me see. Cho Ryu Hyang pulled out the book from his clothes, then flinched. There was a bloodstain on the cover of the book. Wasnt this Jo Gi Chuns blood? His heart, which somehow calmed just moments ago, started to pound vigorously again. When Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes began to turn red from rage, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. I hope this thing lives up to the rumors surrounding it. Is this really something that was as good as the Shura Environment? Gongson Chun Gi put his hopes into the book, and opened its covers. He then began to slowly read it. The strongest martial artist in the world. He was judging the power of the book. And that actually took more time than expected. Chapter 41. The Distant Vengeance Chapter 41. The Distant Vengeance Many people from the Alliance died in the war, but there was a n in the Alliance that did not lose anyone. That n was the Nangong n, the ones who were watching the battle from afar. They were able to retreat without losing a single man in the war. You were here, too? Yes. You did a foolish thing. Didnt you already know that I was going toe? Nangong Yubin. He was staring directly at the middle aged man in front of him. The middle aged man was Yubins father, the leader of the Nangong n. His name was Nangong Shiyu (όm). That man looked at his third child, and smirked. Youre quite perceptive. Anyway, you managed toe just in time. Thats good. ..I was able toe quickly thanks to a friend. Nangong Yubin replied with a depressed expression as he thought of Peng Ga Ho. Unlike the Nangong n, the Hebei Peng n, who showed an unusual amount of obsession in this affair, suffered from heavy damages. He was worried about Peng Ga Ho. You were lucky. So, did you manage to get a glimpse of the Demon Church with your own eyes? Nangong Yubin hesitated a bit. Then, he spoke with a serious voice. They were overwhelming. Indeed. The Demon Church was truly overwhelming. The Pope? Nangong Yubin shook his head. Even if the Pope hadnt intervened, the Demon Church wouldve prevailed. Correct. Nangong Shiyu poured some tea into the cup in front of him. He had three sons, and two daughters. Thankfully, all of the children were blessed with quite a lot of talent. But there was a single person that stood out even amongst children like this. That would be his youngest child, Nangong Yubin. Nangong Shiyu, who recognized the boys talent from a long time ago, treated his youngest child dearly. He knew that this boy was the one that would lead their n into the next generation. From the start, I never had the intention to fight the Heavenly Demon Church. .. Is it surprising? .yes. This truly came as a surprise. Didnt Yubins father harbor immense hatred for the church? A man like that didnt even want to fight? It really was something unexpected. I didnt like the way everything was going from the time when the Dao Emperor called on the ns. The church isnt something to be taken on without much preparation. Nangong Yubin didnt say anything. There was no way that that was the only reason his father was unwilling to fight. His prediction was indeed correct. It was suspicious. Was what the leader was going for truly the Heavenly Demon Church? I was skeptical of that idea. So I did some research. Nangong Yubin gulped. He felt ufortable all of the sudden. Did you. find something? Yes. Something very disgusting. Nangong Shiyu told his son about what the Dao Emperor did in order to get the ns motivated enough to fight. Baek Mu Ryang was going for the Moon Edge de Technique from the start. The war was simply a good cover-up story he could use. Nangong Yubins face turned dark. Many people died due to this war. Those deaths were caused simply because of a single mans greed? Wasnt that too sad? Well, the leader got pped in the face by his own n, though. To think the Pope wouldvee. Even the leader wouldnt have anticipated that. Nangong Shiyu. He still didnt know the Dao Emperor took the Pope into ount in the n. He looked into his childs face, and asked a question with an excited face. Did you see their battle? Yes. How was it? Tell me what you felt. ..Is it ok if I tell you my real feelings? Of course. Nangong Yubin bitterly smiled before replying. His father had a lot of hopes for him. Because of that, he never betrayed his fathers expectations since the time when he was a young child. But that was about to change now. Im d that I wasnt born in their generation. Nangong Shiyu paused when he heard his sons words. He looked at his son with mysterious eyes, and opened his mouth. Are you lying? No, Im not. You became honest. Nangong Yubin scratched his cheeks, and spoke. I suffered a bit whening here. Sorry. No, it is a good change. Nangong Shiyu made a satisfied face. His son definitely grew up. It was definitely worth it to make his sone all the way here, the hard way. In truth, there was someone watching over the children as they traveled, even if they mightve not realized it. Nangong Shiyu dispatched someone just in case something bad would happen. But the Hebei Peng n didnt do such a thing. The Nangong n thought that this was a little suspicious. They thought the Peng n wouldve dispatched someone for sure, but there was nothing of the sort. Hes a dispensable child, isnt he What? Ah, its nothing. Nangong Shiyu let his thoughts unintentionally slip. He made a troubled face for a moment, then quickly tried to change the subject. Whats your rtionship with Peng Ga Ho? Nangong Yubin thought of Peng Ga Ho for a moment, then spoke with a serious tone. We became friends. Friends. The children of the five great ns. The interaction between the children of the ns were restricted to a certain extent. Thankfully, it seemed that having Peng Ga Ho as a friend did not cross the restriction in the eyes of the n. Come to think of it, it seemed that the Hebei Peng n suffered from heavy damages in the battle. Did you visit them yet? Nangong Yubin shook his head. Not yet. You should go check on them now. If you are his friend, you should share his pain with him. If you only shared his happy moments with him, would you even be a true friend? Alright. Nangong Yubin nodded, and stood up. He was off to meet Peng Ga Ho. * * * You came? .. Nangong Yubin flinched when he saw Peng Ga Ho. The boy was beaten ck and blue. What are you doing? Come in. Nangong Yubin was snapped awake from Peng Ga Hos words, and followed Peng Ga Ho inside. My face is weird, right? .I almost didnt recognize you. Peng Ga Ho smirked when Nangong Yubin said this. This big brother, too, gets surprised when looking at the mirror. To think that this handsome face of mine would swell up like a meatbun, I cant believe it. Nangong Yubin asked Peng Ga Ho a question with a smile on his face. So, how did you. Ah, I got beat up by dad. Typical stuff. Nothing unusual. He heard that the personality of the Peng ns chief was quite violent, but to think that it was to this extent. Peng Ga Ho smiled when Nangong Yubin looked at him with sympathy. surawang_41 What is it? Does this big brother look pitiful? A little. You look quite hurt. Peng Ga Ho grinned, and shook his head. This big brother is a blessed child. And these are injuries of honor. .? An unexpected response. When Nangong Yubin put on a confused expression, Peng Ga Ho began to exin what he meant as he brought his teacup to his mouth. My dad was able to survive and beat me up like this. Its a sign of him being healthy. My uncles and cousins wouldnt be able to suffer the same fate as me even if they wanted to, though. After all, most of them passed on in the battle. .Right. Peng Ga Ho was an unexpectedly optimistic person. Nangong Yubin thought that, and then tried to remember just how much damage the Hebei Peng n took. The Hebei Peng n. About three hundred experts came from that n in order to take the Moon Edge de Technique, and about one hundred died in the hands of the Demon Church. As they took such a massive hit in the battle, they had to retreat to the Gansu Branch of the Alliance with corpses of their family, and hold a funeral. Actually, even retrieving corpses was a hard task. That was because most of the corpses there were either amputated, or was disfigured to the point of no recognition. Being alive is a good thing. Even if an arm or a leg falls off, its all good as long as youre alive. Just surviving that demon-like Popes attack is an achievement in itself. That is all that is making me not feel hurt right now. Nangong Yubin nodded when Peng Ga Ho said this with a grin. The Heavenly Demon Church. They were truly frightening. Especially their leader. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to call the Pope a demon. The countless drops of concentrated energy that fell from the skies with a single sweep of the hands. Just what kind of a martial technique was that? Each time the Pope swept his hands over the battlefield, countless people died. And. He was smiling, I believe. Right. The Pope was smiling. The Pope was killing many people with a joyous smile on his face. A one-way ughter. The Pope right then looked truly terrifying. It was as if the Pope was a manifestation of fear itself. Peng Ga Ho spoke while Nangong Yubin was reliving the terrifying battle. If the Godly Monk hadnt intervened right then, we wouldve all died. Yeah. The Godly Monk, Kongye. He used the Lions Roar ({Ӻ) in order to wake everyone from a trance of fear, and managed to get the attention of the Pope while everyone escaped. Thanks to him, many people were able to get out alive. That man was his savior. Peng Ga Ho, who had been thinking the same thing as Nangong Yubin, finished his tea, sighed, and spoke. You know, the Popepletely erased the notion of revenge or hatred out of our minds. The Demon King, Gongson Chun Gi. That man showed true fear to everyone on the field. Even Peng Ga Ho, the boy who was usually all confident and prideful, was suppressed in an instant. In reality, Im really angry right now. Not even being able to consider taking revenge. Peng Ga Ho had to sigh because he knew his limits. The two stopped talking for a while. They had to think of something on their own. Right then, Peng Ga Ho spoke after fidgeting a bit. Thanks for stopping this big brother before. I managed to live thanks to you. Nangong Yubin smiled bitterly. They had been observing the battle from afar, hidden from everyone else. They were afraid that their family members might recognize them if they got too close to the battle. When the dragon ascended, the Hebei Peng n were the first to move. Thanks to that, they were the ones to sh with the experts from the Heavenly Demon Church first. When blood spattered, and the field turned chaotic, Peng Ga Ho became enraged and tried to jump into the battle. Nangong Yubin was the one that prevented him from doing that. The boy had pressed Peng Ga Hos veins, and made himpletely immobile. When he thought about it now, Nangong Yubins decision was a wise one. They didnt have the strength to survive in the chaotic mess of the battlefield, nor did they have the ability to dodge the Popes attacks. He almost managed to die a dogs death. Nangong Yubin stared at Peng Ga Ho, and smiled with an exhausted face. Well, like you said, its all good as long as we live. I dont know about that. Is that really alright? .. A cold, determined voice. Nangong Yubin closed his mouth when Peng Ga Ho said this. Satisfied with just living? There was no way that was going to happen. If he got satisfied with staying alive, the people who died in the war wouldve truly died a dogs death. Peng Ga Ho rubbed his swollen lips, and opened his mouth. This big brother is going to learn some martial techniques back at the n. What about you? Ill do the same. He had to get strong. The things they went through in this event were enough to set a fire inside their hearts. This big brother will learn all the techniques there is, so that I can take revenge on that demon. .. Nangong Yubin tried to say something, but gave up. He knew that what Peng Ga Ho was trying to do was unspeakably hard. But there was no choice. There was no choice to not follow this path. That was the responsibility of those in the five great ns. That was the responsibility of the heirs. Then, Nangong Yubin turned his head sideways and muttered something in a small voice. ..Come to think of it, it would be better for you to just wait for the Pope to die of old age rather than to take revenge with your own power. Peng Ga Ho flinched when he heard this. This guy can freaking read my mind. Peng Ga Ho quickly tried to control his facial expression as he swore in his mind. He actually was considering that a little. The Pope simply was that strong. Peng Ga Ho thought of the Pope, and made a depressed face. Revenge seemed so far and distant. Chapter 42. The Legendary Moon Edge Blade Technique Chapter 42. The Legendary Moon Edge de Technique The Heavenly Demon Church began to make preparations to leave the moment the war ended. They had already retrieved the Moon Edge de Technique,pletely decimated the army of the Alliance, and proved to everyone who the strongest in the continent was. They no longer had any reason to stay here. Gongson Chun Gi sent everyone except his private guards back to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. And when he looked at the old man who came to visit him all the way from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, he smiled. Whats the medicine gramps doing all the way over here? Obviously I came because I got worried about Your Holiness. Sunwu Jo Duk. He was an old man who had a mysterious, powerful aura about him. When he saw the Pope, he immediately set to take a look at the various parts of the Popes body. After a while, the old man sighed in relief. You somehow managed to endure in that state. Thats amazing. Well, you know my endurance is amazing. After all, I stayed healthy even after getting beat up to death by my teacher. Thats obvious. Can you show me your arm? Gongson Chun Gi stretched out his right arm. The Demon Doctor, Sunwu Jo Duk. That old man was the only one out of the eight guardians who sided with Gongson Chun Gi for peace. The others kept pestering Gongson Chun Gi about expanding into the maind, but Sunwu Jo Duk was unexpectedly a person who enjoyed a peaceful, quiet life. And he also happened to be the person to know Gongson Chun Gis secret. This is a relief. The Greater Magic Recorder (ӛ) hasnt brokenpletely. Its about to crumble, though. It might be because I forced the thing back in. The ck bracelet around Gongson Chun Gis wrist. It was a seal that controlled the overflowing power of Gongson Chun Gi. Since Gongson Chun Gi forcefully deactivated it to destroy Baek Mu Ryang, it wouldnt be strange if it broke now. Of course it would be like this if you put it back forcefully. Thankfully, I brought a spare one here. If I didnt happen to have it, it wouldve been terrible. It was good that I barely remembered how to put this thing back on Ill show you how to do it again, so dont forget this time. Right. Sunwu Jo Duk brought out the same type of bracelet in Gongson Chun Gis wrist from his sleeves, and put it on the Popes wrist. After that, he began to whisper some words. VoomC With a small vibration, Gongson Chun Gi felt pain akin to having his musclespressed in one ce. He frowned. No matter how many times he experienced this, he never managed to get used to it. This disgusting feeling of having his muscles being forcefully restricted. Im indebted to you again. Youve been telling me that since you were a child. I feel thankful. Well, youre right. Gongson Chun Gi smirked. All the previous Popes of the Heavenly Demon Church suffered from the same condition as he. The Berserking Blood Effect. It was a side effect of the technique known as the Shura Environment, and the stronger the user of this technique got, the stronger the side effect got. Of course, Gongson Chun Gi, the one known as the strongest Pope in the history of the church, suffered from strong side effects. The side effects were so strong, that unless he used a seal on himself, even he couldnt suppress it fully. Its good that youre overflowing with energy, but if you dont suppress it, youll go mad. We wouldnt be able to stop you if that happens. I know. Gongson Chun Gi, the strongest man in the world. If he were to go crazy, the world would turn into hell. After all, there would be no one that could stop him. By the way, where is he? Who? You said you chose a heir. You show show him to me, too. Ugh, thats the only thing that you old men care about. Gongson Chun Giined while massaging his strengthless right arm. Its good that I got the chance to see the heir before I die. I thought Id die without ever seeing him. Well, itd be no surprise if you died any time now. Sunwu Jo Duk looked at theining Pope before him, and smiled. Sunwu Jo Duk served the Pope ever since the Pope was a child. Therefore, he was able to see the immense amount of talent that Gongson Chun Gi possessed for a long time. But no matter how long he stayed with the Pope, he never managed to see a heir be chosen. There simply wasnt anyone talented enough to inherit Gongson Chun Gis power. He thought that the Popes powerful technique would get lost after the Popes death, but what just happened? The Pope chose a heir. Didnt that mean that the Pope managed to find a child with enough talent? As a person who loved the Heavenly Demon Church dearly, this news made him indescribably happy. Before I show him to you, I need to ask you something. Please, do. Im thinking of teaching this boy something other than Shura Environment. What do you think? Sunwu Jo Duk blinked a few times when he heard this. But he soon realized what the Pope was aiming to do, and opened his mouth with a serious face. Its not going to be easy. I know. The Heavenly Demon Church was a very religious group. In that group, the Pope was, in essence, god. That meant that he had to have the power to be able to prove it to the believers. In other words, a Pope of the Heavenly Demon Church needed tyrannical strength. The Pope needed a power that seemed to be unattainable by humans. That was the mission given to the one chosen by the representation of god. I dont want to let him inherit it without me taking care of the side effects. These kinds of annoying side effects, I should just end it in my generation. The old men arent going to like that. The tradition of the church. The tradition of the church was extremely important to the majority of the members. That naturally meant that if the Pope didnt practice the Shura Environment, not many people were going to like him. Its ok. I just have to show them it was a right decision. Sunwu Jo Duk thought a bit. Was there any other martial technique that could rival the power of the Shura Environment? There wasnt. Since the side effects of the Shura Environment seemed to trivial whenpared to the actual power of the technique, the technique was passed on through the generations. When Sunwu Jo Duk thought that much, he suddenly realized something, and opened his mouth. Is it the Moon Edge de Technique? .Youre perceptive. It is that technique. Is that technique really that amazing? Aah. it is pretty interesting. Gongson Chun Gi grinned. It was a confident grin. Sunwu Jo Duk looked at that face of the Pope, and nodded. Im not really against your decision. I trust your decision. I knew youd understand. And dont worry. I didnt say I wouldnt pass on Shura Environment. When ites to destructive power, there is literally nothing under the heavens that can rival it. Gongson Chun Gi thought of his disciple while talking, then made a depressed expression. But you know, my disciple actually has some resentment against the Alliance. The Alliance? The Alliance was what held all the ns together, and its power rivaled that of the Shaolin temple. The Alliances power was so great, in fact, that many peoplemonly believed that the Alliance was more influential than the Shaolin temple. In other words, they were hard to fight. Gongson Chun Gi, thinking that, scratched his cheeks and spoke. I already promised to help the child take revenge. I somewhat managed to understand what the boy was feeling, so that happened. I cant help him directly, since he wants to take revenge with his own hands, but I want to do everything else in my power to help. I guess Im still a bit immature when ites to things like this. Gongson Chun Gi said this, and at the same timemanded Lim Hak Gyum to bring Cho Ryu Hyang. He once again opened his mouth. So when you see the boy, dont ask him anything about the Alliance. Itll just make him remember some bad stuff. Alright. A little whileter, Cho Ryu Hyang stepped into the room. It seemed that he calmed down a bit after a few days had passed. But he still seemed a little unstable. Youre here? Good. This is Sunwu Jo Duk, the man in charge of the churchs medicine department. Say hello. Youll be relying on him a lot in the future. Cho Ryu Hyang bowed politely to Sunwu Jo Duk, and opened his mouth. My name is Cho Ryu Hyang. Ill be in your care from now on. Sunwu Jo Duk observed Cho Ryu Hyangs body with a face filled with joy and satisfaction. His instincts as a doctor had kicked in. After a moment, Sunwu Jo Duk tilted his head in wonder. Huh? Did the young lord already go through Fa Mao Xi Sui (ëϴ)? Nah, he was already like that from the start. I was surprised, too. No way. Im not lying. Fa Mao Xi Sui was a technique that experts used for their disciples in order to make a disciples body be suited for training. It was extremelyplicated, and used a lot of power, so it wasnt easy to use. But the effects of the technique was truly amazing. It would essentially raise a persons training speed exponentially. May I take his pulse? Of course. Once Sunwu Jo Duk got permission from the Pope, he obtained permission from the young lord, and grabbed the young lords wrist. When he tried putting in his energy into the young lord, he flinched. 42 This is? Sunwu Jo Duk looked at Cho Ryu Hyang strangely. He then looked at Gongson Chun Gi, and spoke. .Did you know? Of course, my eyes arent just for show. Gongson Chun Gi grinned joyfully. Only Cho Ryu Hyang, the subject of this conversation, didnt know what was going on. ..Is it the Bone-Changing Growth? Its simr. But I dont think its the same thing. You know it, too, dont you? Something like that definitely cant happen. The Bone-Changing Growth was something that only happened in the harmonious stage. That was why it was impossible for a young child like this to go through that growth. After all, a harmonious stage only happened once a person attained knowledge that would change their entire life. Then this. Just what was this? The young lords body was already in the best possible condition in order to learn martial arts. The joints in the body were extremely flexible, and the energy veins in the body werent clogged at all. And. The strangest thingy with the dantian. There was something strange residing in it. Something small and round, and at the same time, hard. Something like that was justying in the young lords dantian. That small sphere seemed to contain an immeasurable amount of energy. That boy studies something different from martial arts. I think his body changed like that because of whatever he was studying. Am I right? .. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks. What should he say? Should he reveal the existence of Zhuge Liang? Was that alright? Im not angry at you or anything. Im actually happy. Gongson Chun Gi realized a long time ago that this boy was hiding something other than mathematics. That was because Gongson Chun Gis eyes could easily perceive things of that sort. But he still pretended to not know about it. After all, everyone has a secret they want to keep. Gongson Chun Gi wasnt selfish enough to try to force the secret out of his disciple. He simply believed that the boy would naturallye to tell him about it in the future. I finished checking the Moon Edge de Technique. Thats why I called you. To introduce this old man, and to tell you about the book. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes turned bright when he heard this. He could finally learn martial arts. He had to take revenge for his teacher as soon as he could. That was the only way he could calm his tormented heart. Take it. Gongson Chun Gi took something out of his sleeve, and threw it at Cho Ryu Hyang. That thingnded directly on Cho Ryu Hyangs open palms. The Moon Edge de Technique (е) Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth towards his dazed disciple. This is what you will be learning in the future. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the book in his hands. This was the first meeting between Cho Ryu Hyang and Ak Jung Pae. A meeting that transcended a hundred years. Chapter 43. The Secret of The Moon Edge Blade Technique Chapter 43. The Secret of The Moon Edge de Technique Cho Ryu Hyang silently stared at the book on the table. Ak Jung Pae. The technique he used and created, the technique that disrupted the order of the world in a moment. The Moon Edge de Technique. If you think about it, this technique was the cause of his teachers death. When Cho Ryu Hyang thought that, he immediately felt that there was some sort of evil strings of fate that tied him to this book. Cho Ryu Hyang opened the book with aplicated face. This world is unfair. The first sentence of the book started off with a lightint. Cho Ryu Hyang kept reading without pausing. There is a person possessing immense talent, and there is a person who works harder than anyone else. Which one would be the righteous one? Who is righteous? Wait, is there a correct answer to this in the first ce? To Cho Ryu Hyang, it seemed like the question had no real answer. The one who possesses talent would be the righteous one. That was how the world worked. What did the author want to say? Cho Ryu Hyang became curious of Ak Jung Paes motive. Because of that, he quickly turned to the next page. From a young age, I was able to figure out many things from just a tiny bit of information. I was something that people referred to as a genius. That fact always annoyed me. It was annoying to be a genius? This guy seemed really overconfident. Cho Ryu Hyang snickered a little under his breath. If he didnt know how famous Ak Jung Pae was in the past, he wouldve already thrown the book away. It didnt take long for me to figure out that I was very differentpared to others. From a young age, I was able to replicate something I saw once perfectly. No, I could perform far better than the one who disyed the technique. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded when he read this. In this world, there existed people like this. Those kinds of people were exceedingly rare, but they did exist. The kind of people who showed works that far outssed the works of others even without trying. That was what a genius was. I felt a sense of defiance from that. I was angry at the fact that the efforts people put into their work got overshadowed in a moment by talent. Wasnt this too unfair? So I decided to fight the thing that I possessed, the thing that was referred as talent. Fight his own talent? What was that all about? It didnt make sense. Cho Ryu Hyang turned to the next page with confusion. I never had trouble learning something in my life. I never knew what the word effort truly was, since I never had the need to put effort into anything. My life had turned boring because of the bastard called talent. Cho Ryu Hyang spaced out for a second. So there really was a person like this in the world. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to understand what Ak Jung Pae felt at the time, and at the same time, he bitterly smiled. In front of a genius like this, a work of a lifetime would look pitiful. Honestly, Cho Ryu Hyang didnt want to ever see a genius like this. Thinking that, Cho Ryu Hyang turned the page. In order to fight talent, I needed to figure out exactly how big it was. What was its size? What was its power? Through multiple experiments, I needed to attain detailed information regarding talent. But that process took longer than expected. It took thirty whole years. There really were strange people in the world. That man used up thirty years just to find out the identity of talent? An extremely long time was used in order to find what the identity of talent. But during those thirty years, I attained a lot of things. A lot of things.. Just what did this person, this overconfident person who called himself a genius without shame, attain? Among all the things I attained, martial arts is one of them. Honestly, I actually dont know much about martial arts. Eh? What was this all of the sudden? Wasnt the Moon Edge de Technique a martial arts technique? Cho Ryu Hyang quickly turned to the next page with a face full of surprise. I only know how to make humans stronger. Of course that was the case. Cho Ryu Hyang kept reading with slight relief. After figuring out the identity of talent, I went out into the martial world, for the first and thest time, with a sword. I wanted to see if the truth that I had discovered was the real thing. He went out into the martial world once? Cho Ryu Hyang read the next page with a little bit of confusion. After that, people started to call me the strongest expert under the heavens, the practitioner of the strongest martial art and whatnot. It was amusing. After all, I never learned martial arts in my life. Hm? Cho Ryu Hyang took off his sses, and rubbed one of his eyes. He was confused. Never learning martial arts? Bing the strongest, despite that? Just what happened to Ak Jung Pae during thirty years? Also, he was a little annoyed that the guy kept getting readers really anxious about nothing. Cho Ryu Hyang wondered if he really had to read all this, but he quickly decided that he would rather finish the whole thing, rather than to just abandon it midway. Cho Ryu Hyang put his sses back on, and turned the page. The things I have written here teaches one to be strong. This, however, is different from the likes of martial arts, so dont try topare it with such pitiful things. Cho Ryu Hyang once again closed the book, and breathed deeply. Martial arts? Pitiful? It really began to feel like this book was trying to turn the reader into an idiot or something. And why was a martial arts book like this talking about all this nonsense, and not say a single thing about martial arts? That made him angry. He didnt know what others like Gongson Chun Gi thought, but right now, he was in a hurry. He didnt have a lot of time on his hands. Because of that, Cho Ryu Hyang was getting a bit nervous. Theres nothing else in the world as sly as a humans emotions. The human mind is very sly. Because of that, it tends to go through changes very easily. This condition might actually cause Cho Ryu Hyangs thirst for revenge disappear. No, even if it doesnt disappear, theres a chance that it might get altered, or fade in his mind a bit. There was no way he could let that happen. Thats why he had to hurry. This feeling he had now. Before this burning feeling in his mind disappeared, he had to reach the top. Only when he did that would he be able to take what he wanted from the Alliance. After that fateful day, too much darkness had gathered in the corner of his mind. I shouldnt try to look at it. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips. He couldnt look into this for too long. If he manages to fall in the darkness by ident, he would never be able to get out. But he couldnt just sit there, ignoring the darkness. That was because when his teacher, Jo Gi Chun died, the broken pieces of his heart gathered in that specific ce. He had to observe the darkness from a set distance at all times. This was so that he would never forget about what had happened on that day. surawang_43 Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head a few times, returned to his previous, calm state, and looked at the book again. This book wasnt bad, but the introduction was too long. The thing Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to learn wasnt Ak Jung Paes past or anything. He just wanted that mans martial art. He just wanted to get ahold of the greatest martial art of an era. Lets not get hasty. Cho Ryu Hyang stretched and exhaled, in order to soothe his tired body a bit. His teacher Gongson Chun Gi read this book, too. As his teacher gave this to him after a long time of reviewing, this surely was the real thing. As he already had what he wanted, there was no need to hurry. He just had to read with an inquisitive mind. Thinking that, Cho Ryu Hyang reopened the book. I spent a lot of time in order to find what talent truly was. As I did so, I somehow began to talk with the things in my body. That was the beginning of it all. The things in his body? Whats that? Cho Ryu Hyang quickly turned the page. Just talking with the things in my body, and borrowing their power was enough to call me the strongest under the heavens. Cho Ryu Hyang felt his heart pump a little faster before he turned the page. He instinctively knew that the true form of the Moon Edge de Technique was going to be revealed soon. I could see things at a thousand li away just by willing it. I could listen to just about anything by just willing it. I just had to think about what I wanted in order to receive it. I already had everything in the world (ɭ_f) in myself, but I was too foolish to understand that.. (TL: A single li () is about 500m.) He might be imagining things, but this seemed a little simr to what was written in the Moon Edge Flower Algorithm Magic. Just where did he see a simrity? Cho Ryu Hyang turned the page. I was able to take on the heavens just by borrowing strength from the things in my body. This what I have received during my quest to fight talent. This is what I have written in the book. The way to make people stronger. In other words, Borrowed Strength (). What? Borrowed Strength? Cho Ryu Hyang became extremely surprised. Was he misinformed of this whole thing? Borrowed Strength? Cho Ryu Hyang quickly turned the page. This book teaches one to be the strongest user of Borrowed Strength. I hope this helps someone of the future generations. Cho Ryu Hyangs face twisted. What he suspected was correct. A user of Borrowed Strength. this. The Moon Edge de Technique. The strongest martial art in the world. The true form of this technique was a book about Borrowed Strength. * * * Kukuku, that boy should be stunned right now. The young lord? Yeah, he probably became really surprised. Gongson Chun Gi grinned mischievously while eating a feastid in front of him. Sunwu Jo Duk, looking at that, swallowed his spit in nervousness. Wasnt that face that the Pope had right now the one that came up when the Pope was about to pull a prank on someone? It seemed that the unlucky victim this time was the young lord. D. Does the Moon Edge de Technique have something hidden in it? Yup. Something big and scary. Gongson Chun Gi kept smiling mischievously while talking. It was so big, that even I almost failed to recognize it for what it was. Ak Jung Pae. Gongson Chun Gi thought that the mans talent really lived up to the name. Is it really that amazing? That technique? When Sunwu Jo Duk asked this with curiosity, Gongson Chun Gi nodded. The old man made people get confused by calling it a Borrowed Strength and all that, but if you look closely, you can find the hidden truth in the book. That guy was pretty good. Truth? Gongson Chun Gi nodded, and sipped on the alcohol in his hand. You know that saying, All is Called by Your Heart (һΨ)? Is it not a saying that is from the Huayanjing (A)? Yeah, that. The Moon Edge de Technique contains the true meaning of the quote All is Called by Your Heart. So its a buddhist text? No, the author reached that truth in a different way from those monks. Thats what makes it so interesting. Even I learned something from it. Sunwu Jo Duk widened his eyes. Even a person like you learned something? Gongson Chun Gi nodded. I learned something because the author of that book managed to be as strong as me using a different method. The thing I learned was something insignificantly small, though. Sunwu Jo Duks jaw dropped. If his information was correct, Gongson Chun Gi was a stronger person than even the rumors implied. The man had reached a height no one had ever reached before. The Pope passed the realm of the harmonious stage, and was currently in the realm of the gods. Even an expert like that learned something from the Moon Edge de Technique? Didnt that mean that that technique was a truly precious treasure? But no one other than me would be able to find that truth. Thats probably the only downside to that book. The order is really messed up. The order? Yeah, order. Thats the only problem. The guys that learned martial arts at least once in their life would never be able to discover the hidden truth. After all, the whole book was written in a nonsensical, messy order. Gongson Chun Gi smiled. Ak Jung Pae, like the he had written in the book, had never learned martial arts. You could easily see it from the way the book was written. The book Moon Edge de Technique was actually a book on martial arts written by a man who didnt know martial arts. While Gongson Chun Gi thought of this ironic event, Sunwu Jo Duk swallowed his spit nervously, and asked something. Can you tell me how it was written? What? Youre still interested in martial arts, in that age of all things? Sunwu Jo Duk smiled awkwardly. No way. Its just curiosity. Curiosity. Gongson Chun Gi looked into Sunwu Jo Duks eyes, then smiled. Perhaps that book can indeed help you. Sunwu Jo Duk once again smiled awkwardly. He didnt realize that hed ask someone about martial arts again in his lifetime. But this whole thing did get him curious. Even Gongson Chun Gi got something out of the book. If he did well, perhaps he, too, would gain some insights. He was stuck at the gates to the harmonious stage for several decades now. He wanted to advance into the harmonious stage as soon as possible. The Moon Edge de Technique teaches a little child how to run, instead of teaching him how to walk first. How would you teach a child to run before walking? It didnt make sense. I think I know why the book was named Moon Edge de Technique, despite it not involving des at all. Anyways, its been a while since Ist picked up something this interesting. Was it because he didnt expect anything? When Gongson Chun Gi tried to imagine the power of the Moon Edge de Technique, he became a little sad. The power that that technique contained was on par with the one that Gongson Chun Gi had. That would mean that Gongson Chun Gi wouldve been able to go all out on Ak Jung Pae. He was just sad that he wasnt born at the same era as Ak Jung Pae. It had been a long time since alcohol tasted this bitter. Chapter 44. The Young Master of The Heavenly Demon Church Chapter 44. The Young Master of The Heavenly Demon Church The ce known as Nanman was actually a really hot ce. The ce was full of southern trees, and the mountains were filled with edible fruit. And where no one had to worry about getting starved to death. But thisnd was often avoided by travelers and merchants. There were fierce predators roaming about everywhere, and it was also filled to the brim with bugs that contained lethal poison. Only a certain group of people upied thisnd that was both blessed and cursed by god. Nanman Beast Gate. Thisnd was practically made for them by god. You seem excited. I havent seen that in a while. Is that right? The owner of the Nanman Beast Gate. The one holding the title of the Beast King, and the god of the Nanman region. Gu Ma Byuk (ħ). He looked at his oldest child, while emitting a kingly aura. It seems that your trip this time was pretty amusing. You look unusually excited. Gu Hui. He didnt deny it. After all, he was indeed excited right now. That day, he managed to see the fight between Gongson Chun Gi and Baek Mu Ryang. There, he managed to see something that others did not get to see. Each and every scene of that battle became nutrients that helped Gu Huis growth, and made him feel a feeling of excitement unlike what he had ever felt before. I saw the power of the maind. This experience would possibly help him form the schedule for the future. The ambition of the Nanman Beast Gate. The experience he had in the maind would definitely help him achieve that. So, were you able to grasp their size? Gu Hui smiled, as Gu Ma Byuk brought his cup to his mouth. Yes. Gongson Chun Gi and Baek Mu Ryang. The two experts who fought for supremacy. Gu Hui had clearly engraved their battle in his mind. From the heavy breaths of the experts, to every single strand of hair that shone from sweat. Gu Hui did not miss a single scene. So, what is your conclusion? Gu Hui paused a bit at Gu Ma Byuks question. He simply stared at his father, the shining sun of Nanman, without speaking. His face clearly reflected worry and hesitation. You dont have to hide it. Just tell me what you saw. Gu Hui looked at his father for a few more seconds, then spoke with some difficulty. .Please let me be the one to carry on our ambition. Its impossible to achieve the ambition of the main gate in your generation. Thats right. It was possible to take care of Baek Mu Ryang, but not Gongson Chun Gi. Gongson Chun Gi was a monster. That was the conclusion Gu Hui reached. But unexpectedly, Gu Ma Byuk didnt really show a reaction when he heard that. Is that right? Yes. I dont know about Baek Mu Ryang, but Gongson Chun Gi is definitely going to be difficult. Difficult. When he heard that, Gu Ma Byuk rested his chin on his fist, and looked at his child. He wasnt angry. After all, he was expecting something like this already. Perhaps it was because of the unique environment, but the Nanman region always managed to produce heirs who possessed a terrifying degree of talent. Even among all the talented individuals of the Nanman Beast Gate, Gu Hui stood out in particr. That was because the boys intelligence was unprecedentedly great. So, theres no hope. Gu Ma Byuk fell deep in thought with a bitter smile in his mind. Yes, Gongson Chun Gis name was well known, even in a ce like Nanman. That was because Nanman was actually closer to the Heavenly Demon Church than the Alliance. Thanks to that, Nanman knew about the churchs power very well. The people of Nanman were able to notice the huge amount of strength hidden away in the church. But. Even if the church was infested with powerful experts, there was only one man that Gu Ma Byuk was worried about. The Pope. He only got a chance to get a glimpse of the Pope a long time ago, but the memory of the aura that the Pope exuded back then still remained in his mind, as clear as day. ckC Gu Ma Byuk put his cup in his hand on the table, and opened his mouth. Is it ok if I entrust the future of the main gate to you? The future of the Nanman Beast Gate. Their old ambition. It would be advancing into the maind. Gu Hui knew this well. Thats why he looked into his fathers eye without any fear or hesitation, and spoke. Only I will be able to aplish the ambition of the main gate. A confident voice. Gu Hui had conviction. He was confident that there was no one as strong as he, at least in his generation. Gu Ma Byuk too, believed that if it was his child, then surely the main gates dream would be achieved easily. After all, his son was a monster. But there are many monsters in this world. Yes. The world was needlessly big. Thats what got Gu Ma Byuk a little worried. * * * To think it was Borrowed Power. Cho Ryu Hyang was in a state of shock. He had a lot of expectations for this book, so naturally the shock he got when he found out that this book didnt teach martial arts was naturally also great. You okay? Gongson Chun Gi gleefully stared at his disciples dumb expression. Do you really think Id be ok? Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to shout this in his teachers face, but stopped himself. He simply looked out the moving carriage with dull eyes. Why did his teacher give him a book like this? Cho Ryu Hyang had seen a user of Borrowed Power in a circus a long time ago with his father. It was an intriguing new world he had discovered. There were people who could break rocks with a mere shout, and freely control giant balls of fire. It really looked amazing to him at the time. But that was it. It just looked amazing. He couldnt defeat the Alliance with that. Cho Ryu Hyang leaned on the carriage wall with a dark face, and began to fiddle with the door crack with his fingers. He wanted to say something, but didnt know how to say it. Gonson Chun Gi, looking at that, couldnt take it anymore and exploded in a fit ofughter. Puhahaha! Looks like our little disciple was very, very disappointed with what he found. .. It would be a lie to say that he wasnt disappointed. Seeing the person who knew that better than any otherugh like that, Cho Ryu Hyang began tough a little, too. So heughed. Heughed with a gloomy face. When Gongson Chun Gi saw this strange scene, he gripped onto his stomach and began tough again. Just how long had heughed? Gongson Chun Gi somehow managed to be calm again, looked at his disciple, and spoke. Humans have neither powerful ws nor teeth like predators. . Thats why humans began to make tools to hunt these predators. These tools soon became weapons as time went on, and this weapon kept advancing so that it became more and more efficient at murder. .? What was his teacher talking about, all of the sudden? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, Gongson Chun Gi smiled and said this. I knew it. You havent read any more of the book after the part where it said how to be a user of Borrowed Power. .Yes. Indeed. He didnt read any more than that part. He had put the book aside in a box in disappointment. The true form of the Moon Edge de Technique is quite amazing. Ill guarantee that. It starts to reveal itself after the part where you got disappointed. So dont be so sad. Cho Ryu Hyang put his head down. He didnt know how to respond to his teachers words. Disciple. Yes, teacher. Youre getting too hurried after Jo Gi Chuns death. But the thing you want to achieve cant necessarily be done by being hurried. You need to look at your surroundings with more of a rxed mind. Isnt that right? Again, Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt really say anything. He just looked at the floor with guilt. Well be arriving at the destination soon. Just rest for now today. ..Alright. He felt a bit ashamed. Cho Ryu Hyang began to fiddle with the door crack with his fingers again, with an entirely different mind this time. * * * SharakC Cho Ryu Hyang opened the Moon Edge de Technique again. They were going to arrive at the Ten Thousand Great Mountains tomorrow. The symbol of fear, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It was thend where the Heavenly Demon Church resided. Almost nothing was known about the insides of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. The Heavenly Demon Church was, after all, a society shrouded in secrets. But right now, that wasnt really important to Cho Ryu Hyang. He was only focused on the Moon Edge de Technique. Like teacher had said, the more important parts began to appear after the part where he stopped reading. Turning the human body into a weapon This was an interesting concept. The body itself bing a weapon. A weapon that cant be broken by anything, but in turn can destroy anything. The technique was all about taking the bodys strength far above human limits. And that would be the Lian (). The first part of the total thirty parts of the Moon Edge de Technique was known as Lian. The learning of this Borrowed Power begins from Lian. Like that, Cho Ryu Hyang slowly fell into the Moon Edge de Technique. * * * Were here. Get down. . Cho Ryu Hyang got off the carriage with a tired face. When he stepped down, he froze like a statue. The giant mountain in front of him. When he saw that, he realized that he was at the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. This is my house. Looks good, doesnt it? Cho Ryu Hyang just nodded. He couldnt respond because his mouth was wide open. The Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It was a giant fortress. There were castle walls that epassed the whole mountain. And there was that. That thing in front of him. That enormous red door. surawang_44 Blood Lightning Gate (ѪT) This was the famed Blood Lightning Gate. The gate that was said to have turned red thanks to the blood of the countless enemies that attacked the church in the past. This was the symbol of the bloody history of the church. At the top of the gate, was a big sign that was written with thick, strong brushstrokes. Heavenly Demon Church (ħ) Headquarters () Gongson Chun Gi ruffled his surprised disciples hair a little, and spoke. This is the ce the martial world refers to as the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. And this is going to be your home from now. How is it? What should he say? There was some kind of a feeling boiling up inside him, but he couldnt really exin what it was. While he had been searching an answer in his mind, the giant red gates began to open in front of his eyes. KrrrC The door opened with a stiff sound. KoongC! When the doorpletely opened, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to see the splendor thaty inside. When he saw that, he froze once more. That was because he was able to see the reason why the Ten Thousand Great Mountains was feared by martial artists of the world. Inside the gates. There were people. They did a troublesome thing. Gongson Chun Gi slowly walked in with a smile on his face. Once he entered the door, the man on the front began to shout. Heavenly Demon Bow (ħ)! A voice that shook the mountain itself. But the sound that came in response was even bigger than that. May the church rule under the heavens (”)! A sound that seemed loud enough to shake the very earth itself. KoomC! Because of the sound of the feet hitting the floor simultaneously, Cho Ryu Hyang was unable toe back to his senses. The martial artists that were standing in a line on two sides were all weing Cho Ryu Hyang and Gongson Chun Gi. Looks like the old guys really put some efforts into this. Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and walked through the door. The Pope had gotten used to greetings of this scale a long time ago. But that wasnt the case for Cho Ryu Hyang. He experienced something simr to this before, but not on a scale this big. Seven out of the ten groups in the church came out. Just for the Pope, and the Popes disciple. The energy these veterans were exuding from their body really was overpowering. The energy they were exuding was so great, that just watching them rendered Cho Ryu Hyang unable to breathe. His head was beginning to turn nk. [Dont get intimidated. These guys are on your side.] Cho Ryu Hyang only came back to his senses when he heard the Popes yful message. After swallowing his spit, he put on his usual, calm face again. Yes, theyre not my enemies. The enemies were the Alliance. These guys were allies. The most reliable allies in the world. Cho Ryu Hyang burned that thought into his mind, and followed Gongson Chun Gi. Gongson Chun Gi, after walking for a bit, stopped at a certain point. There were some people standing in front of him. About twenty people. The man at the front of this group bowed to the Pope, and spoke up. Wee back, Your hHoliness. Yeah. You mustve been tired. I just did what I had to do. The bald middle-aged man with thick eyebrows. Starting with him, everyone behind began to greet the Pope. When they finished doing that, their gazes all focused onto Cho Ryu Hyang. Every single one of them had intense gazes that burrowed into the boy. When Gongson Chun Gi saw this, he smiled. Heh, old men. I almost forgot to introduce him. This is my disciple. When Gongson Chun Gi said this, everyones face turned bright. They were waiting to hear this. Inner Commander Gang Chang greets the young lord! Outer Commander Ugil greets the young lord! Church Instructor Jang Gak greets the young lord! Every single one of them had an immense voice. Many others greet Cho Ryu Hyang after them, and every single one of these people had one emotion in their voice. Happiness. The eyes that looked at Cho Ryu Hyang, the voice that came out when talking to Cho Ryu Hyang was filled to the brim with happiness. Was it to this degree? Their expectations for the heir of the church literally emanated from their bodies. But strangely, their expectations didnt seem very pressuring. It seemed something about himself had changed. I am called Cho Ryu Hyang. Ooh! He had just replied, but everyone shouted in glee. Cho Ryu Hyang wondered just how much these people had waited for a disciple. Their happiness simply served to show how much they had worked to find a disciple previously. Che, youre overreacting. get back to your work. Ill stay and rest with this boy. Also, let the boys you brought out here have some rest, too. Alright. Gongson Chun Gi spoke, while observing the Inner Commander direct everyone back to their respective ces. You might not know right now, but theyre all quite talented people. Im a lucky person. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, and opened his mouth. They look talented in my eyes as well. The Inner Commander was able to direct that many people without causing even a bit ofmotion, and the people were able to follow themandersmands quickly. Gongson Chun Gi nced at Cho Ryu Hyang as he walked up a set of staircases. He put on his usual yful smile, and spoke. You should take in the people who will serve you here. What do you mean? Choose a guard who will protect you with his life. Thats what I mean. .. Guard? I could choose for you, but that guard would be my subordinate, not yours, right? You find the the person you want on your own. Entrust your life to that person. Entrust his life? What did that mean? Cho Ryu Hyang fingered his sses, and made a serious face. Im sure you know, but the martial world is a ce filled with unexpected things. In a ce like this, a person who can protect you is very important. Especially when you are weak like this. It was true. But who should he choose? When Cho RYu Hyang put on a serious face, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. Well, we can handle that in the future. Did you see the Moon Edge de Technique? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Yeah? How was it? .It was hard. Im sure it was. Gongson Chun Gi paused a bit, then opened his mouth. Want some advice? That was what he had wanted. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes sparkled as he looked at his teacher. Please. Gongson Chun Gi rubbed his chin, and spoke. Dont think about it too hard. Theres a need to see everything easier sometimes. After all, the truth is usually simpler than you might think. Theres a need to see everything easily? How? That was the advice? Gongson Chun Gi put on a mysterious face, and walked up ahead. Ill take you to the ce where youll stay for now. Think about it over there. Gongson Chun Gis teaching method. It was a way to make one to think and feel by oneself, and reach the truth. It waspletely different form Jo Gi Chuns method, which exined everything for the student. Cho Ryu Hyang, while thinking about his teachers advice, followed Gongson Chun Gi to the back part of the church. As the back part of the church was ced on a high ce, Cho Ryu Hyang only reached the top when he was nearly exhausted. Whaty in front of him was a well-decorated park with a small pond. The centre of the pond held a small pagoda that seemed to be created by a master builder. It was something that was neither simple nor fancy. But that somehow gave one the feeling of the master of the pond being a high-ss person. That ce over there is the ce where youll stay. Dragon Tower. It was a house that contained a small library inside it. When CHo Ryu Hyang stepped into the castle, he could see a big room filled with expensive furniture. He liked it the moment he saw it. Gongson Chun Gi smiled when he saw that. Ill go talk to the old men for a while. Lets eat a meal together when I return. Ok. If you need anything, just pull that rope over there. Some boys wille to help you out. Yes. Cho Ryu Hyang went back out after Gongson Chun Gi disappeared. This ce was strangelyforting, even though it was his first time here. While he was thinking about the Moon Edge de Technique while walking around, he could feel someone watching him. Who? When Cho Ryu Hyang turned left, he saw someone. That person froze when Cho Ryu Hyang turned. It was a girl in fancy clothes. She had a beautiful blonde hair, with mysterious emerald eyes. The girl looked at Cho Ryu Hyang a bit, and blinked. She opened her mouth. Who are you? This was the first meeting between her and Cho Ryu Hyang. Chapter 45. Meeting Chapter 45. Meeting Where did she run off again? What did I tell you about paying attention to her, huh? Do you really want to be punished? S.. sorry, big sis. I didnt think shed run again. You think this would be all over just by saying sorry? The older sister out of two bodyguards, Rin (), was about to say something with an angry face, but just gave up and sighed. I told you not to be fooled by her innocent outer appearance. Shes always thinking about running away in the inside. Uu, sorry, big sis. I forgot. Ugh, you idiot. You stress me out so much. Go find her! You know what would happen if the higher-ups find out what happened, dont you? We both get this. Rin made a slicing motion on her neck with her finger, and made a terrible face. S, sorry! If you know that, hurry. She shouldnt have gone far. Ok! Two women in red clothes. They began to run around the castle urgently. How long did they search for? After a while, the younger sister of the duo, Ryung (), opened her mouth with a terrified face. It doesnt look like shes in the castle. What do we do? Did she get out already? That would be troubling. Outside the castle, the ces the duo had ess to would be a lot more restricted. It was even worse for the youngdy they served. A rare, precious position. If you add on the girls unique looks to that position, the girl became an existence that couldnt be revealed to the public. After all, if the word of her existence spread, everything would really be troublesome. You go to the main auditorium. Ill check the back. Ryung made a confused expression when her bigger sister said this. Not many people can go to the back part of the church, right? You said it was a dangerous ce before. Dont worry. Ill get permission from the administrator of the ce. And if the youngdy really is there, things would proceed easier than one might think. It would be good if it was really like that. Ryung looked at Rin with a worried face. You think you have time to actually get worried about someone? Just go to the main auditorium. If the higher-ups find out before we find the youngdy, were dead! Dead! When Rin sliced her neck with her finger again, Ryung began to run like a startled deer. Rin, looking at that, began to walk quickly. * * * Grass Shoe Garden (Ьͥ). This was what the people called the forbidden garden. It was a ce where not many could enter, and was also one of the most secluded ce within the church. (TL: Grass Shoe Garden. is not a fitting name. But thats what the trantion ****ing means! Grass, ****ing, Shoe! Wtf?!) (ED: Lol!) At the same time, it was one of the most dangerous ces in the whole church. Rin had reached the entrance a while ago, but was unable to get in. She bit her lower lip. As I thought, this is too much for me. At first nce, it didnt look like there was anyone there, but that wasnt the case in real life. Top-ss assassins, hand picked by the church, were ced all around the garden, extending from the entrances to everywhere inside the garden itself. Rin hesitated when she felt the dangerous energy these people were exuding. She had to choose here. Even for her, a peak expert, charging into the garden was suicide. After hesitating for quite some time in front of the main entrance, Rin sighed and opened her mouth. I wish to see the Administrator of the Garden. .. There was no answer. But there was a response. She knew that because all of the sudden, an overwhelming amount of killing intent began to pressurise her. It gets important from here. She was crossing a dangerous line right here. Rin forcefully stopped herself from instinctively reaching for her sword, and quietly closed her eyes. And when she opened her eyes again, she could see him. The man who had gray cloth draped over himself. The man who had his face, except for his eyes, covered in the cloth, was standing in front of the entrance. When Rin faced the man, she became convinced. This is the administrator! The administrator of the garden was a man that no one really knew about. No one knew of the mans origin, nor did they know how the man learnt martial arts. A strange martial artist whose face, age, and martial cultivation was unknown to the public. Except for the Pope, even the Eight Guardians who boasted their great strength stayed quiet here. All that was because of the administrator. Clop clopC Rin could feel that with the appearance of this man, the killing intent around her vanished, as if it was just an illusion. The air around this man was strange. A strange feeling of disharmony surrounded the mans body. What do you want? The mans voice was unexpectedly young. When Rin made a surprised face, the man spoke again. This time, the voice held no emotion whatsoever. It was only filled with dreadful coldness. I dont say the same thing twice. Killing intent. Rin was brought back to reality at once when she got hit by the killing intent, which had been polished like a treasured sword. Ah! I, I am Rin of the Ruling Fire House (m). I am the bodyguard of the youngdy. Rin looked at the man with some sweat running down her back. She couldnt sense the level of cultivation this man had reached. Whats this? Could he be a harmonious expert? Rin shook her head at the thought. That shouldnt be possible. Other than the two guardians and the Pope, no one else in the church had reached that state. But Rin was feeling this powerful pressure emanating from the mans eyes, since a while back. She had experienced such a feeling only a few times in her life. You came to retrieve the youngdy? Yes. Thankfully, the youngdy seemed to be in here. Rin sighed in relief. May I take the youngdy away? Thats not possible. Eh? Why? The man spoke with a cold voice, while looking at Rin. You cannot enter this ce. Yes. But that was obvious. No one could enter this ce without requesting to beforehand. The youngdy could get anywhere, as her existence itself worked like a free pass to anything, but that wasnt the case for Rin. But that didnt mean she was going to back down here. Please give me permission. If thats too much, please at least send word to the youngdy I refuse. A dry voice, void of all emotion. Rins mouth started to go dry. Administrator, this matter concerns me and my sisters life. Please reconsider. Rin kneeled onto the cold, hard ground. Please, I beg you. Rin slowly put her head down. She threw away her pride a long time ago. As long as she came here, she would be unable to stop the rumors spreading. The youngdys unauthorized little trip. It was a severe crime. But since it had happened already, Rin had to take the youngdy back to the castle as soon as possible. That way, shed at least have some time to figure out how to take care of the aftermath. Rin waited for the mans response on the ground. The man who was looking at Rin. The administrator didnt speak for a while. How much time had passed? The man eventually opened his mouth. How amusing. Why should I care about your life? . Rin didnt know what to say. While she was trying to figure out what to say, the man turned around. Go back. Administrator! Rin crawled forward, desperately trying to grab onto the administrators legs. Then. ShwitC Something passed by Rins cheeks, and created a small injury. A hot feeling of pain like fire ran through her cheeks. Youll go no further than that. Come closer and Ill slice off your neck. Rin froze from fear. Then, a ck shadow suddenly came behind the administrator, and whispered something. After hearing that, the administrators eyes began to turn annoyed. Rin didnt fail to miss the administrators shaking eyes at that moment. Something happened? Something troublesome. Rin realized that something like that took ce just now. What is it? Nothing really happens in the Garden. It was normally very quiet, and didnt go through much change. In a ce like that, something happened. Could it be? Rin prayed that this event would be something that might be able be advantageous for her. Did her prayers get answered? The administrator looked at her with annoyance and spoke. .You said you wanted to go inside? Rin nodded vigorously. Yes. I want to go inside. Follow me. Ill take you to the youngdy. The man said that, and went through the door. Rin quickly stood up, and followed the man inside. Thank you! . The man didnt respond. He simply kept walking. Thank god. Rin felt relieved. Something mightve happened inside. But thanks to that, she got a chance like this, which made her infinitely grateful. * * * Its there. The other side of the pond. The youngdy was clearly over there. The person who was more precious to Rin than her life. But Rin didnt move, and froze where she stood. There was a boy standing in front of the youngdy. Rins jaw dropped. Th, th, that. The administrator observed her actions, nodded, and sent a message. [Ill be truthful. Because of the way you handled things, we got into a bit of trouble, too.] .. Got into trouble? What kind of trouble? [The youngdy meeting with the young lord. Thats what got us in a bit of a tight situation.] The young lord? Rins eyes widened. The administrator had the same power as the Guardians within the church. But even a person like that addressed the boy like so? Just who was that boy? The administrator, who noticed Rins surprised face, sent a message. [That young lord is the one who will take care of the church in the future.] ..! Rins eyes got even wider, and her lips began to tremble. Taking care of the church in the future. She knew what those words meant. She looked at the boy some more, and then sent a message with an agitated face. [He is the heir? That young lord?] [Thats right.] The boy. Cho Ryu Hyang was a person who would be the heir of the church in the future. Of course, the boy was being treated like one already, but the official ceremony was yet to take ce. Who are you? Far away, Rin could see the girl with the golden hair open her mouth in front of Cho Ryu Hyand. Rin watched this take ce quietly. The youngdy. The girl in the golden hair rarely ever talked to a child of her age. That was because of the unique looks and the high position she possessed. The fact that she is different is enough reason to incite fear. Because of that, the youngdy had been confined in the castle despite her high position. She was like a bird stuck in a cage. A foreigner. As the nation didnte in contact with foreigners much, it wasnt strange for foreigners to be called monsters. I hope she doesnt get hurt. Everyone who saw the youngdy previously all had the same reaction. They were all scared of her. Rin thought that Cho Ryu Hyang would obviously have the same reaction. But that wasnt the case. The boy calmly opened his mouth without any indication of being surprised. Who are you supposed to be, then? Shouldnt one introduce oneself before asking for someone elses name? When Cho Ryu Hyang said this, the girl blinked. She, too, had never seen a person who acted normally to her like this. The blonde girl grinned, and spoke. Ah, is that how it is? My name is Gongson Ahri (O). What about you? Gongson Ahri? Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shook. When he heard the girls name, he thought of someones face. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth with a bit of disbelief. Gongson Chun Gi whats your rtionship with teacher? Ah, hes my father. Cho Ryu Hyang fondled his sses unconsciously. It was a habit of his that came out whenever he became surprised. Gongson Chun Gis daughter? surawang_45 What surprised him here wasnt the fact that his teacher had a daughter. He was surprised by the daughters sudden appearance. The administrator, watching that, sent a message to Rin. [The Pope instructed me to not let the young lord meet anyone for the time being.] The administrator stopped his message here, and spoke again while throwing an angry gaze at Rin. [But the youngdy isnt someone we can stop in the first ce. Because you did your job poorly, something like this happened.] Rin lowered her head, and avoided the administrators gaze. She didnt have any excuses to say. [This whole thing is your fault, so you take care of it.] Rin nodded. She felt the need to take care of everything at this point, somehow. Chapter 46. A Father’s Feelings Chapter 46. A Fathers Feelings Dad. Mm. Why dont I have a mom? Gongson Chun Gi, who had been watching the pond with his daughter on his knee, paused for a moment. He then retrieved his hand, which had been stroking his daughters hair, and thought. Children always manage to stab people with questions like this without thinking about it. Adults cant get anxious, especially at times like this. They cant try to change the topic, either. Gongson Chun Gi soon returned to his normal self, and smiled. Ahri. Yes, dad? Are you ufortable because you have no mom? Gongson Ahri thought a bit. Ufortable? Sure, she knew that she was different from others, but she didnt know if that made her ufortable. After thinking for quite some time, the girl shook her head and spoke. Im not sure. Since she never had a mother in the first ce, she wasnt sure what the difference between having one and not having one was. Did your friends say something to you about that? .. Gongson Ahri didnt answer her fathers random question, and hesitated a bit. Gongson Chun Gi felt something ominous when he saw that. A feeling that parents feel. Thats what he felt. Gongson Chun Gi immediately lifted his daughter high up in the air, and stared at her in the eye. He looked straight into her daughters beautiful emerald eyes, and spoke. Ahri. Yes, dad? What did I say about lying? Gongson Ahri replied with a face filled with fear. Dragonflies. From a young age, Gongson Ahri feared dragonflies quite a lot. She was afraid of the dragonflys unique faceted eyes. I told you a hundred dragonflies woulde for you in a dream if you lied, right? Yes. You have to speak truthfully from here, then. Young Gongson Ahri nodded vigorously, enough to visibly shake her pink cheeks a little. Gongson Chun Gi then threw a direct question at his daughter. Whos the one thats bothering you? Gongson Ahri stayed silent for a while when she heard the question. She then slowly swallowed her spit out of nervousness, and spoke just about when Gongson Chun Gis patience was about to run out. Dad. Yeah, just tell me. ..Am I a monster? ..What? Was my mom a monster? Monster? Gongson Chun Gis face stiffened. The thing that he was most worried about had finally happened. Was that what your friends were saying? Gongson Ahri paused a bit, then nodded. When Gongson Chun Gis face stiffened even more, Gongson Ahri spoke in a worried tone. The nanny told me to not tell you that because youd get worried. So I tried to lie. Sorry, dad. Gongson Chun Gi felt his daughters tiny hand rub against one of his cheecks, and sighed deeply. When he did that, the thing that was about to erupt out of himself slowly subsided. Right. This wasnt something that could be solved by getting angry in the first ce. Children are honest, and straightforward. That didnt go for just Gongson Ahri. All children were like this. To children who were like that, Gongson Ahris unique, beautiful looks mustve looked quite strange. Damn it. He was able to understand with his mind, but his heart couldnt ept it. Gongson Chun Gi was able to shrug off most things without batting an eye, thanks to training his mental capacity for long periods of time. But when it came to things like this, it seemed he, like many others, became a normal father. Are you ok, dad? Gongson Chun Gi didnt respond to his daughters worried voice. That was because he felt like he would swear if he opened his mouth now. But unexpectedly, his chaotic mind became organized rtively quickly. This is actually a good thing. This was a chance. A chance to organize everything at once. Gongson Chun Gi put on his usual face of rxation again, and smiled. Hm,e to think of it, your mother mightve really not been human. What? When Gongson Ahri looked at her father with eyes as big as saucers, Gongson Chun Gi stroked her hair and smiled mischievously. I still cant believe that there would actually be a human as beautiful as her among humans. Yeah, your moms definitely not human. Gongson Ahri, who had been observing her father carefully, asked a question with a serious face. Then, was mom a pretty monster? Gongson Chun Gi inwardly smiled when he saw his daughters serious face. No. What makes you think that? Do I really look like I have low standards like that? Gongson Ahri shook her head. Her father was the strongest man on earth. He was a man who could fight the world on his own. When Gongson Ahri was looking at her father with eyes full of respect, Gongson Chun Gi lowered his voice and began to whisper. Those kids know wong. This is a secret, but Ill tell you about it. What is it? When Gongson Ahri began to whisper, too, Gongson Chun Gi brought his mouth next to his daughters ears and spoke. Your mom was actually a fairy. (TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_(Taoism)) What? When Gongson Ahri began to blink her wide eyes in surprise, Gongson Chun Gi put his finger up into the sky and spoke. Dont you know about fairies? The ones that live up in the sky castle? Gongson Ahri tried to say something about her fathers nonchnt act. But before she could, Gongson Chun Gi ruffled her hair, and said something. You know, humans instinctively fear what is stronger than them. And when they see something unusual, something different than them, they try to make it look worse than them. Humans are really narrow-minded, arent they? .. But dont worry. Sometimes, therees people like daddy here, who really have good eyes. And when you meet a person like that, youll know. Youll realize what the real thing is like so dont worry about what the idiots say, ok? Gongson Ahri didnt say anything, and just tightly held onto her fathers hand. surawang_46 * * * Cho Ryu Hyang stared at Gongson Ahri. Gongson Ahri, too, stared at Cho Ryu Hyang. The two didnt avoid their gaze, and looked into each others eyes for a while. They were looking at each other as if they were having a staring contest. The one to look away first was, unexpectedly, Gongson Ahri. It feels weird. She had never looked at someone in the eyes for so long, save Gongson Chun Gi. After all, everyone whose eyes met with hers was quick to look away. She didnt know why they were doing that in the past, but now, she could see why they looked away. Once you look at someone straight in the eye, it feels like your mind can be read by the other person. Whats your name? Gongson Ahri sighed in relief, and asked this question with a calm face. When she looked away, she felt a little calmer than before. . Cho Ryu Hyang wrinkled his brows a little bit, and answered while looking at Gongson Ahri. Cho Ryu Hyang. He had heard from Um Seung Do that he didnt need to pay respect to anyone in the church, but this person here was still Gongson Chun Gis daughter. How should he respond? His answer became short without him realizing it. Thankfully, Gongson Ahri didnt get offended by his attitude one bit. Cho Ryu Hyang, Ryu Hyang. Its a pretty name. Gongson Ahri repeated Cho Ryu Hyangs name several times quietly, and grinned. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly turned away when he saw that. Watching the girl made him feel a little weird for some reason. Right then. pC! Gongson Ahri, who had been grinning till now, pped her hands and spoke. Ah! Youre dads new disciple, right? When Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, Gongson Ahri became a little amazed. She knew about it. She knew how much her father worked to find a disciple. His standards were too high. Gongson Chun Gis standards for picking someone was high. Perhaps a little too high. The boy that her father, her father with really high standards, chose was right here. Gongson Ahri quickly began to observe Cho Ryu Hyang with sparkling eyes. When Cho Ryu Hyang saw this, he too became a little interested. He began to use the Faultless View of The World. * * * That old grannys here? Yes. She came here a while ago, requesting that she wished to see you. Gongson Chun Gi looked at the people in front of him with a unenthusiastic face. Do I really have to meet her? There is no need to do so, your holiness. Ju Sang San, one of the eight guardians, replied immediately. No matter what happens, he would always be on the Popes side. As Gongson Chun Gi seemed a little reluctant to go, Ju Sang San immediately sided with him. But Gang Chang, who was making the report to the Pope, quickly spoke. She is thest Oracle (Ů) of the church. I believe you should give her an audience, as she dragged her old body all the way here for your holiness. Goddess? Shes just a simple monk (Ů). Dont be fooled, Gang Chang. Guardian Wu, who had been watching this from the sidelines, said this. When Gang Chang heard this, he quickly apologized. Yes, I made a mistake. Shes thest monk of the church. Your holiness, please go meet her with your kind heart. Gongson Chun Gi looked at Gang Chang quietly. The man in front of him had business sense, and was talented in many things. But he just had too much attachment regarding traditions and whatnot. Even if he was really attached to traditions, however, Gang Chang would never pester Gongson Chun Gi this much. There definitely had to be some other factor at hand. Did she made a prediction again? .. Gang Chang couldnt reply immediately. Gongson Chun Gi looked at the troubled man in front of him, and sighed. She mustve made a prediction regarding my life this time or something, by the looks of it. Gang Chang bowed down immediately. .This one is just worried about your holinesss health. The or.no, the monks prophecies never failed to take effect. Gongson Chun Gi seemed uninterested. She was just lucky. But her time is over. Making predictions with my life is just like gambling. This is good, actually. That stupid granny. But unlike what the Pope had said, everyones face in the room went stiff. They all knew. They all knew how urate the monks prophecies were. They werent afraid of her power, but they all had to admit that her prophecies were something that couldnt be taken lightly. Soon, everyone had a worried expression on their face. Everyone here was extremely worried about the Popes health. He was, after all, the strongest Pope in the history of the church. Not only that, Gongson Chun Gi had a strange power that just made people gather towards him. To them, Gongson Chun Gi definitely was someone they didnt want to lose. What? Are you all actually believing that old granny? .It might be good for your holiness to go meet her. When even Ju Sang San changed his attitude carefully like this, Gongson Chun Gis face twisted. You shouldnt believe in things like those. Im not gonna die. Cant you see how healthy I am? When Gongson Chun Gi began flexing to show off his bulky muscles, Guardian Wu and Guardian Ju both sighed. Your holiness, were serious. If that granny made a prophecy like that, this isnt a matter that can be ignored that easily. Che, you guys are no fun. You get worried too much. Gongson Chun Gi rolled his sleeves back down, and stood up unenthusiastically. He was going to get outside. Gang Chang hurriedly said something when he saw this. Your holiness, please. I know that you dont wish to do it, but please meet the monk at least once. She says she has a solution to bypass the prophecy. When Gang Chang said this with a desperate tone, Gongson Chun Gi sighed. Gongson Chun Gi hated doing anything troublesome, but he didnt want his subordinates to worry about him. Ande to think of it, he had something that he had to settle with that granny. He had been putting it off for such a long time, because it was just bothersome. Fine, Ill go meet her. Thank you, your holiness. But its not because I believe in her prophecy. I dont believe in that stuff. Im just meeting her because I dont want her to say anything like this ever again. Alright. Gang Chan just made a happy face. When he heard the monks prophecy, he tried to make the monk tell him the way to prevent the Popes death, but she just wouldnt talk. She would keep saying that shed only talk when the Pope came. Because of that, he came all the way here to request the Pope to meet her. Guardian Wu. Yes, your holiness. Set up the coronation ceremony for my disciple with Guardian Ju. This is going to be an important event this year. Dont make any mistakes. Gang Chang, you go make a report on the state of the Martial World right now. Understood. Gongson Chun Gi began to walk towards the ce where the monk resided aftermanding his subordinates. Like mentioned earlier, the Heavenly Demon Church was a very religious group. From the past, the people of the church believed in a mythical being known as God (). The sun and the moon. Before the Pope known as the Heavenly Demon came to being, the official name for the Heavenly Demon Church was the Church of the Sun and Moon (). It was a religion that worshipped the sun and the moon. But after the Heavenly Demon appeared, the church changedpletely. The church began to move into a new world. From there, the church had a big contradiction. From a long time ago, the church had a Pope that represented God. But there was also someone who held an equal amount of power as the Pope. The Pope represented the absolute power of the sun, and the Oracle (Ů) represented the Gods voice, or the moon. She was a very special existence. Every year, she would take on the soul of god (Ӛ) and make a prophecy, and every year, she would perform two big ceremonies. Because of that, the Oracle had as much power as the Pope. But when the Heavenly Demon became the Pope, everything changed. The Heavenly Demon didnt worship the sun and the moon. Instead, he just decided to change the whole religion itself so that everyone would worship him instead. He himself became a living god. And he had the right to be one, too. He had destroyed enemies several times bigger than them, and created the Ten Thousand Great Mountains by himself. From then on, the churchs name changed to the Heavenly Demon Church. Thanks to that, the Oracles authority went up in the air. But no one really questioned that for thest few centuries. There were no problems until Gongson Chun Gi became the Pope, at least. But when Gongson Chun Gi became the Pope, this logic just shattered to pieces. There can only be one god. Two is unneeded. The coronation of the Pope. When Gongson Chun Gi became the Pope, this was the first thing he said. And in front of everyone in the church, he just took the Oracles staff and turned it into find powder. There is no need for an Oracle. Her existence itself is just useless. After saying that, he took off the Oracles symbol of power, the crown, and spoke. I wont kill you. But you cannot get a heir from now. The time of Oracles woulde to an end with you. That was what he had said. And on that day, the Oracle turned into a simple monk. Gongson Chun Gi stood in front of the door of the building where the Oracle was in, and stroked his chin. Come to think of it, its the first time meeting her after that incident. What kind of a face would she have? That granny didnte out to any of the ceremonies for several decades after the incident. He thought the granny lived well on her own alone, but was he thinking of things too simply? Well, Ill know when I meet her. When Gongson Chun Gi waved his hand, the door in front of him opened silently. On the other side, he could see an old woman standing politely. Youre finally here, your holiness. Its been a while, granny. Gongson Chun Gi and the Oracle. The meeting between the two, the two known to have a bad rtionship with each other, started more peacefully than one would think. Chapter 47. The Secret Between The Two Chapter 47. The Secret Between The Two Rin approached the two people stealthily, but hesitated along the way. Did the youngdy ever talk with someone she saw for the first time as naturally as that? Rin quickly scrolled through her memories, but there didnt seem to be a case of that ever happening. Should she really ruin this moment? Did she have the qualifications to do that? Rins mind was filled with chaos. Uu, what do I do? Rin nced at the other side of the artificial pond. She couldnt sense it, but the administrator was probably watching her from the other side. She didnt have the courage to face the mans cold gaze again. Rin thought for a while, then bit her lips and steeled her heart. If she dyed things longer, things might get really troublesome. Rin from the Ruling Fire Housees to take the youngdy. When Rin suddenly made her appearance, Gongson Ahri made a surprised expression. Rin. Rin spoke before Gongson Ahri could say anything. .The elders in the house will get worried if you stay out this long, youngdy. A frustrated face. Gongson Ahri stared at Rins face with a helpless expression, then soon turned to Cho Ryu Hyang with a sad face. It looks like I have to go back now. .. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt reply. His meeting with her was quite interesting, but that was it. Theres no need to pay attention to anything else. That was how Cho Ryu Hyang stabilized his trembling heart. For some reason, whenever he looked at Gongson Ahri, he felt a little weird. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses, and looked at the two people in front of him. At the same time, he could see the number floating above Gongson Ahris head. 73. It looks like you really cant fool blood. Gongson Ahri. Her talent had an astronomical value of seventy three. And. Cho Ryu Hyang looked around, and scratched his cheeks. He hadnt noticed it before, but there happened to be an immense number of people hiding in the shadows around him. It looked like they were there to protect the garden. And amongst them, there was a single man who stood out of everyone else. Who is that? Cho Ryu Hyangs interest was no longer on Gongson Ahri, but rather that person. That person who was hiding on top of a single tree. This person, who had a gray mantle on his face, possessed a number that far outstripped everyone elses. 80. Who is that? Cho Ryu Hyang became curious. Right then, Gongson Ahri stood up from her spot, and took off the bracelet around her arm. It was good seeing you. Here, this is a present from me to you. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the bracelet in front of him. The bracelet was made of dark jade. At first nce, one could tell that this object was something very precious. Cho Ryu Hyang, after taking a good look at it, looked back up at Gongson Ahri and spoke. I have no reason to take this from you. Gongson Ahri shook her head. Youre wrong. You do have a reason to take this from me. And what would that reason be? You said you are dads disciple, right? That means youre like family to me. .. While Cho Ryu Hyang was wondering if that really was a valid excuse, Gongson Ahri looked down and spoke. Thank you for bing dads disciple. Please take care of him well. Gongson Ahri forced the bracelet into his hands while he was frozen in ce, not knowing what to do. I hope we meet again in the future. .. Cho Ryu Hyang simply stared at Gongson Ahri, while she quickly walked away. He soon came back to his senses, then started to look at the top of the tree next to him. He was doing that because on the tree was a man in gray, who was looking down at Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang could feel a strong sense of distrust in that mans eyes. He can see me? The administrator. He quickly dispelled the thought that came up in his mind. It just wasnt possible. Other than the Pope himself, there was no one in the church who could find him if he hid himself. Even the strongest of the eight guardians, Guardian Wu and Ju, wouldnt be able to find him, unless, of course, he was caught off guard. The administrator. He was actually a hidden harmonious expert. But then, that gaze. Wasnt the boy clearly staring right at him? A feeling of suspicion slowly crept up in the administrators heart. While the administrator was caught in something of a dilemma, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. I want to talk to you. .! Can youe down? The administrator opened his mouth, and closed it again. His impossible suspicion was actually correct. surawang_47 * * * Rin, how was I? Did I look weird? Yes. You looked weird. Really? What do I do. .. Rin didnt immediately respond to Gongson Ahri. She just made a bitter face. Gongson Ahris red face didnt disappear, even after leaving the garden. The reason for that was obvious. It was so obvious, it was startling, even. Did you fall for him? Gongson Ahri stopped moving, and looked at Rin. Eeh? What does that mean? Did you fall for Cho Ryu Hyang? Gongson Ahri made a dumb face when she faced multiple questions from Rin. Did I really. I dont know. Hmm. Rin became a little worried when she saw Gongson Ahri be confused like this. Gongson Ahri was a person who was scared of human rtionships. Cho Ryu Hyang may have not known this, but the attitude Gongson Ahri showed to Cho Ryu Hyang while talking actually took her a lot of courage. I really hope she gets rewarded for doing that. Cho Ryu Hyang was probably the first person ever to look at Gongson Ahri straight in the eye while talking. That was probably what made Gongson Ahri so social. Would he not like me? A depressed void came out of Gongson Ahri. Rin took a look at the girl next to her, and opened her mouth. No way. Theres no one capable of not liking you. Rinbed Gongson Ahris hair, which had turned messy while running, and spoke. After all, youre prettier than anyone else in the world, right? You should have some confidence. Thanks, Rin. Rin smiled when she saw Gongson Ahris toothy grin. By the way, just what do you like about him? Gongson Ahri began to think seriously when she heard this question. Just what did she like about him? After thinking for a bit, Gongson Ahri looked at Rin, and answered. Eyes. Ive never seen someone with eyes that pretty. Rin squinted her eyes when she heard that. Then she smiled mischievously, and spoke. Looks like you really did fall for him. Eh? Eeh? Gongson Ahri finally figured out that she had been tricked, but before she could do anything else, Rin quickly pushed in. Thats good. Girls turn pretty when they fall in love. Youre definitely going to get prettier in the future. Rin! Gongson Ahri let out a nervous shout. Rin smiled, and spoke. Ill keep it a secret from others. Really? Yeah. But youll have to listen to me from now on, alright? Nn. Gongson Ahri hugged Rin tightly. Rin pat Gongson Ahri in return, and decided to help the girl in her endeavors. * * * Youre probably not going to believe the prophecies that this old hags going to talk about. Obviously. Gongson Chun Gis answer was frank. However, the monk wasnt surprised. Perhaps she already expected something like this to happen? She simply smiled, and opened her mouth. I knew it. Youre that kind of a person, after all. The oracle. The old female who used to be called that hesitated for a moment, then began to talk. Contrary to what others think, I dont actually hate you. In fact, Im grateful towards you. Do you know that? Gongson Chun Gi looked at the oracle, and smirked. Of course I do. Did you also know that I was in love with you from a young age? It was a question that strayed from the main topic. Gongson Chun Gi stroked his beard, and smiled. You looked at me all the time. There was no way I wouldnt have noticed. The oracle smiled. She was finally able to confess her feelings after several decades. It felt good. There really are some good things that happenter in my life. I thought I would never be able to say it. I was too embarrassed. The oracle said this, and stared at Gongson Chun Gis face. She spoke. I hated this job from the first moment. My position was quite high, but I was able to do nothing on my own. It was a frustrating life. You were the one who set me free from those chains. Im thankful for that. It needed to happen anyways. Theres no reason for you to be thankful. The oracle nodded. Gongson Chun Gi became a Pope at too young an age. It was probably necessary for the young him to push off the oracle in order to secure his position. The oracle looked down at her wrinkled hands, and opened her mouth. Martial arts are really quite unfair. To think that Im dying already, and you didnt even change from the past. Its unfair. Gongson Chun Gi didnt say anything. He just looked at the oracle for a while, and frowned. There was a ck energy surrounding the oracle. It was the cloud of death. You really are dying. The oracle confirmed it. Ill probablyst 15 days at most. Is that a prophecy? Prophecies. Gongson Chun Gi felt a sense of rejection at the very word. Therefore, he made a very ufortable expression. The oracle grinned when she saw Gongson Chun Gis expression. Hoho, if you dont like that expression, lets just call it the wisdom of life. Wisdom of life. Thats not a bad way of putting it. Gongson Chun Gi brought a cup of tea to his mouth, and spoke. Honestly, you were quite a fine woman. Thanks. You should me me for having such high expectations for everything. The oracle looked at Gongson Chun Gi, and cheerfully smiled. Hoho, but I really didnt think youd fall in love with a foreigner. Aah, she really was amazing. The best woman in my life. When Gongson Chun Gi gave a thumbs up, the oracle smiled. At the time, there was an immense amount of rejection from the members of the church, but no one could get Gongson Chun Gi to change his mind. At the time, a marriage with a foreigner really was too abnormal. And to think a person like the Pope of the Heavenly Demon Church would try to marry a foreigner. Such a thing has never happened in the course of history itself. But it still happened. After all, the Pope really was set on marrying the woman. Seeing you try to learn the foreignersnguage and culture really touched me. Even if you had to learn everything again from the start, you still looked happy. Aah, I was indeed happy. Gongson Chun Gi licked his lips as he said that. Even if the time he spent with her was small, his regret of having to see her gosted to this day. But he was still satisfied. After all, didnt his wife leave him with something that he wouldnt even be able to trade with the world? The oracle, who had been observing Gongson Chun Gi think of the past, spoke. You know, even if I never was able to say what I had in my mind, I still got satisfied with just looking at you every day. It was the only thing that I really enjoyed in life. Gongson Chun Gi rested his head on his hand, and grinned at the oracle. Youre saying all this at this age, of all things? Theres a lot of women who do the same thing as you, you know? The oracle smiled. Gongson Chun Gis brazen attitude still hadnt changed from the past. Looks like you just brought me here to say everything you wanted to say before you died. Ill let you off for once, damned hag. The oracle nodded. Then, she straightened her back, and put on a serious face, contrary to before. Just think of what Im about to say as an old womans nagging. An old womans nagging. is it something like a wisdom of life? Gongson Chun Gi looked at the oracle as he leaned back on his chair even more than before. The oracle nodded and spoke. It didnt matter what the Pope thought. She just wanted to have the Pope listen to her words at least once. That would be sufficient. I got a prophecy about ten days ago. Of course, you wouldnt believe this. Hmmmm. A prophecy was something very uncertain. After all, even God is something that people doubt exist, dont they? From the moment the church stopped worshipping the sun and the moon, God lost its power. But she got a prophecy despite that? Was she telling him to believe in something that he didnt know where it came from? Gongson Chun Gi didntin, though. From the start, he didnt believe in either God or prophecies. But he was still kind enough to listen to what a old woman had to say. A darkness will descend from the North. Its going to be dangerous. The North. What was up in the North again? While Gongson Chun Gi was thinking of such things, the oracle spoke again. You cant see the danger now, but its already near, so youll have to get ready for it. After all, this danger is so great, that it might be a threat even to you. Gongson Chun Gi smiled. The only thing that could threaten him was time. Age. Even Gongson Chun Gi couldnt stop the terrifying power of time. But other than that, there was no one in the entire world who could be a threat to him. The oracle should know this better than anyone. But since it was the oracle, who knew of his power, saying this in the first ce, he became quite amused. Interesting. A martial artists life was full of dangers. Since the Alliance was significantly weakened, the Heavenly Demon Church had no enemies under the heavens. But he still had to be on guard? He didnt believe in prophecies in the first ce, but this was actually quite interesting. Ill be looking forward to it, hag. The oracle smiled. This was good. As long as the Pope was aware of this situation, all would be well. The Pope she knew was a person strong enough to destroy the heavens. As long as such a person knew of the dangers that might befall him, he should be able to deal with it properly. Hoho, now I can die in peace. Gongson Chun Gi refilled the oracles empty cup with tea, and spoke. I pray that you go to a good ce. This was the end. Speaking any more than this would just make things awkward. This would be thest meeting between Gongson Chun Gi and the oracle. After exactly 15 days, the oracle died. It was all ording to her prophecy. Chapter 48. The Third Bet Chapter 48. The Third Bet The boy licked off the blood on his hand with his tongue. He could feel pain as he tasted the blood in his mouth. Come to think of it, no part of his body was undamaged at that point. His whole body was filled with injuries. But he still managed tough. Heughed while being covered with blood. He was happy. He was happy taht he survived. He was happy that he survived that hellhole. He managed to survive by using hisrades as a stepping stone. KrrrngC Suddenly, the giant stone that covered one of the stone walls began to move, letting in a stream of light. The boy held up his hand to block it. After a while, his eyes began to adapt to the light. Is this it? Yes, sir. Hm, he looks useful. Hes the boy that made it out of the the Prison of Life and Death (z) in the shortest amount of time. His body is very solid, too. Even the Medicinal House approved of the boys physique. Hoh? The boy didnt know who the people outside were. Actually, there really was no need for him to know them. What is your name, child? The boy spat out the intestine he had been chewing, and answered. 7984. He had forgotten his name a long time ago. After all, it was necessary to throw away useless things like names or memories in order to survive in this hell. Ke, I like your eyes. Good. Lets use him. I hope the Pope likes him, too. If he doesnt like this boy either, I really dont know who to choose. Dont worry. Were sure to get a decent result this time. The old man approached the boy with a satisfied smile. The boy flinched, and instinctively swung his sword, but it was useless against the old man. DengC Kuk! The boy had swung his sword straight at the old mans neck, but the one to get hurt was unexpectedly, the boy. Looking at the boy, who had been stumbling backwards due to getting his hand ripped, the old man spoke. Che, looks like Im going to have to teach you some manners before I take you to the Pope. Damn it, isnt this boy more like an animal than a human right now? Ill fix him right now. The man who had been standing behind the old man. He took out the whip hanging on his waist, and spoke with a dreary face. (TL: Whoa, this is way more hardcore than the way Tang San learned manners) It would do if youe back after four days, sir. Alright. Ill leave it to you. * * * After four days, when the old man came back to visit, the boy looked very different from before. It was evident by the fact that the boy, who were a clean white robe, greeted the old man properly. Un Hui (x) of the Earth Sword Party (؄h) greets Guardian Ju Sang San. The white leader from the Earth Sword Party. This was the new form of the boy. Hoh? You look quite nice like this. But Un Hui? Is that your real name? ..Yes. How about your surname? Did you forget about it? ..Yes. Since its been so long since he had been called by that name, he just barely managed to remember his name. Well, fine. It should do. Follow me for now. We need to go see the Pope. Un Hui quietly followed Guardian Ju. He didnt know what would happen in the future, but he definitely wouldnt act foolishly like before. This ce was filled with monstrous experts like this old man here. If he made trouble here with the little power he had, he would die in an instant. This is where the Pope is. Act politely in front of him. I understand. Un Hui breathed carefully, and waited. Like the giant que of the building that read Temple of The Sacred Heart (}ĵ), the door was equally giant. KrrrrrrC After a while, the doors opened outwards, and the Pope who had been sitting inside could be seen. The man who held the most power in the history of the church, and the Pope who was the strongest out of all others in history. Is this child the one? Gongson Chun Gi. He greeted his little visitor with a bored face. Yes. Hes the boy that passed the Prison of Life and Death in the shortest time. Hes 18 years old. Hm. He looks younger though? What was the time it took him to pass the prison? Eight months. Eight months? Hes pretty good. But unlike what he was saying, one couldnt really sense any thrilling from Gongson Chun Gi. Ju Sang San became a little agitated when he saw this. Please look carefully, your holiness. This is a boy with a good physique that even the Medicinal House approved of. As he has solid foundation, and plenty of talent, he should be worthy of bing your disciple. Yeah? You might be right. Gongson Chun Gi looked at Un Hui with dull eyes. Right then. Eh? Un Hui flinched, and stepped back. Without even knowing why he was doing it, he began to look around urgently. What was that? Gongson Chun Gi, when he saw the boys actions, became a little interested, and stood up. You actually brought something quite good this time. Gongson Chun Gi, who had been so far from the boy previously, suddenly appeared right in front of Un Hui. While Un Hui had been gulping in air out of surprise, Gongson Chun Gi walked even closer to Un Hui, and looked down at the boy. Then, the man brought up Un Huis chin, observed the boy for a while, then grinned. He certainly has some potential. A boy who can feel when he cant even see. a strange one, he is. Quite interesting, actually. Y, you mean. When Guardian Ju made a expectant face while trembling, Gongson Chun Gi looked at something, clicked his tongue, and shook his head. Hes stillcking. And he already developed too many skills. He developed too much, so its useless. Its too bad, Guardian Ju. Kuk! No way! When Guardian Ju made a face of despair, Un Hui, who had been quiet till then, opened his mouth. Just what about me iscking? Mm? A rather defiant voice. When Ju Sang San frowned and tried to reprimand the bot, Gongson Chun Gi nodded. Mm, you have something missing. Its something so small, that the likes of you wouldnt even be able to notice it. But the difference between having that one thing and not having it is tremendous. I can fix it. Its something that you cant really fix. I can do it. Un Hui looked straight at the Pope as he replied. The boys eyes were filled with a certain thing. A strong energy was contained within those eyes. It was desire. You! Impudent! When Ju Sang San tried to subdue Un Hui with a angered face, the Pope blocked him. Hey! Dont get so angry, Guardian Ju. Youre going to get a stroke that way. Were going to finish this by tomorrow at most anyway, so why are you being like this? B, but that boy dared to in front of you.. Just wait a bit. Lets try handle this like adults, yeah? Gongson Chun Gi pushed away the raging Guardian sideways, and walked over to Un Hui. He opened his mouth. You said you can fix it? Yes. The Pope smiled. It was a smile that contained a hint of his mischievousness. Interesting. Yes, a man needs to have that kind of an arrogance. Fine, Ill give you a chance. Gongson Chun Gi stroked his chin, and opened his mouth. Lets make a bet, child. What are we striking here? Gongson Chun Gi pointed at the ground when Un Hui asked this. The Heavenly Demon Church. If you win, Ill give you this. Your holiness! When Guardian Ju screamed loudly, Gongson Chun Gi pushed the man away again and spoke. I am a very generous man, you see. If youre going to bet something, it needs to be something as big as this, dont you think? Un Hui didnt say anything, and looked at Gongson Chun Gis eyes. The Popes eyes were filled with mischievousness, but it was also filled with confidence. And with that confidence came an immense amount of energy that wouldnt bow down to anyone. Hes not a person to lie. Un Hui nodded. Ill do it. Good. You have spirit. Thats how a man should be! Kuhahaha! Gongson Chun Gi revealed his white teeth, and smiled joyously. Then, now that Ive shown you what Im going to stake in this bet, its high time you showed me yours, right? What will you stake in this bet? Un Hui thought a bit. What should he stake? Did he have something that actually was worth the entire church? Un Hui, who had been looking at the grinning Pope, was stuck with a single thought that opened his eyes. I do have something like that. Un Hui looked directly at Gongson Chun Gi, and opened his mouth. I will bet myself. Yourself? Yes. I will bet the remainder of my life here. Un Hui struck his chest confidently, and spoke. Gongson Chun Gi simply looked at the boy without saying anything. And then he smiled. It seems that you really hold yourself in high regard. The church is not as cheap as you might think, you know. . But thats not bad. I suppose your life is the only thing you have that you can bet. Since you found something close to the actual answer, Ill take it. Gongson Chun Gi finished speaking, and wordlessly stretched his fist out to Un Hui. When Un Hui made a confused expression, Gongosn Chun Gi grinned and spoke. A mans words! (Ѓһ) Un Huis eyes shone, as he struck his own fist on the Popes. Is worth a thousand gold! (ظɽ) surawang_48 Whilst Guardian Ju was just standing on the sidelines with a sour face, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. Ah. Come to think of it, we didnt talk about what the contents of our bet was, did we? Un Hui made a Oops face and nodded. Lets settle it on something we both find eptable, shall we? Alright. The time will be. mm, ten years should do it. Yes, this should be worth about ten years. That was how the ten year bet between Un Hui and the Pope. And the end of the bet resulted in Un Huis defeat. It was the administrators defeat. * * * I was almost done. If he had a bit more time, the church wouldve been his. Because of that thought, the administrators face as he looked at Cho Ryu Hyang was a little twisted. That shouldve been my spot. The administrator bit his lips. The position as the heir. That position couldve been his. Over the past decade, he and the Pope made a total of three bets. The first two bets, the administrator won. But Youre pretty good. If I dont manage to find a disciple by the end of the ten-year period, I will make you, Un Hui, the heir of the church. When Un Hui won the second bet by bing an expert of the harmonious level, that was what the Pope had said to him. Administrator Un Hui. He was excited. After all, the Pope had said his name for the first time. So he began thinking that he won thest bet already. But that wasnt what happened. A bitter taste spread throughout his tongue. There wasnt even a year left until the ten-year bet between him and the Pope ended. It truly was unexpected. Just how should he take on the kid that the Pope brought in from the outside? [I won the bet without desiring to do so. You must feel quite depressed. Im sorry.] When the Pope said this to Un Hui as soon as he returned, Un Hui felt a surge of emotion wash over him. It wasnt because he lost the bet. It was because of what the Pope said; that Im sorry from the Pope was what made him sad. So this kid is actually better than me in some way? He couldnt admit it. No matter how much he looked, the boy wasnt well-developed, nor did the boy look physically fit. So why? Why was this boy chosen to be the heir of the church? The Pope surely didnt choose this boy just to win the bet. The Pope Un Hui knew wasnt someone to do something like that. So theres something about this kid that only the Pope can see? This was his conclusion. Un Hui ground his teeth. He had to find the truth. He had to find it, so that he could go tell the Pope that the Pope made a wrong decision. I will find it. Regardless of the past, the position as the Pope of the church didnt really interest Un Hui. It was just that he was afraid that he would be distanced from the man he already regarded as his teacher, the Pope. Un Hui took a look at the boy who called him out, sighed in his mind, jumped down to the ground and bowed. The boy surprisingly managed to find him while he was in hiding. I am the administrator, young lord. I am sorry for introducing myself sote. You can lift your head now. The administrator lifted his head to take a look at Cho Ryu Hyang. His eyes, which had been so full ofplex emotions just a moment ago, looked extremely calm, like a te of ice. After all, he wasnt an inexperienced person who would show his inner thoughts to others. I have something to ask. Please do, young lord. The boy probably did have something special. After all, the fact alone that the boy managed to find him proved that he was abnormal. But I still wont acknowledge him. He couldve made a mistake that revealed himself to the boy without realising it. While he had been thinking that, Cho Ryu Hyang looked around and spoke. Whats this formation you people set up here? Its has an interesting shape. The administrators eyes narrowed. Formation? Could it be that this boy managed to find the Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation (ѪӜ섦)? The formation that no one managed to notice in the history of the church? He has enough talent to find such a thing? This child? That shouldnt be possible. Cho Ryu Hyang, not caring about the administrators current feelings whatsoever, looked at the people in hiding and thought. Normally, theres five. At the time of transformation, about seven? No, there should be more. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes sparkled a bit. There were about a hundred people hiding here, and when an enemy attacked, they would surelye out like a fierce storm to attack the enemy by following a specific rule. And the variables that controlled the transformation of this rule. These variables were more numerous than he had preciously thought. This is amazing. Cho Ryu Hyang grabbed a stick from the ground, and began to draw something on the ground. A tactical formation and a normal formation werent all that different in essence. Thats why he began to draw the entire formation out on the ground, in order to predict all the moves that made up the formation. What is he At first, he didnt know what the boy was doing. After a while, the administrators eyes widened. The thing the boy was drawing right now was definitely a destruction method of the Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation. Swish! The administrator quickly swiped away the thing Cho Ryu Hyang had been drawing with his feet. Then, he began to re at Cho Ryu Hyang with enraged eyes, and thought something. You, just what are you? Chapter 49. The Young Witch’s Visit Chapter 49. The Young Witchs Visit Practically all the authority in the Heavenly Demon Church belonged to the Pope. Naturally, that meant the Pope possessed quite a bit of power within the church. Not surprisingly, he, the Pope, had up to four military divisions of the church under him. There was the Maras Heavenly Wind Division (ħ_L), the Popes bodyguards. The Guardians, who were few in number, but boasted the most power in the entirety of the church. The Disciplinary Division, who were the ones to maintain order within the church. Andstly, there was the Ruling Fire House (m). This isnt a matter we can just overlook. The captivating woman wearing a red dress. She had a skin white as snow, with lips that matched the white skin. Adding to that, her light purple hair gave the woman a mystical aura. She was Baek So Chun (), the current master of the Ruling Fire House, and the one who was known as me Witch in the martial world. Her external appearance suggested that she was in herte twenties, but in reality, this woman was well over forty years old. How could this woman disy such effects, when she hadnt even entered the Harmonious stage? The reason was because of two things: her innate strength, and the special magic unique to the Ruling Fire House was what gave Baek So Chun her youthful appearance. This was why this woman was able to stay young after so many years. Rin (). Yes, master. I entrusted the job of looking after Ahri to you and your sister, did I not? Do you have anything to say about the failure of your job? ..I apologize, master. Rin couldnt say anything. Not only did she lose the youngdy, she had to go all the way to the Grass Shoe Garden without even getting a proper invitation. The Ruling Fire House really lost face because of what happened this time. Even if this event didnt seem too significant to outsiders, to the members of the Ruling Fire House, who were secluded by nature, this was something very serious. The Ruling Fire House. They were one of the ten military divisions within the church, and the only one out of all of them to be solely consist of women. Ahri is still young. She is not yet mature. .. Things went well this time, but what if word got out about the youngdy, and something bad had happened? Who would take care of everything then? Do you have the courage to face the enraged Pope? Rin, when she heard Baek So Chuns question, drooped her head. The youngdy was the precious daughter of the Pope. The youngdy was brought up in a protected environment because of that. But perhaps that only became a problem for the youngdy. After all, the youngdy saw the world in too positive of a light. She didnt realize how dangerous the outside world was, nor did she realize how violent men could be at times. Normally, Id cut off your necks to set an example to the others, but Baek So Chun stopped talking for a bit, then looked over at Gongson Ahri, who was kneeling on the ground right outside, begging for forgiveness. Since it looks like Ahri sincerely reflected on her actions, Ill let you get off with a simple whipping (). (TL: In ancient Asia, when giving out punishment, people would often be pped on the butt with a heavy bat, usually up to 10 times for light punishment, and up to hundreds for more severe ones. Image) T, thank you, master. Rin let out a sigh of relief in her heart. At least they managed to control the whole situation just in time if the situation got out of hand, something bad definitely wouldve happened. Being let off with just this seemed like a gift from the heavens. Go pay the price for your actions, and reflect upon what you have done this time. Understood! When Baek So Chun waved her hand, the women in the area grabbed hold of Rin and Ryung, and took them outside. When Gongson Ahri tried to follow them, Baek So Chun stepped in front and stopped her. Ahri. Y, yes! When Gongson Ahri nervously replied back, Baek So Chun smirked, and rubbed Gongson Ahris cheeks. These girls are getting punished because of you. Look carefully. What? Gongson Ahri made a dark face whilst looking at Rin and Ryung get dragged away. Baek So Chun, amused by the girls expression, whispered some words to Gongson Ahri. If you get whipped without reinforcing yourself with internal energy, a single hit would make your skin explode and injure your muscles badly. It may be our lightest punishment, but getting hit about ten times should put them down for roughly ten days. Gongson Ahris eyes began to tremble. While Baek So Chun looked down at the poor scared girl with indescribable joy, Gongson Ahri made up her mind and spoke. Maam What? Gongson Ahri looked at Baek So Chun with a scared face, and opened her mouth. S, since this is all my fault in the first ce, cant I be punished instead? Baek So Chun toyed with that idea for a bit. No, she pretended to. Indeed, the cause of all this lie in Gongson Ahri. Because of that, Gongson Ahri would technically have to be punished. But.. I wouldnt be able to handle the consequences. Baek So Chun smiled bitterly in her mind. If she did indeed punish Gongson Ahri by whipping, it would be hard for her to escape the Popes wrath. Even if the Pope was usually very easygoing and rxed, when it came to his daughter, he was far from that. Baek So Chun knew that better than anyone. I cannot allow that. W, why cant I be punished? Is it because of my dad? It was a question that really hit the spot for Baek So Chun. But trying to deny that outright wont really educate the girl properly. Baek So Chun shook her head coldly without even flinching when hearing the question. You have the duty to watch these girls get punished. Yes, that should bring even more pain to you. This is my punishment for you. ! Do you understand what Im saying? When Gongson Ahri made a face filled with despair, Baek So Chun waved her hand. You can go ahead with the punishment. * * * From a while back, Gongson Ahri had been desperately moving bandages and medicine everywhere, trying to help patch up Rin and Ryungs buttocks which had been sted to smithereens by the whips. Rin, does it really hurt that much? Yes. It really hurts. I thought my butt was going to disappear. Gongson Ahri, when she heard that, nodded and muttered under her breath without realizing it. Youre right. It doesnt even look like a butt anymore. Its all thanks to you, youngdy. Gongson Ahri, who was kind of spaced out while rubbing medicine on the wounds of the two girls, became surprised upon hearing that, and panicked a bit. S, sorry. Are you angry? Yeah. Sorry, Rin. I mustve been crazy at the time. Apologize to my butt instead. Im sorry, Im sorry. When Ryung saw Gongson Ahri rub Rins buttocks whilst apologizing to it, she shouted out to the girl. Youngdy, Im hurting over here, too. Sorry, Ill get there now. Gongson Ahri quickly walked over to Ryungs bed, and began apologizing while rubbing the wound with medicine. Rin looked at the girl rubbing medicine on Ryungs buttcheecks, and smiled. Actually, such an amount of pain was nothing to Rin or Ryung. It should be the first time for Gongson Ahri to see something so bloody, but it was different for Rin or Ryung. To them, this punishment really was light. The martial world was not kind to women. It was a ce where one had to do anything in order to survive. If you thought about that, the martial world was actually a pretty good ce for both men and women. After all, it was a ce where strength was key. Rin felt her buttocks begin to heat up, and slowly closed her eyes. When she did so, she could see something. She could see the cold gaze of the Administrator from the morning. And It was the heir, right? The boy was called Cho Ryu Hyang, if she remembered correctly. To Rins eyes, the boy simply looked like a harmless ball of fur who lived a sheltered life. The boy had a face that really didnt suit the dangerous world she lived in. But that boy would soon be strong. Terrifyingly so. Thats what made her curious. Just where did hee from? Where did hee from? That boy didnt look like he was from the Heavenly Demon Church. Rin was getting curious of the heirs origins. * * * There were many Delivery Companies (˾) who set up their headquarters in the Sichuan castle. Out of all of them, there was a specificpany that Cho Ryu Hyang was rted to. Gray Sky Delivery Company (n˾). Cho Ryu Hyang was the heir of thispany. And in the present, thispany was facing a huge crisis. The ck Moon Guild wishes to have an official meeting with thepany head. Didnt I refuse you peoplest time? Tell your higher ups that Im busy. Official Xu (S), the one who managed domestic and international affairs of thepany, sweat profusely out of nervousness and spoke. This is different fromst time, sir. Last time, we simply sent out a messenger, but this time, we brought a card of friendship (: A business card of sorts used in the past. Throwing someone out even after that person brought this signified that the receiver didnt want to get involved with the visitor in any way, which could asionally cause a bad rtion to develop between two powers.) along with someone from headquarters. You rude bastards! BamC! The head of the Gray Heaven Delivery Company, Cho Mu Ryung (݄), mmed the table and stood up. When someone came at them so forcefully like this, there really was no need to treat them kindly. C, calm yourself, head. Cho Mu Ryung, who was about to stomp away in frustration, looked at Official Xu and frowned. What is it? The opponent this time isnt someone we can easily face. The opponent? Cho Mu Ryungs eyebrows bunched together upon hearing that. When working in a business like this, one frequentlyes across martial artists. Eventually, one gets a sense of what the martial world is like, and bes able to tell who is dangerous and who isnt. Official Xu was known to be more knowledgeable than anyone else in the Sichuan castle when it came to the martial world. If even a man like this was acting as such, there really mustve been something special about the person who came today. Even if the ck Moon Guild is big, they have little to no influence in the Sichuan area. They cant just easily barge in out of the blue. Of course I know that. Official Xu trembled a bit, and opened his mouth carefully. If they try to use force, everyone in the area would try and stop them, so we dont really have to fear them regarding that matter but if they use their brain, we should be quite afriad. What do you mean? Are they going to use some sort of a tactic or something? Official Xu lowered his body and whispered. The ck Moon Guild has a young witch. Didnt I tell you about her before? Did you forget? Ah.. Come to think of it, he did hear that the ck Moon Guild possessed a girl who was smarter than others by many times. The granddaughter of the Night Emperor, Neng Mu Gi. .You mean, that girl came all the way here herself? Yes. So you should really be cautious this time. I dont know why she came all the way here, but I dont think shes here to do any good. Cho Mu Ryung nodded. Even if he was facing a girl here, he couldnt underestimate her. She had the ck Moon Guild at her back, along with Neng Mu Gi, one of the three sovereigns. The ck Moon Guild was already quite scary, but Neng Mu Gi was even scarier. After all, Neng Mu Gi was a god of death who listened to no one. Thank you, Official Xu. Cho Mu Ryung calmed himself, and thanked Official Xu. If he greeted the girl in a frenzied state, something bad could have happened. Its nothing. After all, isnt this basically my responsibility? You make me feel reassured. Thank you. I wish you luck. Cho Mu Ryung nodded at Official Xu, and slowly entered the guest room. Inside, there was a red-haired girl in ck clothes. Surprisingly, she was alone. Hello. My name is Neng Ha Young. Seeing the girl politely greet him, Cho Mu Ryung introduced himself with a serious face. Im the head of thispany, Cho Mu Ryung. Its nice to meet you. Lets sit down before we talk, shall we? When Cho Mu Ryung offered a seat, Neng Ha Youngfortably sat down and spoke. You must be feeling quite anxious because of me, correct? How should he respond? Having a person from the ck Moon Guild here for a long time was not a good thing. Even though the Alliances power shrunk a bit after the battle with the Heavenly Demon Church, the region of Sichuan was still under the Alliances jurisdiction. Neither the ck Moon Guild nor the Heavenly Demon Church could move freely in this area. When Cho Mu Ryung made a troubled face instead of answering, Neng Ha Young opened her mouth. I cant remain here too long either. So why dont we just get straight to the point? That would be good. Neng Ha Young nodded. As much as Cho Mu Ryung found this whole situation ufortable, she didnt find this particrlyforting either. But she had something to ask him directly. Somebody was blocking their informationwork. Because of that, she couldnt get the information she wanted about Cho Ryu Hyang. So she just made up her mind and came all the way here. Honestly, she had an idea of who it was that was interfering the informationwork. But finding it out wouldnt really do her any good, so she was pretending to not know about it. The Alliance. Ill be sure to pay you back in full someday. Neng Ha Young thought of the Alliances informatics group, and grit her teeth. What do you want? Neng Ha Young looked around a bit when she heard Cho Mu Ryungs question. She couldnt sense anyone nearby. Well, it wouldnt matter if someone came inside, anyway. No, she was actually hoping someone woulde in. Neng Ha young carefully looked at Cho Mu Ryung, and opened her mouth. Is Cho Ryu Hyang your son? Cho Mu Ryungs face stiffened the moment he heard his sons nameing from the mouth of Neng Ha Young. He suddenly had an ominous feeling growing in his mind. How do you know my son? I met him by chance. Where? Cho Mu Ryung desperately tried to control his facial expressions, and looked at Neng Ha Young. Neng Ha Young stared back as she spoke. I met him at the Qilian mountains. Q, Qilian mountains?! Wasnt that the ce where the war took ce recently? Why was his son all the way over there? Cho Mu Ryung somehow calmed his heart, and began to think carefully. He was a merchant. He always had to have the worst possible situation in his mind, but he didnt want to do that. Not now. When did you meet him? Who was he with? Finally, a question she had been waiting for. Neng Ha Young smiled in her mind, and answered. I met him right before the war started, with the experts from the Heavenly Demon Church. Cho Mu Ryungs face paled. The worst scenario in his mind had actuallye to life. Chapter 50. The Uninvited Visitor Chapter 50. The Uninvited Visitor The Head of the Gray Heaven Delivery Company, Cho Mu Ryung, was standing out in his yard with a dumb face. Moments before, he had told that girl, Neng Ha Young, everything that she wanted to know. Now, he was just resting here in a daze. Dear, did something happen? Honey. Cho Mu Ryung looked at his wife with a frown. The wife sensed something ominous from her husbands face, so she approached her husband and lightly grabbed hold of his hand. Is there something troubling you? Our son. Cho Mu Ryungs wife, Yu Song Ryungs face stiffened. Their child was sent to an academy in order to learn more about subjects regarding the family business. Did something happen to the boy? When Yu Song Ryung made an anxious face, Cho Mu Ryung sighed and opened his mouth. Actually, a while ago, old man Jang sent me a message. It was about our boy going on a trip with his teacher. Apparently Jang couldnt stop them because they were so adamant about going. I didnt think much about it at the time, since our boy is a smart child, but to think he would go to the Qilian mountain. Yu Song Ryungs face paled. She knew about what had happened at the Qilian mountain. The Alliance-Demon War took ce, and an unimaginable amount of experts died. The story of the Alliances crushing defeat was still a hot topic. The problem was, their child was there where the war took ce. What happened to him? Is he safe? Cho Mu Ryung couldnt say anything to his wife, who suddenly gripped his hand much stronger than before. Even he didnt know much about the situation at hand. He didnt trust everything Neng Ha Young said, but because of that uneasy feeling he felt, he was asking anyone he could get his hands on about his son. Someone should contact us soon enough. What do you mean that someones going to contact us? Cho Mu Ryung looked into his wifes trembling eyes for a bit, then sighed. He then proceeded to tell her about the conversation he had with Neng Ha Young. Neng Ha Young suspected that their son was involved with the Heavenly Demon Church in some way. As her suspicions did make quite a lot of sense, Cho Mu Ryung was feeling extremely ufortable. If his son was indeed connected with the Heavenly Demon Church, it would cause a lot of problems. Its my fault. The moment in his life when he answered his sons question about the martial world lightly weighed heavily in his mind. A deliverypany could only be near the martial world by its nature. They would asionally coborate with a martial sect when delivering valuable goods. Whenever Cho Ryu Hyang saw that, he would ask a question about the martial world, and Cho Mu Ryung would answer in a way that made the martial world seem like a ce that helped the business quite a bit. CIt doesnt matter if a cat is white or ck, as long as it can catch mice. Cho Mu Ryung had said this to his son. It was a quote he heard from someone else in the past. After all, it didnt matter to them where a martial artist was from, as long as he/she could take care of bandits. He said this to his son so that his son would prioritize strength over status, but now, he was kind of regretting he had said that. Right now, here in the Sichuan castle, it wasnt an exaggeration to say that the power of the Alliance was the most prevalent. When a person was running apany, it was important to make sure that thepany wasnt favoring one side over the other. Especially in the martial world. And if thatpany was starting to lean towards the Heavenly Demon Church out of all things, it was important to try to end that rtionship before anything bad happens. Dont worry, dear. Since the boys smart, I dont think hed do anything dangerous. Even though the Heavenly Demon Church is strong, there was no guarantee that it would stay strong. A merchant who only looks into the near future can never make it big. A good merchant had to look at things while considering the future farther away. Because of that, Cho Mu Ryung believed that the Heavenly Demon Churchs power wouldntst long. He believed it to be something like a summer nights dream, short and fleeting. At least, thats what he thought until an uninvited guest visited him in the night. * * * Cho Mu Ryung first felt the change at dawn. When he woke up due to the chilling cold that ran through his back, he saw that someone had snuck into his room. An assassin? He instinctively grabbed the sword by his bed, and stood up. Who is it! When Cho Mu Ryung shouted out loudly, the man in the room began to speak politely. Because of some special circumstances, I could only visit you at a time like this. Please understand. Cho Mu Ryung could detect that this person in front of him was very calm and collected at the moment, given his tone. Maintaining that kind of an attitude was something that only a person who was confident in his abilities could do. At that moment, Cho Mu Ryung began to look around urgently. His surroundings were too quiet. The person in the shadows smiled when he saw that, as if he had sensed Cho Mu Ryungs anxiety. I put everyone in the vicinity to sleep, so that we talk without interruptions. No one wille if you shout. Even your wife. .. Just when? Cho Mu Ryung tightly gripped his sword. He suspected this already, but the person in front was indeed someone whose skills he could not fathom. surawang_50 But that didnt mean hed go down without a fight. While he had been trying to look for a chance to attack, though, the man in front of him began to politely introduce himself. I am sorry for thete introductions. I am from the Heavenly Demon Church, and my name is Um Seung Do. T, the Heavenly Demon Church?! Wasnt the Heavenly Demon Church that infamous church of demons? Why did thate here? Cho Mu Ryung made an anxious face. It was understandable. After all, just the name of the church was capable of inciting fear. The church had always been the strongest. Especially now that they defeated the Alliance. But the thing Cho Mu Ryung was afraid of at the moment was a lot of more realistic. He was afraid because of his conversation with Neng Ha Young during the day. Wasnt the timing between these two people here too coincidental? Neng Ha Young definitely said that his child was rted to the church somehow. Could it be. After an ominous feeling swept through his body, the man opened his mouth slowly. I knew Neng Ha Young dropped by in the morning. As expected, she was a smart child. When Um Seung Do came into the building and stumbled across Neng Ha Young and Cho Mu Ryungs conversation, he became extremely conflicted. He was conflicting over whether he should kill the bastardly girl on the spot, or just let her go. The girl didnt realize it yet, but she was trying to do something extremely dangerous. She was trying to find the connection between Cho Ryu Hyang and the church. It didnt look like anything at first, but if she actually managed to find what the connection was, wouldnt she reach a huge conclusion? The Heir of the church. The Heir must never be exposed to the public. The Heir must be nurtured in a safe haven where he can grow to support the church. Having the Heirs identity exposed would create an immense amount of danger for the church itself. Not only that, the current Heir really was too weak. If some kind of danger appeared, no matter how small, there would be a chance of him dying. Lets kill her. Um Seung Do reached this conclusion, and immediately set out to kill, but at that moment, he couldnt even lift a finger. He became pressured by a huge amount of killing intent the moment he thought of moving. A killing intent potent enough to make a peak expert like Um Seung Do freeze on the spot. There was someone next to Neng Ha Young. Um Seung Do still couldnt forget the aura that the person next to that girl gave off. That person was definitely a harmonious expert. That much energy (o֮: formless energy produced by an expert) could only be produced by a harmonious expert. The problem was, Um Seung Do had no idea who this mysterious expert was. There were only two harmonious experts in the ck Moon Guild. Neng Mu Gi, one of the three sovereigns, and Sang Dong Ha, the Chasing Blood Lord. But these two people werent people to had the time to act as a bodyguard for some young girl. That meant that there was some other harmonious expert protecting her. that made Um Seung Do very confused. You saw Neng Ha Young? Um Seung Do nodded at Cho Mu Ryungs sudden question. Then you heard what we talked about? It wasnt intentional, but yes. Um Seung Do couldve lied, but he decided not to. Cho Mu Ryung probably wasnt going to be an enemy, which meant that he didnt have to lie to the man. Of course, Cho Mu Ryung might not think that, but thatll all pass in due time. So you heard about the matters regarding my son? Things would get important from here. Um Seung Do nodded with a serious face. Tell me. Is my child really involved with your people? Um Seung Do knew there was no one nearby, but he did a quick check of his surroundings anyways, and opened his mouth. Yes. Cho Mu Ryungs face went through a variety of changes. His suspicions had just been confirmed. Why my son? That was the question that weighed in his mind. Just what were they going to do with his child? While he had been thinking that, Um Seung Do began to talk in a more respectful manner than before. The Young Lord became the Heir to the church. The future Pope. I was sent here in order to share the joyous news. .. What? Good news? Cho Mu Ryung stiffened like a statue with his mouth wide open. He still didnt know what this man in front of him was talking about. Since Um Seung Do expected such a reaction already, he prepared himself to exin the whole situation more in detail. The man in front of him was worthy of such things. To be more specific, the Young Lord Cho Ryu Hyang became the official disciple of the Pope. The Young Lord is currently at the main church in order to train. ngC The sword in Cho Mu Ryungs hand fell down powerlessly. The sword that Cho Mu Ryung never let go of, even when being battered by clubs, just fell down. The P, Pope? You said the Pope? Yes sir. Cho Mu Ryungs face became dazed. Just who was the Pope? Was the Pope not the person who was crucial in leading the recent war to an outstanding victory? The man who was recognized by all to be the strongest in the world. The Strongest Demon Under The Heavens (µһħ). That was what Gongson Chun Gi was being called at the moment. To be the disciple of a person like that, this was too outrageous, wasnt it? Um Seung Do, who seemed to have expected such a thing already, just smiled and opened his mouth. Congrattions, sir. This is a glorious event for the church. Soon enough, the church will provide you with a gigantic reward. Cho Mu Ryung couldnt hear anything. Normally he was known to be a very calm individual, but what was going on around him right now really wasnt something he couldve expected. The Demon Church. The Demon Church. Just what in the world. He couldnt figure out where and how to start clearing things up. In the end, Cho Mu Ryung just fell to his knees. Chapter 51. Neng Ha Young’s Guardian Chapter 51. Neng Ha Youngs Guardian Youngdy, something troublesome has happened. What is it? Im afraid youll have to see this for yourself. When Neng Ha Young stuck her face out the carriage, she could see about twenty men wearing masks. Get off the carriage, bitch. Every one of them were equipped with a weapon, and they were all releasing their killing intent at Neng Ha Young. Do you know who I am? Of course we do, you dirty witch! To think a person like you would travel in the open like this is this not a chance sent to us from the heavens? Kuhahaha! Neng Ha Young faintly smiled, and walked out of the carriage. Why are you wearing masks? Is there a use in wearing one if youre going to kill me anyway? Shut up! Ill be sure to pull out that filthy tongue from your head first. Neng Ha Young didnt even flinch when she heard that. Instead, she just calmly analyzed the men in front of her. You people from the Alliance are trying really hard to catch me, arent you. The men, who had been approaching the carriage slowly, all simultaneously flinched. Isnt this too obvious? After all, this is the Alliances territory. And Neng Ha Young coldly nced at the men, and spoke. The only enemy I have who would do something as idiotic as this would the Alliance. You, you bitch! Did you really think that I am alone? .! The men immediately stopped approaching Neng Ha Young. Come to think of it, it was indeed strange. Why would a person like her travel alone in the heart of enemy territory? While the men just stood there not knowing what to do, the man who seemed to be the leader ground his teeth and spoke. You truly are a crafty woman. To think youd try to trick us just like that. but did you really think wed fall for it? Neng Ha Young stared at the man, and smiled. No matter where you go, there are always some people who just dont trust anything. Like you. Shut up! The man charged at Neng Ha Young with a shout. But Neng Ha Young just stared at the charging man without even moving a single step. Paa A sword was shed, and a flower of blood bloomed in the air. But the blood did note from Neng Ha Young. The mans head had been cleanly cut off. When everyone in the scene made a face of bewilderment, a man appeared in front of Neng Ha Young like a shadow. It was a handsome young man who possessed an unusually pale skin. The man pushed away the falling corpse, and looked around with a cold re. While everyones gaze was directed at him, the man quietly straightened one of his hands to form a spear hand. The moment when everyone made a face of confusion looking at that. Pyut The man shed at the air with that hand once. And that was the end. Everyone that had been previously surrounding the carriage was sliced in half. Tududuk A handful of destroyed corpses began to fall on the floor. Hi, hiii! Neng Ha Young opened her mouth, while the driver screamed out at the horrifying sight that beheld him. Finally. Its nice to meet you. . I did think you would show yourself when I got into danger. .You were too reckless. What would you have done if you actually got hurt? Neng Ha Young smiled and pointed at a hill far away. Im not as reckless as you might think. There are people on my side over there. They wouldvee if I just gave the signal. Just when did she prepare all this? He stayed with her at all times, and yet he still did not realize she had been scheming such things. The mans eyes began to be filled with aplex feeling. When did she realize? Seeing that she executed the n like this, the girl had probably known about his existence from a long time ago. She really was amazing. He didnt give away anything that mightve hinted his existence, and yet she still noticed him. You probably know quite a bit about me, so how about you tell me a bit about yourself instead? The man thought for a bit. Should he tell her? Wouldnt she be surprised? While he had been thinking that, Neng Ha Young opened her mouth. I have a good idea of where you came from. I just want to know your name. Shi Yup became quite astonished when he heard this. He heard of her intelligence from some rumors, and saw a glimpse of it every now and then, but he never realized that she was this smart. The man acknowledged her intelligence and began to introduce himself. Shi Yup (ҕ) . My name is Shi Yup. The Night Emperor Neng Mu Gi. This was the appearance of the emperors only disciple. surawang_51 * * * When the Administrator erased the formation Cho Ryu Hyang drew on the ground. Ding The strange pearl inside Cho Ryu Hyangs dantian began to move on its own, and Cho Ryu Hyang began to see something strange. Huh? Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shook as the Administrator in front of him faded away. At the same time, a certain scene began to y out in Cho Ryu Hyangs mind. This is. These were the past memories of Administrator Un Hui. Starting from the time when the Administrator passed the Prison of Life and Death, all the way to the part where he made the promise with the Pope. All the important events in the Administrators life began to flow into Cho Ryu Hyangs mind. While Cho Ryu Hyang was just standing there experiencing the strange event, the Administrator spoke up. Are. are you alright? Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses when he heard the Administrators question. For a very short time, a fraction of the memories of the Administrator flowed into Cho Ryu Hyangs mind. What was that? It was definitely the memories of Administrator Un Hui. But why did those memories juste into his mind like that? Ding The pearl that was moving around in its own in his dantian. Actually, it felt like Cho Ryu Hyang had an experience simr to this in the past. Just when was that? When he thought about it for a while, he could remember. When he received the Moon Edge de Technique and the strange pearl from the dragon and fainted, he became a white butterfly and met his teacher, Gongson Chun Gi. It was at the time where his teacher blew away Baek Mu Ryang with a single strike. The feeling he felt back then as a butterfly was simr to what he had been feeling just now. The feeling that gave him a sense of looking back into the past or into the future. Just what is this The thing that was moving around on its own in his dantian. Just what was this thing? I will go call a doctor. When the Administrator stood up with a concerned glint in his eyes, Cho Ryu Hyang quickly shook his head. No, theres no need. Truly? Your face is pale. It would do well to see a doctor. Cho Ryu Hyang wiped his forehead when he heard the Administrators words. It seemed that he sweat quite a bit without realizing it. I really am all right. I was just concentrating a little too much. Cho Ryu Hyang nced at the Administrator as he talked. The way he looked at the Administrator had changed, unlike before. A person even teacher acknowledged The man was amazing. Not only did he reach the harmonious stage at such a young age, but he was also able to stay confident when facing Gongson Chun Gi. If Cho Ryu Hyang hadnt appeared, the man couldve actually be the next heir of the church. But. The Administrator was doubting Cho Ryu Hyangs ability. Even though teacher had selected him, the Administrator held immense suspicion in his heart. Since a bit of the mans memories flowed into Cho Ryu Hyang, he could understand why the Administrator was feeling such things. He understood. After all, hed feel the same if he was put in the same spot as the administrator. Of course he wouldnt acknowledge a person like that, especially when that person was just a child. What should I do? Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to be acknowledged. There mightve been no point in making the Administrator acknowledge him, but still, Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to be acknowledged. But just what should he do to gain the Administrators recognition? When he looked around for a bit, he could see the formation that he had been drawing on the ground. The formation that the Administrator erased. The man probably erased it because it was the destruction technique for the formation that was set here. When Cho Ryu Hyang saw that, he was immediately struck by an entertaining idea. Administrator. ..Yes, Young Lord. The Administrator flinched when Cho Ryu Hyang called at him in a low voice. Even if the Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation was one of the greatest secrets of the church, he had obstructed the work of the heir, of all things. This was, of course, a grave sin. The Administrator could even be used for treachery, and he wouldnt be able to do anything about it. Just what is he going to say. Un Hui waited for Cho Ryu Hyang to speak again with an anxious heart. Cho Ryu Hyang, who had taken off his sses, opened his mouth. Lets make a bet. Bet? Why? Un Hui was unable to say anything because this was so sudden. Cho Ryu Hyang, who seemed oblivious to what Un Hui was feeling, just smiled. How is it? This was troublesome. Un Hui was unable to discern the boys motives for doing this. And because he was feeling a little bit guilty right now, it was really hard for him to predict Cho Ryu Hyangs moves. .I dont know what you are trying to say. You just did something you shouldnt have done, am I correct? .. Un Hui didnt speak. It seemed that this kid really wasnt going to let his actions go. If you take the bet, Ill pretend to not have seen your actions, how is it? Un Hui made a serious face when he heard this. At first nce, a bet like this where your sins could be forgiven seemed really attractive. But Un Hui had to be careful. A sweet offer like this usually brought big troubles with it. But. Theres no way to get out. If that kid did anything to him in the future, there would be no way for him to avoid it. Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a bitter face and spoke. Its not something that I can refuse, is it? The conditions should be pretty appealing. Ill take it. When Un Hui took up the bet, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled and put on his sses. Things have gone the way he wanted it so far. RIght then, Un Hui spoke. What kind of a bet do you want? Cho Ryu Hyang didnt respond. After pausing for a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke with a smile on his face. Before that, I think we should choose what were putting at stake here. What was that about? Un Hui made a confused expression as he spoke up in response. Were choosing what were going to bet even before settling on what kind of a bet this is? Cho Ryu Hyangs actions seemed illogical. But the boy just nodded, and spoke as he pointed at the ground. The Heavenly Demon Church. If you win, the church would be yours. CThe Heavenly Demon Church. If you win, Ill give you this. For a second, Un Hui could hear the Popes voice from a decade ago simultaneously with Cho Ryu Hyangs voice. .. Un Hui, who became a little dazed after hearing that, became furious. This arrogant little brat. Did the Pope tell the boy? Un Hui felt some suspicion for a second, but he immediately dispelled the thought. There was no way. The Pope wasnt a person whod talk about such things this easily. Then just how did this boy know about the bet between him and the Pope? Did Guardian Ju tell the boy? But that was even more improbable than the Pope telling the boy about the bet. This was something rted to the Pope himself. Ju Sang San wasnt idiotic enough to talk about the Popes past carelessly. Anyways, you just touched a subject you shouldnt have touched. A hot feeling of rage surged up in Un Huis chest. It felt like his precious memory with the Pope was being dirtied by this boy. Un Hui grit his teeth as he spoke in a low voice. I will bet myself, young lord. I will bet the remainder of my life here. He bet the same thing he bet in the past. But this time, he wont lose. The Un Hui of now wouldnt be able to lose to anything anyone would bet. Cho Ryu Hyang, not caring a bit about Un Huis thoughts, grinned and stretched out his fist towards Un Hui. A mans words? Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyangs little fist with a twisted face. This kid really knew about the bet from the past, didnt he? Un Hui thought about all this just being a coincidence, but that didnt seem like the case. The boy knew about the exchange between him and the Pope, and was provoking him. Un Hui looked at the fist with aplicated face, then soon sighed and put his fist against Cho Ryu Hyangs. ..is worth a thousand gold. Cho Ryu Hyang stared into the furious eyes of Un Hui, and opened his mouth. Ill tell you about the bet now. If you dont like it, you dont have to take it. Alright. Un Hui was actually thinking of doing whatever the boy told him to do. He wanted to crush the boy. Cho Ryu Hyang slowly walked to a open field in the garden they were in, and opened his mouth. You just have to attack me using the formation that is set up here. .? Un Hui couldntprehend Cho Ryu Hyangs words for a second. Use the formation? Did the boy just tell him to attack using the Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation with his subordinates? I want to bet on whether I can destroy this formation or not. How does that sound? Un Huis eyes turned ice cold. It seems he really didnt misunderstand. This boy here really was talking nonsense. His lips turned up into a grin. If there was one thing that defined the boy that the Pope brought along this time, it was this: arrogance. It would be good to teach this boy a lesson using this chance. Un Hui opened his mouth with a calm face. This is an unfair bet. I cannot take it. Cho Ryu Hyang flinched, and scrunched up his nose. He didnt expect the other side to refuse. Then, Un Hui faintly smiled and spoke up. The bet needs to be edited a little bit. Edit? Yes. I will not take part in the formation. And. KakakakC! When Un Hui lightly waved his hand, a big circle appeared in the field with Cho Ryu Hyang at the center. Ill admit my defeat as long as youe out of that circle. How does that sound? Cho Ryu Hyang looked around a bit, then spoke. If you want it to be that way, sure. Un Hui coldly smiled. The bet has been made. The moment Un Hui finished that sentence, he held up one of his hand. He then pointed at Cho Ryu Hyang. Then, a hundred martial artists who were in hiding all simultaneously charged at Cho Ryu Hyang like a ck wave. Chapter 52. Betting The Heavenly Demon Church Chapter 52. Betting The Heavenly Demon Church There are majorly two types of formations in the world. The first type is made by considering the natural variables of the world. Once these variables are measured and taken into consideration, one would create a nucleus of the formation, and based on that, the creator would seal the power of heaven and earth into the nucleus in order to create a manmade space. The second type would be a military formation. This was a formation fullyposed of human beings, and these type of formations often did not have a set shape. Because of that, these formations could often change shapes, and would be harder to predict because of that. Thats where the power of the military formations lie. A Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation used by a peak expert could potentially kill even a harmonious expert. The martial artists who were guarding the Grass Shoe Garden. Most of them were first-rate experts. There were also several peak experts nted in the formation who were there tomand the others. [Zhu Ying (Ӱ).] [Yes, sir.] [Strike lightly, enough to keep the boy alive. no, hit him as hard as possible, but keep the boy alive.] [Understood.] Un Hui sent out his orders, and began to observe his surroundings. Honestly, he thought that his bet with Cho Ryu Hyang was just nonsensical. The boy didnt look like he practiced martial arts. Well, even if he did, itd be useless The Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation is just perfect. Based on his knowledge, unless a person had a strength that rivaled that of the Popes, there was no way to break through the formation. Even Un Hui, a person that knew so much about the formation itself, couldnt. I dont know why you made this kind of a bet, but. It would be good to teach the boy a lesson using this chance. The martial world isnt as easy as you think, boy. Even if that boy has immense talent like the Pope described, the boys power would onlye to fruition in the future. Right now, this boy didnt have any power. While Un Hui had been imagining Cho Ryu Hyang in a beat-up state, Cho Ryu Hyang slowly inhaled and looked at the peopleing at him. 42, 46, 44. After figuring out the basic power of the peopleing at him using the Faultless View of The World, Cho Ryu Hyang took another breath and walked forward. Un Huis eyebrows twitched when he saw that. Whats this? He had a bad premonition. He couldnt tell what it was, but he felt that something was wrong just now from Cho Ryu Hyangs actions. Right after that, Un Hui began to tilt his head in confusion. That was because Cho Ryu Hyang was just casually walking out of the formation. ShuaaaC! Multiple swords struck out simultaneously with a bone-chilling sound. None of these swords, however, struck Cho Ryu Hyang. Every single one of the swords missed Cho Ryu Hyang by mere millimeters. Un Hui, looking at that, widened his eyes in surprise. This cant be real! Were his subordinates missing on purpose? Un Hui shook his head. There was no way theyd do that. But for some reason, none of the sword strikes hit Cho Ryu Hyang. Just how? It wasnt that Cho Ryu Hyang was dodging these des with extreme speed. The boy was simply moving around amongst all the martial artists with strange, slow steps. Sometimes hed go forward, sometimes backward, then turn sideways. And sometimes, for some reason, the boy would stand in ce for a moment, twist his body sideways, then walk forward. Whenever the boy did that, the attacks performed by Un Huis subordinates would miss. surawang_52 What the hell is this? Was this some sort of sorcery? There was no way to exin this scene without calling it sorcery. That was because Cho Ryu Hyangs movements didnt contain any kind of pattern at all. Forget about first-rate experts. Even peak experts were unable to even leave a scratch on the boy. Just how was this happening? And besides that, there was something even more troublesome happening. The formation is breaking? Little by little, the formation was crumbling. The formation was starting to break while trying to match Cho Ryu Hyangs movements. When Un Hui noticed that and frowned, Cho Ryu Hyang staggered a little as he bowed down. PyutC At the same time, a single sword through the spot where Cho Ryu Hyangs body had been. Dangerous! Un Hui was about to stop his subordinates, then paused. His subordinates were beginning to act impatiently. That sort of thing could break the entire formation even faster. But. That attack just now worked. Un Huis eyes sparkled. Cho Ryu Hyangs clothing was but normal. This was good. And with that just now, Un Hui was able to figure something out. The boys overexerting himself. Un Hui quickly organized his thoughts after seeing Cho Ryu Hyangs body, which was drenched in sweat. He didnt know much about what that brat was nning on doing. To be honest, he didnt have a clue. But he knew that this boy in his eyes was clearly exhausted. It was obvious when he heard the boys rough breathing, and saw the sweat glistening on the boys body. We havent put a single scratch on the boy so far, but. Things will be different starting now. After all, he figured out a way to deal with Cho Ryu Hyang. [Zhu Ying.] [Yes, sir.] [Change the formation from the Attack () stance to the Undoing () stance.] [But if we do that.] [I know. The formation would start to break.] Unlike the Attack stance, which focused on keeping everything in order, the Undoing stance would grant each martial artist a designated area, an area in which a martial artist could move around freely. In such a stance, the formation would naturally begin to break by itself. [But even if we just left everything as is, the formation would still break. I dont want to admit it, but thats whats going to happen. The Undoing stance is the only way to catch that kid.] [Understood.] Just now, the attack that barely managed to touch Cho Ryu Hyang was a random attack performed by one of his subordinates. Cho Ryu Hyang clearly became agitated at that moment. When Un Hui saw that, he realized that the answer to defeating Cho Ryu Hyangy there. Boy, it seems that you had something you could rely on. But that all ends here. That boy almost reached the edge of the circle that was drawn on the ground. But for some reason, the boy wouldnt go across the circle. The boys just a step away from the outside, so why? While Un Hui had been making a confused expression, Cho Ryu Hyang had been biting his lips out of anxiousness. Shoot. Cho Ryu Hyangs face was beginning to show a trace of agitation. The idea to use the Faultless View of The World in order to face the formation was good. When Cho Ryu Hyang used the Faultless View, he was able to see the entire shape of the formation just by ncing at a single person. Using this, going through the formation was like solving problems while knowing the answer itself. He was able to tell exactly where the next attacks would be. Thanks to that, he was able to dodge the attacksing at him just by observing the tiny movements from a single person. With this method, he was able to dodge the fast attacks with slow movements. But at this point, he was unable to move as easily as before. Even when he used the Faultless Vision, he was unable to see the exit. Even when he neared the edge of the circle, he was unable to move outside. What should I do The Faultless Vision showed that there were no exits in front of him. That meant he was unable to exit the circle with just a single move. Then there was only one other option he could take. I have to go around the circle. It was quite troublesome to move around the circle again, inside the formation. That was because of the oppressive aura that constantly pressured Cho Ryu Hyangs body. It felt like he had lead bars strapped to his legs whenever he took a single step. Cho Ryu Hyang could begin to taste blood in his mouth. An untrained body. That untrained body of his was beginning to show its limits. It would be hard starting now. He had to get out of the formation before his strength left him. Right then. WhooshC! Suddenly, the feeling of oppression that surrounded Cho Ryu Hyang began to thin. His body began to feel lighter. But Cho Ryu Hyangs expression simply got darker when he began to look around. The shape of the formation changed? Why? This wasnt a good sign. He felt something bad from all this. When Cho Ryu Hyang sensed something and turned around, he could see Un Hui standing outside the formation. When their eyes met, Cho Ryu Hyang readjusted his sses and frowned. This is his trump card. His instincts warned him of danger. At this rate, he was going to get caught. In a moment, a specifically designed to capture him would be created. Just what was the problem? Did he use too much time? Of course, that mustve been one of the problems, but Cho Ryu Hyang found that the root of the problemy elsewhere. I overlooked the Administrator too much. If the Administrator was in the formation, he wouldve failed to notice that the formation was being destroyed. But the man was observing the formation from the outside. Because of that, he was able to get a good look at the entire formation. He had found Cho Ryu Hyangs weakness, and changed the formation in order to target Cho Ryu Hyangs weakness. That childs movement is slow and unrefined. He doesnt have much stamina, either. He didnt know how the boy managed to move around the formation like that. It seemed like the boy had a special method or skill, but that didnt matter anymore. His subordinates will now take up their respective area and guard it, in order to create a perfect. For Cho Ryu Hyang, a person who didnt know martial arts at all, this would be impossible to break through. Did he not confirm the effectiveness of this strategy earlier? Uncoordinated attacks towards Cho Ryu Hyang would surely make their way through eventually. Looks like I won the bet, boy. When Un Hui put up a victorious face, Cho Ryu Hyang had to quickly make a decision. He had to find a way to get out before the new stance of the formation waspleted. Two people. Cho Ryu Hyang had to go through two experts in order to get out of the formation in the shortest amount of time. Cho Ryu Hyang deactivated the Faultless Vision with a bitter face. Then, he stood in ce and took a deep breath. Un Hui, looking at that, clenched his fist. This brat. Un Hui knew what the boys expression meant. That was the face a person put on when he/she was not assured of their victory, but could see a chance of winning. Hes gambling. Just how would the boy try to get out? Un Hui began to observe Cho Ryu Hyang as carefully as possible, by focusing every one of his senses on the boy. Then. Hooo. Cho Ryu Hyang exhaled the air from inside his body, inhaled deeply, then stopped moving for a second. Mm? Un Hui noticed a small patch of light that appeared inside Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes. The boy has inner strength? He actually practiced martial arts? It didnt look like the boy practiced martial arts at all, so what was going on? Un Hui quickly tried to change the formation yet again, but Cho Ryu Hyang was a step faster than he was. Chapter 53. The Star of The North Sea Ice Palace Chapter 53. The Star of The North Sea Ice Pce What are you doing, senior? Mm? Cant you see? Im looking at myself in a mirror. Wait. Werent you using that thing since a while back? Fufu, of course! After all, you just cant get tired of this face of mine. . These beautiful ck eyebrows, skin like silk, and this luscious ck hair. Add to that, a body perfectly bnced out without any excess fat! KyaC even a god would be jealous of my body. Dont you think so? (ED: Did he just Kya?) .What do you want to hear from me? Fufu, what would an ugly girl like you know about this seniors deep anguish? The man who had been staring at the mirror with a happy face since a while back. This mans name was Juk Hyul Myung (Ѫ). Fuu. so this is why master told me to keep an eye on you. Mm? Why? Youre immature, unlike your appearance. What? The woman stuck out her tongue and ran away. That womans name was Ju Da Hye (). Looking at Ju Da Hye running away like the wind, Juk Hyul Myung smirked. surawang_53 Trying to run away from me well, the attempt is kind of praiseworthy. Juk Hyul Myung said this as he put his right hand up. He then smirked a little, and grabbed the thin air. After doing so, he jerked his right hand back violently. A, ahh! Senior! It hurts! Fufu, your attempt was praiseworthy, but you picked the wrong opponent this time. So today, Ill take my time to teach you a lesson myself. D, did you forget what our master told you to do? Youre going to bete if you dont go now, you know? Juk Hyul Myung, who had been pulling on his juniors cheeks with an evil face, made a confused expression. Mm? Late? Yeah, you only have an hour left. Juk Hyul Myung was greatly surprised when he heard the juniors words. What! Already? Damn, wait downstairs. Ill be out as soon as possible. Juk Hyul Myung hurriedly packed up. This kind of a thing always happened. Its not the first time he got too absorbed in looking at himself that he got scolded by his master for beingte. Haa the heavens are too harsh on me. Why couldnt they make me a little less perfect? When Juk Hyul Myung walked outside thinking this, he was greeted by two horses. Ju Da Hye handed him one of the reins and spoke up. If you arrivete to the meeting again, masters probably gonna go grind you up. Fufu, you think I will just stand there and take that? Instead of saying something like that to me, why dont you go say that to master instead? Are you interested in my position as a senior? No. Then why are you trying to kill me by using master? W, when did I ever try that? Now. You tried to do it now, you cocky little girl. Juk Hyul Myung said this as he pinched one of Ju Da Hyes cheeks and pulled on it. Ju Da Hye began to shout loudly as she tapped on the horses head out of pain. Ahh! Sorry, senior. I wont do it again, so please let go! Hm. Well, it wont be good if your ugly face gets even uglier. My eyes would rot if that happened. When Juk Hyul Myung let go with a disappointed face, Ju Da Hye quickly ran ahead and shouted at Juk Hyul Myung. I, Im going to go tell on you! Fufu, arent you afraid of my revenge? The two fought like this as they neared the meeting ce, the First Sichuan Building (Ĵһ) (TL: Dunno exact TL) * * * Yourete. Sorry, master. The roads were kind of rough. Plus, it was our first timeing here, right? Hahaha. When Juk Hyul Myung said this, Ju Da Hye pouted a little as if she was discontent with the mans response. Ill do the interrogationster. But first, hurry. The guests are already here. Alright. Go into the house and get your uniforms. You should know just how important this meeting is. Yes, sir. Juk Hyul Myung and Ju Da Hye both wore their respective clothing and came out. It was a simple ck robe that didnt seem very special at all. But on the sleeves and the left chest, there was a white dragon imprinted on the robe. A mark of the white dragon. Currently, in the maind, there were no martial ns that used that symbol. No, there couldnt be any martial ns that did that. After all, this symbol of the white dragon was a symbol of a giant force in the continent. Lets go. Yes, senior. When the two arrived at the house their master was residing in, they could find their master meditating. Ming (). Yes, master. Dont forget. This meeting here was done specifically for you. Also, observe our guests properly. Theyre going to be our enemies in the future. Juk Hyul Myung smiled, and nodded. Fufu, dont worry, master. Dont you know Im a man whos used to the main character role already? Ill go boost the main pces reputation with this meeting. Ill go pressure our guests with my imposing strength. . Ju Da Hye looked at Juk Hyul Myung with eyes filled with distrust. Eh? Junior, whats up with those eyes? You dont trust me? Really? No way, senior. Why would I ever do that? Haha, right, right. Looks like I misunderstood. I almost punched you because of that. Try not to use that face next time. It makes me angry. The two began to argue in front of their master without any reserve. Juk Hyul Myungs master. He was an old man who ruled the North Sea, the man known as the White Ice Emperor (״). He was one of the external forces of the continent. He was the master of the North Sea Ice Pce (m), Dam Chun Hoo (). Lets stop the ying here, and leave. The guests are waiting. Yes, master. The three stood up and walked towards the gazebo in the back garden. There, they could see someone. They could see people who were exuding a wild aura that befit barbarians. There were three in total. The middle aged man in the group, who possessed a strange tattoo on his face, walked to Dam Chun Hoo and stretched out his hand. Its nice to meet you. I am Gu Ma Byuk. Dam Chun Hoo looked at the man in front of him for a while, then nodded. Indeed this man in front of him had the right to be here. The names Dam Chun Hoo. The two shook hands, then looked at each other for a moment. Something stirred inside them when they met each other, but now was not the time. The two knew that very well. Gu Ma Byuk looked away first with a small smile. Then, he opened his mouth and began talking. This boy heres my eldest child, Gu Hui. Hes the current heir of our n. The boy next to him would be my second child. Really. Dam Chun Hoo was quite surprised when he saw Gu Hui. The boy had talent that rivaled even Juk Hyul Myung. The old sayings say that the Nanman was a big ce, but if the ce was great enough to produce beings as terrifying as this, the people of Nanman really couldnt be looked down upon for being savages. But that was where everything ended. Dam Chun Hoo made a rxed face. When it came to heirs, the one he had here waspetent enough. This one heres my first disciple, Juk Hyul Myung. The girl next to him is my youngest disciple I brought along. Gu Ma Byuk took a look at Juk Hyul Myung, nodded, and then smiled at Ju Da Hye. I really must thank you for bringing me a child as cute as this. She really looks quite nice. Haha, thank you. While those two began to engage in small talk, Gu Hui and Juk Hyul Myung stared into each others faces. The two couldnt notice anything around them at the moment, other than the person in front of them. This guy Juk Hyul Myung was able to feel some excitement thanks to the beastly aura that came from Gu Huis body. This ticklish feeling that made him feel like there were ants crawling all over him. It has been a while since he felt that. He had previously thought that there were no enemies who could fight him in his age group, but it seemed that he was wrong. Juk Hyul Myungs eyes began to get filled with fighting spirit, as if he had forgotten all about the meeting that was taking ce. The same went for Gu Hui. Normally, Gu Hui was filled with arrogance, but now he was just staring at Juk Hyul Myung with eyes full of fighting spirit. And after looking at each other for a long time, the two thought of the same thing. This guys a rival Ill have to fight for life. Their strengths were on par with each other. An expert of their caliber usually yed out fights in their head in order to determine a winner beforehand. But in their heads, there was no clear winner. They would have to fight in real life in order to determine the real winner. When Juk Hyul Myung began to twitch while thinking that, Dam Chun Hoo softly grabbed onto his shoulder. Did you forget why we came here? Dont be rude to our guests. Yes master. Juk Hyul Myung calmed himself, and put his hand away from his sword. He then grinned at Gu Hui. Well fight in the future anyhow. Gu Hui smiled at Juk Hyul Myung with the same thought. There really was no need to try to fight each other as soon as possible. In the present, their teachers were keeping things in order, but the teachers would soon retire. Once that happened, the world would be theirs. Fighting when that happens wouldnt be bad. Juk Hyul Myung and Gu Hui rxed their tense muscles as they settled down again. Did you read the message we sent you? Of course. What did you think about it? The master of the Nanman Beast Gate, Gu Ma Byuk, smiled. If you didnt send me that message, I wouldve been the one to send it to you. Does that mean that youd agree with the proposal? The Demon Church of now cannot be defeated by a single power. Of course I would agree to your proposal. Dam Chun Hoo nodded. The Demon Church of the present age was too powerful. It was unprecedentedly powerful, even. But its strength would be its downfall. Even if the Church was uninterested in expanding into the maind, the other powers of the continent wouldnt think that. Just having the Demon Church in the continent would make them feel fearful. And fear is what binds multiple groups together. Three years. We need to get the Alliance and the ck Moon Guild to participate in at least three years. Good idea. If four great powers in the continent bunched together to fight, even the Heavenly Demon Church wouldnt be able to take them on. In the worst case, the church would be forced to fight against the whole of the martial world. Well try to persuade the Alliance. Could you be the one to persuade the ck Moon Guild? Alright. Unless theyre idiots, theyll also join us in this event. I leave it in your hands. First Sichuan Building. This was where the plot to take the whole of martial world into the path of chaos began. Chapter 54. The Administrator’s Oath Chapter 54. The Administrators Oath It seems that you are busy. No, not really. Baek So Chun, the master of the Ruling Fire House. She calmly guided her surprise visitor to a seat. That visitor naturally sat down on the seat, and spoke. I had some free time, so I decided to drop by. Ahris doing fine, right? Yes, Your Holiness. Gongson Chun Gi. He tucked his head and grinned. She doesnt go crying to try see me every night, does she? .Thankfully, that age seems to have passed now. Thats regrettable. Baek So Chun brought some fruits and sweets, and opened her mouth. To be honest, there was a little incident that happened a while back. An incident? Ahri seemed to have got outside without permission to pay a visit to the Garden. Nothing major had happened, but. Baek So Chun paused a bit, then spoke. Due to mycking talents, I almost let your precious daughter suffer from something terrible. I apologize. Hm. Gongson Chun Gis eyes got thinner. When Baek So Chun saw this, she let loose a cold sweat and bowed down. .I am willing to take any punishment. So nothing happened? Yes. Thanks to her guards that found her in time, nothing big happened, but. But? It seems that the Young Lady met the Lord Heir in the Garden. They even shared a conversation, but nothing eventful happened, thankfully. Gongson Chun Gi spoke as he began to tap his fingers restlessly. She met that child there? Yes. Im getting quite interested. Call Ahri over. Of course. Baek So Chun sent someone to bring Gongson Ahri. A few momentster, Gongson Ahri could be seen running towards them at full speed. Dad! Oho! Youve grown quite a bit, eh? Gongson Chun Gi hugged his daughter who had been running at him from his seat. Why didnt youe over all this time? Were you busy? Of course. Your daddys always busy, you know? By the way, it looks like you didnt just grow tall during the time I havent seen you. Looks like you got a bit weightier, too. Gongson Ahri blushed a little, and lightly pushed Gongson Chun Gi away. Keke, you dont have to feel so ashamed. Youre at the age where you start to grow up, after all. Nod nod. Gongson Ahri vigorously nodded in agreement. Actually, some things happened, so I just went out for a bit. Thats why I havent been able to visit. Outside. you mean the maind? Yeah. I went to the maind. Gongson Chun Gi bitterly smiled when he saw her daughters gaze full of curiosity and reverence. That was because his daughter didnt know much about the maind. When everything thats happening here blows over, lets go on a trip to the maind. Ill show you some interesting stuff. Waa! While Gongson Ahri pped her hands in excitement, Gongson Chun Gi stroked his daughters hair and spoke. Ahri. Yeah, dad? Theres something thats been bugging me since a while back, you know? What is it? You went to the Grass Shoe Garden, didnt you? .! Gongson Ahri jumped up in surprise, then began to send small nces at Baek So Chun. Looking at that, Gongson Chun Gi smirked and spoke up. Dont worry. Im not here to punish you or anything. You went to the Garden, right? Gongson Ahri stared at Baek So Chun wordlessly for a moment, then nodded with an apologetic face. ..Yeah, I did. Thats good. How was he, that boy? I was actually thinking of bringing him here. But you know, bringing him all the way here is a little troublesome The Ruling Fire House was a forbiddennd for all men. Anyone who would step inside without permission would be killed on sight. Of course, the Pope was an exception to this rule. Who.? Gongson Ahri tried to pretend to be innocent, but in front of Gongson Chun Gi, such acts were useless. ..Eh? Thats kind of suspicious, you know? What? No! What do you mean? Gongson Ahri backed away more and more under the gaze of her father. When Gongson Chun Gi wouldnt yield with his gaze, Gongson Ahri slowly looked away from her fatherpletely. ..Fine, I wont ask much more about that now. Looks like things would get awkward if I try to pry more. It might be better for me to stay ignorant, right? ..Yeah. Gongson Chun Gi let out a tired sigh, which was unusual in itself, and spoke. So, how was it? Just tell me how you felt. What did he want? When Gongson Ahri let out a confused expression, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth yet again. Was it good, or bad? This was, again, a very vague question. The situation was a little awkward to say that it was good, but then she couldnt say it was bad, either. Thats why Gongson Ahri chose to say the safest thing she could think of at the moment. ..It wasnt bad. Hm. To be specific? She didnt know what her father was going for, but when this question arrived, she answered immediately. His eyes. were pretty. Gongson Chun Gis eyes brightened. Was, was I seen through? When Gongson Ahri flinched, her father spoke. How? How should she respond? After thinking a bit, Gongson Ahri decided to respond honestly. I, it was an eye I never saw before. I guess it was an eye that made mefortable? Looking at it made me feel at peace. Gongson Chun Gi grinned when he heard his daughters words. I knew it. When Gongson Ahri made a confused face, Gongson Chun Gi stroked his daughters hair and spoke. It seems that you have the same type of eye that your mother had. ..The same type of eye as my mom? Yeah. Its what we call True Eyes. Normally, youd have to train like hell to get it, but some people are just born with it. Like you. And your mom. . I wasnt sure if you had it or not till now, but this made it clear. This is good. Gongson Chun Gi grinned happily as he stroked his daughters hair. This will definitely help you out in life. His daughter would definitely live longer than he. Gongson Chun Gi couldnt keep taking care of her forever. But as long as his daughter had something like this, living would be much easier for her. Thinking that just made Gongson Chun Gi happy. Ill have to go see my disciple now. I left him there for a little too long. Putting someone in an unfamiliar environment for a long time isnt good. No matter how calm and intelligent Cho Ryu Hyang was, he was still eleven. The boy needed to be cared for. Plus, didnt the boy lose a teacher who was considered to be like his father? The boy really needed some help. When Gongson Chun Gi thought this much, he began to feel a bit hurried. Ill be back some other time. Dont do anything stupid till then, and stay put. Alright? Yes, dad. Gongson Chun Gi hugged his daughter tightly, then grinned at Baek So Chun as he spoke. I leave her to you. You do not have to worry, Your Holiness. Youre the only one I can rely on. Gongson Chun Gi left an afterimage as he looked at Baek So Chun bowing at him. He was moving faster than the wind itself to see his disciple. * * * Coming here was good but whats going on here? The Garden was in a mess. He felt something going on a far away, so he sneaked in silently, but to think hed see such a thing. The Bloody River Heaven Destroying Sword Formation. For some reason, the Heaven Destroying Guardian Corps (o), who only existed to protect the Garden, was attacking Cho Ryu Hyang. And surprisingly, the Administrator was just watching all this from the sidelines. Gongson Chun Gi didnt know what happened, but the situation didnt look too good. Gongson Chun Gi thought of moving, then changed his mind, and sat down on the spot. This is interesting. He knew that his disciple possessed Godly Eyes that were said to be unique even among unique eyes, but he didnt know that it could be this powerful. He can see the path? Gongson Chun Gi tucked his chin in his fist, and watched the battlefield with interest. The boys at the Guardian Corps were moving violently, but they were still maintaining some calm. Because of that, Gongson Chun Gi could watch this whole thing without feeling any caution. But even so, the difference of martial prowess between these people and his disciple was immense. Even then, the guardians of the garden couldnt touch Cho Ryu Hyang. So thats what the boys eyes are like? Hes using them in a unique way. He learned something good. Gongson Chun Gi observed all this calmly, then suddenly flinched a bit. The formation was crumbling. This is. A military formation was, in the end, a formation set up by people. If the individuals in the formation get shaken, the formation would break. Cho Ryu Hyang knew that from the start, and proceeded to shake the individuals of the formation a bit by bit. And these little changes that Cho Ryu Hyang caused to the formation was clearly damaging the formation as a whole. Like this, the formation would soon break. Gongson Chun Gi looked at the Administrator with some interest. There was still a way to escape this, even at this point of time. But could that boy be able to notice that? While he had been wondering that in his head, the Administrator began to send out somemands to his subordinates. Hoh? As expected of the Administrator. That fellow really couldnt be underestimated. Gongson Chun Gi leaned forward, with a face full of excitement. How this event was caused in the first ce no longer mattered. Just where would he be able to see something as entertaining as this? The feeling of worry he felt for his disciple disappeared in an instant, and that feeling was reced by curiosity and excitement. He really did stumble on something good today. So, how will you get across this, Cho Ryu Hyang? The shape of the formation changed abruptly, and Cho Ryu Hyang was suddenly facing a great danger. Could that boy, his disciple, ovee this danger? This new formation wasnt something one could break just by knowing the path. While Gongson Chun Gi looked intently at the boy, Cho Ryu Hyang stopped moving and started to breathe deeply. Hoh? Gongson Chun Gis eyebrows twitched. Just a moment ago, he felt the air itself tremble along with Cho Ryu Hyangs breath. And. That boy, did he notice me watching him? It happened in only an instant, but Gongson Chun Gi clearly felt Cho Ryu Hyang looking at him. Just what was that boy? Did he already possess some kind of strange skill inside his body at such an age? To think a skill that could fool even the eyes of Gongson Chun Gi could exist. Gongson Chun Gi couldnt even begin to fathom how deep and profound that skill could be. Anyways, its starting. That skill that just managed to move the surrounding air for a moment. He didnt know what it was, but that skill would soon be activated. Un Hui, this is unfortunate, but this is your loss. It seemed some kind of a bet was held between the two or something, but he didnt know about its details. Anyways, to Gongson Chun Gi, it seemed that Cho Ryu Hyang had won this battle. And that was exactly what happened. Cho Ryu Hyang instantly managed to suppress Un Huis subordinates, and escaped the formation. When Gongson Chun Gi saw this and nodded, he made eye contact with Cho Ryu Hyang once more. Please pretend you havent seen me At the time Gongson Chun Gi was trying to say this with his eyes. The Administrator stared at Cho Ryu Hyang for a while, then fell down on his knees. When Gongson Chun Gi made a confused expression, Un Hui bowed his head down and spoke. ..The Administrator of the Grass Shoe Garden, Un Hui, will dedicate the remainder of his life serving the Heir of the Heavenly Demon Church. .! Gongson Chun Gis jaw dropped. The Un Hui he knew was a really prideful fellow who wouldnt dare bow down before someone else. Wasnt that guy the one who had enough courage to try have a go at the Pope himself? Gongosn Chun Gi kept the guy around because of that, but just what was happening here? Just what happened between you two? Gongson Chun Gis eyes began to be filled withplicated feelings. Chapter 55. First Subordinate Chapter 55. First Subordinate It was the first time that Cho Ryu Hyang used Illusion Magic on a living person. Because of that, he had felt a little anxious using it. He was lucky that everything went so well. ..The Administrator of the Grass Shoe Garden, Un Hui, will dedicate the remainder of his life serving the Heir of the Heavenly Demon Church. When Un Hui knelt in front of him, Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes met with Gongson Chun Gis. Cho Ryu Hyang could see that his teacher was gued byplex feelings. Was it that shocking? His teacher was usually a very carefree person. Cho Ryu Hyang never imagined that hed see a face like that from his teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks. Ten years was not as short as one might think. Those long years probably let the Administrator and the Pope develop a friendly rtionship. But Cho Ryu Hyang didnt expect that their rtionship could be so deep. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Un Hui and spoke. Stand up. There are too many people watching us. .. Un Hui bit his lips while on the ground. He was careless. He was too careless and prideful. Skill is not limited to age. Thats right. The words of the Pope were too right. Un Hui misjudged the childs skills just based on appearance. He thought that the child was being too arrogant, and tried to teach the boy a lesson. Just thinking about that made his face go hot. He was acting foolishly without even trying to figure out the boys capabilities. Un Hui was feeling very, very embarrassed at the moment. He began to slowly raise his body as he thought of something. Its good that Im wearing a mask. He wore this mask so that he wouldnt be underestimated by others because of his young age. He was quite thankful for wearing that mask at the moment. I think you cane out now, teacher. When Cho Ryu Hyang said this while looking at something, Un Hui flinched. Teacher? Could it be? Un Huis gaze drifted over to the direction of Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes. He could see something blurry there. It was quite hard to see, but once he began to concentrate on it, he could begin to see something. The Pope. Un Huis eyes shook a little bit. Since when was he there? Did he watch everything that happened? The Popes face clearly indicated that Un Huis fears were indeed true. Un Hui tightened his fist until blood began to seep out. He showed something he never wanted to show anyone to one of the most important people in his life. When Un Hui looked at Gongson Chun Gi with eyes filled with despair, Gongson Chun Gi, who had been sitting on top of a tree branch, appeared in front of Un Hui. I wont ask you about what happened. After all, this is a matter to be settled between you two. But I must ask you this. . Un Hui became anxious. The Pope wasnt just a normal Pope to him. The Pope always came by to visit and answered his numerous questions, and never failed to provide a solution for even the strangest problems. To Un Hui, this person was already a teacher to him. That kind of a person was currently looking at him with aplicated face. Is this truly what you wanted? . Is this why you learned martial arts? ! Un Hui couldnt say anything. This incident was a lot different from the bet he had with the Pope a long time ago. This time, he had bet his life too easily. And he lost. Im not saying that the choice you made was wrong or anything. Gongson Chun Gi came up to Un Hui with a serious face, and put his hand on Un Huis shoulder. This boy is someone you chose. The boy is a talented child. But you havent seen this boys true capabilities just yet. Un Hui bit his lips. The Pope was right. The boy called Cho Ryu Hyang. He didnt decide to serve the boy because he felt something. It was just because of a simple loss. He gave away his freedom just because of a bet. If you are serving this boy just because of some random circumstance, and not because you felt that this boy was someone worth serving, then you should stop whatever youre doing now. I dont know what bet you two had, but I dont want to see you two destroy yourselves because of a silly bet. Un Hui trembled. He could feel how much the Pope cared for him. Because of that, a part of his heart warmed up a little. Im good with this. Un Hui felt satisfied. If he desired any more than this, hed be too greedy. Right then, Gongson Chun Gi looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and opened his mouth. What do you think? I think that the current situation could be undone as long as you desire it. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher. He took off his sses, and spoke. I do not want to let go of this person. Gongson Chun Gi widened his eyes as he looked at his disciple. The boy was being a little informal, but from that, he could detect persistence. The boy was being unusually persistent. Right then, Gongson Chun Gis eyes reflected a strange light. Oho? It looked like the boy was thinking about something. Gongson Chun Gi hid those thoughts of his as he tried to act ignorant. Things are going to be hard, as you havent epted each other yet. Is that fine with you? Cho Ryu Hyang put his sses back on, and spoke. Didnt teacher tell me that I needed to find a subordinate of my own soon? Right. The Administrator will be my first subordinate. Gognson Chun Gi nodded, and opened his mouth. This guy here hasnt seen your true potential yet. He hasnt epted you. is that fine? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Right. The Administrator still doubted him. But that didnt matter. Hell ept me in the future. Ill make him. It was an amazing amount of confidence. Gongson Chun Gi had to change his view of his disciple a bit. He thought that his disciple didnt even know about his own talent, but it seemed that wasnt the case. The boy already knew about his talent. That alone made Gongson Chun Gi happy. Gongson Chun Gi was unable to suppress the happiness welling up inside him. Kuhahaha! As expected of my disciple. You know my worries dont amount to much. Good, good. Thank you. Cho Ryu Hyang faintly smiled when he looked at hisughing teacher. It seemed that his teacher realized his intentions some time ago. He truly is amazing. The feeling he had when he became that mans disciple. That feeling that he was going to respect the person in front of him very much was beginning toe to life. Hui. .Yes, your holiness. Gongson Chun Gi grabbed Un Huis shoulder, and made a yful face. Honestly speaking, I feel sorry for a lot of things. I need to pay you back someday. But now, I feel as if Ive already paid you back for what I owed you. . He felt sorry? Those words were too much for Un Hui. He already got so much from the Pope, but the Pope still said such things to him. How should I respond? While Un Hui had been thinking that, Gongson Chun Gi resumed talking. You will continue living while observing this child. And youlle to realize that this child truly deserves to be my disciple. Youll even be thankful to me for bringing the child here. Un Hui smiled when he heard the Popes words. He then slowly put his hand towards his face, then took off his mask. SlipC He was almost thirty, but a face of a twenty year old man was hidden behind the mask. I trust your decision. Gongson Chun Gi grinned. The only thing you have left is to confirm everything by yourself. Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt avoid that gaze. Then, Cho Ryu Hyang realized. If the Administrator was inside the formation, I wonder how this wouldve turned out? No matter how much he thought, he couldnte up with a solid conclusion. Cho Ryu Hyang fondled his sses, and bitterly smiled. This really was a big gamble for me. But that gamble really paid off. Cho Ryu Hyang wouldve done anything to get Un Hui, no matter how big the gamble was. While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking that, Un Hui knelt down again. Youre going to damage your knees if you keep doing that. Gongson Chun Gi said this with a yful grin, but Un Hui didnt smile back. He bowed down with a serious expression. When his face was nearly touching the ground, he spoke. Administrator Un Hui promises to serve the Heir of the church for the rest of his life. Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit when he heard this. What should he say? He tried to get some advice from Gonson Chun Gi by ncing at him a few times, but Gongosn Chun Gis eyes just showed its not my problem, do this on your own. What should I say. Un Hui really was a desirable person. Wasnt that why Cho Ryu Hyang made the whole situation to be like this in the first ce? Plus, Un Hui was going to be his first subordinate. He wanted to say something memorable to the man. It isnt easy, eh? Gongson Chun Gi was just grinning while he looked at his disciple. Getting on a high position just meant that there were more responsibilities. One couldnt make any mistakes, and every one of his/her action would hold significance. What will you say to him? Gongson Chun Gi made an expectant face. Right then, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled a little. He thought of something fitting for the situation. Cho Ryu Hyang knelt down, put his hands on Un Huis shoulders, and spoke. In the future, I will treat you like Fan Kuai (: The right hand of Emperor Gaozu of Han. Whenever Emperor Gaozu got cornered, Fan Kuai would save the emperors life). Fan Kuai? Un Hui felt emotional when he heard the childs words. I will protect you with my life. Thank you. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. That was how his very first subordinate was chosen. Chapter 56. The Senior’s Unique (?) Preference Chapter 56. The Seniors Unique (?) Preference Ju Da Hye headed for her seniors room with a handful of sweets. As their teacher had instructed, the two had stayed behind in Sichuan in order to pull the Alliance to their side. What are you doing, senior? Ju Da Hye made a confused face after sticking her face into her seniors room. Normally, her senior would be staring at his face in a mirror, but this time, he was thinking about something on his bed with a serious face. Ju Da Hye was extremely surprised. Why was her senior, the crystallisation of narcissism, not doing anything? To think senior was following teachers orders to this degree. Ju Da Hye thought that her senior was giving it his all in order to ally themselves with the Alliance. She put the sweets in her hand down on the table, and spoke with a touched face. I didnt know youd be this engaged in the mission teacher gave us. Here, have some of these sweets as you work. Juk Hyul Myung looked at Ju Da Hye with a confused expression. What are you talking about? Its honestly my first time seeing you focus on something that much other than the time you take to look at yourself. I was surprised. Really? Juk Hyul Myung smiled a bit as he bit into one of the sweets Ju Da Hye brought. You know, Im kind of surprised, too. I never expected that Id be thinking about a man of all things all day. What? Gu Hui, was it? That big bear-like guy from the Nanman Beast Gate. Yes That guys face just wont leave my mind after meeting him. Its driving me crazy, dammit. Juk Hyul Myung scratched his head in annoyance. While he was doing that, Ju Da Hye stepped backwards with a shocked face. C, could it be. senior, you swung that way? Come to think of it, senior was always kind of suspicious. After all, there were many beautiful women in the North Sea Ice Pce, but the senior never even nced at these women. Because of seniors cold attitude towards women, there were countless rumors that suggested that he was homosexual, and tended to kidnap little boys to his room every night. Ju Da Hye just smiled whenever she heard those rumors, but when she actually came in contact with the seniors hidden secrets, she shuddered a little. But even so, to think hed like muscr men of all things. For senior, a man who possessed skin that resembled those of a woman, it seemed that a person who resembled a young boy would suit him best. Juk Hyul Myung frowned when he saw his junior think about perverse thoughts regarding his sexuality. He began to stomp his way towards his junior. Youre beginning to think about something gross again, arent you. Ah, auu! It hurts! Juk Hyul Myung pulled at Ju Da Hyes cheeks with one hand as he ate his sweets with the other, then sighed soon after. Damn, this is annoying. surawang_56 He was regretting the fact that he missed the chance to fight Gu Hui. Juk Hyul Myung was sure that he wouldve been able to give it his all when fighting an individual like Gu Hui. But since he had to suppress his urges when meeting Gu Hui, he was feeling really annoyed. He wanted to break something. Just when he was about to let out the burning desire to fight inside his body, a suitable target he could fight had already disappeared. Argh! This is annoying, dammit! Kyaaa! T, this hurts, you know! BamC! Juk Hyul Myung red at his junior, who pushed him away with force. Ara? When Juk Hyul Myung looked upon his junior in order to exact upon her his wrath, he could see her sping her left cheek while crying a little bit. Auuu. Ju Da Hyes cheeks were swollen to an extreme degree. It almost looked like she was holding a piece of candy in her cheek. When Juk Hyul Myungs eyes widened in surprise, Ju Da Hyes eyes emanated a beastly aura as she stared at Juk Hyul Myung with hostility. Uh? Normally, Juk Hyul Myung wouldve immediately punished his junior for being so insolent, but since he was at fault for making her stare at him like that, he just stood in ce, not knowing what to do. Se~nior! Mm? What is it? Juk Hyul Myung stepped backwards unconsciously as he answered. That was because the aura his junior was emitting was extremely fierce. If he tried to have a go at her when he couldnt even fight her properly, he would surely be punished badly. What are you going to do about this? Juniors swollen cheeks made her sound a little different from usual. It was quite entertaining, butughing would surely bring Juk Hyul Myung cmity. Y, youll have to go find a doctor, of course. When Juk Hyul Myung responded as such, Ju Da Hye pointed her finger towards the exit of the room. What are you trying to say here? Go bring a doctor here right now. M, me? Alone? Junior, isnt it better to go together? Think carefully. Going together would result in you being treated faster. This time, Ju Da Hye pointed her finger at herself and spoke. Are you telling me to walk around outside with a face like this? Juk Hyul Myung couldnt retort to that,rgely because he had to agree to it. Well, it is true that going outside like that would be overdoing it. His junior really looked bad at the moment. Bad enough to have a negative effect on someones mental health. And as always, Juk Hyul Myungs bad habit of speaking his mind propped up, and he managed to say the words in his mind out loud. You really look like crap, huh. He instantly regretted saying that, but it was toote. When Juk Hyul Myung flinched a little and nced at Ju Da Hye, he could see Ju Da Hye pointing her finger out the door. Get. Out. Now! Juk Hyul Myung ran outside without being able to say anything in retaliation. * * * Who the hell would take her if shes so fierce like that? Juk Hyul Myung beganining when he came outside. Surely, what he did this time was a little over the line. But wasnt junior really overreacting to this? Maybe it was because he was taking it too easy on her. Juk Hyul Myung, who had been walking around trying to find a doctor, spotted a decent teahouse and decided to go in. His current predicament with his junior was already long forgotten. What would you like, sir? Give me a kettle of Longjing tea. A small one. Yes sir. Phew, the weathers really good today. Juk Hyul Myung looked up at the blue sky, and rxed himself for a bit. But he soon looked somewhere else when he felt something strange touch his senses. Whats this? Someone wasing here after parking a carriage. What would you like, maam? The employee of the teahouse asked this to the red-haired girl as the girl descended from the carriage. Neng Ha Young began to look for a suitable seat, then happened to cross her eyes with Juk Hyul Myungs. A martial artist? Neng Ha Young began to think, trying to figure out who this person in front of her was. Where was he from? Since she was still within the Alliances territories, she was extremely alert. She had no real worries since Shi Yup was with her, but she didnt want to cause amotion. Is he a loner? Since Juk Hyul Myung was wearing a set of normal clothes, instead of the North Sea Ice Pces martial uniform, Neng Ha Young was unable to identify Juk Hyul Myung. She could only see him as a handsome martial artist. One that was too handsome, at that. Maam? When the employee called out to Neng Ha Young, she took a seat where she would be able to observe Juk Hyul Myung and spoke. Tieguanyin. A small one. Yes, maam. When the employee took the order and disappeared, Neng Ha Young took a morefortable position in her seat, and closed her eyes. Right now, the martial world was in absolute chaos. There were small skirmishes everywhere, and many of the minor houses affiliated with the Alliance were getting pushed around everywhere. Compared to that, the merchantpanies and martial ns that allied themselves with the Heavenly Demon Church were going around doing whatever they wanted. The ck Moon Guild was fortunately able to gain several beneficial things by taking advantage of the situation. Ten years. The rule of the Heavenly Demon Church would likelyst for about a decade. Just what should she do in order to gain benefits during that time period? While Neng Ha Young was thinking that, Juk Hyul Myung was staring at Neng Ha Young with a serious face. What is this? The moment that girl appeared, something came into Juk Hyul Myungs sharpened senses. However, he couldnt see anything. This was a first. He didnt like it. Interesting. The girl didnt interest him in the slightest, but the person in her vicinity sure did. Juk Hyul Myung licked his lips, and stood up. He came up to the table Neng Ha Young was using, and sat down on the opposite side of Neng Ha Young. Excuse me. Neng Ha Young opened her eyes. She could then see the smiling man in front of her. Do you need anything? She wasnt particrly concerned with the man. She had Shi Yup by her side, and Neng Ha Young herself was able to take on most martial artists with ease. Plus, she didnt even know what the other side wanted yet. Bing cautious even before anything happened just wasnt her style. You kept arousing my interest, so I decided toe over like this. . Was he here just to try make out with her? If so, she had to be thankful for that. It mean that the man in front of her didnt know her identity. Juk Hyul Myung stared at Neng Ha Young with great care. After looking at her for quite a bit, he sighed in awe and nodded. Yah~ I didnt realize this a moment ago, but it seems you really have a bright future in front of you. I believe youll be a real looker in about three years. .What are you trying to say here? Neng Ha Young tilted her head in confusion, as if to say she wasnt sure if she should be offended or not by Juk Hyul Myungs ambiguous words. Juk Hyul Myung got straight to the point right then. So, who are you? . Neng Ha Young smiled when she heard Juk Hyul Myungs question. Im here with my father to see the outside world while he takes care of something. Since fathers business is almost taken care of, I just decided to wait for him out here. Hoh? Really? Right that moment, Neng Ha Young began to feel annoyance from the mans attitude. It was a sort of a feeling she got when her words werent working on others. Thats a pretty good cover story. Now, can you tell me who you really are? Neng Ha Young began to think. Just who was this man in front of her? Did he actually know her identity? But wasnt this meeting too much of a coincidence for that to happen? Arent you the one whos supposed to reveal yourself first? Juk Hyul Myung grinned. It was a happy grin that disyed his white teethpletely. Neng Ha Young, upon seeing that smile, felt a chill run up her spine. This person. Ther person in front of her was an expert. An expert whose strength she couldnt even begin to fathom. So why was an expert that strong doing something like this? It seems Ive been quite rude to you. But since Im in a troublesome position right now, it would be hard to reveal my identity. .Then it would be better if we pretended to have never seen each other. Neng Ha Young began to think as she felt cold sweat run down her back. The person in front of her was an expert. Probably one of the harmonious stage. The energy the man revealed just now was enough to prove that. The information she had about this man was pitifully small. Except the time where she purposefully leaked her position to the Alliance, she was unnoticed by everyone. Even the ck Moon Guild itself didnt truly know her exact location. Because of this, Neng Ha Young was fairly certain that her meeting with this man was a coincidence. It seemed Neng Ha Young had exceptionally bad luck. When she came up with the conclusion, Juk Hyul Myung opened his mouth. I would prefer we not do that. I am a man who believes rtionships are precious things, after all. .Must we really do this? When Neng Ha Young said this with a cold voice, Juk Hyul Myung smiled warmly. I came here for it. The surrounding air fluctuated violently. When Neng Ha Youngs eyes widened in surprise, Juk Hyul Myungs hand moved. Chapter 57. Misdirected Fighting Spirit Chapter 57. Misdirected Fighting Spirit Shi Yup had been wary of Chi Xie Ming from the time Neng Ha Young entered the teahouse. This is troublesome. The strong fighting spirit emanating from Chi Xie Ming was making Shi Yups pupils tremble. About 15 steps. It was annoying, but the enemys aura was far too big. The radius of the area, based on Shi Yups estimation, should be about fifteen steps. Stepping into that mans aura would probably reveal his presence. That was why he had been being extremely cautious all this time. But then, Chi Xie Mings aura suddenly expanded by an extremelyrge amount. As Shi Yup had never seen such a thing before in his life, he was a little slow when it came to adapting to the situation. He noticed me. Chi Xie Ming was looking around carefully. Neng Ha Young mightve not known, but Chi Xie Mings aura currently epassed the whole teahouse. Shi Yup erased his presense as much as he could for now, as he felt cold sweat roll down his back. He was using his teachers signature stealth technique. Hidden Qi Technique (ݷ). When Shi Yup used this, no one would be able to notice his presence even if he stood right in front of someone. He would bepletely invisible to the world. But even a technique like this wasnt perfect. After all, there were always abnormalities like Chi Xie Ming existing in the world. When meeting a being like this, the user of this technique had to expertly control the distance from the person with wise decisions. Thankfully, as Shi Yup managed to somehow pull away from Chi Xie Ming before things got out of hand, he managed to keep himself from beingpletely discovered. The problem was Neng Ha Young. She was exposed. Because of that, Shi Yup had to quickly make a decision. Ten steps. This was his current distance from Neng Ha Young. If he were to move away even further from her, he wouldnt be able to protect her from Chi Xie Ming. While Shi Yup kept distressing over what to do, Chi Xie Ming moved. Shi Yup had no choice but to move with the man. Nine steps, eight steps. The distance between Shi Yup and Chi Xie Ming kept shortening until Shi Yup was right next to Neng Ha Young. If Shi Yup wasnt at least this close, he wouldnt be able to fully protect her. How long would I be able tost? A drop of cold sweat ran down Shi Yups forehead. The more the distance between Shi Yup and Chi Xie Ming shortened, the more energy Shi Yup would have to expend in order to keep himself hidden. In the end, Shi Yup had to spend an enormous amount of energy to keep himself hidden. And as Shi Yup was extremely close to Chi Xie Ming at the moment, making even the tiniest mistake would give him away. This is dangerous. Countless warning bells were going off in Shi Yups head. Even standing in front of an expert like this took energy. But then Shi Yup had to protect Neng Ha Young at the same time. This was why Shi Yup was focusing all his attention in controlling his breath and energy. If the Hidden Qi Technique faltered here for even a millisecond, Shi Yup would be ovee with danger. He could start hearing Neng Ha Young talk with Chi Xie Ming. It seemed that they were just making small talk. Shi Yup closed his eyes and began to focus. He had never pushed himself beyond his limits like this with the Hidden Qi Technique. The sense of responsibility Shi Yup had for Neng Ha Youngs safety was what enabled Shi Yup to ovee his limits like this. Once he overcame the initial feeling of tiredness and difort, Shi Yup was ovee with a feeling of satisfaction. This was a new experience. His heart, which had been beating slowly moments ago, began to beat with great speed, and his nds were opened up as his senses began to expand greatly. Surprisingly, Shi Yups understanding of martial arts had suddenly improved at a crisis like this. Right then, Chi Xie Mings sharp killing intent touched his senses. When Shi Yup opened his eyes, he could see Chi Xie Ming smiling at Neng Ha Young. Itsing. Shi Yup made his decision. At that moment, the air around him fluctuated as Chi Xie Mings hand moved like the wind itself. Paan! Chi Xie Ming shook his hands painfully as he frowned when an ear-piercing sound shook the surrounding area. What the hell? There really was someone here? . surawang_57 Neng ha Young took a look at Shi Yups arm. She didnt know what was going on, but she knew that Shi Yup had just saved him. When she figured out what just happened, she became furious. How impolite. Youre the one whos impolite here. Chi Xie Ming clenched his fist and looked at Shi Yup. When he attacked Neng Ha Young, he could clearly see the background shatter next to the girl with Shi Yup emerging out. Chi Xie Ming, who felt significant danger from this, put more strength into what was previously just a yful jab. But in the end, he was the one to get injured. Thats an interesting technique. What was it? Shi Yup didnt say anything, and just stared at Chi Xie Ming. He soon confirmed something about the man. This person. is hiding something. The things that he couldnt see before clearly came into view. Even harmonious experts had rankings between them. One could easily figure this out by seeing how even the fifteen guests were ranked into the three sovereigns, five emperors, and seven kings. Shi Yup slowly put the hand he used to block Chi Xie Mings blow down. He then clenched his fist. He had improved quite a bit by getting to a new degree of understanding, but he still couldnt clearly predict whod win in a battle. The only reason he managed to beat back the opponent that easily was because the man had underestimated him by a lot. I cant hope for such a thing to happen once more this time. When Shi Yup kept his mouth closed with an anxious face, Neng Ha Young spoke. Lets stop ying here. Were leaving. Where do you think youre going? Were just getting started. Chi Xie Ming looked at Shi Yup and smiled. He didnt even look at Neng Ha Young anymore. The man in front of him. That man clearly wasnt normal. That man had strength that waspletely different from Gu Huis. He was young, to boot. Young enough to be his age. This person was surely someone who was biding his time for the next generation toe. I cant let him go. The reason why Chi Xie Ming couldnt let Shi Yup leave ultimatelyy in the fact that Shi Yup used a sword. It wouldnt be fun with just our hands, right? How about it? Lets have a go with swords! He could tell with the previous exchange. The calluses that were on Shi Yups hand wasnt just for show. How strong would he get with a sword? Chi Xie Ming fondled his sword hilt. He had never considered losing to anyone other than his teacher. One? No. Three should be possible. Three blows. The battle would be done by then. A swordsman of that calibre would definitelye at him with full strength from the start. Im stronger than him. They were both harmonious experts, but Shi Yup was still slightly weaker than Chi Xie Ming. Chi Xie Ming predicted that, and his prediction was correct. But that different in power was only asrge as a sheet of paper. But even that makes a difference. Shi Yup too thought the same thing Chi Xie Ming predicted, and made a dark expression. The more he looked at his opponent, the more their difference in power stood out to him. Since youre not too weak, Ill also go full out. Chi Xie Ming stood up and spoke. I dont know why a person of your caliber is protecting this girl here. Well, Im not that interested, though.. Anyways, if you try to run now, Ill kill you. Both of you. Shi Yup couldnt run away now. He calmed his breath and spoke. .This isnt a good ce to fight. When Shi Yup said this, Chi Xie Ming took a look around. Shi Yup was right. The people in the teahouse sensed that something dangerous would take ce and left, but there were several martial artists nearby who were observing them. The spectators just kept increasing with each passing moment. Indeed. There are too many people here. Neng Ha Young heard Chi Xie Mings words and reached a conclusion. This person isnt from the Alliance. Then where did this mane from? Was there really a ce that could raise such a terrifying being? Shall we change ces? Neng Ha Young bit her lips. She didnt like being moved around the way her opponent desired. And when she looked at Shi Yups eyes, she could see that he had no conviction in winning. The opponent was just that strong. Not good. She had to earn time somehow. She had to have the worst scenario in her mind at all times. Chi Xie Ming looked at Neng Ha Young with an apologetic face. Im not usually like this, but something really annoying happened to me today -Whats that got to do with us?! Neng Ha Young barely stopped herself from shouting. This was the nature of the martial world. No matter how much you were oppressed, you couldnt do anything if you were weak. Thats why one had to be strong. That was what the martial world was. Come to think of it, I did something kind of bad, didnt I. Chi Xie Ming scratched his chin with an awkward face. His fighting spirit that got roused from the time he met Gu Hui was released at the wrong person. The other side must feel like they got hit by a stray lightning bolt. Well, whatever. They didnt even know about each other yet. But that didnt matter. As long as Chi Xie Ming was able to expel the fighting spirit writhing inside him, he would be satisfied. Im just a little frustrated, arent I. Chi Xie Ming realized his current state of being, and smiled. It wasnt good to restrain himself too much. If he wanted to climb to the top, he had to do something like this every once in a while. You choose the location. Ill let you do at least that much. Shi Yup nodded. Then, he lifted Neng Ha Young into a princess carry without her consent. Ah! Excuse me. ShwiiC The wind blew fiercely against their skin. The scenery around them passed by at a blur. Phew~ What a sight this is. Neng Ha Young couldnt even hear what Chi Xie Ming was saying at their back. She just wrapped her arms around Shi Yups neck with a blush. It felt like she would fall off if she let go. Her heart was beating wildly, and she felt embarrassed for some reason. Stop dreaming, Neng Ha Young! No matter how many times she told herself that, it didnt work. Neng Ha Young was normally a very calm and cold individual, but this really was her first time experiencing something like this. The thing that made her even more confused was the fact that this really didnt feel all that bad. So Neng Ha Young closed her eyes with her confused heart in Shi Yups arms. Here. Shi Yup found a suitable location, and stopped. Several martial artists followed them, but since they were so slow, they were left behind. The ce they were at was a mountain located some ways from the town, and it was a ce that wouldnt attract too much attention. This is good. Chi Xie Ming, too, was satisfied. If they were here, no one would be able to find them. KakakaC Chi Xie Ming drew a long line on the far left side of the field. Miss, you shouldnt step over that line. You might get swept up in the heat of the battle. When Neng Ha Young got released by Shi Yup, she momentarily lost her bnce. She lost strength in her legs. Chi Xie Ming grinned when he saw that. You liked it quite a bit, didnt you? .Shut up. A little fierce, arent you? Well, just wait over there. I might hit you if you step over the line, so be careful. Neng Ha Young nced at Shi Yup. It was hard to look at him in the eye, for some reason. Shi Yup read her eyes, and nodded. You can wait. Neng Ha Young bit her lips and stepped over the line. There was nothing she could do here. She was confident in her ability to use her brain, but in a pure confrontation between martial artists, she could do nothing. For the first time in her life, she felt useless. Shall we begin? Shi Yup nodded. He didnt know much, but at least he knew that this man in front of him wasnt interested in hurting Neng Ha Young. That was enough. As soon as Shi Yup realized that he didnt have to protect Neng Ha Young, a burden was lifted off his mind. He might be able to win at his current condition. The moment Shi Yup thought that, Chi Xie Mings eyes widened. Shi Yups body had vanished into thin air. Chapter 58. The Power of a Dragon’s Pearl Chapter 58. The Power of a Dragons Pearl Cho Ryu Hyang sat at the edge of the pagoda and stared into the artificial pond. It had been ten days since he came here. The moment he arrived, he asked Um Seung Do to send a message to his house, but he still didnt get an answer. Because of that, Cho Ryu Hyang was feeling quite stressed at the moment. It was partly due to the fact that he knew how his father would react to his current condition. It hurts. Cho Ryu Hyang took off his sses and cleaned it with a bitter expression. His father made both the ck Moon Guild and the Heavenly Demon Church look amazing, but Cho Ryu Hyang knew that in truth, his father didnt ept them at all. To be honest, his father didnt even want to be near them. Even Cho Ryu Hyang could see how much his father distanced himself from them whenever he had to take their request. And to think Id be the Heir to the Heavenly Demon Church. There would be nothing as surprising as this to his father. Cho Ryu Hyang bitterly smiled. Cho Ryu Hyang, unlike his father, didnt have a bad opinion of either the ck Moon Guild or the Heavenly Demon Church. Perhaps he was like this thanks to his fathers education that aimed to get rid of prejudice, or perhaps it was a tragedy caused by false education. No matter what had happened, however, his current predicament couldnt be changed. I should talk to him soon. As this was a very big decision in his life, he had to get his parents permission. He believed that his parents would respect his decision, but at the same time felt that his parents would have a hard time epting all this. When he thought about this, he bitterly smiled. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head in order to clear it of any useless thoughts, then sat down and began to fondle the Moon Edge de Technique manual in his arms. Ryun. The Moon Edge de Technique wasprised of thirty different parts, and each part was provided with a method to train it. Ryun, the beginning of the Moon Edge de Technique. Cho Ryu Hyang was stuck there. He didnt know what to do. Turn the whole body into a weapon. The words had a nice ring to it. A body that wouldnt break from anything in the world. The Moon Edge de Technique started by creating a body like that. But just this much description of Ryun wasnt able to give Cho Ryu Hyang even the slightest hint at how to start training. Make the body stronger by pulling up the power of the world inside the body. Once one does that, he/she will be able to attain a power that can shake the heavens. This was the exnation of the first part of the Moon Edge de Technique. The most important part in the sentence was the world. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt even figure out what the author meant by that word. Sometimes, theres a need to see everything in a simple light. You see, the truth is usually simpler than you might think. The advice his teacher had given him floated randomly in his mind. Look at it in a simply light? Just what was he supposed to look at, and how was he supposed to look at it? To Cho Ryu Hyang, his teachers advice just made everything more confusing. Just solving this should make everything else easier. Everything was hard in the beginning. Cho Ryu Hyang felt that everything else would get simpler after mastering Ryun, but he simply didnt have any idea as to how he should master it. Cho Ryu Hyang kept thinking hard with a hand over his forehead. Right then, he could hear someoneughing in his mind. [Child, youre still obsessing over useless things.] Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes sparkled. He knew this arrogant voice in his head. Elder! Zhuge Liang. That man suddenly talked. Just where was he all this time? Why didnt he respond no matter how much Cho Ryu Hyang called for him? What was he doing when Cho Ryu Hyang really needed help? When Cho Ryu Hyang suddenly thought of various things that made him feel disappointed, Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly. [I was busy thanks to your stupid actions.] Stupid actions? Busy? What was he talking about? Wasnt Zhuge Liang a being without flesh? [Tian Nu, that dragon yed a amusing trick on you before he ascended. Because of that, I became unexpectedly busy.] Zhuge Liangs voice contained a hint of anger. What was he angry about? And wasnt Tian Nu the imugi that ascended to heaven a while back? When Cho Ryu Hyang thought of this, Zhuge Liang pped his fan while speaking in a low voice. [To give an unprepared child a ck Dragon (ī) Pearl Taking care of it took quite a bit of time.] The two gifts Cho Ryu Hyang received from the dragon. One was the Moon de Edge Technique, and the other was a purple sphere. That purple sphere. It was actually a ck Dragons pearl. [Its a little shattered, but a Dragons pearl isnt something a human can take care of. You, greenhorn, foolishly touched it without even knowing that.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He almost died that time. After being prated by an immense amount of electricity, he had fainted. Thankfully, he survived, but the experience still scared him. [It wouldnt have been weird if you had died then.] No. Normally, he shouldve died. The power of a dragons pearl was too much for a mere human to take in. Even Tian Nu knew that much. The reason Tian Nu entrusted the pearl to Cho Ryu Hyang was because he trusted Zhuge Liang inside Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Tian Nu believed that with Zhuge Liang, Cho Ryu Hyang would be able to contain the power of the pearl without much problems. This child probably didnt even know that he couldve died. Zhuge Liangs lips twitched as he fanned himself. When he thought of just how much he suffered to save this child, the anger repressed inside him rose up like a tidal wave. Even if he was the Zhuge Liang, the man who prided himself in absolute perfection, he could only show his true power when he had a body. Right now, he was powerless. Because of that, the event where Zhuge Liang helped Cho Ryu Hyang take in the pearl was really hard to digest. His consciousness almost got swept away by the immense power of the pearl. I almost died. Zhuge Liang looked up at the sky, and swore at Tian Nu, who was watching over them with a smile. But even if Zhuge Liangs existence was almost erased because of Tian Nus antics, he did gain several things from this. [Greenhorn.] Yes, elder. [Are you curious about the world inside your body?] When Zhuge Liang said this with a suggestive voice, Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes sparkled. As expected, this person must know much about the inner world of the body. Please teach me, elder. [Fine. I will help you a little.] Zhuge Liang said this, and smiled mischievously whilst covering his mouth with his fan. The memories of trying to contain the power of the pearl with much difficulty passed in his mind briefly. Cho Ryu Hyang was standing with eyes filled with expectation. Right then, everything around him turned dark. Eh? At the same time, his legs lost strength, and the sound around him disappearedpletely. When he started to stumble and fall, Un Hui appeared and grabbed him before he fell on the floor. Young master? . Everything was out of focus. Un Huis face hardened as he shook Cho Ryu Hyang, but Cho Ryu Hyang failed to regain his senses. Un Huis face began to harden even more. He quickly took Cho Ryu Hyangs pulse, and found that Cho Ryu Hyangs pulses were extremely faint. Just what is. Un Huis senses were all warning him of danger. Cho Ryu Hyang was in that much danger. Cho Ryu Hyangs breathing became shallow, and his body was sprawled out like a corpse. Not only that, Cho Ryu Hyangs pink face lost its color as the whole body started to turn pale. Un Hui was assaulted with a feeling of agitation. Young master! Young master! No matter how much he called, Cho Ryu Hyang wouldnt wake. Un Hui regained his senses after noticing his masters face turning blue. He began to move like lightning. He was carrying Cho Ryu Hyang to the medicinal house. surawang_58 * * * Bam! The medicinal house was one of the more important departments in the church. Because of this, the medicinal house was guarded heavily, and the guards stationed there all had considerable strength. But of course, these people were only strong to normal people. Against a harmonious expert charging at them like a bull, even these guards wouldnt know what to do. Move! Halt! After finding a martial artist of immense strength charging at the medicinal house, twenty guards gathered at the gates. Upon seeing this, Un Huis eyes grew cold. Move, or die. ! Un Hui felt extremely hurried at the moment. That was because Cho Ryu Hyangs breathing kept on getting even shallower. Theres no time. Was it because of his anxiousness? Un Huis body began to emit even more killing intent than usual. The intense killing intent emitted by Un Hui was so strong, that it was enough to make the peak experts guarding the medicinal house almost piss themselves in fear. A harmonious expert! The experts at the medicinal house prepared themselves for battle. Even if the enemy was a harmonious expert, they could not run. They had to guard this ce with their life. That was their mission. Hesing. Just when the experts faces filled with dread, the gates of the medicinal house opened, and a voice came from the inside of the building. Dont block him. Hes a person I know. Sir! Che, theres no need to make a fuss about all this. Why did youe here this early in the morning? Doctor Sunwu Jo Duk. Thankfully, this man was a person who had met Un Hui several times in the past. Because he could recognise Un Huis aura, he coulde out in time. Sunwu Jo Duk frowned when he saw Un Hui approaching him without any exnation or greeting. He could see how anxious Un Hui was. Calm down, boy. I can only help you after you tell me why you came here. Un Hui just stretched out his arms with something on it. There was a boy who resembled a corpse on his arms. Its the young master. Sunwu Jo Duks rxed smile faded when he heard Un Huis words. What? Its the young master. Sunwu Jo Duk, as if he finally understood what was going on, took Cho Ryu Hyang in his arms. He quickly touched Cho Ryu Hyangs vein, and his face hardened. Cho Ryu Hyang almost had no pulse. .What the hell were you doing while the young master got to this state? .. Un Hui couldnt say anything. When Sunwu Jo Duk saw this, his body trembled in rage. He looked at Un Hui with a gaze that could kill, and said something in a low voice. If something happens to the young master, Ill kill you ten times over. Un Hui looked down with eyes filled withplex feelings. He, too, didnt know what happened. But he couldnt say anything in retort. He was clearly right next to Cho Ryu Hyang, and yet couldnt do anything to save his master. Im useless. While Un Huis eyes filled with self-loathe, Sunwu Jo Duk took out a giant needle. He was using his precious Life-death Golden Needle. Sunwu Jo Duk quickly pierced Cho Ryu Hyangs right pinky with that needle. Puu! When he pulled the needle back out, ck blood streamed out of Cho Ryu Hyangs finger. Sunwu Jo Duk observed this as he wiped sweat from his brows. .Someone go alert the Pope. Ah, yes sir. Few of the experts at the gate disappeared, as Sunwu Jo Duk quickly carried Cho Ryu Hyang inside the medicinal building. He thenmanded his subordinates to bring several precious medicine as hey Cho Ryu Hyang down on the bed. I must save him. This was a precious heir to the church. They couldnt lose someone like this in a silly ident like this. Sunwu Jo Duk grit his teeth, pulled up his sleeves, and lifted the Life-Death Golden Needle. He was prepared to use all the medical skill he gathered over the ages on Cho Ryu Hyang. Chapter 59. A Deadly Battle Chapter 59. A Deadly Battle Normally, the North Sea (: Present-day Lake Baikal) was a ce the martial world didnt pay that much attention to. That was because the North Sea was and with harsh living conditions that hosted only a small poption. But once the North Sea Ice Pce revealed itself, the view maind people held against the North Sea changed drastically. The result of the battle would be decided in an instant. That was what Shi Yup thought. And that factor of the battle would work against Shi Yup. But he couldnt do anything about it. In front of an expert like this, petty tricks were useless. I need to make a perfect opportunity. What should he do, then? Shi Yup moved as soon as he thought that. His body stretched out like a stick, and rapidly advanced toward Juk Hyul Myung. It was Shi Yups sword. It was a flexible sword capable of waving. When putting inner energy inside the sword, the sword would turn hard and release a sharp energy. Hesing. Juk Hyul Myung stepped back and lowered his posture. He didnt want to admit it, but Shi Yup was slightly faster than he. Trying to dodge by relying on his sight would be useless. He had to slice everything that enters his aura by relying on his instincts alone. Theres nothing to fear if its just fast. Juk Hyul Myung smiled. His opponent only had one advantage over him, and that was speed. There was no need to fear anything. Pyut The sharp feeling that rose up from his side. Juk Hyul Myung could feel dangerous energy on his neck. An extremely thick killing intent strong enough to make even him tremble. Dodge it! Dodge it! He just had to dodge this one. Just this one strike. As long as he dodged this, it would be his win. The already low posture that Juk Hyul Myung had lowered even further, to a degree where his upper body almost touched the floor. Saa A cold feeling swept over him, and a part of his hair got cut off. At the same time, Juk Hyul Myung grinned. I win. Juk Hyul Myung stood back up immediately, and gripped his sword. His muscles expanded as if they were about to explode. The sword slid out of the hilt explosively. ChiiC The white light that cut the air. This was the beginning of Juk Hyul Myungs attack. Shi Yups eyes widened in surprise. PyutC Iaido (΄g). (TL: Best direct trantion I coulde up with for now.) The fastest sword drawing technique in the world. That was what made the North Sea Ice Pce so fearsome. Juk Hyul Myung smiled. This is the end. This blow will destroy his opponent. After all, his attack wasnt something that couldnt be blocked, or dodged. That was what Juk Hyul Myung believed. CWhen the distance between two people shorten enough, petty tricks would be useless. The voice of Neng Mu Gi resounded in Shi Yups head. At the same time, the sword in Shi Yups hand rippled a bit. The distance between them was very, very small. The closer the two were, the more important an individuals perception and experience get,pared to skill or talent. When it came to skill, it seemed that Juk Hyul Myung was above Shi Yup. That was critical. But if the two of them were close enough to hear each other breath, even skill became useless. I was waiting for this. Shi Yup, too, was waiting for this to happen. He had one chance. He expected Juk Hyul Myung to strike at him from below. That strike was something that couldnt be blocked or dodged. Juk Hyul Myungs strike wasnt something as petty as that. Because of that, there wasnt much Shi Yup couldnt do. And in the first ce, Shi Yup created such a situation with one thing in mind. Lets die together. He couldnt dodge or block, but he could kill him in the process of dying. Killing Juk Hyul Myung would be enough for him. Energy gathered into Shi Yups sword, and the sword began to shoot out like a snake. The sword was shooting towards Juk Hyul Myungs heart. Shi Yups eyes met with Juk Hyul Myungs midair. The two could clearly see what they were thinking. Shit. Juk Hyul Myung ground his teeth. He thought that Shi Yup would be soft, just like his appearance, but the man turned out to be a mad dog. He knew just what his opponent was going for. This was troubling. In the first ce, Juk Hyul Myung had no desire to die in the wilderness with a fellow man. What do I do? He couldnt take back his sword. He wasnt confident that he would be able to block the oing strikes from Shi Yup that woulde afterwards. But it wasnt like he could afford to die together with Shi Yup. He was at a tricky situation. Lets do this, you bastard. He started this fight light-heartedly. After all, to him, the fight was just something to lift up his mood. Never did he realize that this battle would soon turn into one where he would have to risk his life. Juk Hyul Myung quickly changed the direction of his strike. He was trying to block Shi Yups attack. But Shi Yup proved to be stronger than Juk Hyul Myung initially thought. Shi Yups sword swerved around Juk Hyul Myungs sword, and kept going for Juk Hyul Myungs heart. That was when it began. Juk Hyul Myung kept blocking, and Shi Yup kept attacking. The fight that was supposed to be finished within a single attack was being dragged out quite a bit. In an instant, hundreds of sword strikes were exchanged between the two. But none of the strikes ever met its mark. Once a sword hit something, the winner of the battle would be decided. That was what he was going for. But Shi Yup wasnt about to let it happen. I lose if I let my concentration slip even a little. That was what the two were thinking. If they made even the tiniest mistake, their concentration would slip, and the enemys sword would impale them. Juk Hyul Myung grit his teeth as he focused even more on defending. Bastard. Each one of Shi Yups strike was a risky one. Shi Yup was focusing entirely on attacking, without giving attention to defense at all. That was why Juk Hyul Myung was unable to attack; He could see holes in Shi Yups defenses, but there simply was no time to exploit them. When one lost ground in a battle like this, he had to match the flow of the battle ording to his opponent. Getting tired, or losing concentration would be instant death. Juk Hyul Myungs rxed face eventually turned to a ferocious one. Dangerous. Neng Ha Young bit her lip. It looked like Shi Yup was winning. After all, he was the one on the offensive. But that was dangerous. If Shi Yup faltered even a bit in one of his attacks, his body would be stabbed multiple times in an instant. Where is he from? The question suddenly floated into Neng Ha Youngs mind. There was no way she wouldnt have heard the name of an expert like that. When she thought that much, however, she immediately shook her head. No. There is a case where an expert like that has no name in the martial world. Wasnt her guard, Shi Yup, like that? Even when he was a harmonious expert, the world didnt know about him. It must be the same for that man, too. After all, no matter how much she scrolled through the various information in her head, she couldnt think of anyone. Well, it wasnt like that mans identity wasnt something important at this point in time, anyway. I need to find out a way to deal with this. Shi Yups situation would worsen the more time passes. Neng Ha Young knew this since even she could see that Shi Yup was straining himself. Him being on the offensive would notst long. That was Neng Ha Youngs conclusion, and it wasnt a wrong one. If I can shake him just a bit. Neng Ha Young thought a bit, and after a while she smiled faintly. She figured out a solution. Its a little cheap, but.. Barging into a holy battle between two men of the martial world was indeed very cheap. But Neng Ha Young didnt care about that. To her, saving Shi Yup was the only thing that mattered, and results were the only thing that ever mattered to her. That was why she had to do this. But. For some reason, she didnt want to do it. She found a way to save Shi Yup, but seeing him fight made her feel that interfering would be equivalent of sinning. Why? To her, a person who only cared about results, concerns like these shouldnt have appeared in the first ce. Right then. ChiiC A line of blood formed in the air as Shi Yups elbow got sliced by Juk Hyul Myungs sword. When Neng Ha Young saw this, she became outraged. She no longer had time to be concerned over anything. It doesnt matter even if he starts hating me from now on. Neng Ha Young looked at Juk Hyul Myung. With a determined look, she opened her mouth. [Are you from the North Sea Ice Pce?] She sent a message to Juk Hyul Myung. At the same time, the attack that Juk Hyul Myung was performing instantly lost its power. Juk Hyul Myungs concentration had been broken. Because of Neng Ha Young. This bitch. PuaaC! Blood sprayed out like a fountain. It was a fatal wound. Neng Ha Young quickly moved she she saw the blood spray from Juk Hyul Myung. Shi Yup, who attacked Juk Hyul Myung the same time Juk Hyul Myung had attacked him, wasnt that well-off either. Juk Hyul Myung used a significant amount of strength to attack Shi Yup. Because of this, Shi Yups torso was endlessly puking out blood. Cough! Neng Ha Young ran like the wind to assist Shi Yup, and quickly applied medicine to his wounds. Lets stop here. .What? Juk Hyul Myung was extremely angry. He began to speak while gritting his teeth. Is this how the maind works? Or is this just your idea? Neng Ha Young didnt answer. That was because she could feel that even Shi Yup was looking at her withplicated feelings. I cant help it even if he hates me. In the first ce, Shi Yup shouldnt have tried to risk his life while fighting. There was a limit to how much one could show off in front of her. Neng Ha Young thought that as she stared right at Juk Hyul Myung. Its ok even if you swear at me. You won this time. But thats it. . Juk Hyul Myung used his sword as a temporary staff to let himself stand, and steadied his breath. His head was spinning quite a bit, which made it a little hard for him to percieve his surroundings. His rage was going out of control. That girl intervened at the most critical moment. Shit. His wound was deeper than he thought. He had to treat himself quickly, but the situation wasnt looking too good. The girl spoke up when he made a dark face. Im Neng Ha Young, from the ck Moon Guild. ! Whats your name? Juk Hyul Myung ground his teeth. Unfortunately, the ck Moon Guild wasnt something he could afford to offend at the moment. Making a new enemy when the North Sea Ice Pce had to fight the Demon Church wouldnt be a wise decision to make Tell me your name. I will repay you in the future. Juk Hyul Myung closed his eyes. He was feeling a little concerned. He sighed, and opened his mouth. .Whats your name? Im Neng Ha. I wasnt asking for your damned name. Go the hell away. .! Neng Ha Young bit her lips. She was never treated this way in the past. At that moment, Shi Yup opened his eyes and looked at Juk Hyul Myung. He opened his mouth. Shi Yup. Shi Yup. Juk Hyul Myung smiled. He then wiped the blood on his mouth with his sleeves, then pulled out the sword from the ground. My name is Juk Hyul Myung, the heir of the North Sea Ice Pce. I wille to the ck Moon Guild in the future to collect my debt. Shi Yup nodded. I will be waiting. Juk Hyul Myung grinned. Unlike the girl, he actually held Shi Yup in a good light. Shi Yup began to think as he watched Juk Hyul Myung walk away. I lost. He lostpletely. If Neng Ha Young didnt intervene, he wouldve been a corpse by now. I dont want to fight him again. That was his honest feelings. He couldnt hope for something like what saved his life to happen again. His opponent was strong, and if the battle continued for even a bit, he would have definitely died. Shi Yup tried to stand, but fell back down. Are you okay? Shi Yup nodded when he heard Neng Ha Youngs question. The two of them didnt know at the time. They didnt know that they had actually survived a battle against the future Sword King (). They would only find out about this in the future. Chapter 60. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Hibernation(?) Chapter 60. Cho Ryu Hyangs Hibernation(?) Breathing is something that can be done without even thinking. That is also the case when moving your limbs. Its something that can be done without any concentration. But when you think about it a little you start wondering why such a thing is possible. Walking, talking, breathing. Everything that can be done naturally. Could it be that these things were powered by some kind of strength within the body? When one assumed that that was truly the case, what would happen if that strengthpletely disappeared? An example of that state would be Cho Ryu Hyang at that moment. Its dark. Darkness was everywhere. That darkness wasnt caused by something like an absence of light, however. My vision is gone. Of course, Cho Ryu Hyang only realized this after quite some time. He tried to stretch out his hand, but couldnt. He couldnt even feel his limbs. No, to be more specific, it felt like his whole body was gone. It was as if his physical body just vanished from the world. Just what is. What happened? Instead of being frightened, Cho Ryu Hyang waited patiently. As expected, after a while, someone talked to Cho Ryu Hyangs consciousness. [How is it, greenhorn? Do you think you can take it?] An arrogant, mocking voice. The owner of this voice was Zhuge Liang. Cho Ryu Hyang responded. Its a little ufortable, but other than that, I can take it. Indeed. He wasnt feeling too bad at the moment. [You can take it?] Yes. This came as an unexpected answer to Zhuge Liang. Dont most people get extremely confused when faced with situations like these? But since this child went through quite a lot of abnormal events recently, the child became a little unresponsive to such events. Zhuge Liang lightly caressed his fan as he spoke. [You will be able to understand what you desire if you manage to break yourself out of this state alone.] The thing Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to understand. That would be the world within Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes lit up automatically. He felt that he was nearing the answer to his problem. So thats rted to the current state of the body? When Cho Ryu Hyang asked this, Zhuge Liang nodded. To Zhuge Liang, Cho Ryu Hyangs greatest powery in his power to concentrate. But that can also serve to be a critical weakness. Zhuge Liang fingered the tip of his fan. Cho Ryu Hyang was a type of a boy who wouldnt rest until he found out every single detail about one thing. That kind of a personality would be good for aplishing something quickly, but when you see it from another point of view, it could mean that one could miss several details on what is happening around them. That was exactly what was happening here. The boy was missing the most important information here by just thinking about the world inside the body. Zhuge Liang decided to tell the boy about that critical information. [If I were to speak in simpler terms, your body was forcefully separated from your mind. This is a very dangerous thing to do.] Dangerous? Why? Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused expression for a second. He then thought of something, and became extremely surprised. W, wouldnt that be extremely troublesome? [Of course.] Am I even breathing properly right now? Just how was he breathing if his body was separated from the mind? Zhuge Liang faintly smiled when he heard Cho Ryu Hyangs question. [If I removed your mind from your bodypletely, youd be dead by now.] That meant that Cho Ryu Hyang wasntpletely separated from his body at the moment. While Cho Ryu Hyang sighed in relief at the fact, Zhuge Liang spoke. [But this state wontst for long. If you do not go back to your original state, your breathing will stop. That will be the end.] When Zhuge Liang said this casually, Cho Ryu Hyang frowned. Was Zhuge Liang really this irresponsible? Zhuge Liang, not caring a single bit about what Cho Ryu Hyang thought of him, covered his mouth with his fan as he spoke. [You have about 15 minutes from now. If your body gets used to being without your mind after this time, it would be the end.] How would it end? When Cho Ryu Hyang asked this, Zhuge Liang didnt respond. After staying silent for a bit, he looked towards the ce where Cho Ryu Hyangs consciousnessy and spoke. [You will be stuck in the cage known as the body. Forever.] . Cho Ryu Hyangs current situation was a lot worse than he originally thought. * * * This is driving me crazy. Sunwu Jo Duk tilted his head as he wiped the sweat on his forehead. He didnt know much about martial arts and the likes, but when it came to medicine, Sunwu Jo Duk could boast that his talent rivalled that of the Pope. In other words, he was confident that there was no one else in the world better than he when it came to medicine. He was right about it, too. But right now, that doctor was trying to cure Cho Ryu Hyang with intense concentration. His pulse is normal, no matter how I look at it. Cho Ryu Hyangs pulse was weak, but it was normal. His breathing was shallow, but like his pulse, it contained no abnormalities. There wasnt anything that gave away a sign of a sickness. He isnt poisoned, either. He assumed that Cho Ryu Hyang was poisoned at first, but the boy wasnt. Plus, Cho Ryu Hyang was someone he personally checked himself, so he knew the most about the boy than anyone else in the world. Sunwu Jo Duk felt like he was about to go insane. It felt like his lifespan was getting shorter the longer he examined Cho Ryu Hyang. He has no abnormalities? How can this even be possible? Sunwu Jo Duks mouth went dry. The heir, Cho Ryu Hyang, would look sick even to an idiot. Moreover, the heir seemed to be in an extremely critical condition. But Sunwu Jo Duk was unable to find the cause of the heirs current state. This was driving him absolutely insane. Right then, someone opened the door and came in. The boys hurt? Your Holiness. Gongson Chun Gi casually greeted Sunwu Jo Duk, and immediately began to investigate Cho Ryu Hyangs current state. He began to ask a few questions. So, how long do you think it would take for him to wake up? .I dont know. Mm? What do you mean by that? I didnt manage to find the cause of the heirs current condition. When Sunwu Jo Duk said this with a pained face, Gongson Chun Gis eyes began to turn a little more serious. You examined him, and didnt find the cause? You? .Yes. Youre losing your touch. . Move. Normally, Sunwu Jo Duk would never let someone else examine his patient, but this was an exception. When Sunwu Jo Duk moved away, Gongson Chun Gi stretched out his hand and grabbed Cho Ryu Hyangs artery. He soon began frowning. What the heck? Whats wrong with him? The boys breathing was extremely shallow. His heartbeat was equally faint. If that were the case, then there definitely had to be a problem within the body somewhere. But the boy didnt have any problems. This was almost like. Its like hes hibernating, isnt it? When Gongson Chun Gi blurted this out, Sunwu Jo Duk nodded. He had been thinking the same thing. But as you know, humans dont hibernate. Right. Then what was this? When Gongson Chun Gi began to think, Sunwu Jo Duk sighed deeply. I really might have to retire at this rate. It seems my old hands are losing its touch. When Sunwu Jo Duk looked down on his hands and said this in a depressed voice, Gongson Chun Gi smirked. If you lost your touch, doesnt that mean I lost mine, too? Dont get depressed over nothing, and go over there for a bit. What are you trying to do? Im actually beginning to think that this kid might actually be hibernating. What? Are you serious? Sunwu Jo Duk barely suppressed himself from saying that. Seeing how Gongson Chun Gi was joking in a situation like this, he felt that the man really was on a different ss than others. While Sunwu Jo Duk looked at Gongson Chun Gi withplex emotions, Gongson Chun Gi sat downfortably, and put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyangs head. If medicinal techniques dont work, you gotta resort to magic. Im pretty confident about magic, you know. So just stay over there for a second. Sunwu Jo Duk wanted to say something, but gave up on it. As a person who couldnt even figure out the cause of the heirs current condition, he felt that he had no right to say anything. But there is no way for a human to be hibernating, is there? Should he try to stop the Pope here? Gongson Chun Gi grinned while staring at the conflicted medicine man, then began to focus on Cho Ryu Hyang. He then tilted his head in wonder. His consciousness is locked away deep inside. If one was simply sleeping, the defenses of the mind wouldnt be this strong. It was almost as if Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to prevent anyone from getting to him. When Gongson Chun Gi thought this, he smiled. Do you really want to hibernate or something, disciple? surawang_60 Gongson Chun Gi began to think a bit here. It wasnt that hard for him to forcefully wake Cho Ryu Hyang here. But he didnt really want to resort to that. After all, he didnt even know why his disciple got to this state in the first ce. After thinking a bit, he nced at Sunwu Jo Duk and steeled his resolve. This isnt a good time for this to happen. Come to think of it, the boys coronation should be happening soon. Preparations for that were being made, and there really wasnt any time for the main character of the event to be sleeping like that. Im sorry, but Ill have to wake you up, disciple. Gongson Chun Gi decided to take his consciousness and use it to forcefully wake Cho Ryu Hyang. Gognson Chun Gis eyes began to be filled with red energy. He was activating a sort of a minds eye technique (g). Come to think of it, something like this happened in the past, huh. Didnt he wake his unconscious disciple like this in the past? He could still see his disciples shocked face when he showed himself in the boys dream. Shall I go surprise him this time, too? Gongson Chun Gi smiled yfully, and focused. Normally, getting into another persons brain wasnt an easy task. But Gongson Chun Gi just happened to be extremely talented at these kind of techniques. That was why he just jumped into Cho Ryu Hyang mind without much worries. But Eh? The first thing Gongson Chun Gi saw was darkness. He frowned and waved his hand. He didnt like seeing something so dark in his disciples dream. The darkness faded away with the wave of his hand. This time, an empty white space appeared in front of Gongson Chun Gi. His eyebrows twitched a bit as he looked at this scenery. What the hell are you trying to pull? Come out. There was someone in this ce. Gongson Chun Gi could clearly feel it. But it seemed that the opposing party had no intention of revealing himself. The man simply hid in the white shadow, observing Gongson Chun Gi. Che, you seem to be an annoying one. You think I cant find you if you hide? Gongson Chun Gi clicked his tongue, then he pped his hands together then opened his arms out widely. When he did so, countless butterflies with blood red wings flew out. Find him. When Gongson Chun Gi said this, all the butterflies began to gather towards a single ce. They eventually gathered to a single spot and formed into a vague shape of a human. [You really are quite talented.] PaanC With a sound of something breaking, the butterflies all flew away. What appeared was an old man holding a white feather fan on one hand. Zhuge Liang. He had finally revealed himself. Chapter 61. Mysterious Old Man Chapter 61. Mysterious Old Man Gongson Chun Gi stroked his beard as he stared at his opponent. An old man with a feather fan. Gongson Chun Gi could feel that the man had immense pride based on the mans arrogant voice. But the strange thing was, Gongson Chun Gi had never seen the man in his life. Seeing how you are able to destroy the Dream Blood Butterflies (Ѫ), you must have quite a bit of skill. Just who are you, old man? Zhuge Liang. He fingered the tip of his fan and smirked. It was as if he was astounded by the fact that Gongson Chun Gi even said such a thing. Ignorant fool. Who do you think you are, trying to judge me with just petty tricks? Hoh? You seem pretty confident. Thats good. Gongson Chun Gi grinned in amusement. Who was this man? Why was a man like this even here in the first ce? Quite a lot of questions floated atop his head, but he refrained himself from asking them. The questions were something that had to be resolved at another time. You wouldnt answer even if I asked you who you are nicely, would you? Zhuge Liang smiled, and nodded. Find out for yourself. Gongson Chun Gi grinned. That was just what he wanted. It should be alright to ask questions after defeating the old man. This is going to hurt, you know. Zhuge Liang pped his fan leisurely as he responded to Gongson Chun Gis threat. Come. Gongson Chun Gi grinned like a child. This was just what he wanted. Moreover, he could feel the opponents immense pride from that answer. Just who, just who under the heavens could show this much pride to him? Gongson Chun Gi could feel excitement from this new experience. Thisll be fun. Gongson Chun Gi was filled with interest. While it wasnt as much as martial arts, Gongson Chun Gi really was confident in magic. It wouldnt be a lie to say that the thing he was best at after martial arts was magic. The Heavenly Demon Church has quite a lot of good magical techniques. They had an astronomical amount of it. Gongson Chun Gi, who read all of it out of boredom, knew about all the magical techniques the church possessed. Gongson Chun Gi never had a proper teacher, however. That was because even if no one taught him how to utilize his techniques in a more useful manner, his strength already rivalled that of a first-rate. For now. What should he do first? Gongson Chun Gi could see that his opponent was very talented. If he used a weak technique, hed just be humiliated. He needed to use an extremely powerful technique that could overwhelm the enemy with a single hit. Gongson Chun Gi thought about the technique he should use, but then frowned as if he had seen something. He stared at Zhuge Liang intently, and let out a small groan. Old man, could it be that youre. Did you see something? Zhuge Liangs arrogant eyes filled with surprise. What did he see? There shouldnt be anything Gongson Chun Gi should be able to see here. Gongson Chun Gi stared at the old man in front of him for a while with a frown. Soon enough, he scratched the back of his head and smiled. Interesting. To think Id meet a person of the same calibre (ͬ) as me here. Same calibre. Zhuge Liang smiled when he heard Gongson Chun Gis words, and shook his head. Dont be fooled. You are simply a second-rate (). You look good on the outside, but thats about it. Ta Zhuge Liang spoke as he lightly pped his hand with his fan. Arent you going toe over? If you wont, Ill go first. Che, old man, dont try to tell me what to do. Even my teacher didnt dare do that to me. Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and stretched out his right hand without any warning. It was as if he was trying to grab onto something. It was a simple and light movement, but this move actually contained a tremendous amount of energy. Pachichichi The air trembled slightly, and Gongson Chun Gis right hand disappeared into thin air. It was as if the hand fell into a shroud of fog and disappeared. Zhuge Liang, who observed Gongson Chun Gis moves, became amused. Petty tricks. At that moment, the air in front of Zhuge Liang split open to reveal an empty ck space resembling the entrance to hell. Lets start off lightly, yeah? As soon as Gongson Chun Gi finished speaking, a giant blue hand appeared from the whole. A giant hand that resembled those of a corpse. That hand tried to grab onto Zhuge Liang and make the man explode. But When Zhuge Liang lightly pped the feather fan, the hand exploded violently. Guooo! A sound of a monsters cry resounded from the hole, and the destroyed hand disappeared from the air. Youre pretty good. Gongson Chun Gi made a face of disappointment. He knew his opponent would be able to deal with his spell, but wasnt this dispelled too easily? He wouldnt be able to measure the opponents power this way. Right then, Zhuge Liang opened his mouth. Stop showing me petty tricks and give me the real thing. The real thing? Youre going to get hurt if you dont. At that moment, Zhuge Liangs body began to emit a tyrannical aura. But Gongson Chun Gi wasnt even fazed by this. Instead, he actually began to smile. Thanks for the advice. But do you really think you can take this on? Thats my line. Alright, then. Gongson Chun Gi nodded enthusiastically. He, too, knew that he wouldnt be able to get his opponent without going all out. Think of this as an honour. Gongson Chun Gi raised his arms, and rubbed his eyes lightly. That moment, the world brightened around him. Demon Eyes (ħ݆) When Zhuge Liang said this in a quite voice, a giant red eye appeared above Gongson Chun Gis head for a moment, then disappeared. Pretty go. Zhuge Liang looked down without finishing his sentence. He could feel something gigantic under his feet. Toote. Dududuk! The ground split in half all of the sudden, and rows of sharp teeth revealed itself within. Without any warning, the ground split apart widely. This is the end. Gongson Chun Gi became ted. The giant mouth that formed on the ground opened its mouth widely, and swallowed Zhuge Liang. Crack Grind The sound of bones breaking apart could be heard from the darkness of the abyss. But Gongosn Chun Gis face, which had been staring at the ground for a while, slowly turned into a frown. He licked his lips and spoke. Damn, I got tricked. Gongson Chun Gi turned his head. When he did so, the space next to him swayed and revealed Zhuge Liang. As I expected, you were a practitioner of Pang Tongs magic arts. But you are actually twice as strong as he was. Gongson Chun Gi scratched the back of his neck with a dissatisfied face. He then opened his mouth with an uninterested face. Compliments wont work, you know. I already know that I cant beat you here. At first, Gongson Chun Gi assumed that he was inside Cho Ryu Hyangs dream. But that wasnt the case. This was a ce created by that old man, Zhuge Liang. The old man was the one who had the advantage from the beginning. There was no way for Gongson Chun Gi to win if he and the old man were of the same strength. Who the hell are you, and what are you trying to do with my disciple? Ill act ordingly based on your answer. Gongson Chun Gi said this as he dispelled his Demon Eye. He then sat down on the ground with an extremely rxed posture. Zhuge Liang grinned when he saw this. Reckless, arent you. There was no way for Gongson Chun Gi to win in here. If the two met in the real world, then perhaps the result of the battle could be different. But here, there was no way for Gongson Chun Gi to win against Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang stared at Gongson Chun Gi for a moment. Gongson Chun Gi, too, stared at Zhuge Liang. The monsters of the past and the present. These two were constantly trying to pry into each other with their eyes. After a moment, Gongson Chun Gi grinned as he spoke up. You really turned out to be an amazing person. With a lot of secrets, to boot. You really make me wonder who you might be. Zhuge Liang smirked. There are secrets in the world that are better left alone. Gongson Chun Gi nodded when he heard Zhuge Liangs answer. Alright. Im pretty curious as to what those secrets are, but Ill refrain from asking them for now. Im being really lenient right now, so you tell me what I want to know, okay? The thing Gongson Chun Gi wanted to know about. It wasnt something that important to Zhuge Liang. Because of this, Zhuge Liang decided to tell Gongson Chun Gi about what was going on. Your disciple is trying to make a breakthrough. Breakthrough? Yes. I made him enter this state forcefully, which makes everything a bit dangerous, but the kid should be able to ovee it. Zhuge Liang fingered his fan as he spoke. I understand that I was being a little rushed. You probably had some things nned for your disciple, too. But this really is a necessary thing to do. Gongson Chun Gi thought for a moment, then nodded. He finally realised what was going on. He also realised that the old man in front of him had no ill intentions towards Cho Ryu Hyang. Knowing that, Gongson Chun Gi could rx a little. You dont have a body, huh. Zhuge Liang smiled. As expected, this person wasnt someone he could look at lightly. To think that the man could find out about that immediately. Correct. To think there was a monster that only existed as a consciousness. Ive seen something great today. Gongson Chun Gi was honestly impressed. Just how strong would one have to get in order to perform such a thing? Its not good to know too much, so you should leave right about now. Wait are you perhaps someone from the past that I know of? Zhuge Liang mysteriously smiled when he heard Gongson Chun Gis question, and waved his fan. Well stop here, Gongson Chun Gi. Paan Gongson Chun Gi frowned as he got flown back due to the energy that came from Zhuge Liangs fan. He still had something he had to confirm, but he got chased out. surawang_61 * * * Hurgh! Are you awake, your Holiness? Yeah. Gongson Chun Gi gulped down the honeyed water Sunwu Jo Duk brought him, and ground his teeth. Damn, to think there was someone like that He lost. To be fair, he was in that mans dream, but he was still filled with annoyance. After thinking for a bit, Gongson Chun Gi looked at his right hand. Then. Crack! The skin on his right hand began to rupture, and streams of blood began flowing out. Sun Jo Duk, upon seeing this, widened his eyes and immediately applied medicine. Just what kind of a trick is this, your Holiness? I would rather wish that this was a trick. That goddamned old man. Who? You dont have to know about him. Hes just an arrogant old man. He really wasnt just dreaming. His right hand was damaged quite badly due to the old mans attack just now. An attack to the consciousness, depending on its size, were able to show its effects on the physical body to an extent. If Gongson Chun Gi was damaged this much even when using the Demon Eyes, an ability that boosted the power of the consciousness several times, the technique the old man used mustve been extremely terrifying. Gongson Chun Gi stared at his bleeding hand for a while, then turned to look at Cho Ryu Hyang. Hey. Yes, your holiness. Leave him be. Things might actually take a turn for the worse if we try to step in. Did something happen? Sunwu Jo Duk asked this carefully, but Gongson Chun Gi didnt talk. After all, the experience he had in Cho Ryu Hyangs mind wasnt too important. He simply looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and whispered quietly. Lets fight outside in the future, old man. Gongson Chun Gi felt that he suffered quite a bit. * * * Zhuge Liang stared at Gongson Chun Gi from the space he had created. He then smiled when hearing Gongson Chun Giin. So there are advantages to living for a long time. Zhuge Liang smiled as he fingered his fan. He was happy. Seeing someone with such talent made him happy. The man was amazing. It was hard to see such talent even back in his day, the age when countless heroes rose and fell. It was fun. Its been a while since hest enjoyed himself like this. He at first saw this meeting as a form of amusement. But even he never expected to have this much fun in this encounter. Watching Cho Ryu Hyang was already extremely enjoyable, but that child called Gongson Chun Gi was pretty interesting, too. While he had been smiling, Zhuge Liang could suddenly feel something break. When he turned his head to look at what happened, he froze for a moment. Could it be? A part of the ground was ripped openpletely. After surveying the area for a minute, Zhuge Liang made a dumbfounded face. To him, this face was an extremely rare expression that only came up in cases of extreme surprise. .It seems this age will turn pretty interesting. Gongson Chun Gis attack that swallowed him a while back. That attack had actually taken a chunk of Zhuge Liangs space itself. So he wasnt all talk. Zhuge Liang grinned. Gongson Chun Gi. If that man attacked him with full strength, even Zhuge Liang, the owner of this space, would suffer quite a bit. He had thought that he thought highly of Gongson Chun Gi, but that wasnt the case at all. It seemed that he was underestimating the man far too much instead. Zhuge Liang stared at the ground, and began to let out a heartyugh without even realizing it. Chapter 62. A Tenacious Man Chapter 62. A Tenacious Man In the past, when Gongson Chun Gi was crowned as the heir of the church, there were two senior brothers above him. The two of them were people of great talent, as they were chosen personally by the Pope at the time. It was unfortunate that they were at the same generation as Gongson Chun Gi. One of them realized that Gongson Chun Gi had more talent than he, and left the church when Gongson Chun Gi became crowned. The other stayed secluded from the church, abiding by the churchs rules. The Church had something known as the Law of Blood. This made it so that the former disciples of the Pope would be unable to stay within the church once the Heir was crowned. This happened due to the fact that the Popes influence might be affected by the former disciples. It was normal for the former disciples to either be expelled from the church, or be killed off. But Gongson Chun Gi let the two seniors stay within the church. This event took ce when Gongson Chun Gi took in a disciple, and the time when the rumor that the Pope took in a disciple began to spread. Master, I heard something strange when I went out today. What? They were talking about how the Heir was already chosen? Yeah. I heard, too. Whats going to happen to us now, then? What do you mean, whats going to happen? Were basically screwed. .N, no. You told me youd make me the Pope! As you can see, doing thats nearly impossible now. Please understand. Master! Im sorry. This master of yours is ipetent. You should find your own path now. Dont give up already, and do something! No Jin Nyung (Ŭ䌄) cried out whilst ripping out his hair. The old man in front of No Jin Nyung was watching his disciple silently. That old man was Gongson Chun Gis senior brother, Gwon Gang Min (), the Berserking Blood Demon (Ѫֿħ). The man took away the fishing pole he held in his hand out of the pond water, and shook his head. Its a person that Gongson Chun Gi chose personally. Theres no way you can win. Its better to give up. The man said this with a very clear and concise voice. But No Jin Nyung just couldnt take it. After all, this matter concerned his life itself. .You clearly told me that I was unmatched under the heavens, and that we could conquer the heavens together! Gwon Gang Min widened his eyes when he heard this from his disciple. I did? Master! No Jin Nyung desperately spoke out to his master. Gwon Gang Min became a little troubled when he saw his disciple like this. No Jin Nyung. The boy was someone he took in when he started to get older. And it wasnt a lie when he told the boy that the boys talent was unmatched under the heavens. surawang_62 But. Gwon Gang Min scratched the back of his head. The thing was, his disciple had a terrible weakness. To put it nicely, he has a very straightforward and honest personality. No Jin Nyung trusted people too easily. And once he was told to do something, he would try to finish the task he was given without stopping. At one point in time, Gwon Gang Min got tired of No Jin Nyung pestering him, and told the disciple to go count all the pinecones on the mountain. He found his disciple still counting the pinecones half a yearter. His disciple was just that pure. But Gwon Gang Min saw his disciple in a different light. This guys an idiot! Right. This guy was an idiot. At least, that was how it was to Gwon Gang Min. After all, the world used the word pure and stupid the same way. Gwon Gang Min looked at his disciple for a moment with a sorrowful face. Hes already a peak expert. Come to think of it, No Jin Nyung was already 28. But was it because of his ignorance of the outside world? The man looked like he was in histe teens. But the man himself trained day and night when he shouldve taken the time to go out and y a little. Poor child. No Jin Nyung really was too pure. Gwon Gang Min thought hard. Honestly, No Jin Nyungs talent by itself was good enough to enter the top ten in all the world. But one doesnt be a Pope with just strength. Of course, strength was something one needed when bing the Pope, but with just that, it was impossible to be a Pope. The Pope is a leader. The Pope needs to be able to have good decision-making skills, determination, motivation, and the power to be able to gather people to his side. No Jin Nyung definitely was a very talented child, but he also had downsides that were almost as big as his talents. Did I go too far? To be honest, Gwon Gang Min nowadays was very bored. Well, as his position as the senior brother of the Pope, he could live the rest of his life without any worries at all. But it wasnt like he had much power within the church itself. Instead, he had to stay in the church trying to be as quiet and unnoticed as possible. This made Gwon Gang Min feel quite useless, which led him to taking in a disciple. And that disciple was No JIn Nyung. This is retribution. When he thought back on it, everything was his retribution. And the greatest victim of this was his disciple.Gwon Gang Min realized that the heavens never missed out on anything, and became mesmerized by the thought. Truly amazing. Gwon Gang Min nodded after staring at the sky for a bit. It was his responsibility to take back the seeds he sowed. Gwon Gang Min steeled himself, and began to put down the fishing rod on his hand. Then, he immediately thought of something, and lightly pushed away his crying disciple. Be calm. We still have a chance. No Jin Nyungs eyes immediately sparkled fiercely. Gwon Gang Min actually flinched a little inside when he saw this, but pretended to not see it as anything significant, and opened his mouth. As long as you show that you have more talent than the Heir, you should be able to seed. How would I do that? Gwon Gang Min felt a bit of guilt when he saw his disciples eyes clear of any suspicion. But he had to do it. You can do it as long as you get into the harmonious stage. As long as you do that, bing the Pope wont be a dream. .As long as I be a harmonious expert? Yes. Youll have a chance if you manage to do it. This would be an impossible task, even with that massive talent his disciple had. The only reason he suggested this to his disciple was because he thought the boy would give up after hearing it. Forgive me. Gwon Gang Min looked up at the heavens, and prayed for forgiveness. But as always, the will of the heavens wasnt something a mere mortal couldprehend. No one could ever suspect that the idiotic disciple would actually break into the harmonious stage in just a few weeks. Gwon Gang Min just didnt know if he shouldugh or cry when he got faced with this situation. Master, I can be the Pope now, right? .. He just couldnt manage to tell the truth in front of this overly excited disciple of his. Dear God, isnt this a little too much? Only now did Gwon Gang Min truly regret his actions. * * * From a young age, No Jin Nyung liked simple things. He just didnt likeplicated things by nature. Even when fighting other kids his age to pick the boss out of the group, No Jin Nyung never lost, even when being matched up with bigger kids. To him, the other kids were making unnecessarilyplicated movements. To No Jin Nyung, even the punches and the kicks performed by the children seemed tooplicated. This was why the kids couldnt win against No Jin Nyung. As simple as possible. Simple and easy. Simple and fast (μ). This was the one thing No Jin Nyung always lived by. One day, during the time when No Jin Nyung lived in the small mountain town, arge amount of bandits invaded the town. Kill everyone except for the females! Yes, boss! Like any other thieves and bandits, these people were here to steal. They were here to take away lives, and steal anything that could be of value. At the same time, these people kidnapped all the young women in the town. To them, this small town was a very good hunting ground that had little to no resistance against them. Am I about to die here? No Jin Nyung watched his house burn away from a nearby shack. His family died in front of his eyes, but he couldnt do anything to save them. The bodies of his parents were still exuding hot blood. Young No Jin Nyung was sad. He was so sad and mad at the same time, he just wanted to run out and throw a stone at the bandits. But he didnt. He just decided to think simply instead. If he runs out now, he dies. And dying here would truly be foolish. When he thought like this, the sadness he felt strangely subsided a little. While he had been consoling his mind like this, the bandits started setting fires everywhere. Because of this, the shack was no longer a ce that could shelter No Jin Nyung. This was because the bandits set fire to that, too. The smoke from the mes made breathing much harder. His lungs stung, and his breathing became irregr. If he went outside now, though, he would die. No Jin Nyung thought as fast as possible while suppressing himself from coughing. What should I do? No Jin Nyung tried to think as simply as possible. After all, he was always supposed to think simply, and easily, right? Staying inside would kill me, and going outside would kill me. Then which one would hurt less? Getting stabbed to death sounds a little better than burning to death. When he thought about it, his reasoning made sense. Because of this, No Jin Nyung crawled out of his hiding ce. Thankfully, the bandits were gone. It seemed they went to a different part of the town after setting fire here. No Jin Nyung sighed in relief, and began to look around a bit. The outside was horrifying to behold. No Jin Nyungs family was dead, and his neighbors shared the same fate along with their burnt houses. Young No Jin Nyung began to think immediately in this situation. As simple as possible. He began to think about what he could do at that moment. Survival came first. To aplish that, he had to avoid getting caught by the bandits. How? While he had been organizing the tasks he had to do in the simplest manner, the heavens sent him a savior. I just came here to eat. whats with all this mess? An old man was observing the destroyed town while scratching the back of his head. When he saw the corpses lying on the ground starting from the town entrance, he sighed. Just how much of a sinner was I in my past life? The man walked towards the bandits while sighing. Whos that? The boss of the bandit group watched the old man approach them, and frowned. I told you to kill everyone, didnt I? Whys an old man like that still alive? Do you guys have a death wish or something? The old man, Gwon Gang Min,ughed bitterly. This was because he could see the bandits surrounding him. The heavens are testing me again. He wanted to avoid unnecessary murder, but the heavens would sometimes tempt him with events like these. And Gwon Gang Min happened to be a person who fell for temptation quite easily. One of the bandits surrounding him tried to chop Gwon Gang Mins neck. I should get back to the church soon. Gwon Gang Min, who had been speaking to himself, flicked away the sword with a finger, and opened his mouth with a sorrowful face. Try to be a kinder person when you get reborn, okay? K, kill him! A cyclone of blood spouted upwards as soon as the bandit boss issued hismand. The hundred bandits that was in the area were instantly killed due to the huge difference in martial prowess. Ohh, my waist. His body wasnt like it was in the old days. Gwon Gang Min lightly massaged his waist a bit, and entered a random house right next to him. He could find No Jin Nyung, who was petrified in ce with a dumb expression on his face. Mind if I have a meal here? No Jin Nyung just stared at his future teacher with a dumb face. Simple. The movements of the old man just now wasntplicated at all. It was very simple, and easy. The movements were almost at the pinnacle of simplicity itself. Simple movements without anything wasted. Whore you? Me? Im Gwon Gang Min. The rtionship between the two began here. * * * No Jin Nyung didnt tell this to his teacher this yet, but he was actually extremely close to breaking through into the harmonious stage already. It was right there in front of his eyes, almost as if he could catch it with his bare hands. He even felt that he could actually grab hold of it with enough work. Others would practice day and night in order to break through when they reached this state, but No Jin Nyung wasnt like this. His reason for this was very simple. Ill get there eventually, anyways. The harmonious stage was definitely something within No Jin Nyungs grasp. These words would make others extremely surprised, but to No Jin Nyung, this statement wasnt much. The Godly realm that was far above the harmonious stage seemed too far for him, but the harmonious stage itself seemed reachable. This was the reason why he didnt try too hard to break through. Ill get there all in due time. That was how No Jin Nyung thought. But one day, there came a time when he had to start working harder. The Heir has been chosen. The news was extremely shocking to him. He was thinking of bing a Pope all his life, and then this happened? He immediately went to his master to talk about this matter. But as always, his master was neutral on this matter. This was because his master was a person who always went with the flow of the world. This isnt right. Even if the master was someone he had revered and respected all his life, the decision his master made seemed wrong. Then, his master gave him an answer. You can be the Pope once you reach the harmonious stage. Right. As expected, his master was amazing. His master always seemed so neutral on everything, but usually took everything very seriously in reality. I just have to reach the harmonious stage. No Jin Nyung decided to think simply. If he gets into the harmonious stage, he bes the Pope. It was as simple as that. And so he worked. He forcefully grabbed onto that thing that was right in front of him all this time. Thanks to that, a new harmonious expert was born in this world. And No Jin Nyung would be a figure that heavily influenced Cho Ryu Hyang in the future. Chapter 63. Gongson Chun Gi’s Curiosity Chapter 63. Gongson Chun Gis Curiosity Cho Ryu Hyang tried to move his body consciously, but soon gave up. No matter what he did, his arms or legs wouldnt lift up. It was almost as if he didnt even have any limbs. I need something different. He needed to do something different from what he was trying till now. He had finally realized that trying to move his body by force wasnt going to work. Cho Ryu Hyang began thinking. He needed to try something new. What can I do in this state, though? He could neither see nor feel. It really was as if his consciousness was floating around in space without a body. The only thing Cho Ryu Hyang could do at the moment was to think. Think? As soon as Cho Ryu Hyang thought of that word, he felt some kind of a jolt from his body. It seemed that he was nearing some kind of a solution. This is it! To be honest, there wasnt much Cho Ryu Hyang could do at the moment other than to think. But that was enough. The solution to finding out about the world inside the body didnt seem to be asplicated as he thought. What should I think about? For now, he thought of the verses within the Moon Edge de Technique. Since it was only about thirty characters long, he went through the whole thing in an instant. Cho Ryu Hyang desperately held onto these verses. He believed that the key to escaping this situationy in these words. He recited the verses tens of times in his mind, but he didnt feel anything special happening. Cho Ryu Hyang began to get anxious again when he was confronted with this. I dont have much time.. Zhuge Liang told him that it would be dangerous to stay in this state for too long. Imprisoned in my own body, was it. It was simple, yet terrifying at the same time. What would it be like to be trapped in ones own body? It was terrifying to behold. Cho Ryu Hyang steeled his resolve once more. He needed to avoid wasting too much time. Come to think of it, am I even breathing properly? This was honestly what worried him the most. Were his lungs functioning properly in this state? How weak was his breathing at this point? While Cho Ryu Hyang thought of all these things, something changed in his body. Eh? Cho Ryu Hyang could suddenly feel the movement of his lungs in his mind. It expanded and contracted weakly, but it nevertheless kept maintaining a steady rhythm. He could then begin to see his lungs in front of him. Cho Ryu Hyang immediately paid attention to this strange phenomenon. Then, he began to try visualize his heart instead out of curiosity. Then, the scene in front of him changed. This time, he could see his heart beating. This is it. He didnt know why, but he could see and feel his organs just by thinking about it. Seeing this new change made Cho Ryu Hyang happy, but curious at the same time. Just why was this happening? Would this be the world inside the body? Even if it wasnt, it would definitely be rted. After a while of thought, some kind of a n began to formte within his mind. Even Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know what the n actually was going to be like. But he wasnt disappointed. Instead, he began to focus as hard as possible. Things are going to get important from here. He had to try to dig in as far as possible into the small clue he attained. Cho Ryu Hyang tried looking at all the organs of his body, expecting to find something. But the world inside the body that Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to find was located in none of these organs. When Cho Ryu Hyang returned to observing his own heart, he felt some kind of understanding slip into his mind. Could it be? The blood that flowed out of the heart. Cho Ryu Hyang quietly observed its movements. The blood flowed out of the heart, and spread all around the body through the blood vessels. It made him think of one thing. Cirction. The blood that came from the heart was the same throughout. It would flow throughout the body, constantly getting murky and clear. It circted through the body without stopping. Talking, moving, breathing. Wasnt all this actually a part of a great cirction as well? He just never realized it all this time. The things his body did naturally without having him even notice it. When he noticed these activities, he was able to see the human body in apletely different light. He would be able to use the greatest amount of power with the least possible amount of energy. This alone was capable of giving him limitless power. With this, Cho Ryu Hyang was breaking through the first gate of the Moon Edge de Technique. Ryun, the core of the Moon Edge de Technique. It was gettingpleted by Cho Ryu Hyang after a hundred years time. * * * Gongson Chun Gi sat down on the pagoda at the garden, and just stared at the man madeke in front of him. In the past, he woulde here whenever he was troubled. He would sit here and think about his problem calmly. He was thinking alone in the pagoda, just like in the past. Who was it? There was only one thing that made Gongson Chun Gi so troubled at the moment. It was the old man that existed inside Cho Ryu Hyangs mind. They only met once, but Gongson Chun Gi was able to see that his opponent possessed unfathomable power. He had never felt something like that before in his life. That made him happy. Gongson Chun Gi spoke quietly under his breath with a smile. So that secret you were harboring was actually that old man. Cho Ryu Hyang. When he thought of his disciple, Gongson Chun Gi smiled. He could tell that his disciple tried to tell him something for a long time, but was hesitating whenever he tried to talk. Gongson Chun Gi was curious as to what secret was, but he didnt dwell on it as he believed his disciple would tell him in the future. But the secret his disciple held was much bigger than he had expected. Just how was the boy able to get a ridiculous old man like that in his body? Hn, just what should I do. Should he directly ask his disciple? Or should he just wait? Gongson Chun Gi organized his thoughts a little, and thought about the old man again. Wait, didnt that guy say that he saw a trace of Pang Tong within me? Gongson Chun Gis eyes sparkled. Pang Tong was a name of a very famous individual in the past. No, it couldnt be. Pang Tong. The genius strategist in the Romance of The Three Kingdoms. Gongson Chun Gis eyes immediately red up when he thought up to here. The genius of all geniuses that came up whenever Pang Tong came up. This individuals name popped up in Gongson Chun Gis mind. Crouching Dragon (P), Zhuge Kongming (T). The hero who dominated the chaotic era of the past. When he thought of Zhuge Liangs name, he immediately tried putting that legendary hero together with the old man inside Cho Ryu Hyang. Surprisingly, the two matched perfectly. Gongson Chun Gis mouth curled up into a malevolent grin. Right. So. Crouching Dragon was actually him? Gongson Chun Gi was certain that he was right. So that was the reason why I lost. If that old man was someone like Zhuge Liang, just battling the man in itself was amazing. Well, youd need someone of that caliber to battle the likes of me in the first ce. Gongson Chun Gi suffered quite a bit after the battle with that old man. But when he realized that the old man was actually Zhuge Liang, his anger calmed quite a bit. The fact that he fought Zhuge Liang even made Gongson Chun Gi a little proud. Right then. Gongson Chun Gi opened his eyes, and turned his head. He smiled. Oh? Whos this? Gongson Chun Gi. He stood up and grinned brightly. For once, he began to speak with a tone filled with respect, not yfulness. This was, of course, restricted only to private ces, but the individual in front of Gongson Chun Gi was the only person who he could truly speak to withfort. Its been awhile, junior brother. Gwon Gang Min. He hade to the garden. I didnt know senior brother would actuallye here. Is there anything bothering you? Do I have toe to see you only when I have a problem? Well, thats not the case, but Gongson Chun Gi smiled. Didnt you avoid me quite a bit all this time? Gwon Gang Min faked a slightly hurt expression. There was no choice, right? The situation called for it. Gwon Gang Min took care of Gongson Chun Gi like a brother since long ago due to their age difference. The situation took quite a turn, so their rtionship became a tad bit strange, but Gongson Chun Gi still thought of Gwon Gang Min as a brother. Ill get some tea. When Gongson Chun Gi sent out an order, the people who stayed nearby began to get busy. Gwon Gang Min, who was observing this quietly, smiled, sat down, and began toin loudly. Oww, moving even a little bit tires me out so much nowadays. It feels like various parts of my body are broken. Its almost time for me to go, it seems. Well, you did live quite long, I daresay. Your foul mouth still havent changed, eh? Gwon Gang Minughed, and shook his head. He then stared at Gongson Chun Gi and spoke. I feel like Im about to die at any moment, but you seem to be getting healthier every day. I even heard you got yourself a disciple. Yes. Hes pretty good. A voice filled with pride. Gwon Gang Mins face turned a little troubled as he observed Gongson Chun Gis face. He must be as outstanding as you. Well, hes pretty good. Gongson Chun Gi smiled warmly. If its like this, it bes harder for Gwon Gang Min to speak. He hesitated a bit, but he soon made up his mind, and decided to speak. Did you meet my disciple in the past? Your disciple? Gongson Chun Gi had heard about it, but he never saw his senior brothers disciple. I never got to meet him. Do you want to try meeting him? Gongson Chun Gi stared at his senior brother. His senior brother was a person who hated harming others and getting helped by others. It actually seemed like his senior was pressuring himself to say all this. So theres something going on here. Gongson Chun Gi knew that whatever his senior brother wanted to do, it wouldnt harm him in any way. He smiled as he sent an answer at his senior brother. Ill try meeting him. Thank you. Gwon Gang Min let out a sigh of relief in his mind. He managed to do everything he could for his disciple. Now, its your job to manage to catch the Popes eye. It was almost impossible, but there was a chance that Gongson Chun Gi might actually take a liking towards No Jin Nyung, and take the boy in as a disciple. After all, an expert at the harmonious stage was a precious individual. But the chance of that happening was frighteningly low. The only reason why he did all this was to simply let go of the weight in his mind. Gwon Gang Min thought of his disciple who still dreamed of bing the Pope, and sighed deeply. Chapter 64. How to make one’s buttocks as big as a watermelon Chapter 64. How to make ones buttocks as big as a watermelon In front of Gongson Ahri, who was carrying a mountain of medicine and bandages. There was a ck-haired woman, who wore a tight red pce dress. Eh? Youngdy, where are you going? Mm? Its you, Ling Ling. Yes, its Ling Ling. By the way, whats that youre carrying? Nn, these are medicine and bandages. Gongson Ahri acted a little nervously in front of the ck-haired woman. It was almost as if she was intimidated by the woman. I know that. But why are you carrying so much of it? Nn, you see, Rin and Ryung are hurt right now. Eh? The ck-haired woman. She was the grandchild of the chief doctor of the church, Sunwu Jo Duk, and the most beautiful woman in the whole church. Her name was Sunwu Cho Rin (r). Sunwu Cho Rin made a confused face, as if she couldnt understand what Gongson Ahri was talking about. Those girls are hurt? Nod nod. Gongson Ahri confirmed what she said previously. Sunwu Cho Rins eyes narrowed upon seeing Gongson Ahris actions. So youre bringing them all this for them? Nn. ..Follow me. Gongson Ahri got dragged away by Sunwu Cho Rin before she could even resist. Screen Shot 2015-12-10 at 9.04.46 PM TakC When the two stepped into the room, they could see two girls lying down with their buttocks exposed. The two girls were Rin and Ryung. Sunwu Cho Rins eyes, which were looking at the lumpy buttocks of the girls, began emitting a dangerous light. Rin first realized that something was going terribly wrong. She had turned her head while smiling, expecting that Gongson Ahri would be there, but once she saw that the one in front of her was Sunwu Cho Rin, she sprang onto her feet and put back her clothes on. Ri, Rin greets the Assistant pce master. Ryung, who had been lying down to this point, paled, and sprang up to her feet like Rin. Ryung greets the Assistant pce master. Ryung too greeted Sunwu Cho Rin while fixing her bottoms. Sunwu Cho Rin, who looked at her with a icy gaze, opened her mouth. .You guys were having quite a bit of fun while I was out, werent you? T, that is. That is? You have something to say to me? If you do, say it now. You wouldnt be able to even if you want to after this. Rin sweated profusely. She couldnte up with a proper excuse in this situation. Were screwed. Rin noticed Gongson Ahri, who stood with a worried face behind Sunwu Cho Rin, and instantly figured out what had happened. Looks like a sinned quite a bit in my past life. Rin thought this in her mind. She tried ying a trick on Gongson Ahri for a tiny moment, and she managed to meet a demon. To think wed get caught by the Demonic Witch (_ɲħŮ) Sunwu Cho Rin was someone who possessed both iparable beauty and viciousness. The mad dog of the medicinal house, and the berserkingdy of the Ruling Fire House was but a few the names that perfectly described this woman. If they got caught by her, they wouldnt even be able to do anything in front of her. But today, they actually got caught by her while ying tricks on their own master. Sunwu Cho Rin took out the whip on her belt, and spoke as she cracked her whip. CraackC! Anyst words? Cold chills ran down the two girls spines when they saw the snakelike whip. Rin and Ryun exchanged several nces, then immediately kowtowed in front of Sunwu Cho Rin. We, we apologize, Assistant pce master. P, please forgive us, Assistant pce master. No way. You guys need to be hit a few times to wake up. Crack! Kyaa! Urk! You damn pigs, die! Die! Rin and Ryung shouted out from pain because of the immense pain. Gongson Ahri could simply watch without being able to do anything. * * * Young Lady. Nn. Gongson Ahri looked at Sunwu Cho Rin with frightened eyes. Sunwu Cho Rin scraped off bits of flesh and blood from her whip as she spoke. You should beat your underlings about once every four days to make them submit to you. To think theyd try to actually y around with their own master. those pigs. Sunwu Cho Rin spoke this as she grit her teeth from rage. Strangely enough, when she turned her head towards Gongson Ahri, her face took a 180 degree turn into a face with a bright friendly smile. Her face change truly was amazing. Find me whenever you need anything. Ill go and personally punish your underlings. Ok? Nn. Gongson Ahri was unable to say no when faced with the blood spattered face of Sunwu Cho Rin. Ling Ling, or Sunwu Cho Rin, treasured Gongson Ahri for some reason from a long time back. She had disregarded the fact that Gongson Ahri looked different from others, and approached the girl with friendliness. When Gongson Ahri asked why Sunwu Cho Rin liked her so much once, Sunwu Cho Rin smiled and said this. CBecause youre pretty. That was it. Because of the honest, simple answer Sunwu Cho Rin gave, Gongson Ahri just couldnt bring herself to hate the woman. But shes still scary. She didnt hate Sunwu Cho Rin, but Sunwu Cho Rin was still scary. Especially when Sunwu Cho Rin punished her subordinates. Gongson Ahri feared Sunwu Cho Rin, but Sunwu Cho Rin adored Gongson Ahri. So cute. Sunwu Cho Rin opened her mouth as she happily watched Gongson Ahri nod. By the way, did you hear about the Heir of the church being chosen? Nn She didnt just hear about it. She even went to see the heir for herself. But Sunwu Cho Rin, who didnt know of this, put the whip back on her waist as she asked a question. I wonder what hes like? He has pretty eyes. When Gongson Ahri said this, Sunwu Cho Rin paused for a moment. Pretty eyes? How did she know? It was almost as if the girl saw the Heir herself! You saw him? Gongson Ahri hesitated for a bit. Sunwu Cho Rin approached her with a worried face, and spoke as she tightly grabbed onto Gongson Ahris hands. Youngdy. Nn, Ling Ling. I told you before, right? Every one of those damn men are wolves. Dont you remember me saying that you should always be careful of them? Nn. Gongson Ahri could remember. After all, it was something Sunwu Cho Rin told her every time they met. Youre done for if you let your guard down, alright? Nod nod. Sunwu Cho Rin watched Gongson Ahri with a gaze filled to the brim with love. She then stood up urgently, as if she couldnt let go of something in her mind. I have somewhere to be, so Ill be off. Nn, be careful, Ling Ling. Of course. You be careful, too. Ok? When Sunwu Cho Rin disappeared, Gognson Ahri hurriedly took the bandages she had been carrying back into the room. She looked at the bloody room, and made a sorrowful face. She looked at the bed and spoke. I, it hurts, right? . Rin and Ryung didnt respond, and instead buried their faces into their pillows. Gongson Ahri carefully approached both of them, and began to apply medicine on their buttocks. After a while, Rin poked her face out of the pillow and mumbled. ..My buttocks are as big as watermelons, arent they? Nn. Its like theres two watermelons stuck together. Rin smiled at Gongson Ahrisment, and opened her mouth. Thats good. Im probably going to get a lot popr after this, then. I heard men liked women with big butts. Really? Then youre definitely going to get super popr. Your butts are as big as pumpkins! .Yeah, Im going to get really popr. Rin and Ryung looked at themselves, and grinned. They both decided to think of this day as the day they got bit by a mad dog. * * * He should be at the medicinal house. After Sunwu Cho Rin found out about the Heirs location, she immediately headed for the medicinal house. Since she was the granddaughter of the master of the medicinal house, she could get into the house without being hindered by anyone. But soon enough, she flinched and stopped right in her tracks. What are you doing here? The old man in front of her, was Sunwu Jo Duk, the master of the medicinal house himself. I came to see the Heir of the church, grandpa. Where is he? Why are you trying to see him? Well, since hes the person whos going to lead the church in the future, it would be good to get familiar with him, right? Sunwu Jo Duk became a little confused. Her reasoning made sense, but when he thought about it, it had a lot of ws in it, too. Sunwu Jo Duks eyes narrowed. Cho Rin. Yes, grandpa. Just what are you trying to do here? Be honest with me. Sunwu Cho Rin didnt respond immediately. She hesitated a bit, then spoke. Im being honest here, grandpa. Sunwu Jo Duk couldnt really believe her, since he too knew just how crazy his granddaughter was, but he decided to forget about it. He didnt have time to think about these things. You wouldnt be able to meet him anyway, so leave. Sunwu Cho Rins lips twitched. Why? Even I cant see him? Even if Im your granddaughter? It doesnt have anything to do with your status. The Heir isnt in a very good condition right now. He needs to rest. Sunwu Cho Rin gave into Sunwu Jo Duks words. Alright, fine. Sunwu Jo Duk became a little troubled when he saw how easily his granddaughter gave in. Nothing should happen, right? Sunwu Jo Duk was a little nervous, but since he had a lot of things at hand, he quickly left the area. * * * I need to confirm something. Of course, Sunwu Cho Rin hadnt given up. Since she was from the medicinal house itself, she was familiar with all the secret passages in it. That was why she was able to sneak into meet Cho Ryu Hyang without getting noticed by her grandfather. Cho Ryu Hyang had to be at the best room in the whole ce. It shouldnt be too hard to find him. Sunwu Cho Rin quickly entered the room Cho Ryu Hyang was staying in. It seemed that she entered the right room, considering the fact that there was a young boy sleeping in the room. Is this him? She tried to go get a closer look at him, but she suddenly felt something behind her, and at the same time felt a cold de against her neck. Move and you die. . Sunwu Cho Rin grit her teeth. Just how? How did he get so close to her in such a short amount of time? Her face reddened with shame. Right then, the area centering Cho Ryu Hyang shook violently. At the same time, the de on her neck shook a little. Should I try to escape? Sunwu Cho Rin considered it for a while, but decided against it. She didnt know her enemys skill, so she decided not to do anything. She had made a wise decision. Her opponent was Un Hui, an expert at the harmonious level. While Sunwu Cho Rin was organizing her thoughts. The boy on the bed lifted his body to a sitting position. The boy looked at Sunwu Cho Rin with a very mysterious gaze, and opened his mouth. Who are you? This was the first meeting between Cho Ryu Hyang and Sunwu Cho Rin. Chapter 65. I just don’t like men. Chapter 65. I just dont like men. The Heavenly Demon Church was a massive organization with more than ten thousand members. Because of that, the church was naturally split into four subgroups. These groups were the four families that led the Heavenly Demon Church. Tian (), Long (), Duan Li (), Sunwu (r). These were the names of the four families. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that these families were the ones that controlled the whole church. The four families (ĴT). They were the families which had produced countless Guardians and Popes. They were extremely powerful because of this. But once Gongson Chun Gi appeared, they weakened considerably. Gongson Chun Gi. He was from the Gongson family (O), which was a small family no one really bothered caring about located in the outskirts of the church grounds. Gongson Chun Gi was simply a product of luck that came about within the tiny family, so the four families didnt worry about anything too much. They just decided to aim for the next spot as the Pope. But something unexpected happened: Some kid called Cho Ryu Hyang appeared out of nowhere, and became the Heir. This was a little different. The situation was turning a little dire at this point. At a giant round table inside a certain building, were four chairs, each facing North, South, East, and West. There was an old man sitting in each of the chairs. They were the leaders of the four families. We cant just let this one pass. When the old man on the North spoke out quietly, the man on the South nodded. Our family agrees. The fact that the Pope took in a disciple is a good thing. But the fact that the boy he took in isnt from the church We really cant let this happen. Even if someone from a different family other than the four families gets chosen as the Pope, they would just grind their teeth and aim for the next spot. But to think the Pope would bring in someone from outside. wasnt this much too dangerous? They could be practically handing over the whole church to a different power. Did you talk to the Pope? When the man on the South asked this, the man on the North smiled bitterly. Of course. What did he say? He said that it wasnt a topic even worth talking about. .Thats not good. The leaders of the four families simultaneously sighed. Since their opponent here was the Pope himself, normal methods wont work when taking him on. The man never listened to anyone around him, and always got his way. The problem was, most of the decisions he had made so far were good ones. They had nothing to say against the Pope because of that fact. This is serious. What if the power of the church gets used by an external force? How terrifying would that be? And if we manage to make a single mistake, the main church itself could get in danger. That cant be allowed to happen. The man in the West opened his mouth. We dont have a way to change anything, though, am I right? Theres no way the Pope would revoke his decision of taking in a disciple from outside. Everyone nodded with a dark expression on their faces. Gongson Chun Gi. The man didnt turn back on any of his decisions. The Pope surely wont respond lightly if they suggested to him to get a different disciple. The one who had the most authority in the history the church after the passing of the Heavenly Demon was Gongson Chun Gi. If anyone were to provoke him, their whole family could get destroyed. The fact that this Cho Ryu Hyang would be the Heir would not change. But that doesnt mean that he would be the Pope, am I correct? What do you mean? We will have to employ our final method of resisting. You mean. We will have to use assassination. Assassination. The day the Heir bes an adult. Unless anything happens to the Heir on that day, anyone other than the elders of the church can challenge the Heir, and he would have to take on that challenge without question. It was the tradition that was made to prove the Heirs strength. Gongson Chun Gi went through this, as well as all the other Popes that went before him. It was seen as one of the responsibilities the future leader of the church had to take on. Who are we sending out? Everyone closed their mouth as soon as someone asked this. Who should they send? Wasnt this a problem in itself? Just who would go out in order to kill the Heir? This was a huge problem. The family that would go out would have to take on the wrath of the Pope himself, and they had to have someone talented enough to take on the Heir in the first ce. The four families didnt take Gongson Chun Gis disciple lightly. The child Gongson Chun Gi chose would definitely be immensely powerful in the future. Was there someone strong enough to kill an expert like that instantly? Rmend someone that is able to take on this job. First of all, it has to be a person from our family. We cant afford to take any chances with this. The man on the South stood up and spoke. I rmend the Hou () of our family. Everyone in the room turned towards the man at the Southern seat. Are you confident, Danli family head? Of course. But theres a condition. Condition? The head of the Danli family, Danli Muhan (o), took a look at everyone around him, and quietly opened his mouth. The next Pope shalle from our family. ..! Everyones mouth closed up. What the man had just suggested was something hard to take in. As a leader of a whole family, such a condition was hard to agree to. This matters worth about that much, dont you think so? When Danli Muhan said this, the other three began to think carefully. Was it truly alright for a Pope toe from the Danli family? After a while, they nodded. Its better than having the church being taken over by an external force, isnt it? When Yong Muhwa (仯), the head of the Yong family, responded positively, everyone else nodded. Alright. If the Danli family manages to seed, the next Heir of the Pope shall be from the Danli family. Danli Muhan faintly smiled. Then the matter has been settled. Like this, the dark power within the church began to make its move. * * * The moment Cho Ryu Hyang woke up, Un Hui took away his de and sat next to the bed. My lord! He was worried. Un Hui didnt sleep for several days, and guarded Cho Ryu Hyang during that time. His worried emotion were clearly disyed in his voice. Cho Ryu Hyang took a look at Un Hui, and calmly opened his mouth. Im sorry for worrying you. Cho Ryu Hyang was able to imagine just what Un Hui was doing while he was unconscious. That made him feel sorry. Un Hui did nothing wrong, but still felt guilty about it. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up Un Hui, and turned to Sunwu Cho Rin. Lets get some light in here, first. Since it was almost night time, the room was dark. When Un Hui turned on the light, Cho Ryu Hyang made a surprised face. The woman in front of him was surprisingly beautiful. The same went for Un Hui. Sunwu Cho Rin coldly smiled inside when she saw their surprised faces. It was an obvious reaction. After all, her beauty was enough to make anyone, regardless of age or gender, fall for her. Everyone made the same face when looking at her for the first time. Men are all the same. Whether it be a boy, or an old man, all men went crazy when looking at something beautiful. Sunwu Cho Rin simply hated it. She hated men with a passion. She was able to see their intent much too clearly. The fact that these men tried to conceal it, disgusted her. Cho Ryu Hyang was surprised by something other than Sunwu Cho Rins beauty, however. 76? It was an extremely high number. The strange thing was, Cho Ryu Hyang didnt even focus, and yet was able to see the number instantly. He just thought that he would like to see it, and he was able to see the persons number. The body adapted naturally to his thoughts. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt show it, but he was quite happy at the moment. He had finally managed to understand somethingpletely. Ryun. The Moon Edge de technique really was strange. The moment he understood Ryun, he was able to understand everything that came after it. Out of the thirty verses of the technique, he was able to understand ten of it. Once he understood one thing, the rest followed. Only then was Cho Ryu Hyang able to agree with Ak Jung Paes statement in the book. So he really didnt know any martial arts. Martial arts, ording to Cho Ryu Hyangs knowledge, started off easy, and became harder as time passed. But it was the opposite when it came to the Moon Edge de technique. The starting point was the hardest, and the rest was easy. Of course, he didnt understand everything about the Moon Edge de technique just yet, but thest 20 verses would be very easy after this. Everything woulde together if he understood just a single thing. When he thought about this, he could only smile. This was only a start, but he had already understood a significant portion of the Moon Edge de Technique. As expected, I cant trust this guy. Sunwu Cho Rin bit her lips when she saw Cho Ryu Hyang smile. She misunderstood the meaning of the smile. She initially came here to see what the boy Gongson Ahri fell for would be like. As she had already expected, the boy was already tainted. That was the conclusion Sunwu Cho Rin had reached. The assistant Pce Master of the Ruling Fire House, Sunwu Cho Rin, greets the Heir. This one heard that the Lord Heir was resting here, and decided toe over. Coming over to greet him, at such ate time? Cho Ryu Hyang became a little confused when hearing that, but decided to not think about it. Since he was in an extremely good mood, he was very lenient at the moment. Right then, Un Hui messaged him from besides the bed. (TL Note: Never really exined the messages that appear in the novel, did I? These are like telepathic messages that martial artists are able to send to a person nearby. It frequently appears in Korean martial arts novels.) [This is the psychotic woman of the Sunwu family. Her martial ability is top-ranked. She should be the strongest female martial artist within the church.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Un Huis message made sense. After all, her innate ability alone was overbearing. If Un Hui had told him that this woman was at the harmonious stage, he would easily be able to believe him. So. Sunwu Cho Rin had been looking at him with a disgusted gaze from a while back. Just why was she doing that? When he thought of that question, it instantly popped out of his mouth. You dont like me, do you? Cho Rin flinched, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang strangely. She was unable to see through Cho Ryu Hyangs intentions. After thinking a bit, Sunwu Cho Rin decided just to be honest. Yes. I dont really like you. .! Un Huis gaze instantly turned chilly. It was almost as if he was going to attack Sunwu Cho Rin with just amand. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled when he saw that. He didnt know why, but looking at the scene just made him smile. Not everyone can like me. That was something he heard from his father a long time back. And Cho Ryu Hyang just had to agree with the statement. You couldnt be nice to everyone in the world. No matter what you did, there would always be someone who would disagree with you. After all, that was the nature of human beings. But it was rare to find someone would state that she didnt like you outright. Normally, one would hide that fact until a critical moment. Sunwu Cho Rin was different. Just how many would be able to say I dont like you in front of someone without hesitation? To a person above you, at that? That alone was a kind of courage by itself, wasnt it? This made Cho Ryu Hyang unable to hate her. Would you tell me why you hate me? Cho Rin flinched a bit when she saw how calmly Cho Ryu Hyang responded to her. She was the type to act without much thought, so she just spat out whatever came to mind, and was just regretting her actions. The person in front of her was the Heir of the church. If he felt like it, he could kill her on the spot. When she thought this much, she spoke with a much lighter tone. I just dont like men. Youre a man, too, are you not? Cho Ryu Hyang widened his eyes. Her response was something that he didnt expect at all. But he decided to ept it. He didnt know why a beautiful woman like her hated men, but he also knew that everyone had their own tastes. This was something that Cho Ryu Hyang could try to fix, though, was it? After thinking a while, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. I understand. .. Understand? You? Just what do you know about me? Sunwu Cho Rins attitude suddenly turned a lot more fierce. Bullshit! Cho Ryu Hyang kept talking as Sunwu Cho Rin struggled to prevent herself from saying that. So you can keep on hating me like this. As this quality of mine that you hate is not something that I can fix, I apologize. . Un Hui and Cho Rin both made a dumb face once Cho Ryu Hyang said that. That was because they could clearly see Cho Ryu Hyang feeling truly sorry. This kid. This kid was strange. She was treated as a psycho in the church, but this kid had something strange about him that was apletely different breed from what she possessed. Cho Rin changed her thoughts about the Heir a little. Then, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Cho Rin and opened his mouth. The words that flowed out of Cho Ryu Hyangs mouth didnt carry any feeling of disgust. It was quiet, and monotonous. So, youre done, then? Cho Rin nodded without saying anything, and then opened her mouth. Yes. You can leave, then. Cho Rin bid farewell with a dumb face and went out. As she slowly walked back to the Ruling Fire House, she fell to deep thought with aplicated face. The kid waspletely different from what she had initially expected. He might even be something much, much bigger than what she had imagined. But I still cant hand her over! The person Gongson Ahri fell for. In order to check this person out, Cho Rin had walked over to meet the Heir. The fact that she had somewhat epted the Heir bothered her. For some reason, she wanted to see Gongson Ahri. Cho Rin walked over to Gongson Ahris ce with a depressed face. Chapter 66. Gongson Chun Gi’s Gift Chapter 66. Gongson Chun Gis Gift Cho Ryu Hyang, who came back to the garden, became extremely busy for the next four days. He had to be crowned as the Heir to the church. The coronation of the Heir. Thanks to the Guardians of the church paying close attention to it, it was steadily bing a very stable and perfect event. And finally, the day hade. Cho Ryu Hyang put on the ck Dragon Robe (), the Long Red Shoes (Lѥ) with beautiful gold patterns inscribed onto it, with the small gold crown that symbolized Cho Ryu Hyangs status as the Heir. All the essories and the clothes on his body were top-notch, and were made for just today, the Heirs coronation day. Screen Shot 2015-12-25 at 2.08.27 AM.png You look pretty good in those. Gongson Chun Gi came over to Cho Ryu Hyang right before the coronation, and smiled. It had been a while since hest saw Cho Ryu Hyang. Because he too was busy for the past few days, he was unable to go see him. He just finished all his tasks, and managed to find some time to visit. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Gongson Chun Gi, and spoke. The clothes that Im wearing are so expensive, I cant even move properly. I dont even know why people wear these things. Aa. Thats what everyone thinks at first. Itll do well for you to get used to those soon, though. Youll have to wear them till you get sick of it. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. It almost seemed impossible to get used to these. They were too inefficient. Gongson Chun Gi looked over at Cho Ryu Hyang. His eyes soon began to sparkle. Anyways, it seems youve gained something. Your eyes changed. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Gongson Chun Gi. What should he call it? After thinking a bit, he decided to just smile. The confident smile of Cho Ryu Hyang was all it took to show Gongson Chun Gi that what he gained was not small. Oho. It seems you more or less understood Ryun. Good job. Something good happened. Something good. Gongson Chun Gi made a mysterious smile. As expected, it seemed the thing that Zhuge Liang fellow did worked pretty well. It really was something good. But. It looked like Cho Ryu Hyang still didnt know that he knew about Zhuge Liang. Gongson Chun Gi smiled evilly inside. He didnt feel like telling his disciple that he knew about Zuge Liang just yet. It would be interesting to wait till Cho Ryu Hyang told him about it, wouldnt it? Youre supposed to eat tasty things at the end, after all. Gongson Chun Gi made a satisfied smile, and spoke up. Now, we can begin learning Shura Environment. Cho Ryu Hyang blinked. This was too fast. Was it alright to learn something new, especially when he didnt take in the Moon Edge de Techniquepletely? This is the best time to learn it. After all, youre body is just about done maturing. Gongson Chun Gi looked over Cho Ryu Hyang from head to toe, and spoke. Shura Environment isnt as gentle as the Moon Edge de Technique. Its barbaric and cruel. I took the technique that was already like that, and made it worse. It should be fun for you to learn it. Cho Ryu Hyang showed an ufortable smile in response to Gognson Chun Gis yful one. His teacher, who didnt really like fighting, found joy in annoying others. And the victim of his would almost always suffer terribly. Ill just have to endure it. This was what Cho Ryu Hyang decided to do from the start, anyways. He couldntin now. Youre still set on bing stronger? Yes. I want to be stronger. More so than he was now. He wanted strength that would lose to no one. That want for strength just kept getting bigger every day. What do you want to do when you be strong? Revenge? What do you want to do after that? Cho Ryu Hyang began to think. What would he do after bing stronger? Whates after revenge? Cho Ryu Hyangs mind got filled with various thoughts. Gongson Chun Gi looked at his disciple and smiled. What do I look like to you? What does he look like? What was that supposed to mean? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher quietly. Recently, he had been feeling the true strength of his teacher. The Heavenly Demon Church was a small nation. Gongson Chun Gi was the leader who led the nation without any discord whatsoever. He always had an air of carefreeness about him, too. No matter what happened, he would lead his people out of a crisis wisely. That was the power of Gongson Chun Gi, something that no one could imitate. A person who I want to be like. Gongson Chun Gi smiled. It was a smile filled with absolute happiness. You see, Ive been feeling very happy recently. . It was a strange response. To think Cho Ryu Hyang would be able to hear something like this from his teacher, who alwaysined about everything. Gongson Chun Gi tapped Cho Ryu Hyangs shoulders lightly, and kept talking. Never try to make something like a standard when judging others. Never try to consider their feelings, either. Just ask yourself, would making this decision make me happy? You should be extremely greedy. Only then would you be like me. His words were dripping with pride. But how many people would there be, that could tell and teach his disciple something like this? This was something only Gongosn Chun Gi could do. After all, he really was like that. Soon enough, youll be the disciple of the strongest person in the world. Cho Ryu Hyangs face flushed as he turned his head away. .Its true that youre great, but doesnt it feel awkward saying something like that outright? Gongson Chun Gi tilted his head. Why should I be? Im just telling the truth here. . Cho Ryu Hyang thought that no matter what happened, he didnt want to inherit this aspect of his teacher. Well, I dont think I can even if I try. If he said something like this, the whole ce would just turn awkward. But Gongson Chun Gi, on the other hand, seemed extremely natural. Everything he did and said made sense, just like how air existing everywhere made sense. Were starting. Lets go. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. It was finally happening. The path that he would walk upon. It would be decided here, today. I got a special present, just for you, too. Present? The first thing that Cho Ryu Hyang felt was fear, thanks to the nature of his teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher with a curious look on his face, but the only thing he got back was an evil smile. It wouldnt be fun if I told you beforehand, dont you think? You should learn to be patient. I feel like throwing up. Gongson Chun Gi grinned when he saw his disciples sick face. He could see how nervous Cho Ryu Hyang was. And his present truly was something that should make Cho Ryu Hyang feel that way. A momentter, Cho Ryu Hyang realized what his teachers present was, and chewed on his lip nervously. So it was this. The coronation proceeded smoothly with many people cheering around him. But Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt see or hear any of that. He saw one person out of the whole crowd. Father. In the high seats filled with the nobles was a familiar figure. It was Cho Ryu Hyangs father, Cho Mu Ryung. He was looking at Cho Ryu Hyang with aplicated expression. [How do you like my present?] Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher. Gongson Chun Gi grinned when he was faced with Cho Ryu Hyangs fierce gaze. As expected, his reaction is enjoyable. Seeing how he couldnt bring himself to stop ying with other people like this, it seemed that he matured a little less on this side of things. Well, thats not all that bad. Not being mature had its own perks. Gongson Chun Gi stubbornly thought that, and looked elsewhere. When he turned to the Sun-Moon Pavilion, he could see No Jin Nyung who had eyes full of envy directed straight at him. That guys pretty fun, too. It looked like there were all sorts of people out in the world. To be truthful, Gongson Chun Gi met No Jin Nyung right before he went to meet Cho Ryu Hyang. He had the promise with his senior brother he had to keep, and honestly, he was a little curious about what No Jin Nyung was like. And when he first met No Jin Nyung, he just stood in his spot, doing nothing other than blink. How did you of all people get into the harmonious stage? That was Gongson Chun Gis first question. He couldnt understand. It shouldve been impossible for No Jin Nyung to be a harmonious expert. While it was slightly different from what Cho Ryu Hyang possessed, Gongson Chun Gi too possessed Godly Eyes. He had it from a young age, but he took it and trained it into a new level. And ording to what he saw, it was impossible for No Jin Nyung to be a harmonious expert. Hecked talent. But somehow, there he was, as a Harmonious expert. Gongson Chun Gi checked No Jin Nyung just to make sure if he wasnt going crazy or not. This is my foolish disciple. .. Gongson Chun Gi didnt respond to his senior brother, and fell to deep thought while looking at No Jin Nyung. Its been while since hest saw something this unusual. It was strange, and shocking. Unless something went terribly wrong from the origin of the boys self, it was impossible for Gongson Chun Gi to make a mistake when observing someone. Just how did he get this far.? Gongson Chun Gi thought over and over again. A person, when born, is given a certain degree of talent. That talent is usually spread out unevenly throughout all subjects, so it often became wasted. Could it be Could it be that all of the boys talent got dumped into martial arts? Was that possible? A feeling of suspicion crept up Gongson Chun Gis heart, but after looking at No Jin Nyung once again, nodded. It seems that its possible. It was possible for the boy to reach the harmonious stage if all his talent was condensed into martial arts. But that also meant that it was impossible for the boy to be talented at anything else other than martial arts, didnt it? This is really interesting. When he reached an answer, he grinned. The boy in front of him was really interesting. He looked at the boy with a face of wonderment. The interesting boy opened his mouth. I want to be a Pope. Nn? I became a harmonious expert to be the Pope. What in the world was the boy talking about? Gongson Chun Gi looked at his senior brother curiously, but his senior brother avoided his gaze. Only then was Gongson Chun Gi able to understand everything. He smiled, and spoke at the same time. You say you want to be the Pope? Yes, Your Holiness. What do you want to do when you be one, then? What would he do when he bes the Pope? No Jin Nyung made a dumb face. He just wanted to be the Pope. He thought he would be able to do anything if he was the Pope. But what did he want to do? Gongson Chun Gis question prated to the bottom of No Jin Nyungs desire, and No Jin Nyung was unable to answer. He didnt manage to think that much yet. You would be able to do anything if you are the Pope. Was that why you wanted to be one? .Yes. Right. A Pope is a Pope because he can do anything. The pinnacle of power, the symbol of awesomeness. Gongson Chun Gi shook his head, as if he had read No Jin Nyungs thoughts. If thats what you want, you wouldnt be able to be the Pope. The Pope is someone who can do everything, and at the same time someone who cant do anything. .. You cant be the Pope by yourself, can you now? Are you confident enough to be able to lead tens of thousands of people by yourself? Are you confident enough to prevent them from starving? .. No Jin Nyung couldnt respond. He wanted to be the Pope because it seemed cool, and there really was no other reason other than that. He didnt take into consideration the responsibilities he had to shoulder as the Pope. He just wanted to be one was all. Gongson Chun Gi read what No Jin Nyung had been thinking, and smiled. Hes like a child. There was a saying that said that it was impossible to know what a person was thinking. It seemed this boy was an exception. Gongson Chun Gi was able to read the boys thoughts already, after all. The boy was the simplest person he had ever met. Looking at him just made Gongson Chun Giugh. Suddenly, he thought of his disciple, Cho Ryu Hyang, and when he ced No JIn Nyung next to his disciple, an interesting picture came up. Youll have to shoulder many things if you be the Pope. Are you confident enough to do that? No Jin Nyung thought for a long time, then shook his head. It was impossible. He couldnt manage to handle something soplicated. Gongson Chun Gi kept talking. There is a way for you to get what you want even without bing the Pope. Want to give it a go? No Jin Nyung looked at Gongson Chun Gi with sparkling eyes. Gongson Chun Gi smiled inwardly. He could feel everything turn out the way he had imagined it to be. It was really interesting. The picture of Gongson Chun Gi that massively affected the church in the future began right here. Chapter 67. The Start of a Bad Relationship Chapter 67. The Start of a Bad Rtionship Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt say anything till the cup of tea in front of him turned cold. It was same for Cho Mu Ryung, Cho Ryu Hyangs father. The two stayed quiet for quite some time. How much time had passed? The one to speak first was Cho Mu Ryung. I should. congratte you. He had opened his mouth with some difficulty. It was impossible to hide the small tremble that was contained in his voice. Cho Ryu Hyang made an awkward face. Was it because he came here right after being crowned? The clothes he had on him felt extremely ufortable. It was enough to impede his breathing. This is hard. He knew how much his father disliked evil. That fact alone made Cho Ryu Hyang feel ufortable. But I dont feel that I made the wrong choice in doing this. To his father, the Heavenly Demon Church probably looked evil. He could understand that perfectly well. That was how the church was portrayed to be to the general poption, after all. Everyone saw the people of the Heavenly Demon Church to be those who enjoyed murder and rape. But in reality, it wasnt like that at all. The church had its own set of rules and standards they strictly followed. One could easily see that from Gongson Chun Gi himself. Just what would the subordinates be like if the leader was so disciplined in the first ce? Cho Ryu Hyang wanted to tell his father that. He wanted to show that his choice was not wrong. But he just couldnt bring himself to say anything. That was because the only thing he saw from his fathers eyes were not only regret and sadness, but rage and anger. When Cho Ryu Hyang saw this, he knew that everything he was about to say would be useless. He just couldnt say a thing. All the things he prepared to say in advance just melted away like snow melting from the spring warmth. When his father spoke, his fathers words flowed straight into his molten heart. It mustve been hard for you. . Cho Mu Ryung was just worried for his son. He wasnt thinking about where he was, or his safety. He was just worried for his son. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt lift his head. He thought he knew what his father was thinking, and he thought he understood his father, but that was just an illusion. Now, all he was just feeling sorry. I was able to visit the church thanks to you this is a nice experience. Cho Mu Ryung quickly changed his topic when he saw his sons gloomy expression. He thought his son was mature, but that was only among children of his age. His son was still young. That was why he didnt know about the violent and the dark side of the world. Well, it wasnt like he was saying the Heavenly Demon Church was evil or anything. But. Honestly speaking, Cho Mu Ryung was extremely mad at the church. Who wouldnt get mad if the church decided to trust a childs decision, and not even consult the parent about it? But Its toote now. Cho Mu Ryung decided to bury his anger within himself for now. He knew he couldnt do anything to reverse everything at this point, and also knew that the situation would only get worse if he tried to do anything. Cho Mu Ryung was not an idiot. Your mother is worried. It would be good toe home at least once to talk, but. that seems a little hard for you at the moment. He had a rough idea of what had happened thanks to Um Seung Do telling him the whole story during the carriage ride. He had heard that the position of the Heir was not just symbolic, but had strong influence within the entirety of the church. This made it very troublesome for the Heir to actually leave the church whenever he wanted. The Heir wouldnt be able to leave the church alone till he became able to take care of himself. It would be extremely troublesome if anything happened to the Heir, after all. I had hoped that you would be a merchant. Cho Mu Ryung bitterly smiled as he looked at his son. His son was talented at calctions from a young age. He also had talent in reading the flow of money. He had thought that his son would be an extremely sessful merchant, thanks to his ability to instantly solveplex equations. But to think youd be a martial artist. The world never moved as anyone wished. Something that someone wanted to do could change at any time. But a sense of frustration still swept over Cho Mu Ryung. How is the Pope? I had hoped to meet him, but he seemed quite busy. He told me that he woulde as soon as he gets done with work. Gongson Chun Gi was in charge of the entire coronation event. Somehow, Gongson Chun Gi was managing to control the entire event by himself. He was doing that just so he could let Cho Ryu Hyang and Cho Mu Ryung have some time alone with each other. How is he, in your eyes? Cho Ryu Hyang readjusted his sses. This was a simr question that his teacher had asked him a while back. Thanks to that, he was able to answer the question immediately. Hes someone I wish to be. . Cho Mu Ryung nodded when he read the emotion held within his sons eyes. He saw admiration and determination in those eyes. I look forward to it. I hope so. Cho Mu Ryung made a surprised face when he heard his sons confident response. Since his son was extremely calctive, he never really opened up to others. The child tried to hide it, but the boy would always consider his choices for a long time before talking. If the Pope was a person who the boy admired to this degree, then the Pope definitely had something special about him. Would I be able to trust the rumors? Cho Mu Ryung fell to deep thought. The rumors that floated around in the martial world portrayed the Pope as some kind of a God. Of course, they werent exactly talking about a Good God. Even when he gathered up all the rumors and picked out the really useful information from them, what he found was quite hard to believe. Walking on thin air sting enemies away with a palm of his hand these bits seemed a little believable. After all, the rumors regarding this was extremely descriptive. But the part about turning younger and whatnot was simply unbelievable. Come to think of it, how old is the Pope? Martial artists aged rtively slower than normal humans. Of course, the rate in which they actually aged depended on their martial skill. When he thought this much, Cho Mu Ryungs mind was filled with even more questions. When he decided to somehow ept the whole situation, curiosity had overtaken his mind. I hope I get to see the Pope quickly. On the other hand, Cho Ryu Hyang was waiting for the Pope for a different reason. He believed that his teacher would be able to exin everything he couldnt at once. Cho Ryu Hyang believed that his father would ept Cho Ryu Hyangs decision once he saw the Popes way of thinking. I trust you, teacher. When he thought that much, a sense of difort shot up in his mind. Cho Ryu Hyang immediately frowned, and began thinking. He suddenly thought of the yfulness Gongson Chun Gi possessed, and became wary of it. Like that, the two of them just sat there waiting for Gongson Chun Gi. * * * The coronation of the Heir was one of the most important events within the entire church. Everyone was extremely happy during the event, but amongst the happy crowd were two pairs of eyes observing the event with cold eyes. What do you think? What? Dont pretend to be ignorant. What do you think of the boy you have to kill? The boy. No, the teen who seemed a little too old to call a boy smiled, and responded. To think a child like that is my enemy, its sad. He just looks cute. Do not underestimate him. Hes the boy the Pope chose himself. Of course I wont underestimate the boy. After all, the great Pope himself chose him. The teen. He flipped his hair back with his hand, and faintly smiled. Can I tell you something? What is it? I dont want to be used as a tool for your dirty little ns. Danli Muhan, the head of the Danli family, frowned. Danli Hou, the most talented child of the Danli family, smiled when he saw his grandfathers enraged face. Im not a toy, like that little child over there in fancy clothes. If you think you can control me so easily, youre making a big mistake. Even when we were rted by blood, you locked up my father just because he was sick. And now youre pretending to treat my father nicely because of my talent youre disgusting. Y, you Danli Muhan trembled in rage, but he didnt dare act out in public. If he did anything during the event, he would lose much face. Danli Hou knew that better than anyone, which was why he was grinning ear to ear as he talked. Ill do what you want, since our interests align for now. But dont expect anything more than that. Danli Hou looked at his grandfather with a grin on his face. Were honestly not that close, right? Danli Muhan suppressed his rage. Then, he looked at his grandson calmly, and spoke. .Youre confident that you can win? Danli Muhans voice was filled with suppressed rage. But Danli Hou just smiled. Brightly. He knew fully well that his grandfather couldnt do anything to him. You know how skilled I am, dont you? Danli Muhan smiled. Fine. I knew that you had some grudges with me from the start. It was my mistake for not knowing that the hatred you harbored for me was this big. Lets go with whatever you want to do. This is a contract. It would be better for both of us if we dont think about blood rtions, am I right? Yes. That just makes everything so much better. We wouldnt have any more bad feelings about each other that way. Danli Hou crossed his arms with a smile. His insides were twisting in rage, but he smiled. It was hard for him to do anything other than smile, anyway. Every one of the family head in the four families emitted a disgusting odor from their body. A disgusting n was taking ce. But he couldnt do anything to stop it. He already stepped into the whole thing himself. No matter how much he hated these people, he couldnt deny the fact that they were on his side. Please, grow as much as you can until you be a man, Lord Heir. Danli Hou looked at the heir Cho Ryu Hyang, who was currently going through the biggest coronation in the history of the church. Once that child, that flower, blooms, he would snap it in half. That was the fate of Danli Hou. Chapter 68. Cho Mu Ryung’s Choice Chapter 68. Cho Mu Ryungs Choice Gongson Chun Gi lost a lot of strength trying to get rid of all the Guardians like Guardian Ju and Guardian Wu, who begged him to have a drink with them after taking care of the coronation. He had managed to escape from them one way or the other, but the road in front of him was blocked by yet another man. When Gongson Chun Gi saw the man, the first thing out of his mouth was aint. Even you, the medicine man, has business with me? Let me go. Im tired. Sunwu Jo Duk grinned when he saw Gongson Chun Gis face that was riddled with annoyance. You worked hard trying to shake off those muscle heads. Yeah, I did. Why do they have to be so strong. theyre probably gonna be healthy for another decade or so. From the looks of it, theyre probably going to easilyst several more decades, actually. Damn it, youre right. So, why were you waiting for me here, anyway? If its more alcohol, then Im done. All that alcohol I drank with those old men made me full. Gongson Chun Gi groaned as he pointed at his belly. To think Id do something this dumb because of a disciple. I didnt even know you could get full from alcohol. Its good that you didnt get drunk. There isnt any type of alcohol in this world that could make me get drunk. When Gongson Chun Gi said this with a smirk, Sunwu Jo Duk smiled with him. Then, he then began surveying the surroundings. Gongson Chun Gi, who became tired of the mans actions pretty quickly, looked around slowly, then opened his mouth. You can just talk. Theres only my people around here. Everyone in the area was Gongson Chun Gis personal bodyguard. He was basically saying it was ok to say anything since there was only his people around. But Sunwu Jo Duk shook his head. Its. its about my family. The Sunwu family? Yes. Gongson Chun Gi licked his lips. This was a matter of a single family. It would be something embarrassing to talk to someone about in the first ce. You heard him. Move aside while we talk. [Yes, sir.] Lim Hak Gyum quickly disappeared along with the Maras Wind Brigade. When he did so, Gongson Chun Gi looked back at Sunwu Jo Duk. You can talk now. There was only Gongson Chun Gi and Sunwu Jo Duk in the area now. Even after knowing that, Sunwu Jo Duk hesitated. Why did you ask me to get everyone out of here if you were going to be embarrassed about saying this anyway? When Gongson Chun Gi sat down on a nearby bench, Sunwu Jo Duk finally managed to let out a sigh and open his mouth. There are strange movements within the church. Strange movements? Yes. It concerns the Heirs life. When Sunwu Jo Duk said this with a determined face, Gongson Chun Gi just looked at him with a calm face. And that movement is rted to your household? Its embarrassing, but yes. I failed to manage the household properly. When Sunwu Jo Duk looked down with a sorry face, Gongson Chun Gi just smirked. So youre talking about how the four families are nning against my disciple. .You knew? When Sunwu Jo Duk asked this with a surprised face, Gongson Chun Gi lightly nodded his head. I was expecting it to happen. You see, I actually happen to be a smart man. I have nothing to say. When Sunwu Jo Duk bowed down with an apologetic face again, Gongosn Chun Gi became a little annoyed. Why are you being like this? You did nothing wrong here. This is a selfish request, but. please, the people of my family are young and foolish. Please forgive them with grace. If Gongson Chun Gi knew about this n in the first ce, it was safe to say that the likelihood of the n of the four families seeding was more or less nonexistent. Their n was to kill the Heir. They were using the Life-Death fight of the Heir as an excuse, but in reality, their n was downright disgusting. A dirty n. It was almost treason, if one thinked about it. If Gongson Chun Gi tried to exterminate the Four Families, he would suffer from a bit of retaliation, but he would achieve his goal easily. The current Pope was just that powerful. To Sunwu Jo Duk, who was thinking about all the terrible punishments his family would face, Gongson Chun Gis answer was very unexpected. Im just gonna ignore them. .huh? What was this? Sunwu Jo Duk was confused. Gongson Chun Gi simply took out a fruit out of his sleeve, and threw it to Sunwu Jo Duk. First off, I kind of want to see what theyre going to do. actually, thats just about the only reason why Im letting them off with this. Sunwu Jo Duk replied with a bewildered face. Just what are you trying to achieve by observing them? These people are just trying to kill the Heir himself. Gongson Chun Gi took out another fruit from his sleeve, and bit into it. CrunchC Gongson Chun Gi talked whilst chewing the fruit in his mouth. Doesnt matter. And it would be good if they tried assassination. It wouldnt be a bad attempt on their part. Your Holiness! Sunwu Jo Duk shouted out as he frowned deeply. He thought the Pope was going too far with his joke. Wasnt this his precious disciple they were talking about here? Did he truly want to lose his disciple just like that? Do I seriously look that dumb to you? Would I be so dumb as to be unable to follow your thoughts, old man? Sunwu Jo Duk closed his mouth. That wasnt the case. The man in front of him was the greatest man in the world. Come to think of it, wouldnt the Pope have alreadye up with a n, especially when he predicted all of this already? So he has a n in mind? He had heard that Un Hui had be the Heirs personal guard. Did the Pope believe that Un Hui would be able to help Cho Ryu Hyang? No, he wouldnt be enough. An expert of the harmonious stage was indeed rare and special. But there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of ways to kill a human. Even a harmonious expert wouldnt be able to deal with all of those ways. And the four families were unparalleled experts when it came to murder. It was very easy for the four families to kill a little boy like Cho Ryu Hyang. The only reason why they didnt do it was because they were afraid of the consequences of doing so. They were very afraid of the Pope in particr. I have no desire to imprison the boy in a safe ce to let him grow. Its not like I can always be there to protect him. .! You see, the martial world has far more dangerous things than what the four families can cook up. It would be good for Cho Ryu Hyang to experience a taste of what that would be like before going out to the martial world. Then. Sunwu Jo Duks eyes got filled with admiration. Lions were said to push off their own kin down cliffs on purpose. Was this not the best way to grow someone up to be the strongest lion? Gongson Chun Gi must be thinking that exact thing. Im actually thankful to the boys over at the four families. Theyre basically solving all my problems at my stead. Theyre really busy about it, too. That really shouldnt be easy for them, especially at that age. Gongson Chun Gi showed a toothy grin. But it wouldnt be that easy to kill my disciple. Arent you trusting Un Hui too much? The power of the four families isnt something a single harmonious expert can handle. Gongson Chun Gi simply smirked. You think I trust Un Hui? You mean, theres someone else other than him? The Heir didnt even get started on learning martial arts yet. The boy didnt have any way of fending off the four families. Unless I myself intervene, there are very few people in this world who can manage to kill that boy. .! Hes really quite something, that boy. So you pay attention from now, too. Hell be the first one in a hundred years to show the world what the Moon Edge de Technique is really like. CrunchC The fruit in his mouth truly was sweet. He decided not to tell Sunwu Jo Duk about the boys skill with formations. After all, the man was already rendered speechless. Gongson Chun Gi. The one he trusted the most was not Un Hui, nor was it the bodyguards that would be guarding them from the dark. Cho Ryu Hyang. He was trusting the boy himself. So you should just go ahead and try your best to help out the four families, too. It might be actually possible to kill the boy if you used poison, actually. Gongson Chun Gi lightly tapped on Sunwu Jo Duks shoulder as he chewed on the fruit. He then walked past the man, and walked to where his disciple was waiting for him. Sunwu Jo Duk just stared at the Pope dumbly. * * * My name would be Cho Mu Ryung. Gongson Chun Gi became a little concerned when he saw Cho Ryu Hyangs father introduce himself. He was about to act all high and mighty as usual, but the mans identity troubled him. It was hard for him to treat the man like whatever, especially because the man was an outsider, and his disciples father at that. But his position made it so that it was pretty awkward to give the man a proper introduction as an equal. After all, he was the representation of God, the master of the Heavenly Demon Church. This is troublesome, isnt it? What did teach do in this situation? His eyes met Cho Ryu Hyangs at that moment. The boys eyes were filled with worry. Gongson Chun Gi felt how agitated his disciple was from that gaze alone, and smirked. He introduced himself to the father. This one is called Gongson Chun Gi. Cho Ryu Hyangs worries got blown away at that moment. It seemed that his teacher understood what he was trying to say. Cho Mu Ryung nodded after receiving the Popes introduction. His first impression of the Pope was better than he had expected. I had heard that the Pope was a demon that massacred thousands of people with a smile on his face. Rumors werent meant to be trusted, after all. The person in front of him seemed kind, and easygoing. The Pope seemed to be the exact opposite of what the rumors had said. Lets sit down and then talk. When Gongson Chun Gi offered him a sit, everyone in the room sat down around the round table in a triangr formation. Cho Ryu Hyang took his seat, and moved it closer to his father. Gongson Chun Gi found that to be quite heartwarming. [Dont worry. Im not going to eat your father or anything.] Cho Ryu Hyang tried to say something in retaliation when he heard that, but couldnt, because of his father. He just puffed up his cheeks and stayed quiet. Thank you for taking care of my son. Gongson Chun Gi stopped smiling, and nodded. Hes quite talented. Its a very rare thing for the church to take in an outsider as the Heir. This boy is talented enough for me to do that. You really have raised quite something. Theres no one who wouldnt get happy when his child gets praised. Especially when the person who was praising the child was the strongest man in the world. Cho My Ryung was unable to maintain a straight face when he heard such a thing. Gongson Chun Gis words were straightforward, and contained honesty. Right then, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Would you like to tell me anything you have against the church, if you have any? I would like to clear up any misunderstandings you might have. The church isnt as evil as you might think. Mm. Cho Mu Ryung became a little troubled when the man got on topic straight away. He was going to get to it after some time, but then Gongson Chun Gi brought it up without having him think about it. Gongson Chun Gi quickly opened his mouth while Cho Mu Ryung tried to think of an answer. This is actually a top secret info of the church, but since you have close ties with the church, Ill tell you. The church is trying to expand into the Sichuan territory. We must try to sendrge amount of materials to Sichuan because of this. To think you would be managing a tradingpany like this, this really must be fate. Cho Mu Ryung became confused. Move materials to Sichuan? Why? Would you tell me what you mean by expanding into Sichuan? Isnt it obvious? The church is trying to expand its influence into Sichuan. Cho Mu Ryung became extremely surprised when he heard this. But. Isnt Sichuan heavily influenced by the Alliance? Gongson Chun Gi grinned when he heard Cho Mu Ryung. You think the Alliance can stop us? . Truthfully speaking, the Alliance couldnt. That was already proven once. Even the entirety of the Alliance couldnt take on the church. You think the people in Sichuan can stop us? Cho Mu Ryung couldnt say anything. There were about four thousand people in Sichuan. But the thing was, most of the major forces within the Alliance were stationed there. This was different from the fight in the Qilian mountains. The church was going to destroy the Alliances main base. Cho Mu Ryungs mind became chaotic due to the overwhelming news he just heard. Right then, Gongson Chun Gi said another shocking thing that basically overwhelmed him even more. It would be good if you would help the church when we expand into Sichuan. After all, yourpany is stationed in Sichuan, and we have a very special rtionship with each other now, do we not? Eeh? Cho Mu Ryung couldnt say anything when Gongson Chun Gi said that about their rtionship. Gongson Chun Gi simply smiled, and took out the document he prepared in advance. I hope that you would take care of all the materials we would have to send to Sichuan. This document contains all the materials we have to transfer, as well as the rewards you will receive. Cho Ryu Hyang realized something when he saw the document in Gongson Chun Gis hands. He had expected things to turn out like this from the start. His teacher had expected how his father would react, and what he would think from the very start of the conversation. Father. Cho Mu Ryung looked at the document, then back at Gongson Chun Gi several times over with a dumb face. Gongson Chun Gi faintly smiled, and opened his mouth. What is it? Is the reward not good enough for you? .. There was no way it wasnt good enough. Actually, the amount of money Cho Mu Ryung would be recieving was so great, he wasnt sure what to do with himself. But Cho Mu Ryung didnt give an answer to Gongson Chun Gi. Truly, something like this would onlye once in a lifetime. That was why he had to think. Cho Mu Ryung thought as much as he could while trying to keep a straight face. The document, or rather, the contract, had no errors in it. And the benefits he would get from this was too good. He would be a fool not to take this job. I really dont know if Im doing the right thing here. Taking this job would mean that he would be turning his back to the people of the Alliance located in Sichuan. But he didnt think much there. Right now, the world was in the hands of the Heavenly Demon Church. All of the organizations in the world right now were struggling to be allies with the Heavenly Demon Church, even. Thinking about how long the Heavenly Demon Church would be a major power in the martial world was something he would considerter. Its not like I had much of a choice from the start, anyway. His son was already a major figure in the church from the start, wasnt he? Cho Mu Ryung didnt even have to think about this. Cho Mu Ryung stamped the document, all the while thinking of his rtionship with the church. Like this, the churchs expansion into the maind was decided. Chapter 69. The Man from The Palace Chapter 69. The Man from The Pce ED: Chrysanthemum It rained that day. It signified that it was thest day of summer. Someone got off of a carriage in the road and soaked himself in the rain. It was a man in a ck robe. He stared forward with an extremely sad expression. There was a funeral in front of him. The man looked at it for a moment, then quietly opened his mouth. Is this teacher Jo Gi Chuns house? Yes. The man didnt say anything for a moment, then opened his mouth again. Ill go in alone. .Yes sir. The bodyguard thought for a moment, then gave the man permission to enter alone. The man entered the house with a serious face. You must be Jo Min Gyu, am I correct? Y, yes. But. It mustve been hard for you. Im here now, so you dont have to worry anymore. What? The man who seemed to be the head of the house, Jo Gi Chuns eldest son, Jo Min Gyu, looked at the young man in front of him with a confused expression. A man who seemed to be at least ten years younger than him just grabbed his hand and told him to not worry. It was surprising, but since all kinds of things happen in a funeral, he just let it pass. Jo Gi Chun truly was an amazing man. Right. Jo Min Gyu made aplicated face when he heard the young mans words. He didnt know what his father did outside, but he knew for sure that his father never took care of the family. It wasnt that his father never earned money. When he thought about it, they werent thatcking in money. Their life mightve been a little hard, but it wasnt to the point of them actuallycking in money or anything. But that was it. His father just came to see his family once every few years. Jo Min Gyu only felt more and moreplicated whenever he saw a packet of moneye to his house every month. It was almost as if the packet of money was the substitute for his father. In other words, Jo Gi Chun, his father, never did his job as a father. That damn mathematics. Whenever he thought of that, he automatically would ground his teeth in anger. His father, Jo Gi Chun, devoted his life to that useless thing called mathematics. That was why he never paid attention to his own family. That was why he always felt a little heavy in his heart whenever peopleplimented his father. Just how much did he hate his father? When he first heard that his father died a few days ago, he didnt get very sad. No, he thought he wasnt sad. But when he saw his fathers corpse lying down in the coffin, something just shot up from his heart. He cried without knowing in front of his fathers coffin. He realized for the first time that he could cry like this. His mother mustve felt the same. While the whole family was drowning in sadness, the man in ck, who handed them Jo Gi Chuns corpse, took out something from his clothes and handed it to them. This is a small gift from the church. We hope this helps. The martial artist who brought his fathers corpse. He was handing them a small packet. It seemed to be a packet of money. Jo Min Gyu didnt expect much from it though. That was why he didnt open it until the martial artist left. Without even knowing about what was inside the packet. One thousand gold coins. There was a check for one thousand gold coins inside the packet. A family of four could live well for an entire year off of a single gold coin. There was a thousand of it. Wasnt this too much money? Just what was father doing outside? Wasnt he just a mathematician? Jo Min Gyu began to feel even moreplicated than before. The young man who had been holding onto his hand let go slowly and lit the incense sticks in front of him. He was grieving for Jo Gi Chun. In mathematics alone, he was like my teacher. Studying mathematics together in the pce was probably one of the greatest moments in my life. .How regrettable. If he had waited a little longer, he wouldve witnessed me creating a better world for all of us. To think hed leave like this. The mans sobbing just grew louder and soon turned into a full fledged cry of pain. Kuh, uaaaa! The young man soon started to beat the ground with a sorrowful cry. Screen Shot 2016-01-03 at 3.32.31 PM.png Jo Min Gyu, the eldest son of Jo Gi Chun, felt troubled when he saw this. The man who seemed fine just a moment ago started to cry extremely sorrowfully. He was also muttering something under his breath, but it was hard to tell just what he was saying. Just what did father do outside? Jo Min Gyus face just kept on getting more andplicated, as he realized that he was only learning more about his father after death. * * * The young man cried for quite a long time. He lifted his head and looked at Jo Min Gyu with swollen eyes. Jo Min Gyu felt quite guilty when he saw the young man covered in snot and tears. He became ashamed at himself because of the young man who grieved more than he ever did for his father. .Who was it? The young mans voice was cracked, due to crying so much. What? The young man opened his mouth again when he realized that Jo Min Gyu didnt understand him properly. Do you know who made teacher like this? I, I dont. Come to think of it, the man who handed over the corpse said something about where he came from, but he couldnt remember too clearly. At the time, Jo Min Gyu was in too much of a shock to take in anything. Although his father never did anything for the family, the existence of a father itself had always given Jo Min Gyu something to rely on. Other than the fact that it was a martial artist. I cant really remember. Martial artist!! The young man shouted out loudly when he heard Jo Min Gyus answer. He then ground his teeth in pure rage. He beat the ground again out of frustration. I had told him multiple times to not get involved with those barbaric scum, yet he. He lost the person he respected most to barbarians. That was what the young man thought. After crying for quite some time, the young man stood back up with his face covered in snot and tears and grabbed onto Jo Min Gyus hand. Dont worry! Ill take care of everything. Ah sure. The man, as if he just remembered something, clumsily took out something from his robe and handed it to Jo Min Gyu. This is a gift from me. Please, cheer up! When Jo Min Gyu took the gift from the young man, the man walked to everyone in the funeral grounds and personally told them to cheer up, then cried again and left. After looking at the young man leave dumbly, the family remembered the gift in their hand, and opened it. Their eyes widened once more. The gift contained a check inside it, and it was a check of a hundred gold coins. Mother. Just what did father do? I dont know. Even the family did not know. Just what did Jo Gi Chun do? The only thing they knew about Jo Gi Chun was the fact that the man loved mathematics and devoted his entire life to it. * * * Are you done? Yes. Ive finished. The bodyguard who had been waiting outside led the young man into the carriage and stepped in the carriage with the man. The carriage began to move. They were moving to the pce. I must see the Great General when we get back. When the young man opened his mouth with a voice of determination like this, the bodyguards eyes brightened. Youve made your mind? The young man avoided the bodyguards eyes as he nodded. Yes. Im just ashamed that I made everyone wait so long. No. The general will be very happy. Everything isplete now that you are joining. The bodyguard was unable to suppress his joy. He quickly directed the driver to head to the Great Generals headquarters. As he did this, he thought this in his head. Be ted, Great General! Everything you have wanted for this mission is now within your hands! The young man, who wasnt known too well in the world, was actually an extremely powerful existence. * * * So you have made up your mind? The Great General, Chuk Gye Guang (^), ran outside with bare feet to greet the young man. The young man turned his head in embarrassment when he saw the General to this and spoke. Forgive me for making you wait this long. Its nothing. Im just thankful that you are on board with my n. The Great Generalughed loudly. It was finally time for him to proceed with his ns. The man in front of the General was his trump card. This mans talent wasnt known to the world, but his intelligence rivaled even that of the prime minister himself. No, its even greater. The man just wasnt known to the world, as he devoted all his time into an useless thing such as formations. The General liked the man even more because of that. He liked how the young man was able to focus on his work without minding what the rest of the world thought about him. And the young man even had talent. Just how amazing was this man? It was very hard for someone to not be arrogant of his intelligence and use it for evil ways in this age. Ju Ho Yu was this young mans name. The greatest mathematician in the world was the young mans title. We must use this chance to sweep away all those damned martial artists in one go. At first, Ju Ho Yu hesitated a little when he heard of the Great Generals n. The n just seemed too dangerous and violent. But even Ju Ho Yu knew how dangerous these martial artists were to the imperial pce. They needed a method to control these people. Ill do my best. The Great General smiled. He thought that him attaining this young man was akin to Liu Bei attaining Zhuge Liang in the past. Ill go get the kings permission to strike the martial artists so just wait. Yes sir. When the Great General went back inside to dress up in order to meet the king, Ju Ho Yu rubbed his swollen eyes and sighed. Many people will die from now. Ju Ho Yus face darkened. He didnt want people to die or get hurt, but he soon shook his head. Martial artists must disappear. Right. Martial artists were barbarians who did whatever they wanted just because they had strength. They were people who didnt even follow thews of the nation, and engaged in murder and violence as much as they pleased. They needed to disappear for the people of this nation. Please give me strength, teacher. Ju Ho Yu thought of Jo Gi Chun, who would be observing his movements from somewhere in the heavens and steeled his thought. Jo Gi Chun was the first one to teach him what the word surprise was. Ju Ho Yu had never suspected there would be someone who had studied mathematics to that degree in the entire world. It was a new experience for him, and it gave him the most joy he had experienced in his entire life. But that person died a meaningless death. He had wanted to talk to his teacher some time in the future. Ju Ho Yus eyes got filled with sadness once more. The fact that he would never be able to meet a man who loved mathematics that much brought him great pain. I wanted to show him what I had discovered recently. Ju Ho Yu thought of Jo Gi Chuns face in his mind and rubbed his fingers together. Thinking of all the conversation they had in the past made him sad again. Ill take revenge in your stead. He would be going up against the martial world itself. Like this, the imperial pce began to move into the world of martial arts. Chapter 70. The Pope is a Smuggler(?) Chapter 70. The Pope is a Smuggler(?) ED: Chrysanthemum Cho Ryu Hyangs father, Cho Mu Ryung, quickly returned home. He was returning to prepare his employees in order to deliver the massive amount of materials the church requested him to take. If this job proceeds smoothly, Cho Mu Ryungspany would easily be the biggestpany in the maind. The rewards he would be receiving from Gongson Chun Gi were just that big, Cho Ryu Hyang, too, knew that. That was why he was staring at Gongson Chun Gi. Gongson Chun Gi felt the boys gaze on him and opened his mouth as he touched his cup of tea. What, do you think we gave your father too much of a reward? Yes. The reward for this job was too much aspared to the job itself. Cho Ryu Hyang could easily see that there was a hidden intent within the job itself. Gongson Chun Gi didnt deny it. He smiled calmly as he kept talking. Youre right. The reward for this job is too big, but it was worth it, which was why I spent so much money on your father. Gongson Chun Gi looked over to the artificialke next to him while Cho Ryu Hyang sat there in silence. Normally, I wouldve brought the people from your family as soon as possible. That would be the proper thing to do ording to the tradition. .. Tradition. That word came to Cho Ryu Hyang quite heavily. What do you think would happen if an outsider became the Heir of the church? You think everyones going to be happy about it? Right now, theyre happy because a Heir has been chosen, but when time passes, theylle back to their senses and think strange things. Before that, we must take your family into the church. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. It made sense. The power of the church was actually quite immense; It was so big, in fact, even Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to see its true size. If that immense strength was used on an outsider like him, there was no question that it would make many of the people of the church angry. Gongson Chun Gi began tough loudly. But how can something like that be done forcefully? If its a stubborn person like your father as well, if I try to force him into the church, hell reject us even more. Thats why I used my head a little. Gongson Chun Gi was nning on taking them in by building their trust with various jobs first. It would take quite a bit of time, but Gongson Chun Gi still decided to use it. That was the most kindness Gongson Chun Gi was able to show to Cho Ryu Hyangs parents. Since I would be able to stick my people to them as bodyguards from time to time, its like catching two birds with one stone. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He knew how much kindness his teacher was showing to his family. Anyways, dont worry about the matters regarding your family and the church, after all, Im thinking as much as I can to integrate them here. Cho Ryu Hyang decided to follow his teachers words. But there was still one thing he was curious about. I have a reason for calling you out here today, actually. Cho Ryu Hyang became a little anxious. They were going to go into the topic now. Gongson Chun Gi looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a yful face. You should know, too, but the church will go out into Sichuan in the near future. This will be a big event. Personally, I dont really like events like this. Cho Ryu Hyang silently agreed. Gongson Chun Gi was uninterested in things like conquering China maind. Actually, he was just toozy to do it. A person like that, trying to extend the influence of the church into Sichuan? This didnt really fit the Popes personality. Gongson Chun Gi began toin as he brought his teacup to his mouth. It was as if he had been thinking the same thing as Cho Ryu Hyang. Its because we became too big. . The church is at its biggest size since its creation. We became far bigger than we were in the past. That brought us problems we had never encountered before. What is it? If it was a problem of this massive organization, it wouldnt be a small matter. Gongson Chun Gi paused for a while under Cho Ryu Hyangs gaze, then put his thumb and index finger together to form a circle. Its money. .What? Money problems? The church? When Cho Ryu Hyang stared at Gongson Chun Gi with a confused face, Gongson Chun Gi began nodding slowly as he talked. The Popes that came before me did all they could in order to expand their influence to the maind. There was much sacrifice in the process of this; however, we earned a lot in return. We came back with valuable goods and earned massive amounts of money from the areas we conquered. Other than that. Gongson Chun Gi stopped talking, then looked behind Cho Ryu Hyang and grinned. Theres the old man wholl exin everything for you. When Cho Ryu Hyang turned his head, he could see a thin old man approach them. Cho Ryu Hyang remembered seeing the man at the coronation ceremony. I think they called him Jeon Bak (X: money-grubbing ghost). The mysterious old man was one of the eight guardians of the church and managed the financial matters of the church. He held the title of the Fighting Gold General (^㌢). You called for me, your Holiness? Ah. Let me introduce you first. This old man heres Jeon Bak. Hell probably be the person you fear the most in the church. Gongson Chun Gi smiled evilly towards Cho Ryu Hyang as he introduced Guardian Jeon. Hes really annoying, so be careful. .Arent you supposed to say things like that when the person you are insulting is not around, your Holiness? When Guardian Jeon protested with a small pout, Gongson Chun Gi puffed up his chest and spoke loudly. What, am I wrong? Its not really wrong, but youre supposed to say those kinds of things behind my back. Kekeke, only weaklings do that sort of a thing. Guardian Jeon opened his mouth and closed it, then turned towards Cho Ryu Hyang. My introductions were quitete. It would be good if you could address me as Guardian Jeon. My name would be Cho Ryu Hyang. Jeon Bak smiled when the two finished exchanging greetings with each other. I had heard that you were interested in mathematics. Yes. Thats very good. I look forward to the future of the church. When Jeon Bakughed with a proud face, Gongson Chun Gi waved his hands as if he was signalling Jeon Bak to get on with something. Enough small talk. Tell him about whats going on in the church right now. Jeon Bak nodded. He immediately began to exin what was going on to Cho Ryu Hyang. Till now, the church acted as the bridge between the maind and the western world and earned much from it. For us, who live onnd that cannot even be farmed, this was the best and the only way to earn money. That method alone let us survive till now. But recently weve encountered a troubling problem. Jeon Bak took out an abacus and put it on the table. The churchs military force was always being used up as we fought with the organizations of the maind. There was never a case where the number of our soldiers exceeded a certain number. But when the current Pope stepped up, the whole situation took a strange turn. Jeon Bak calcted something as he agily used his abacus, then stretched out his hand outstretched as he opened his mouth. There are too many soldiers that are doing anything. Well lose all of our money in five months if this keeps going. Before that happens, well need to go earn some money for ourselves. Thats why we are going out to Sichuan. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes sparkled only then as if he realized what was going on just now. All the organizations of the martial world operated based on martial might and financial power. Of course, there were things such as spies and the like but these always yed the support role and werent really necessary for an organization. Anyway, the Heavenly Demon Church at the present moment was far too big for its own good. There was no way that their current job alone would be able to support the entire church. The bnce within the church had been broken. Sichuan, to the church, is akin to thend of hope. As long as we manage to sessfully station our soldiers there, the amount of money we would be able to earn would be twice the amount we are earning now. Twice the amount. Cho Ryu Hyang began thinking. He didnt know just how much the church manages to earn every year, but its an amount of money that allows a massive organization like this operate. Twice the amount of the current earnings was something that Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt even fathom. He couldnt imagine just how the church was managing to earn that much money. Jeon Bak realized what Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking and smiled. The church took the goods of the maind with some difficult methods over to the west and sold it there. We did the same for the goods from the western world. If we manage to take control of Sichuan, we wont need to go through difficult operations which would allow us to spend less than we are now. Other than that, we would be able to aim for something even bigger. Something bigger? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, Jeon Bak smiled mischievously and looked at the Pope. He was asking if it was alright to tell Cho Ryu Hyang. Gongson Chun Gi nodded and decided to tell Cho Ryu Hyang himself. Its salt. .! Salt? Wasnt that something that the nation strictly forbid merchants from selling? Till recently, this old man here got together with other old men and worked quite a bit. Thanks to them, we were able to attain some salt from Xizhang (: Tibet). Cho Ryu Hyangs mouth widened. The scale of this operation was far bigger than he previously thought. Smuggling? Yeah. Well, I guess its a little bigger than that. It was something that the Heavenly Demon Church was doing. There was no question that it would be a big operation. Its the way to earn the most money as possible in the current world. You must know as well, but salt is worth its weight in gold. Right. Salt that was regted by the nation itself was extremely valuable. As a necessarymodity, it was far too expensive. The imperial pce was earning most of its money from salt, in fact. We worked our asses off to get salt. It would be a shame if we were unable to sell it. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Expansion into Sichuan was something that the church needed to do. Right then, Jeon Bak opened his mouth. This isnt a simple thing though. Its not like we can sell salt right away if we bring it to Sichuan. Thats because salt isnt something that can be sold out in broad daylight. Because of that, we must first create a market where we can sell such a thing. Jeon Bak began to calcte with the abacus once more as he continued talking. In order to do that, we must take over more than half of Sichuan. Under five months at that. Gongson Chun Gi scratched his neck as he opened his mouth. It wouldnt be easy, but it has to be done. So its that serious of a problem. Yes. Its mostly due to a person in the church who likes to spend too much. When Jeon Bak red at Gongson Chun Gi with eyes like a snake, Gongson Chun Gi flinched and turned away. The one who had been spending as much money as he liked was him after all. Hum, hum. Well, with this, well be able to take care of all our problems. Gongson Chun Gi made this all sound very easy, but Cho Ryu Hyang didnt really think this was going to be easy. There are three things Im afraid of, disregarding all the unforeseen variables that could affect this mission. The first thing was that the church was trying out something entirely new, and the second thing was that the martial artists of Sichuan wouldnt just stand there and watch their home get taken from them. And. Thest thing was what worried Cho Ryu Hyang the most. It was the reason why no one sold any salt despite knowing that it would make them a huge amount of money. Would the imperial pce just stand there and watch? The imperial pce was incredibly sensitive when it came to matters regarding salt. There were always salt being traded in the maind but only the likes of small merchants did it. If something as big as the Heavenly Demon Church began to sell salt like this, there was no way the imperial pce wouldnt notice. That worried Cho Ryu Hyang the most. He should have a n There was no way Gongson Chun Gi failed to think of the three things that he thought of just now. There was also no way that Gongson Chun Gi failed to put up a n to deal with these problems. Did he sense Cho Ryu Hyangs worries? Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and opened his mouth. Dont take the church too lightly. The power of the church is much greater than you might think. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Like Gongson Chun Gi said, the power of the church was far greater than Cho Ryu Hyang had initially imagined it to be and that power was now moving towards Sichuan. Chapter 71. Cho Ryu Hyang Fights a Harmonious Expert Chapter 71. Cho Ryu Hyang Fights a Harmonious Expert ED: Chrysanthemum Un Hui observed his young master carefully from the darkness. For thest few days, he had observed Cho Ryu Hyang as carefully as possible. However, frustration was the only thing that could be seen on his face. What is it? His young master had fainted a few days ago, and when his young master woke up, something had changed. He couldnt say exactly what had changed, but Un Hui was definitely able to feel that something was different. Theres something that Im unable to notice? A harmonious experts senses far exceeded those of normal humans. Even with senses like those, Un Hui was unable to see what had changed within Cho Ryu Hyang. That made him feel even more suspicious. Un Hui looked over his young master once more with a careful gaze. He didnt know exactly what this change that overcame his young master was, but he felt that it was incredibly important. He couldnt have been more correct. * * * Interesting. Cho Ryu Hyang looked over his body once, and smiled. The Ryun of the Moon Edge de Technique. Once he figured out everything about it, he could feel total control over his body. He could even see how each cell of his body responded actively even to small movements. It was unfamiliar at first, much like how walking is to a baby, but as time passed, he grew ustomed to it. At this point, he was able to feel the changes in his body without feeling unrest. And The biggest change that he went through wasnt rted to his body. Cho Ryu Hyang slowly closed his eyes and walked. Strangely, even when his vision waspletely gone, he could still walk confidently. This really is interesting. Everything around him was vividly drawn out in his mind. He could make out every single one of the little pebbles on the sidewalk. Thanks to this, he didnt have any problems at all walking with his eyes closed. The biggest obstacle in the Moon Edge de Technique, Ryun. Once he understood what Ryun was, he was able to earn something very special. He was able to earn this area around him. About twenty steps. The area reached only up to twenty of Cho Ryu Hyangs footsteps. But even so, he could see everything within that area even without proper eyesight. On the way of going back to his living quarters after saying farewell to his teacher, Cho Ryu Hyang stopped. He opened his eyes and looked forward. Theres something there. At the very edge of his area. There was something there. His godly eyes activated instantly, and something strange came up in Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes. A person? It seemed that Un Hui had also realized that there was someone hiding in front of Cho Ryu Hyang. He could see Un Hui moving forward at an extreme speed. At that moment, he could hear what his teacher had said just moments ago. [Youll have a pretty interesting present waiting for you when you get back.] When Cho Ryu Hyang thought of that yful voice, he quickly raised his hands. Its fine. Hes a guest. Cho Ryu Hyang was confident that the man crouching in front of his living quarters was the present that his teacher had talked about. His prediction was correct. Un Hui made aplicated face as he stayed hidden in the shadows. Again? He has this feeling every time he is near his master, but his master really had a talent for finding people who were hiding. Something like this usually hurt the pride of the person hiding. Cho Ryu Hyang walked forward, and looked at the man who was looking at him while crouching. Seventy. When he looked over with his vision, the man turned out to have a talent value of seventy. This was truly arger number than he had expected. Looks like there are only talented people in the church. Come to think of it, everyone he met so far exceeded the number seventy. He didnt know if the church was just this powerful or if just every person he was meeting was just this talented, but seeing how the church attained so many talents just proved that it was the greatest power at the moment in the world. Was it because his teacher was extremely talented? It seemed like multiple talented people just sprang up in the vicinity of the Pope. While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking this, the man who had been crouching stood up. I was waiting for you. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the young man in front of him with a confused face. Who is he? He was curious of this man who dared to talk like this in front of the Heir of the church. Just when he was about to ask the man who he was, the man opened his mouth first. I made a bet with the Pope. If I beat you, Id be able to take your ce as the Pope; however, if I lost, Id have to be your underling. . Cho Ryu Hyangs lips twitched without him even realizing it. He could now realize what Gongson Chun Gi was going for here. After surveying the young man for a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang became curious. This is. This didnt feel normal. After thinking for a bit, he turned to Un Hui for a second, then back to the young man. He carefully opened his mouth. Harmonious expert? The young man nodded; Cho Ryu Hyang readjusted his sses when he saw the man do this. He thought of his teacherughing in the background, then quietlyined to himself in his mind. What a fun little prank youve yed on me. He didnt know who this man in front of him was, but there was one thing he was sure of. He had to take down a Harmonious expert, a person who exceeded the limits of the human body. How should he fight someone like this? While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking, the young man opened his mouth. Can we start? Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses and opened his mouth. Can I ask you something before we start? Sure. What is your name? My name? Im No Jin Nyung. Who? Cho Ryu Hyang repressed himself from saying that question out loud, and made a confused face. What the heck? The man in front of him should have a pretty high position within the church since he was able to make a bet with the Pope himself, though Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to figure out what job the man had. I want to be the Pope. Thats why Ill take you down. . Cho Ryu Hyang felt his head cool. He could feel honesty in No Jin Nyungs voice. Hes not joking. Cho Ryu Hyang, who had been looking at this whole thing in a yful manner, reflected back on himself. To a person like this, anything close to jokes never work. Once he realized this, Cho Ryu Hyang gave up on actually fighting the man. He mightve achieved Ryun, but it didnt mean that he was invincible just yet. He wasnt dumb enough to try and go head on against a Harmonious expert. Instead, Cho Ryu Hyang decided to use his secret weapon. He was more confident in this area of fighting after all. After looking over the whole area calmly, Cho Ryu Hyang faintly smiled and opened his mouth. Im ready. Can I go, then? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. At that moment, No Jin Nyung jumped forward with extreme speed. * * * Formations were truly strange things. As long as the creator was able to set a certain pattern to the area surrounding him, he could create an artificial space with a small amount of resources. Of course, this only applied to experts of formation-making. Hesing. To be truthful, Cho Ryu Hyang had moved even before No Jin Nyung. There was no way he could act faster than a Harmonious expert like No Jin Nyung. But just about the time when he started to move towards his target, he had to reset everything that he had nned prior to the battle. Danger! PanC! Cho Ryu Hyang barely dodged No Jin Nyungs strike, rolled on the floor, then stood back up with a veryplicated face. Eh? You dodged that? . It seemed a harmonious expert was much stronger than he had initially thought. This is too much. He had calcted No Jin Nyungs speed based off Un Huis usual speed. But wasnt this speed disyed by No Jin Nyung much faster than what he had predicted? Un Hui never moved at such speeds. So he never went all out. Un Hui was a Harmonious expert. Based on numbers alone, he was stronger than No Jin Nyung. That just went to show that Un Hui never went all-out before. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lip. Unlike Un Hui, No Jin Nyung really was going all out. There would obviously be a major speed difference between the two. Just dodging that first strike was a miracle in itself. What should he do, then? Cho Ryu Hyang quickly made his decision when he saw that his opponent was about to make his move. Moon Edge de Technique. Would it work against a Harmonious expert? He still was unskilled at controlling it. Cho Ryu Hyang shook off all the insecurities he was going through, and breathed a little. No Jin Nyung moved at this moment. Cho Ryu Hyang pushed his senses as much as possible and jumped sideways. A kick from below. Strangely enough, he could see the opponents movements extremely clearly. But he wasnt able to react to it fast enough. With the Moon Edge de Technique, he was able to see but not react. Cho Ryu Hyang could only stare at No Jin Nyungs fee that drove itself straight into his abdomen. BamC! Screen Shot 2016-01-09 at 2.31.02 AM.png Cho Ryu Hyang flew backwards with a sound that resembled an explosion. CraackC! A sound of branches and stones hitting Cho Ryu Hyangs body could be heard. Un Hui, who was distanced a little far from both of them, made a dazed face for a moment. No Jin Nyungs kick was too fast even for him. You. Un Hui came out of hiding and ground his teeth. Even if this whole thing was a bet, they were dealing with his master here. His master was on the brink of death, thanks to a kick from No Jin Nyung. No, Un Hui thought his master was dead. The kick from before was a serious strike from a Harmonious expert even most normal experts would die from such a kick. But his master was just a child, wasnt he? There was no way that his master was alive. When Un Hui thought this much, killing intent just started to smolder out of his body. Eh? Ehh? The moment when No Jin Nyungs eyes widened from surprise at seeing Un Hui. I. Im f, fine. When Un Hui heard Cho Ryu Hyangs thin voice, his figure stretched out like a rubber band and instantly appeared next to Cho Ryu Hyang. Are you really all right? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, then smiled subconsciously. Im fine. . Fine? No way. What was up with that massive sound just a moment ago, then? Un Hui couldnt bring himself to say these questions. That was because his master was just sitting there, covered in dirt, smiling like an idiot. Hows he fine? Cho Ryu Hyang stood back up under the confused gaze of Un Hui. Hup. After standing back up, Cho Ryu Hyang dusted himself off a little, then looked back at No Jin Nyung. His eyes were full of confidence that werent there just a moment ago. Lets start again. No Jin Nyung nced at Un Hui, then nodded. Un Hui appearing out of nowhere diforted him a bit, but it didnt look like the man was going to interfere. Actually what worried him the most was Cho Ryu Hyang. The boy somehow seemed fine after being blown off by his kick. I mustve just grazed him or something. It looked like he subconsciously controlled his strength because he didnt want to kill the boy. Un Hui began to collect strength in his legs again while thinking that. Cho Ryu Hyang just smiled. Chapter 72. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Trump Card Chapter 72. Cho Ryu Hyangs Trump Card ED: Chrysanthemum Pain is a rtive thing. Just like how everyone in the world has a different amount of patience, the amount of pain tolerance everyone has is also different. There is no set amount of pain that everyone can tolerate. The world is unfair. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up and thought of a single sentence he read from the Moon Edge de Technique. Yes, the sentence was correct. The world was unfair. Most people die when they allow even a single hit on themselves from a Harmonious expert. They died without even being given the time to feel pain. CrackC Cho Ryu Hyang straightened his back once and smiled. But the Moon Edge de Technique isnt normal. Ak Jung Pae. Cho Ryu Hyang could just see how great this man was now. What Cho Ryu Hyang used just now was the technique that came right after Ryun. Jia (: Armor) ording to its description, the technique turns his body into something that resembles an armor. The Moon Edge de Technique was something that changed the bnce of the entire world in the past. Thats why Cho Ryu Hyang had high expectations for it. He believed that hed be able to take the attack of a Harmonious expert without even feeling a thing. But when he took a hit from No Jin Nyung. Mm? Cho Ryu Hyang realized that something was terribly wrong. His body was going through intense pain; it was enough to prevent him from even thinking anything. He couldnt even scream under the pain that seemed to squeeze all his muscles into tiny pieces. I thought Id die. Right. He genuinely thought hed die here, but he didnt. The pain was soon masked by a strange new feeling he never felt before. (TL: Hm, so Cho Ryu Hyangs an M.) Cho Ryu Hyang smiled faintly as he touched his sses. Ill have to try it one more time. He wanted to know more about the strange feeling he felt just a moment ago. When he thought this much, he hesitated a bit. He realized that in order to confirm what that feeling was, hed have to take on that terrifying blow again. Cho Ryu Hyang became very concerned. The pain he just felt now wasnt something he could ever be able to endure. A cold sweat ran down his back. Wasnt that pain something he never wanted to experience ever again? Theres no choice. Right. No Jin Nyung was already looking at him with a focused face. It was toote to even try to dodge his attack. Cho Ryu Hyang looked around with a bitter face. He memorized his surroundings as fast as he could and organized his thoughts. At least one hit. No matter how much he wanted to dodge, he had to take a hit. He had to endure that terrible pain. But as long as I dont faint, Ill win. It was just one hit. One hit and he would win. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips and steeled his heart. At that point, No Jin Nyung was thinking something simr to Cho Ryu Hyang. Ill end this in one hit. This would be the simplest way to do it. It wasnt hard. He regretted the fact that he might kill the child, but he couldnt afford to restrain himself. He was going to go all out. No Jin Nyung took a deep breath. Then, a clear ck energy began to flow from his body. It was a heavy yet arrogant energy. It had a presence that seemed to suppress everything around it. KuguguguC! The ground shook faintly. Un Hui got confused for a second when he saw it, he suddenly shouted out in surprise. Could that be the Heavenly Demon Technique (ħ)? No Jin Nyung looked towards Un Hui and blinked several times. He was surprised that Un Hui recognized his technique. Un Hui, who realized what No Jin Nyung was thinking, beame worried. The Heavenly Dmeon Technique was practiced by the first Pope of the church, the Heavenly Demon Hong Sunwon. The technique that was said to have been created by that man was the Heavenly Demon Technique. As this was the technique that allowed the man to change the world itself, it was definitely the greatest technique seen so far in the world. But its iplete. Theplete Heavenly Demon Technique did not exist. It was because the Pope that came after Hong Sunwon failed to take in the techniquepletely. There was no one who managed toplete the technique after the Heavenly Demon himself. Every one of the Popes in the past tried, but they failed to do so. The Shura Environment, the technique that many of the Popes used, was the technique derived from the destructive aspect of the Heavenly Demon Technique. The Heavenly Demon Technique passed down at present day was just a fraction of the whole. But that man managed to be a Harmonious expert with an iplete technique. This is dangerous. He had to stop them. Countless warnings were going on in his head. Because of this, he had to stop himself from moving multiple times, but he could only watch Cho Ryu Hyang as he ground his teeth. Shit. Cho Ryu Hyang was currently trembling violently as he looked at No Jin Nyungs oppressive force, but not once did he stray his eyes away from his enemy. He was just staring at No Jin Nyung quietly. Hes aiming for something. Un Hui was very concerned. He could only save the heir if he acted now. This definitely wasnt something that Cho Ryu Hyang could take on alone. Even an iplete technique unleashed by a Harmonious expert would be incredibly powerful. No, since it was an iplete technique, Un Hui was unsure how much power it would contain. Right then, No Jin Nyung gathered all the energy he was emitting into his leg. At the same time. KuumC! No Jin Nyung stepped on the ground with great force. The force he exerted on the ground was so great, that the ground started to crack apart like turtle shells. KrrrC! As Cho Ryu Hyang tried to regain bnce from the shockwaves in the ground, No Jin Nyung made his move. Un Hui, who saw this, became extremely nervous. It still wasnt toote to save Cho Ryu Hyang. This was his final chance. He had to make a choice here. But in the end, he couldnt move. He just could look at Cho Ryu Hyang with his fists clenched tightly enough to bleed. What is this feeling? Un Hui couldnte back to his senses due to a strange feeling he was experiencing. This was a matter he shouldnt even hesitate about. As a bodyguard who puts his masters life before his own, he should quickly go out and sort out the matter in front of him. But he couldnt. Why? Un Hui, who couldnt figure out what that feeling was, suddenly frowned. This is. It was trust. His attempt to save his master was obstructed by an emotion known as trust. Am I actually thinking that he would be able to block that? It really was a thread of hope that he was putting his trust into. Just how did he imagine that his master could block that blow? At the moment when Un Huis face was turning into a frown, No Jin Hyungs kick was heading straight towards Cho Ryu Hyangs body. ShuaaC! The air around him screamed violently. This was a kick containing all the power a Harmonious expert could muster. Ill explode his head. This was unavoidable. This attack was just straightforward and honest. That was what made it so strong. Cho Ryu Hyang reflectively blocked his face with his hands. He was trying to use those arms that resembled sticks to block No Jin Nyung. No Jin Nyung smirked when he saw Cho Ryu Hyangs foolish action. Futile resistance. That was what No Jin Nyung thought. BaangC! With a sound resembling a leather drum exploding, Cho Ryu Hyang was shot off with his body curved like a bow. Blood fountained in the air, and Cho Ryu Hyang fell on the ground weakly, like a leaf. The fountain of blood froze within Un Huis eyes for a moment, just like a picture. At that moment, Un Hui cursed his decision to not move. I shouldve blocked it. He shouldve blocked his master, either by making him faint, or even beating his master up himself. Just how would he face the Pope now? He wouldnt even have anything to say for himself. At the point when all sorts of nightmarish events were ying out in his mind, Un Hui widened his eyes. This was the same for No Jin Nyung. Eeh? Cho Ryu Hyang, whose head shouldve been blown away, was standing up weakly. Urk! Cho Ryu Hyang seemed to be in an extremely bad condition. It was obvious from the fact that he was constantly throwing up blood with a pale face. Just when Un Hui was about to move, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at him for a split second, then turned away. Un Hui, who realized what Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to say, frowned. Its not over? Was he intepreting Cho Ryu Hyangs message correctly? Just what did his master have to show for himself, especially when he was already in such a state? While Un Hui was thinking this, Cho Ryu Hyang, who had slowly straightened his back, opened his mouth. I win. Cho Ryu Hyang showed off his teeth dyed with blood as he tiredly smiled. No Jin Nyung became confused by Cho Ryu Hyangs statement. What do you mean? Just what did Cho Ryu Hyang mean, especially when he seemed to be in a half-dead state? Wasnt the boy going too far with his bluff? That was what No Jin Nyung thought. Right at that moment, Cho Ryu Hyang lifted his arm and dropped something on the ground. TokC It was a single piece of stone. Just when did the boy pick that up? No, what did that stone have to do with all this? While No Jin Nyung and Un Hui were thinking the same things together, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled as he spoke. Be careful. Of what? VmmC Eh? With a sound of the air vibrating, No Jin Nyung disappeared from everyones sight. * * * Formations usually had to have a perfect shape. A circle was the most basic shape of a formation and based on that circle, the outside world and the world inside the formation would be split. In the end, as long as a perfect boundary was made, a formation would activate. In the past, Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun researched this boundary carefully. When a boundary is made, the inside and the outside will separate. They were working on how they could make this basic formation activation requirement simple and easy to do. Wisdom met wisdom, and effort joined with more effort. And with enough time, one of the results of their research was being disyed to No Jin Nyung. What the hell is this? No Jin Nyung became stupefied for a moment. All his senses were shut off briefly, then a bunch of giant, thick iron bars were disyed in front of him. A prison. It was a square prison with about 1 meter in terms of width. A bunch of iron bars caged him inside. No Jin Nyung blinked a few times in surprise at this nonsensical view in front of him, then carefully extended his head to touch one of the bars. His mouth widened in surprise when he touched one. Eh? What he just touched actually felt like iron, didnt it? How was this possible? This wasnt some sort of an illusion? He extended his fist towards the bars with a light jab as he thought this. He would try to break the prison bars before he would do anything else. Screen Shot 2016-01-17 at 12.08.38 AM.png Even the strongest piece of iron would be like a toothpick to a Harmonious expert, after all. DengC! No Jin Nyung became surprised at the amount of resistance he felt in his fist. The iron bars were harder than he had thought. No Jin Nyung made an amused face. He didnt know what had happened, but he knew the heir was responsible for this. This is a battle. What this ce was, and what it was meant to do did not matter. He just had to get out with the simplest means possible. And this kind of thought was indeed correct. As long as No Jin Nyung destroyed this formation, victory would be his. Then. This time, he punched the bars after gathering some energy into his fist. BangC! No Jin Nyung licked his lips. Then, he began tough without even realizing it. This is ridiculous. He could onlyugh when faced with such an outrageous situation. The iron bars that got hit by his strike were bent. This was was understandable. It was disappointing that a strike meant to destroy only damaged the bars, but he knew that the bars would break if he applied enough force. But the problem was, the bars would regain its original shape the instant after it was struck. No Jin Nyungughed by himself for a bit, then took a deep breath. Are you seriously trying to have a go with me? It looked like hed have to really go all out. Once he decided to do this, No Jin Nyungs body began to emit a dark, oppressive aura. Chapter 73. Cho Ryu Hyang is a Cheater (?) Chapter 73. Cho Ryu Hyang is a Cheater (?) Gongson Chun Gi was thinking about something carefully with his chin resting on his hand. He opened his mouth. Do you know about Zhuge Lian? Zhuge. Liang? Yeah. If you are talking of Zhuge Liang from the three kingdoms era, there would be no way I wouldnt know of them. Jeon Bak restlessly calcted numbers with his abacus, and replied carelessly as he wrote something in the document he was creating. Gongson Chun Gi said something again as he did this. Whod win if we fight? It was an idiotic question. But how could Jeon Bak afford to ignore a question from the Pope? Of course youd win. How could a mere schr ever hope to win against you? A man like that would turn to dust simply from your yawn. Jeon Baks words carried a tone that implied that Gongson Chun Gis question was a foolish one. He had responded to Gongson Chun Gi without even looking up from his document. Gongson Chun Gi looked at Jeon Bak with a gaze full ofplicated feelings, then sighed. Right? Thats what people would normally think, right? Yes. How would Zhuge Liang ever hope to be Gongson Chun Gis match? The full power of the Pope wasnt publicized in the martial world as of yet, but Gongson Chun Gi had already reached the realm of God. He had reached something no one in the church had ever gotten before. Shit, should I fight him again? What? When Jeon Bak turned his head from surprise at Gongson Chun Gis mutter, Gongson Chun Gi quickly looked away. No, Im still not that prepared. Ill have to ready myself even more. Just what may you be talking about Jeon Bak was curious. He thought that the Pope was saying foolish, strange things ever since the Pope came to visit him. Dont worry about me, and just finish up what youve been doing. We really have to expand into Sichuan as fast as we can. Yes Sir. When Jeon Bak turned his head back to the document, Gongson Chun Gi began to think. A while back, he had gained some things by observing the Moon Edge de Technique. Like he had told Sunwu Jo Duk, what he had gained was tiny, but even that was a great breakthrough for Gongson Chun Gi. I wont go down that easily next time. This was one of the few things Gongson Chun Gi enjoyed doing nowadays. For the first time in his life, this old man called Zhuge Liang had shown him what defeat was like. Gongson Chun Gi wasnt about to let the old man go that easily. When he thought this much, Gongson Chun Gis face filled with aplicated feeling soon had a prideful smile on it. * * * Un Hui looked in forward with a dumb face. He blinked a few times, looked around a bit, and became confused. He disappeared? A person in front of him just disappeared. There wasnt even a single thing in the area that suggested someone was here previously. Even Un Hui, who was an expert on tracking people, couldnt find a trace of No Jin Nyung in the entire area. Just how was this possible? Magic? Un Hui thought a little, then shook his head. To a Harmonious expert, who naturally possessed strong mental fortitude, things like magic just wont work. (TL: Looks like magic in King Shura focuses more on the mind some other martial arts novels focus on things like Asian necromancy. I dunno, its just interesting.) Just what is it, then? An entire person disappeared in front of his eyes. Just because of a single stone that was thrown on the ground. Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a curious gaze. Right then, Cho Ryu Hyang, who was busily drawing something on the ground, suddenly puked out fresh blood and fell down on his hands. This is it. The feeling he got after the initial pain. This feeling was something instant, but it felt like he was bing one with the world. It was a feeling that made his bodys senses extend outside his body. Compared to the giant being we call the world, I am a very tiny being. Because of that fact, when Cho Ryu Hyang became one with the world, his pain would fade away extremely fast. This was what powered the Moon Edge de Technique itself. Cho Ryu Hyang turned his hands into tight little fists. His body was still violently trembling. He had to endure the pain before he became one with the world, but it was extremely hard to do this. The Jia () of the Moon Edge de Technique. He used it, but he still couldnt endure that previous attack from No Jin Nyung. He almost died. Are you alright? Eating this should make you feel a little better. When Un Hui handed Cho Ryu Hyang a Mystical Energy Pill, Cho Ryu Hyang didnt refuse him, and ate it. Screen Shot 2016-01-23 at 8.27.03 PM.png The moment the Mystical Energy Pill was consumed, Cho Ryu Hyang made a surprised expression. The pill just turned to liquid form as soon as it touched the tongue, and slid down the throat to stabilize the entire body. It didnt stop there, and gave energy to him. His breathing became easy in and instant, and his wounds stopped bleeding as much. How could the pill be so effective? This wasnt a normal pill at all, was it? Did Un Hui read Cho Ryu Hyangs thoughts? He smiled and opened his mouth. This is a pill created with great care by the master of the medicinal house himself. He told me to give it to you if you were to fall in danger. Cho Ryu Hyang understood what just happened thanks to Un Huis exnation. If it was Sunwu Jo Duk, the master of the medicinal house, making something like this would easily be within his reach. That was the only thing Cho Ryu Hyang had thought at the time, but this pill was something much more special than he mightve thought. It was something that Sunwu Jo Duk spent an entire years worth of time to create. Even with that much time, only ten of them were ever produced. This was something that made even Gongson Chun Gi, who never really relied on medicines, praise by saying This is pretty darn good. Precious Undying Heart Pill (}ĵ). This fancy name was something that Gongson Chun Gi dered to be the official name of this pill. Would you move away for a second? When Cho Ryu Hyang said this as he wiped away the blood on his mouth, Un Hui moved away from his master in an instant. Everything this young master of his did was every strange. Just what would his master do this time? He was curious as to how Cho Ryu Hyang made that Harmonious expert disappear, too. Un Hui was now simply excited about Cho Ryu Hyangs next move. I dont have much time. There was something Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun created a while back. The biggest problem a formation had was the process of its creation. It simply took too much time for it to be activated normally. Jo Gi Chun and Cho Ryu Hyang felt a need to be able to create formations faster, in order to be able to go head-to-head against these martial artists. They needed something they could protect themselves with. In the world of martial arts, they were powerless as formation masters. Because of this, the old man and the child crazed about mathematics worked day and night in order toe up with something to protect themselves. The result was a formation that would activate only on a certain spot that fit certain requirements. The requirements were usually very particr, and the duration the formation was kept active was very short, but the formation itself could be formed extremely fast. Conditional Formation (Ҏꐷ). Cho Ryu Hyang made a sorrowful face as he fixed his sses. The Conditional formation was the first thing he had ever made with his teacher, Jo Gi Chun. None of them at the time knew that the formation woulde to use as soon as this, though. I need to hurry. Conditional formationssted only for a short amount of time. Its power was pretty weak, too. The formation basically sacrificed power for time. The formation that No Jin Nyung was currently in was the Five Star (: North, South, East, West, Center) Defending formation, which had 5 stones as its core. How long would it take to break this? His opponent was a Harmonious expert. Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt exactly sure of what the limits of the body of an Harmonious expert was. To be honest, when the formation first activated, Cho Ryu Hyang became very rxed. Even though Conditional Formations were rtively weak, Cho Ryu Hyang had the vision that he got from Zhuge Liang. The Faultless view of the World let him see through the true form of the world itself. Thanks to this, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to create a formation many times stronger than the ones created by normal formation masters. But thats it. Right. That was it. Come to think of it, he wasnt sure just how well the formation would work against a harmonious expert. He could only be able to see how well something would work if he substituted someone else in ce of No Jin Nyung. Who should he choose, then? Cho Ryu Hyang scrolled through every one of the experts he had met in the past fervently. Yu Sul Bin. Cho Ryu Hyang decided to rece No Jin Nyung with Yu Sul Bin and decided to create the formation based on Yu Sul Bins strength. When Cho Ryu Hyang began to create a formation with Yu Sul Bin in his mind, something violently stirred inside his mind. KrrC! Cho Ryu Hyang looked forward with a hateful gaze without realizing it. He had calcted countless formations in order to kill No Jin Nyung in an instant. Tens and hundreds of formations filled his mind. Pure rage was boiling inside him. Just thinking of Yu Sul Bin made him feel like his blood flow was reversing. Calm down. No Jin Nyung was not Yu Sul Bin. He couldnt kill No Jin Nyung. He just had to create a formation, assuming that No Jin Nyungs power was equal to Yu Sul Bins. Cho Ryu Hyang calmed himself with great care, and moved. He was already familiar with the environment around him. The only thing he had left to do was to find an object that would serve as a barrier. Cho Ryu Hyang carefully observed the square border of the Five Star Defending formation, and ran forward. Eight for now. Cho Ryu Hyang, using the formation No Jin Nyung was trapped in as the center, put seven pebbles around the Five Star Defending formation. The eight pebble that wouldplete the octagonal formation was in Cho RYu Hyangs hand. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled bitterly as he fondled the pebble in his hand. This was a formation he had personally experienced a long time ago. Eight Gates Restraining Formation (Ti). The first formation his teacher ever showed him. He was using that formation. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the sky for a moment, and measured the time. If my prediction is correct. The Five Star Defending formation wouldst about seven minutes. By that time, No Jin Nyung should have destroyed the formation and escaped. Then, just how much time did he have left? Cho Ryu Hyang first used the pebbles as reference to draw out the border of the formation. He was finished. Everything was prepared. Cho Ryu Hyang, exhausted, sat down on the ground. Un Hui was observing all this carefully from the back. He had realized something as he observed his young master work. So it was a formation. He had finally understood what his master was doing. Everything his master did so far so confusing so far, and he finally understood why. His master was a master of formations. But there was still something Un Hui was confused about. ording to his knowledge, formations couldnt be made that easily. It needed to fit countless requirements, and needed much preparation. But his master managed to create a formation without any of that. Would something like that actually activate? Could a formation be made that easily? He was looking at the whole thing with a curious gaze, then felt something strange. Somethings happening? Un Hui was about to make out what was going on. CrackC! With a sound of a shell breaking, the empty space above Cho Ryu Hyangs formation shattered like ss, and No Jin Nyung climbed out from that space. Uhahaha! I win! The moment No Jin Nyung shouted out tiredly with his entire body sweating profusely, Cho Ryu Hyang threw out a stone with a bitter face. No Jin Nyung stared Cho Ryu Hyang do this at this with wide eyes. TokC The stone fell on the ground. You wont be disappointed this time. Hey, this is chea. PaaC! Before No Jin Nyung could even finish his sentence, he disappeared. Chapter 74. The Demonic Witch is a Sufferer of Men-hating Syndrome Chapter 74. The Demonic Witch is a Sufferer of Men-hating Syndrome Sunwu Cho Rin, the one dubbed with the title Demon Witch and The Prettiest Woman in The Church was staring at her father with a hateful gaze. Are you telling me to build a good rtionship with the Heir? That kid? Yeah. The family leader of the Sunwu family, Sunwu Gang Jin (rǿ), looked at his daughter with a tired face. Because his daughter was so straightforward and forceful, he had pretty much let her do whatever she wanted, but he couldnt let her do that this time. Now, he wanted to at least borrow the paws of a cat for his family, but.. (TL: Meaning hed try risky things in order to help his family) No. It was an immediate rejection. He had expected it already, but Sunwu Gang Jin still frowned. You damn girl, youre rejecting your poor fathers desperate request for help? Shouldnt you at least pretend to think a bit before saying no? Sunwu Cho Rin crossed her arms, and smirked. Just what about that was desperate? Cant you see from this face of mine? Sunwu Gang Jin tried to look as pitiful as possible, but Sunwu Cho Rin was unmoved. Dad, stop. Youre making a fool out of yourself. .I raised you wrongly. When Sunwu Gang Jin looked up at the sky with a face of regret, Sunwu Cho Rin fondled the whip curled up next to her waist, and opened her mouth. You told me that before already. Nothing would change even if you say that. You damn girl Shouldnt you respond after thinking a little, though? Eh? Shouldnt you do that, at least in consideration for your dear father? I thought about it already. Huh? When? Just now. Her relply was filled with too much confidence. Sunwu Cho Rin, who seemed to be thinking about something as she talked, suddenly red at her father with eyes zing with a crazy light. I never expected you to ask me to do something like this. Her face seemed had an expression of deep regret on it. Sunwu Gang Jin looked at this face of his daughter with an astounded expression. Cant you do this for the family just this once? This fathers working so hard for the family. you should help every once in a while. You know how much I hate even having to look at men. Wait, hows that kid even a man? He doesnt even have a bit of hair on him. I still dont like him. Sunwu Gang Jin made a regretful expression, but his daughter was immovable. Screen Shot 2016-01-27 at 8.05.42 PM That crazy sickness of hers is acting up again. His daughter, Sunwu Cho Rin, hated men from a young age. This was what was known as the Men-hating syndrome, alternatively known to Sunwu Gang Jin as the crazy sickness. This was always a problem. I only have myself to me for it, though. Sunwu Gang Jin looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression. Sunwu Cho Rins beauty could evidently be seen even from a young age. She was on a different levelpared to other girls. Sunwu Gang Jin treasured his daughter because of this, and treated her preciously to an abnormal level. Any man other than daddy are wolves, alright? If you manage to let your guard down even a little, theyll devour you. He always warned her like so, and whenever he saw a little boy of her age, he would point out each one of them to her and drove his theory into her mind. Isnt this something that all dads do, though? Sunwu Gang Jin knew that he was slightly at fault here for letting his daughter grow like this. But he never knew his daughter would actually be this way. When he first tried to get her betrothed to someone, she refused. This actually made him happy. He wanted to get her to marry someone, but he thought that having his daughter in the house would actually make things less boring. (ED: Wow, dad of the year, right here..) You only like it for the first two times she does it, though.. Sunwu Gang Jin released a deep sigh. He had gotten progressively more worried each time Sunwu Cho Rin refused to get married. So one time, he brought a man to the house without warning. Sunwu Cho Rin knocked the man unconscious with a single blow. That was only the beginning. A title known as the Demon Witch stuck to her because she kept on knocking out every man that came to the house. And the bigger problemy in her great martial prowess. Thanks to her talent, Sunwu Cho Rin became powerful enough to even make her father afraid to speak out against her. Even Sunwu Gang Jin, the leader of one of the four great families, was afraid of Sunwu Cho Rin. Obviously, none of the young men in the entire church was foolish enough to approach her. Girl. What? It was an extremely rebellious face. It looked like Sunwu Gang Jins cute, lovely daughter died a long time ago. Sunwu Gang Jins face turned sorrowful when he realized this, but he immediately steeled his heart and opened his mouth. Do you know that the Church is about to move out to Sichuan? Yes. Sunwu Cho Rin was the Assistant Pce Master of the Ruling Fire House. There was no way she wouldnt know about this. Sunwu Gang Jin nodded with a face that implied that he had expected this already. Then you must also know that the Ruling Fire House will be at the front lines of this expedition. ..What? Sunwu Gang Jin grinned when Sunwu Cho Rin made a stupefied face. Its been decided just moments ago by the Headquarters. But anyway, the Ruling Fire House is set to get to the frontlines of this mission. Theyre trying to make use of the fact that youre all females. After all, having females would make moving to Sichuan easier by itself. Sunwu Cho Rin could understand what was going on now. People usually didnt get too cautious about female martial artists. This was probably why the Ruling Fire House was set to be at the front lines. Thats why Im asking you to befriend the Heir. Hows that supposed to be rted to all this? Of course its rted. Sunwu Cho Rins eyes narrowed in suspicion. Sunwu Gang Jin smiled faintly when he saw this, and spoke. The Administrator of this entire operation is the Heir. What? But the Heir is still. Wasnt he still young? Too young? Wasnt it too irresponsible to leave the entire operation to a child like this? Before Sunwu Cho Rin could say anything, her father spoke first. This was decided by the Pope himself. Unlike other times, the Pope was very adamant about this. .. She had nothing to say. Is the Pope telling me to take care of a child? Sunwu Gang Jin opened his mouth the moment Sunwu Cho Rin frowned. Dont look at this mission as a simple babysitting mission. That kid is apparently special enough to get the trust of the Pope himself. . Right. The Pope usually did everything by himself, because he himself was extremely skilled at everything. There was rarely a case where he ever relied on others for anything. But this time was different. Just what about that kid was special? What do you want me to do? Sunwu Gang Jin faintly smiled at his daughters question. Even if you dont like it, try to build a good rtionship with that kid. That should be enough for now. Weaknesses and habits would eventually reveal themselves, as long as they maintained a good rtionship with the Heir. Sunwu Gang Jin looked at his daughter with expectant eyes while thinking this. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang stretched a bit, and looked forward. He then made a surprised expression. He managed to endure? Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know how strong a Harmonious expert was. This was why he didnt restrain the power of the formation when he set it up, but the formation was still active. That meant that the person inside the formation was still conscious, and was actively resisting against the formation. It should be the fifth level by now. There are a total of eight transformations in the Eight Gates Restraining Formation. After that, the transformations the formation goes through turns irregr, so not even Cho Ryu Hyang knew what would happen. Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a while as he rubbed his hands together. If he dyed this further, the person in the formation could actually die. Can I do it? A formation separated the real world from the formation world based on its borders. As the person outside the formation, even the creator, Cho Ryu Hyang, couldnt see what was happening inside. But he needed to see what was going on. He needed information. I need to keep him near death, but still alive. This was hard. But it wasnt like he could dy this any longer. There was no time to worry about all this. Cho Ryu Hyang rubbed his hands a bit with an unconfident face. He then made a determined face, and looked forward. He carefully observed the area where the formation wasid out. He looked at the borders of the formation carefully, then extended his hand outward. VoomC A shock reverberated across his hand along with a cold chill. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shook a little. This was an area unknown to him. Thankfully, the cold chill he initially got from touching the formation faded quickly. Cho Ryu Hyang let out a sigh of relief. I managed to get through the first problem. Things would get important from here. Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt affected by the formation due to the fact that only a part of his body was in the formation. Going into an active formation like this was normally extremely dangerous. The formation could actually suck the person touching it inside. That would be the end for that person. Thankfully, since Cho Ryu Hyang knew the formation very well, he was able to touch the weaker part of the formation. The gamble that staked his life actually seeded. This was only possible because Cho Ryu Hyang had extensive knowledge about formations and mathematics, one that wasparable to Jo Gi Chuns. Anyways, normally nothing would happen if only a body part entered a formation like this. Cho Ryu Hyang wouldnt be able to get the information he wanted just by sticking his hand in a formation. But this wasnt the end. Cho Ryu Hyang had a secret weapon that no one else had. Faultless View of The World. He exhaled slowly, and focused. Then, he slowly started seeing the inner parts of the formation. It worked! Cho Ryu Hyang was delighted. Having one of his ideas actually work made him excited. A vague shape resembling No Jin Nyung could be seen in Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes. No Jin Nyung was currently trying to punch the giant ice boulder that was falling towards him. BaangC! At the same time, Cho Ryu Hyang could hear No Jin Nyungining. Damn it! Im not gonna lose! Im not gonna lose! Cho Ryu Hyang grinned when he heard No Jin Nyungs shout. It appeared seemingly exhausted man, still had some strength left. White steam billowed out of his entire body. He was trying his best to survive in the formation. So he isnt a Harmonious expert for nothing. It wouldnt be weird if No Jin Nyung died right now. But he actually managed to survive even when facing a natural disaster like this. The Sea of Extreme Cold. Cho Ryu Hyang frowned due to the cold that made his fingers go numb. He then started to focus in order to break away from the effects of the formation. After getting some distance between him and the formation, Cho Ryu Hyang tried his best to calm his heart. He had experienced the power of the formation indirectly, and this was already enough to begin paralysing his entire hand. Cho Ryu Hyang looked back at No Jin Nyung. No Jin Nyung was currently moving as fast as he could. No Jin Nyung had no choice but to do this because of the cold, and the giant ice boulders that fell from the skies. TukakakaC! No Jin Nyung was constantly moving upwards, either by stepping on these boulders or breaking them. Damn it! There was only a ck sea around him. If he fell inside that sea in this temperature, even a Harmonious expert like him would die. Cho Ryu Hyang came to a conclusion after observing all this for a moment. It should be over after this. No Jin Nyung was doing his best to live, but it was obvious that he wouldntst. Even a Harmonious expert had limits. It was amazing already that he managed to survive this long, but that was it. Cho Ryu Hyang began to focus a little. If he was correct, the next transformation should be urring now. As expected. RumbleC! A thunder roared from the dark, cloudy sky. The sixth transformation of the Eight Gates Restraining Formation. The Spear of the Thunder God. No Jin Nyung was currently standing on one leg on an ice boulder floating in the middle of the sea. After surveying the sky for a bit, he frowned. A sound of a thunder roaring could be heard in the distance, but now it was deathly quiet. The ice boulders that fell from the skies stoppeding, too. This was not a good sign. Dokun, dokunC His heart was thumping crazily. Hooh, haah. No Jin Nyung, who was looking at the area near him with worried eyes, licked his lips subconsciously. It felt like his whole body was going to explode from tension. The moment he wet his lips with his tongue. KukwakwakwakwaC! His sight was filled to the brim with white lightning rods. Fuck. No Jin Nyung fainted. Chapter 75. Who’s Cho Ryu Hyang’s Right Arm? Chapter 75. Whos Cho Ryu Hyangs Right Arm? Are you nervous? Of course I am. I cant even sleep nowadays because Im so nervous. I never knew the Pope would choose the Heir to lead the entire operation. This is too early for that. This is the choice the Pope himself made. Trust him. Um Seung Do scratched his head at his friends confident voice. I wish. But you know my job doesnt allow me to. So its an upational hazard. Thats right. An upational hazard. Its a hazard where I have to be suspicious of anything and everything no matter how much I want to believe it. The man on the other site of Um Seung Do smiled faintly. Youre working hard, I see. Thats good. Haa.. I have no choice. The person I serve just makes me work hard. It looks like Guardian Ok Gwan Ho is using you well. Guardian Ok Gwan Ho, one of the eight Guardians of the church, had no match under the heavens when it came to Qinggong Technique (pg: A technique that makes your body light, and make you be able to jump with ease). As the Guardian with the title of Thousand Li Flying Demon (ǧwħ), he took care of the information department of the church as the administrator of the Hidden Demon Corps (ħ). You think this counts as using me well? Hes just enving me. He just works me to the bone. Have you noticed that I lost weight recently? Seriously, if you just see how old man Ok handles his subordinates, youll just sigh in admiration. He just works people right up to their limits and stops there. Every single time. The problem is, Im the one hes working to the bone here. Anyways, hes an amazing fellow. The Pope put you under Guardian Ok Gwan Hos care because he trusted that personality of the Guardians. Study well under him. For the church. For the church.right. I wouldnt even be able to do this if it wasnt for that, damn it. But honestly, nowadays it feels like living in the battlefield might be good for me. I chose that desk job back then for nothing. Why cant the Pope just change my job? The man who had been listening to Um Seung Dos rant looked at Um Seung Do silently for a while, then opened his mouth. Is it that hard? Yeah. I feel like my heads about to burst nowadays. I have more things to do now that the Royal Pce is making its move. Im about to go crazy because of those guys. A friend of Um Seung Do, and the leader of the greatest force in the church, Maras Heavenly Wind Division, Lim Hak Gyum. He nodded as he filled Um Seung Dos ss with alcohol. My chances of surviving increases the harder you work. . Im thankful for that. You bastard, saying so awkward things like that all of the sudden. Im almost ready, though. We should be able to head out to Sichuan soon enough. Youll be going too, right? Yes. I have to protect the Heir. The Maras Heavenly Wind Division, the division that works under the Pope himself. Half of them were going out in order to protect Cho Ryu Hyang. This one. will be dangerous. The Heir isnt like the Pope. His martial arts isntpleted yet. I know. You must know this, but the enemies arent just outside the church. I know this too. The Pope, Gongson Chun Gi, wasnt someone who needed bodyguards. Thanks to this, the Maras Heavenly Wind Division usually just took care of petty tasks. But it was different with the Heir, Cho Ryu Hyang. They had to protect the Heir with their lives. The position of the Heir was already enough to make themselves risk their lives for, after all. No one would know just when and where an attack woulde from. I cant understand it. Um Seung Do never said this, but he was always curious about it. Why would the Pope send out Cho Ryu Hyang, who was already in danger, outside? Lim Hak Gyum looked out at the moon in the window, and opened his mouth. I still havent forgotten the Pope I saw eight years ago at the Ind of Hell. Eight years ago.. Um Seung Dos smiling eyes calmed down slowly. Eight years. That was when Lim Hak Gyum and Um Seung Do had passed the hardest testing ground ever created in the church, the Ind of Hell (تzu). It was apetition of survival that got closed after one round because of its difficulty and death rate. Hundreds ofrades who went in with them had died or had gotten injured to the point of no recovery, but Um Seung Do and Lim Hak Gyum managed to crawl out of that hellhole somehow. And next to them was the Pope, who was dressed extremely lightly. Youre here? Congrats. Gongson Chun Gi handed them both a bowl of alcohol, and grinned. He was waiting for them on his own, without any servants or bodyguards. A person who broke all sorts of rules by himself. This was who Gongson Chun Gi was. At the time, we were both deeply moved by the Pope. But when I think about it now, it was really a simple tactic. A carrot after the whip.. Lim Hak Gyum faintly smiled, and chipped in. But it was the tastiest carrot in the world. True. The alcohol they drank and the meat they ate at the time couldnt bepared to any kind of food they ate afterwards. Um Seung Do looked at Lim Hak Gyum and spoke. You can die out there if you need to, but dont you ever die a useless death. Id get embarrassed. I know. .but dont die if you can. I would like that more. Ill try. Um Seung Do put down his ss, took up the bottle of alcohol, drank from it, then opened his mouth. Shouldnt we live a good life like one of the eight Guardians? Id be mad if I died after working this hard. I wouldnt even be able to die because of how angry Id be. Dont you think? Fine. I wont die. You promised Um Seung Do smiled faintly. He had heard what he wanted to hear. Lim Hak Gyum looked at Um Seung Do quietly. Um Seung Do did the same. After a long period of silence, Lim Hak Gyum opened his mouth. What do you know about the Heir? It was a sudden question. Um Seung Do thought for a bit, then shook his head. I dont know. That would be the most urate answer that I have right now. Thats good. Um Seung Do was confused. Werent you here so that you could ask me about that? Hows this supposed to be good? The fact that even you cannot judge the Heir is just good news to me. Um Seung Do drank from his cup with a bitter face. I actually researched quite a lot about the Heir after I met him. I was curious, too. I got quite a bit of info about him, starting from his past habits, all the way to hobbies and eating habits and such. but I still dont get it. Its all kind of blurry to me. This is a first for me. This just makes me feel even better. When Lim Hak Gyum smiled, Um Seung Do responded with a troubled face. I know one thing for sure, though. Um Seung Do looked straight at Lim Hak Gyum. The Pope chose the Heir because he saw something that I didnt. It probably had something to do with the future of this church. Lim Hak Gyum nodded. The Pope was able to see things others could see. And his judgement was never wrong. I hope the Popes decision this time isnt wrong. Um Seung Do said this as he took another swig from the bottle. This mission had too many variables this time. It made Um Seung Do nervous. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang stared at No Jin Nyung, who was sprawled out on the floor like a corpse. Him getting curious about the power of the formation really had almost killed the man. It was close. No Jin Nyungs red skin, and his burnt clothing made him look like he was just rescued from a pit of fire. If Cho Ryu Hyang had deactivated the formation a little slower, No Jin Nyung wouldve surely died. What shall we do? When Un Hui asked this as he appeared next to Cho Ryu Hyang, Cho Ryu Hyang began to think. It would be troublesome if No Jin Nyung woke up and started to cause a scene. No Jin Nyung was a harmonious expert. He could not be contained with just strength. Why did teacher send me someone like this? Cho Ryu Hyang tried to think about what his teacher was thinking, then shook his head. He thought there was no use in thinking about such things. He could always askter. Lets wait until he wakes up. Will you help me move him? Alright. Un Hui easily lifted No Jin Nyung, and put the man on a wooden bench next to Cho Ryu Hyangs living quarters. He then looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and spoke. You should rest. Ill take care of him. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Un Hui with a tired face for a second, and nodded. Come to think of it, an expert of Un Huis strength should easily be able to take care of No Jin Nyung. Then Ille back after washing myself. Understood. When Un Hui said this with a confident voice, Cho Ryu Hyang went in. He was trying to take care of the situation after washing himself, so that he could handle this matter with a clear mind. How much time had passed since Cho Ryu Hyang walked in tiredly? Un Hui extended his senses, confirmed his distance from the Heir, and opened his mouth with cold eyes. I know youre awake. .! No Jin Nyungs eyebrows twitched a little at that moment. After thinking whether he should stand up or not, No Jin Nyung just decided to keep pretending to be dead. Un Hui, who saw this, opened his mouth. Are you pretending to have fainted because you need to recover? Its useless. Un Hui slowly moved towards No Jin Nyung. Very slowly. But even that slow movement seemed very significant to No Jin Nyung. At the same time, an immense pressure enveloped No Jin Nyungs body. It was a creepy feeling, as if a giant snake was wrapping around his body. Im not as kind as the Heir. Also, Im not even in a good mood right now. A low voice. The cold energy contained in that voice made No Jin Nyung stand up and beginining. .Bastard. I was going to stand back up, anyway. He just needed time to think. Right, that was it. The bet with Gongson Chun Gi. He lost in that bet. He felt sad. A kids minion? Wasnt this too awkward? Un Hui looked at No Jin Nyung, who had a depressed expression on his face, then spoke quietly. I dont care about how you treat me, but you should act properly in front of the Heir. I dont even need to work hard to kill you, anyway. No Jin Nyungs lips trembled lightly. He was slightly pissed at Un Huis threat. Dont be so confident. If it wasnt for my wound, I wouldve been able to take care of you in one hit. Un Hui smiled. Youre quite confident. Do you trust in your iplete martial art that much? Of course. Un Hui and No Jin Nyung red at each other. Was it because both of them were about the same age, and were both Harmonious experts? There was a strange feeling that the two shared at that moment. It was rivalry, and it was the type that only men got at times. The feeling of having their blood boil. The one who looked away first, unexpectedly enough, was Un Hui. You should recover first. No Jin Nyungs eye twitched. He knew that Un Hui was being considerate for him. But wasnt this just that? Sympathy? It was shitty sympathy. When he realized this, he was angered. No Jin Nyung felt somethinge up his throat at the same time, and frowned. The metallic taste that filled his mouth. To experts like he, emotional wounds hurt more than physical wounds. His weakened body was unable to contain his anger, which led to an internal injury. Shit. But he couldnt bring himself to show his injury on the outside. No Jin Nyung forcefully swallowed the blood that wasing up his throat. This sort of behavior just made his injury worse, but he didnt really care about that right now. Kuh. His intestines boiled, as if he had swallowed a ball of fire. He was about to faint from the pain, but he desperately managed to hold on. His rage enabled him to be like this. Right then, Un Hui, who was turned away from him, spoke softly. The Heir is much greater than you think. He is worthy of your services. .. Un Hui kept talking, while No Jin Nyung was desperately trying to control his insides. No Jin Nyung, was it? Well have to sort out whos strongerter on for the future. Un Hui had epted a bet from the Heir, and became the Heirs subordinate. Wasnt this guy also in a simr situation? As No Jin Nyung was now Cho Ryu Hyangs subordinate, there was a need to see who was stronger of the two. Ill be waiting for your recovery. This was an official challenge. If No Jin Nyung refused this, he wouldnt be a man. .You can look forward to it. No Jin Nyung opened his mouth tiredly, and grinned. He can take care of his anger at the fight. He wont lost. In a normal fight, in a normal martial arts fight, there was no way hed lose. Ill do that, then. The two thus made a promise, and waited for Cho Ryu Hyang to return. Chapter 76. The Second Bodyguard Chapter 76. The Second Bodyguard The Ryun of The Moon Edge de Technique. It was something that allowed the user to be able to control the body perfectly. Even parts of the body Cho Ryu Hyang could not sense were being controlled by the Moon Edge de Technique. Cho Ryu Hyang found that out for the first time when he looked at the mirror after washing himself. He had made a confused face because he felt something was off. Whats going on? Cho Ryu Hyang tilted his head in confusion as he touched his wet head. Something seemed to have changed, but he didnt know what. It felt like he was forgetting something extremely important, something that shouldnt be missed. Think. After looking at the mirror for some time, Cho Ryu Hyang widened his eyes and began to touch his face. He looked down on the table in front of him with narrowed eyes. I can see clearly, even without sses? Cho Ryu Hyang had bad vision from a young age. His sight was always clouded and fuzzy. It was partly because of his addiction to books, but that wasnt all. He didnt know why, but he seemed to have bad vision since the very beginning. Because of this, the pair of sses that his father attained with great effort in his work, became an important part of his life. But now, he was able to see the world around him clearly even without his sses. The world that he saw currently seemed extremely clean and beautiful, as if a cloud of fog had been lifted from it. Cho Ryu Hyang rubbed his several times, just to check if he wasnt imagining things or anything. He wasnt. Cho Ryu Hyang put on a dazed expression for a bit, then realized that he had something to check and searched for his sses. If Im correct.. Cho Ryu Hyang carefully put on his sses. At the same time, the world in front of him blurred, and his vision shook. His broken sight made his head spin, but Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips and waited. After a moment, a change he was expecting happened, Cho Ryu Hyang crossed his arms, and looked at the table. Is this the power of the Moon Edge de Technique? He could see the table clearly, even without his sses on. When he focused on trying to see something, his body reacted ordingly. This was a very important change. After all, it was proof that even parts of the body that could normally be unable to be controlled could be controlled with just a thought. Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a bit, then walked out with his sses on. There was no need to put his sses on anymore, but he was just too used to wearing them. The injuries he had gotten from No Jin Nyung earlier had fully healed already. * * * When Cho Ryu Hyang walked out with a satisfactory smile, he could see No Jin Nyung and Un Hui re at each other. Cho Ryu Hyang sensed that there was something going on between them, and asked them a question. Did you make your decision? No Jin Nyungs face twitched. He knew who Cho Ryu Hyang was talking to. But this was already a done matter. He didnt need toin, nor had to hold any grudges. No Jin Nyung scratched the back of his head, then stood up with trembling legs. He breathed deeply, and kneeled towards Cho Ryu Hyang and opened his mouth, No Jin Nyung, the disciple of the Berserking Blood Demon, Gwon Gang Min, swears on his life that he will serve the heir for the rest of his life. Cho Ryu Hyang calmly looked at No Jin Nyung for a moment, and opened his mouth. Just staying with me would endanger your life. Cho Ryu Hyang was not a fool. He knew very well about what was going on in the church, and knew that he was in great danger. He was like a tightrope walker walking above a cliff of unfathomable height. Gongson Chun Gi was just handing Cho Ryu Hyang some support in order to survive. The Pope would make it so that it would feel as if Cho Ryu Hyang was in a life-death situation, but never make it so that Cho Ryu Hyangs life was actually endangered. That is how teacher likes to work. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled bitterly. Gongson Chun Gi was not always a kind teacher. The Pope had the capability to make cold-hearted, cruel decisions whenever he needed to. If Cho Ryu Hyang ever failed to meet the Popes expectations, he would be cut off immediately. That would immediately lead to his death. Haah. Cho Ryu Hyang straightened out his clothes, and smiled inwardly. He was happy that his teacher brought him a subordinate, but he honestly didnt want to get someone involved in all this danger. Him being in danger was enough, already. Having Un Hui in this mess bothered him quite a bit already. Right then, No Jin Nyung hesitated a bit, then spoke while scratching the back of his head. The Pope said something to m. ah, he said something to your subordinate before this. my lord. Cho Ryu Hyang made a curious expression when he heard No Jin Nyungs stuttering speech. His teacher said something? Just what was it? Cho Ryu Hyang became curious. . Would you like me to ry his message? Please do so. No Jin Nyung coughed a few times, straightened his back, and opened his mouth. Even though he looks like an arrogant and stubborn child, hes actually really interesting. Hes actually funnier than he looks. Youll see when you meet him. . Cho Ryu Hyang blinked a few times in confusion when he came face to face with No Jin Nyungs perfect imitation of Gongson Chun Gi. The way he talked, and the yful facial expressions he made matched Gongson Chun Gi perfectly. It was a spectacr imitation. Unexpectedly enough, No Jin Nyung was actually more talented at this kind of stuff. Then, the yful expression on No Jin Nyungs face immediately turned into Gongson Chun Gis serious face. He looked at Cho Ryu Hyang straight in the eye, and spoke. I can guarantee that a monster like this wont ever be born in this world ever again. He is truly worth your time. Cho Ryu Hyang, at that moment, heard Gongson Chun Gis voice ovep with No Jin Nyungs. No Jin Nyung was just that skilled at imitating others. Cho Ryu Hyang readjusted his sses, and spoke. I told you before, but youll have to be ready for death at all times if you choose to serve me. Youll probably have a higher chance of dying than living. No Jin Nyung thought a bit when he heard Cho Ryu Hyangs words, but then shook his head almost immediately. As simply as possible. Everything in this world was simpler than one might expect. It was just jumbled up inplicated ways. When he organized everything he knew together, his head became clear and he was able to see an answer. As I thought, simple is best. No Jin Nyung spoke with a bright face, as if he had taken a load off his chest. His speech was much more refined and stopped forcing himself to act respectfully. His tone just naturally turned more respectful. You have beaten me, who was on a Harmonious level, at a young age. You would most definitely do greater things in the future. I believe it would be alright to risk my life if I were to be able to see what youll aplish in the future. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at No Jin Nyung with a serious gaze. He was surprised at No Jin Nyungs sudden change in attitude, but he knew that it was just how No Jin Nyung functioned. How troublesome. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes emitted aplicated light when he saw No Jin Nyungs pure eyes filled with respect. Just what does he believe in, and what does he want? Nothings free in this world. This was what Cho Ryu Hyang believed in. But this No Jin Nyung was just going to follow him? Wasnt this the guy the one was trying to kill him moments ago? When he thought this much, the Dragon Pearl in his dantian began to move violently. Again? Cho Ryu Hyang frowned. He had experienced this phenomenon once already. When the Dragons Pearl moved, his mind was instantly filled with countless information from everything near him. Thanks to that, Cho Ryu Hyang was instantly able to figure out what No Jin Nyung was thinking about. He dumbly stared at No Jin Nyung for a bit. He then readjusted his sses for a second. This person is.. Simple. How could there be a person in the world as simple as this? No Jin Nyung did not question anything, nor did he ever try to think about something in advance. Because he didnt think, his actions truly could be considered to be random. Wasnt he just an exact opposite of Cho Ryu Hyang? How surprising. What was truly surprising to Cho Ryu Hyang was the fact that he couldnte up with anything to counter No Jin Nyungs logic. Cho Ryu Hyang let out a chuckle, and put his hand on No Jin Nyungs shoulder with a smile. Please, no matter what happens, dont die. ce your life above my own at all times. Death doesnt do any good for anyone. Yes, my lord. Cho Ryu Hyang stood at No Jin Nyung back up, and spoke. You shall be my second bodyguard. And. Cho Ryu Hyang nced at Un Hui, and opened his mouth. Well see when we can set up a time for you two to sort out your ranks after you recover. I also believe that it is absolutely essential for you to do this. ! Un Huis eyes were suddenly filled with confusion. How? How did Cho Ryu Hyang pick up his conversation with No Jin Nyung? Did No Jin Nyung send a message to Cho Ryu Hyang? Un Hui shook his head. There was no time for No Jin Nyung to do something like that, and No Jin Nyung wasnt even the type of person to do something like that. The way Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang changed multiple times. He eventually settled with looking at Cho Ryu Hyang with awe. Un Hui had decided that Cho Ryu Hyang was someone who could not be predicted through normal means. Well go fix you up at the medicinal house, first. Yes, my lord. No Jin Nyung stood up with a smile. He had to recover before fighting Un Hui. * * * Sunwu Cho Rin hummed while braiding Gongson Ahris hair. While she was a person with the terrible title of the Demonic Witch, she would always turn into a kind, gentle woman that resembled an angel in front of Gongson Ahri. To her, spending time with Gongson Ahri was the most precious time in her life. Im so happy. Sunwu Cho Rin was looking at Gongson Ahri with eyes full of love. Gongson Ahri, who was letting Sunwu Cho Rin braid her hair, carefully opened her mouth. Screen Shot 2016-02-03 at 10.51.51 PM.png Ling Ling, can I go with you? Where? Sichuan.. Sunwu Cho Rin paused. After some time has passed, she opened her mouth. Do you want to go to the martial world? Yes. Its going to be dangerous, though? Rin and Ryungs going to be with me. They arent going to be enough. The martial world is a lot more dangerous than you might think. She didnt want to let her precious Gongson Ahri go to the outside world. The outside world was a dangerous and unpredictable ce. She wanted to protect Gongson Ahri in a safe, contained environment. She would normally grant any of Gongson Ahris wishes, but this was an exception. She shook her head with a very worried face. Gongson Ahri seemed to have felt her shake her head, and turned around to look at her eyes. Ling Lings going to be there too, though, right? Gongson Ahri grabbed onto Sunwu Cho Rins sleeves lightly and asked one more time with a desperate face. This is. Gongson Ahri, who was looking up at her with puppy eyes, just seemed too lovely. Sunwu Cho Rin, in the end, opened her mouth with a silly grin. Im busy, you know. I cant always be with you. Sunwu Cho Rin had an expression of pure joy as she forbid Gongson Ahri from going out again. I got strong, you know, Ling Ling. When Gongson Ahri spoke up with a proud face, Sunwu Cho Rins smile just got even wider. She spoke as she rubbed Gongson Ahris hair lightly. Do you want to go out that much? Yes. Gongson Ahri shook her head vigorously. What was the outside world like? From what she had been hearing so far, the outside world seemed to be very violent and dangerous, but it also had something about it that always made Gongson Ahri be fascinated. She wanted to experience it on her own. She wouldnt get a chance like this ever again in the future. Gongson Ahri looked at Sunwu Cho Rin with eyes filled with desperation. After thinking a bit, Sunwu Cho Rin opened her mouth. The Pope probably wont let you go, even if I agreed to it. D, do you think so? Yes. Does that mean Ill be able to go out if he agrees, then? Sunwu Cho Rin nodded with a light smile. There was no way the Pope would grant Gongson Ahri her wish. Gongson Chun Gi loved Gongson Ahri as much as she did. There was no way hed let Gongson Ahri go out into a dangerous world, no matter how much Gongson Ahri desired it. But. it seemed that the world was really unpredictable. After a few days, Sunwu Cho Rin stood in front of Gongson Chun Gi with aplicated face. Gongson Chun Gi had given permission to allow Gongson Ahri go out. Chapter 77. Glory of the Asura’s Annihilation of the Heavens Chapter 77. Glory of the Asuras Annihtion of the Heavens Shura Environment is pretty hard to befriend. It has a really picky personality, so youll have to adjust yourself to it. Gongson Chun Gi was currently sitting in front of Cho Ryu Hyang with a faint smile. The ce they were currently at, the Sacred Heart Temple (}ĵ), was a ce that forbid anyone other than the Pope and the Heir from entering. There was a ceremony taking ce at the moment, a ceremony that all Popes went through in the past, and one that Cho Ryu Hyang had to go through. Not even the bodyguards of Gongson Chun Gi, the Maras Heavenly Wind Division, or the bodyguards of Cho Ryu Hyang, Un Hui and No Jin Nyung, could get in here. They were all currently standing outside, prepared to stop anything that tries to get into the temple. I wouldve gotten rid of all the side effects if we had time But unfortunately, we dont have much of it. They really were running out of time. Cho Ryu Hyang had to lead the church into Sichuan soon. Before that happened, he had to learn some type of martial technique in order to protect himself. Gongson Chun Gi took off the two ck bracelets he wore on his arms. He breathed slowly, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. This might seem a little irresponsible, but you must think of the side effects as homework given to you by your predecessors, and try to get rid of it. We cant do much about this. Ive inherited the technique like this from my teacher, too. Even the great Gongson Chun Gi was unable to get rid of the side effects of the Shura Environment. Cho Ryu Hyang knew about this side effect as well. Even with the dangerous side effect, the Shura Environment tempted the Popes of the past. Cho Ryu Hyang sat on the ceremonial chair, and quietly looked at Gongson Chun Gi, the strongest martial artist that ever existed within the church. Gongson Chun Gis transformation took ce at an extreme pace. CrackC Gongson Chun Gis body, now rid of its seals, began to get younger at an extreme pace. His thin, frail body began to get more muscr. It was like time was being wound up rapidly. At the same time, Gongson Chun Gis body began to emit a domineering aura that couldnt be ignored. VuumC! The giant building that was the temple began to vibrate. The entire area surrounding the temple was filled with the sounds that resembled thousands of screams from hell. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips. Teacher told me to watch this carefully. Glory of the Asuras Annihtion of the Heavens (_g侰). The technique that was often referred to as Shura Environment. The technique that was passed onto the future generations of the Popes. One of the requirements of inheriting the technique was to look at it calmly. But this requirement was not something that easy to fulfill. Cho Ryu Hyang tiredly smiled while sweating profusely. An aura that seemed capable of destroying everything in the world flowed out naturally from Gongson Chun Gi. Cho Ryu Hyang had to focus as hard as he could just so that he could breathe. Even looking at Gongson Chun Gi expended an immense amount of energy. So this is the Sura Environment. Even Cho Ryu Hyang, who broke through the first and thergest obstacle of the Moon Edge de Technique, could only try to stay awake. While Cho Ryu Hyang was desperately trying to breathe, Gongson Chun Gi casually slid back his ck hair, and smiled confidently. What youre seeing, and feeling right now is the true form of the Shura Environment. This is something that does not sumb to anyone, and is capable of destroying anything in the world. This is the true form of my body, which I have never revealed to the world after thepletion of Shura Environment. Gongson Chun Gis body at its prime. Each bone, each cell in the body contained a huge amount of destructive power. Gongson Chun Gi quietly admired his body for a while, then smiled bitterly. Since doing this stresses my body quite a bit, well have to work as fast as we can. The Shura Environment had to be inherited when its user was at his best. Only then would the power of the Shura Environment be fully inherited to the next generation. Because of this, if the next generation wasnt qualified, or wasnt talented enough, he would be swept away by the power of the Shura Environment, and be killed. But Gongson Chun Gi wasnt worried about that. He trusted his student. His students dantian was as big as the ocean. It could stomach just about anything and still be fine. Now, are you ready to see true hell? Gongson Chun Gi spoke with a yful voice. When he opened his mouth, and exhaled, the air of the temple immediately got heavier. Breathing alone required a huge amount of energy from the body. This was power that surpassed the human limits. Cho Ryu Hyang had to take on that power. Cho Ryu Hyang felt cold sweat run down his back, and grinned. Your disciple is ready. Gongson Chun Gi looked at Cho Ryu Hyang for a bit. He could see that his disciple was able to look at him without fear. That was enough. Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and opened his mouth. Good. Lets start. When Gongson Chun Gi slowly extended his arms, Cho Ryu Hyang imitated his actions. Cho Ryu Hyangs thin, soft hands met with Gongson Chun Gis powerful, indestructible hands. The moment the hands touched, Cho Ryu Hyang felt like his body was being struck with lightning. When this feeling faded away, he could feel a dark, sinister energy w its way up his arms. This is His hands were full of frighteningly dense dark energy. ChiiiC~ Kuh! Cho Ryu Hyang was assaulted both pain that was akin to having his hands dipped in fire, and a cold that seeped into his bones. This caused his eyes to go white while having his whole body tremble violently. This was simply pure pain, one that made your entire mind go nk. ThumpC His heart began to beat wildly, like a crazy horse. The power of the Shura Environment tried to rip apart Cho Ryu Hyangs body like a fierce predator, Cho Ryu Hyangs mind was slowly disintegrating. Gongson Chun Gi began to get a little nervous when he saw this. Shit, this is really dangerous. Screen Shot 2016-02-11 at 1.18.34 AM.png His head kept sending off warning signals. This was the important part. The one who inherits the Shura Environment would have to endure the bodys rejection of the energy from the Shura Environment. Gongson Chun Gi knew how much pain his disciple was going through. He had experienced the same thing a long time ago, after all. The unspeakable pain that seemed to cut up the body into countless pieces. But the pain wasnt all that important. Cho Ryu Hyang just had to avoid ignoring the pain, and falling unconscious. Falling unconscious would let the energies roaring inside Cho Ryu Hyang to expand outwards, which would cause Cho Ryu Hyang to explode like a firework. Gongson Chun Gi frowned, and began to think of someone. Damn old man! Stop ying ande out! This is the time for you to make your move. Gongson Chun Gi couldnt do anything when he was pouring into Cho Ryu Hyang, the power of the Shura Environment. He would be very weak during this time. Right then, did he hear Gongson Chun Gis voice? A thunderous voice rang out inside Cho Ryu Hyangs mind. [Endure, greenhorn. Dont try to hide or avoid the pain, and fight it head-on. Only then will this power be yours.] Zhuge Liang had finally spoken. Cho Ryu Hyangs pupils reappeared on his white eyes when he heard Zhuge Liangs angry shout. Right now, Cho Ryu Hyangs body was filled with blood veins popping out from his skin. His eyes were turned red due to the veins in it exploding, and his lips began to have blood flowing out of it. CrackC! Bones were being reorganized, and the muscles in the body were disassembled, then reassembled at an extreme pace. This brought Cho Ryu Hyang an unimaginable amount of pain. I was too arrogant. Cho Ryu Hyang could see his teachers worried eyes. His teacher was worried. He felt embarrassed. Cho Ryu Hyang closed his eyes, and bit his teeth. He then did all he could in order to endure the pain in his body. He had thought that he went through quite a lot of pain till now. He gained endurance, and most types of injuries didnt even hurt anymore. He even started to get prideful of his endurance to pain. But this was all just arrogance. Not even the Moon Edge de Technique could help him here. In front of pure pain, there was nothing one could do. Except to fight it head-on. Youre doing well. Gongson Chun Gi let out a sigh of relief when he saw his disciples current situation. Cho Ryu Hyang might not know, but it was better for him to be in pain than to be unconscious. Losing consciousness would just mean death. The monster known as the Shura Environment did not lend its power to others easily. It would go berserk within its future users entire body, then proceed to create a nest for itself. Wait a little more. The biggest obstacle was ovee. Now, this was just a fight against time. How much time had passed? Cho Ryu Hyang began to excrete sweat mixed with blood. As I thought. Normally, one would excrete out ck blood during this time. After all, this stage was supposed to be expelling all the foreign material in the body. But this didnt happen for Cho Ryu Hyang. Pure, clean blood was flowing out of Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Gongson Chun Gi had expected this already. Cho Ryu Hyangs body had been cleaned nicely by the Moon Edge de Technique. This alone made the inheritance ceremony quite easier. They could skip the unnecessary part of the ceremony this way. Gongson Chun Gi pushed it inside Cho Ryu Hyangs body. The moment it entered Cho Ryu Hyangs body. TudukC Resistance was felt. Eh? Cho Ryu Hyang suddenly jumped up. It was like his body was about to be shot away from his spot. He was being assaulted with pain that couldnt even bepared to the one from before. It was pain akin to having his limbs being ripped apart. At the same time, Cho Ryu Hyangs ears were filled with countlessughters, and the verses of the Shura Environment. The verses of the Shura Environment were being imprinted into his brain. Cho Ryu Hyangs body began to tremble. A new world was being unfolded in front of his eyes. At the same time, something disgusting, something indescribable began toe through his harms. It diligently climbed through his arms, and passed his shoulders. One of them went up into his head, and the other went downwards. Kuaaaa! One of it, which climbed downwards while destroying Cho Ryu Hyangs insides, hesitated when it reached the dantian. It had seen the dragons pearl that rested within Cho Ryu Hyangs dantian. Hoh? Gongson Chun Gi looked inside Cho Ryu Hyang with an interested face. Even he did not know what that round thing within Cho Ryu Hyangs dantian was. He had never seen it before. But he could never imagine that the round object would be able to halt its movement. What is that? Gongson Chun Gi knew very well what it was. There was something that could stop it? Inside his disciple, at that? Gongson Chun Gis eyes began to emit a hint of excitement. While he was worried about his disciple being in pain, curiosity had still overtaken him. He breathed slowly, gathered strength, and allowed it to wait for itspanion. When thepanion that traveled to the head came to the dantian, the two of them began to move slowly. They circled the dantian slowly, then bit the dragons pearl in the dantian with ferocity. Right then. BoomC! Eh? Gongson Chun Gi was surprised by the immense amount of force that was suddenly exerted onto his hands. He almost flew backwards from that energy st. Even Gongson Chun Gi, who had removed the seals that restricted his power, was almost forced back. He looked at his disciple with a dumb, shocked face for a moment, but then an immense change began in his disciples body. They got absorbed by the dragons pearl in Cho Ryu Hyangs dantian. Ha Hahaha. Humans can onlyugh when they see something they never expected. This was the case for Gognson Chun Gi. Afterughing for a bit, Gongson Chun Gi withdrew his arms. He then put on the ck bracelets he had prepared beforehand. He was sealing his power again. When his body became weak again due to having all his power sealed. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes. A strange light shone upon Gongson Chun Gis eyes right then. Oh? Whos this? Cho Ryu Hyang frowned at Gongson Chun Gi and opened his mouth. Youre quite reckless. Its been a while, old man. Zhuge Liang. He was currently borrowing Cho Ryu Hyangs body. When Gongson Chun Gi raised his hand to greet Zhuge Liang with a gleeful face, Zhuge Liang looked around with eyes that emitted a faint purple light, and smirked. Just how much of a monster are you nning on turning this child into. You really are a greedy bastard who knows no satisfaction. I dont think you have the right to say that? By the way, whats that thing in the boys dantian? It ate up the Shura Essence Crystal. Shura Essence Crystal. It was basically a lump of energy that was created by condensing the energies of all the previous Popes of the church. To think there would be something that could swallow something like that. It could only make Gongson Chun Gi bbergasted. Cho Ryu Hyang, no, Zhuge Liang smiled arrogantly, and opened his mouth. It is the pearl of a dragon. What? When Gongson Chun Gi made a dumbfounded face, Zhuge Liang spoke. Id like to y with you a little longer. but it is time for me to leave. Gongson Chun Gi frowned, and Zhuge Liang opened his mouth for thest time. This child will aplish much in the future. I dont care about what youre trying to do, but dont handle him too lightly. Im telling you to stop treating him like a toy. After saying that, Zhuge Liang, no, Cho Ryu Hyang tipped backwards, unconscious. Gongson Chun Gi grabbed onto Cho Ryu Hyang, andined with an annoyed face. Youre running away after saying everything you wanted to say? And you dont even deserve to say that to me in the first ce. Gongson Chun Gi worried for Cho Ryu Hyang more than anyone. But it wasnt easy to just ignore Zhuge Liangs advice just because of that. Annoying old man. He could onlyin like so. Chapter 78. Choosing Ranks Chapter 78. Choosing Ranks Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at his hands with a slight smile. There was a symbol that slightly resembled lightning imprinted on both of them, which signified that Cho Ryu Hyang had inherited the Shura Environment. So in the end, he did acquire the Shura Environment. He managed to realize why he inherited it only after he actually got it. The Shura Environment waspletely different from any other martial art techniques. The user did not have to spend any time practicing and familiarizing himself with the technique. The power of the technique just changed ording to the users talent. Cho Ryu Hyangs head already contained all the techniques and the stances of the Shura Environment. What was surprising to him was that when he thought of the Shura Environment, the verses of the technique instantly rose in his mind, and just by thinking about them, he would be able to cultivate qi. It was this simple? This was no different from having a cheat. The side effect that came with the technique seemed insignificant. But.. What worried him was the fact that the Shura Environment worked a little differentlypared to what his teacher had told him. Normally, the canine of the Ashura, the Shura Essence Crystal that would be embedded into the body, was what the user used to control the Shura Environment. But in Cho Ryu Hyangs case, the Shura Environment was being controlled by his dantian. It was differentpared to how the technique was normally used. Strangely enough, Gongson Chun Gi seemed to have great hopes about this. CPerhaps this will help supress the side effects of the Shura Environment. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up as he thought of his teachers words. He learned the two techniques that were said to be the strongest in the world, the Moon Edge de Technique, and the Shura Environment. Now, he just had to be more experienced in using the two techniques. He looked at the two men in front of him with shining eyes. My Lord, are you feeling alright? Yes, Im fine. Cho Ryu Hyang answered Un Huis question, and turned to No Jin Nyung, who was sitting with a confident expression on his face. Are you ready? Yes, My Lord. No Jin Nyung had been ncing at Un Hui for quite a while. Today, he would fix that bastards rude attitude. Youre just easy prey.. The man didnt actually seem like an easy opponent. But No Jin Nyung didnt think hed lose. That was enough. There were obviously power differences when it came to Harmonious experts. But when it came to Un Hui and No Jin Nyung, that power difference was tiny. Ill punish him. Unlike No Jin Nyung, who was thinking of taking down Un Hui and taking him in as a minion, Un Hui was looking at Cho Ryu Hyang without really thinking anything. Cho Ryu Hyang had set up a time to let Un Hui and No Jin Nyung see who was stronger. I have high expectations for this match. Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses, and gulped. Harmonious experts were humans that exceeded human limits. As a fight between them was quite rare to behold, Cho Ryu Hyang was very excited. This would be something beneficial to watch for Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang set up a seat far away from his subordinates. This was a fight between harmonious experts. If he didnt distance himself enough, he would be swept away. Un Hui and No Jin Nyung began to intensely re at each other once Cho Ryu Hyang settled down. After quite some time, No Jin Nyung rushed at Un Hui. Screen Shot 2016-02-13 at 5.29.39 PM.png * * * Sunwu Cho Rin was looking in front of her with a pout. In front of her was Gongson Chun Gi, who was looking through various documents with a tired face. Im tired. Gongson Chun Gi massaged his shoulders subconsciously. Its only been a day since he passed on the Shura Environment. He was exhausted, but he couldnt rest. There was a lot he had to do, due to the churchs expansion into Sichuan. Why arent you leaving? Are you that free? When Gongson Chun Gi said this, the awkward air between the two got a lot heavier. Sunwu Cho Rin, who had been staying quiet till now, opened her mouth. ..Are you serious about this? You will truly let her get out into the martial world? Yeah, I told you. Thats exactly what Im going to do. Sunwu Cho Rin frowned. This wasnt right. Wasnt this too risky a decision? Sunwu Cho Rin opened her mouth. We wont be free enough to protect the young master. The martial alliance will definitely keep us busy. If someone who cant fightes along with us on the trip, it would hinder us greatly. Gongson Chun Gi finally looked up from the documents he was working on. He put his two hands on the table, sped them, and tucked them under his chin. He opened his mouth. Hey, cutie. Yes, Your Holiness. Cant you see Im busy? What? Are you going to keep annoying me with the decision I made already? B, but. Eh? Seeing how youre talking back to me, you must be prepared to stake your life on this matter, right? Or do I just seem like that easy of a target? It was a yful voice. But Sunwu Cho Rin could not bring herself to smile. Instead, she felt like she was struck by a bucket of cold water. Who was the person in front of her? It was the Pope himself. No matter howid back he was, he was still a man who held absolute power in the church. He wasnt a person she could go on arguing with. When she realized this, Sunwu Cho Rin immediately bowed down. She felt cold sweat run down her back. Even if the Pope was usually very friendly and yful, one must never forget about his actual status. He was like the sun in the sky, the living god of the Heavenly Demon Church. I was foolish. Please forgive me. Tch. Gongson Chun Gi clicked his tongue, and leaned back on his chair. He was tired. But there were a ton of documents he had to look at. He was already exhausted with such things, and when someone came to argue with a decision he had already made, he would simply get extremely annoyed, and no one would really get anywhere. It was just a waste of time. But Gongson Chun Gi still had to exin his decision carefully to the dissatisfied subordinate. Should I just give up on the Sichuan operation? After thinking over this matter carefully for a bit, Gongson Chun Gi smirked, and opened his mouth. Hey, cutie. Yes, Your Holiness. I know how much you treasure my daughter. And Im very thankful for that. Because of this, Ill just ignore your rude attitude from before. .Thank you. And about the thing youre worried about, its actually something you dont really have to worry about at all. Sometimes, one had to take his time to exin things to his subordinate. Gongson Chun Gi knew that well. Sunwu Cho Rin made aplicated face. She wasnt sure of what Gongson Chun Gi meant. Im nning on sticking the strongest bodyguard next to her. Ah. Did the Pope have any spare soldiers avable? It shouldve been obvious. Was he nning to move his own bodyguards? Or did he have a different n? Gongson Chun Gi was someone who treasured his daughter more than his own body. There was no way that hed send his daughter on such a dangerous mission without even thinking about it. It wouldve been better if he told me that in advance, though. When Sunwu Cho Rin made a regretsul expression, Gongson Chun Gi red at Sunwu Cho Rin for a bit, then opened his mouth with azy expression. Youre misunderstanding something here, arent you? What? Im not nning on expending someone else as her bodyguard. The number of people going into this mission isnt going to change. What? Then who was going to be Gongson Ahris bodyguard? Gongson Chun Gi answered this question immediately. Cho Ryu Hyang. Im nning on putting him next to Ahri. Shed be safe that way. .! This mission will continue for at least a few years. After all, it wont be easy to set a solid foundation in Sichuan. During that time, my daughter and Cho Ryu Hyang would naturally have a lot of encounters together, and will get close to each other. This would be good for both me and Ahri in the long term. This was what Gongson Chun Gi wanted. But this was far from what Sunwu Cho Rin wanted. She couldnt give Ahri to anyone. That was how she felt. Right then, Gongson Chun Gi calmly opened his mouth. I know how you think of Ahri. And Im thankful for that. No matter who the subject is, love is something one should be thankful for, after all. .! Sunwu Cho Rins face grew pale. She didnt hold just simple affection for Gongson Ahri. Did the Pope notice that? Didnt she hide her feelings quite well? She needed toe up with an excuse. She needed to tell Gongson Chun Gi that this was just a misunderstanding. Before she even managed to say anything, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Just watch her from the sidelines like you always have. This is what you must do. .. TikC Sunwu Cho Rin felt something snap in her chest. While she was standing dumbly on the spot, Gongson Chun Gi spoke again. You should know as well, that this would be the best thing we could do for Ahri. After all, youre someone I chose personally. He was giving her a chance. A chance to pick everything back up. After trembling for a little bit, Sunwu Cho Rin became calm again. She had stopped trembling quickly, but there was something quite heavy weighing in her mind. But she still had to answer the Popes question. There was only one thing she could say here. I will take your advice and treasure it. Thank you for your generosity. Gongson Chun Gi made a defeated face after looking at Sunwu Cho Rin for a bit. Cutie. Yes, Your Holiness. Dont be too disappointed with my words. This was something I had to do some day anyway, and its a request from me as a father, not the Pope. Yes. She knew. After all, Sunwu Cho Rin knew what type of a person Gongson Chun Gi was. She smiled faintly because of that. After looking at her sad smile for a bit, Gongson Chun Gi turned his attention back to his documents. This wasnt a very enjoyable experience for him either. Get going. You should be busy, too, right? Understood. After saying farewell to the Pope and getting out, Sunwu Cho Rin lost her bnce and leaned against a wall. She calmed herself after a bit, and bit her lips. Nothing changes. Right. Nothing changes. Sunwu Cho Rin still liked Gongson Ahri. It wasnt like she wanted to get anything out of that. It was just that having her feelings discovered by someone made her feel confused. Right, thats it. She would keep observing Gongson Ahri quietly from the sidelines, and be with her at all times. That would be enough. She had always thought that this would be the way everything would y out. But when she was faced with the fact that there would be someone else other than her standing next to Gongson Ahri in the future, she became pained. Cho Ryu Hyang. That strange child. He was someone who exceeded her expectations right in their first meeting. But that child was the Heir. He was qualified to be next to Gongson Ahri. He was the second most powerful being next to the Pope in the church. Sunwu Cho Rin bit her fingernail with a cold gaze. I want him to disappear. She was prepared to see someone else other than her with Gongson Ahri, but she didnt want it to happen now. After thinking a bit, Sunwu Cho Rins eyes sparkled. They wanted a chance, didnt they? The thing the four families wanted was a chance. A single chance. They wanted a chance to assassinate the Heir. Sunwu Cho Rin was originally uninterested in this matter, but not now. Cho Ryu Hyang had gained a new enemy without knowing it himself. Chapter 79. The Result of Carelessness Chapter 79. The Result of Carelessness Hoh? This seems interesting. Cho Ryu Hyang turned his head when he heard a familiar voice behind him. He could see a smiling Gongson Chun Gi when he did so. Cho Ryu Hyang saw his teachers smile, and spoke calmly. Youre here? Yeah. I had some time, so I decided toe over. Ugh, seriously, my subordinates work me to death, I swear. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled a little, and thought to himself. As expected he didnt notice. When oneprehends the Moon Edge de Technique, the users senses be heightened. Cho Ryu Hyang could feel everything around him just by closing his eyes. But in front of teacher, his powers could be said to be nothing. A person who surpassed everything. The one person who everyone in the church admired. This was Gongson Chun Gi, the strongest man in the world, Cho Ryu Hyangs teacher. So, who do you think will win? When his teacher, who decided to take afortable seat right next to Cho Ryu Hyang, asked a question, Cho Ryu Hyang made a serious face. To Cho Ryu Hyang, who didnt know much about martial arts so far, the martial prowess of the two seemed to be the same. But. Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit, then turned to Un Hui. The Faultless View of The World. He could see that Un Hui was clearly stronger than No Jin Nyung with that. Gongson Chun Gi nodded when he followed Cho Ryu Hyangs gaze. Did you see that with your Godly Eyes? Yes. You saw well. That things pretty useful, isnt it? Gongson Chun Gi took out a fruit from his clothing, and handed it to Cho Ryu Hyang. But then again, Un Hui wouldnt be able to win that easily. CrunchC When Cho Ryu Hyang took a bite out of the fruit in his hand and nodded, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. With such a small power difference, the one who uses more petty tricks would be the one to lose. They should both know about that. Thatd mean that both of them would have to go all out. No Jin Nyung is more suited for doing that. Screen Shot 2016-02-17 at 10.48.48 PM.png The moment after Gongson Chun Gi finished talking, No Jin Nyung made his move. It was an explosive movement. After closing in instantly, No Jin Nyung stepped on the ground with great force, then kicked upwards. Ora! KwangC! The foot that was on the ground, the bncing foot. The strength contained in that foot alone was so great, the ground cracked and broke to pieces in an instant. It was a simple movement that did not contain any profound techniques, or tricks hidden inside. But because of that fact, the strike contained the nonsensical power that No Jin Nyung had in his body. Un Hui observed No Jin Nyungs attack quietly, then dodged the strike with minimal movement and closed in on No Jin Nyung. He had dodged No Jin Nyungs attack with a hairs breadth. It was something that couldnt be done if one did not have confidence of winning. When No Jin Nyung saw Un Huis move, he smiled in glee. I win! No Jin Nyung specialized in closebat. In other words, he was most skilled in unarmedbat. Because he had no weapons, the skills he could show when he gets closer to his opponent would be moreplex and versatile. Like now. Eat this. He didnt know why Un Hui was trying to get close to him, to be honest. No, he wasnt even interested in what Un Hui was thinking. He would never lose in closebat. Knowing that much was enough, wasnt it? No Jin Nyung did not try to take back his kick. Instead, he used that foot as an axis, and made arge turn mid-air. Midair spin kick. It was the Spinning Wind Kick (L). When Cho Ryu Hyang saw this, a small gleam of amazement appeared in his eyes. Its natural. The first attack had failed. But the moves that followed the first attack didnt have any awkward movements in it. It was almost as if No Jin Nyung had expected the first move to fail. Right then, Gongson Chun Gi, who was watching the battle with Cho Ryu Hyang, clicked his tongue. Hes an impatient one. Who was he referring to? Before Cho Ryu Hyang could even think more, Un Hui made his move. I saw that guys movements in the past. Un Hui looked at No Jin Nyung with calm eyes, then moved his body like a tree branch swaying in the face of a strong wind. Vuun! The sound of the wind in his ear was quite fierce. But Un Hui had already gotten out of the range of No Jin Nyungs attack with just this movement. Just once. He had seen No Jin Nyungs kick once, when Cho Ryu Hyang fought No Jin Nyung. That was enough. From just that one kick he saw in the past, Un Hui was able to analyze the fighting style, and read No Jin Nyungs movements. Un Hui. He was a genius of martial arts, as well as an expert of the harmonious stage. A small glint of light appeared from Un Huis sleeve, and a dagger slid out. It was Un Huis most favored weapon. The Small Crimson Sword (tС). Paa! A small red light appeared from the dagger that streaked through the air. No Jin Nyung frowned, and jumped back. You. No Jin Nyung ground his teeth, as he limped. His entire foot was a bloody mess. Un Hui had cut apart just the skin, avoiding all the muscles on No Jin Nyungs leg. Un Hui decided not to attack. Instead, he began to talk. I couldve taken your entire foot. Un Hui was suggesting that they stop there. There was no point in fighting any more than this. No Jin Nyung ground his teeth. He couldnt refute Un Huis words. But wasnt it too unfair to just end a battle like this? I became careless. He didnt think about what weapon un Hui used. He shouldve assumed that Un Hui used daggers when the man closed in on him. But even so, he actually managed to pierce the Heavenly Demon Technique? The dagger seemed to be quite precious. His leg was trained to the point of being able to crush steel with just pure strength. The dagger was able to cut through No Jin Nyungs leg like tofu. That dagger was definitely not normal. No Jin Nyung bit his teeth. If you can take this one strike, Ill admit defeat. His pride prevented him from admitting defeat. Un Hui frowned. We have to move out into Sichuan tomorrow. You are aware of this, right? I know, I know! He knew. And this was why both of them held back in the fight. He wasnt going to hold back this time, though. Kugugu! A violent, domineering force exploded out of No Jin Nyungs body. He was going all out. Un Huis face stiffened when he saw this. If No Jin Nyung attacked with this much power, both of them werent going to get out of this battle without a minor injury, regardless of who one. Un Hui took a nce at Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang seemed to be concerned as well. Normally, hed stop the fight immediately. It would be bad if even one of them got heavily injured, after all. But if he stopped No Jin Nyung here, No Jin Nyung would surely have negative feelings about both Un Hui and Cho Ryu Hyang in the future. What should I do? What was the best course of action here? What would bring out the best results? While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking about such things. Gongson Chun Gi ruffled Cho Ryu Hyangs hair, and whispered into his ear. The first thing you always have to do when doing just about anything is to set a standard for yourself when making a decision. The second most important thing would be to rank the priority of your possible choices based on that standard. Third, you need to have the strength to be able to carry out your decision with confidence. If you hesitate, the people who follow you will also hesitate. Always remember that. Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses, and nodded. His teacher was right. He needed to act with more responsibility. In the future, countless lives will be affected by his decisions. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly analyzed what was going on in his head. He made his decision. Stop there. No Jin Nyung frowned. Cho Ryu Hyang had walked between him and Un Hui. He then looked straight at No Jin Nyung, who had a discontent look on his face. No Jin Nyung did not avoid Cho Ryu Hyangs gaze. He was angered. Cho Ryu Hyang looked straight at No Jin Nyungs eyes filled with rage, and spoke calmly. You lost. But. Saying that you got careless wont work here. In a real fight, you wouldve lost your leg. .. Trying to continue battling here would mean that you are trying to use the fact that this isnt a real fight as an excuse to cover up the fact that you lost. No Jin Nyungs eyes trembled. He was careless. Right, he could admit that. Because he was a little rushed, he made a mistake. But the results of the battle couldnt be decided just because of that. He couldnt ept his loss based on such a nonsensically quick battle. epting your loss will definitely aid you in your growth in the future. And youll have many chances topete for higher rankings in the future, anyway. Chances? Right. Youll have a lot of it as long as you stay with me. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at No Jin Nyung, who seemed to get a lot more calmer, and smiled. Ill go through many dangers in the future. Try to prove your worth to me during those times. the ranks between you two will be decided based on that. The ranking right now is only temporary. Temporary. No Jin Nyungs stiffened face began to turn into a happy one. After seeing this, Cho Ryu Hyang turned to Un Hui. You were lucky. Yes. Un Hui didnt try to deny it. He was lucky. That was the best way to describe the current situation. The fact that he saw No Jin Nyungs moves beforehand helped him quite a bit. He knew about No Jin Nyungs technique, and what No Jin Nyung specialized in. Knowing that made a huge difference. Gongson Chun Gi, who was observing the battle between the two, stepped forward. You guys are ying quite nicely. Un Hui and No Jin Nyung bowed down to Gongosn Chun Gi. After acknowledging their greetings lightly, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. I didnt know of it before, but it seems that there are quite a lot of violent children roaming Sichuan. Violent Children? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth with a smile. Its the Nanman Beast Gate, and the North Sea Ice Pce. These were names that Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know about. No Jin Nyung seemed to not know much about as well, and turned to Un Hui with a curious face. Un Hui had a very concerned look on his face when No Jin Nyung turned. ..Could it be that the foreign powers made their move? Right. It looks like those guys are quite interested in our work. Its pretty annoying. It wasnt just annoying. Un Hui, who knew just how much strength the foreign powers possessed, became extremely worried. Go prepare yourself. Unlike the martial alliance, these guys are actually dangerous, so youll have to be careful. Understood. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Un Huis stiff face, and realized that his opponents might be stronger than he initially thought. But as he didnt know the specifics of the entire situation, he wasnt too concerned about it. Right then, Gongson Chun Gi pat Cho Ryu Hyangs hair, and spoke. Two months. Defend yourself for two months once you arrive in Sichuan. Can you do it? Cho Ryu hyang smiled. His head already felt like bursting because of the Martial Alliance and the enemies within the church. He had to consider the foreign powers as well, now? He could only smile when he thought about this. Come to think of it, I became really expensive, didnt I. Right. When he came back to his senses, his body had be extremely expensive. How much was he worth right now? Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at his body when he thought this, and readjusted his sses. Like always, his teacher expected quite a lot from him. Ill have to do it, even if I cant. It was a response that had a bit of tiredness mixed into it. But it also contained hints of confidence it in. Gongson Chun Gi grinned when he heard this. Dont die. Thats how you win. Ill live on, no matter what happens. Keke, thats the attitude. Gognson Chun Giughed as he pinched Cho Ryu Hyangs cheeks lightly. The maind you lived in in the past, and the maind you will move into now will bepletely different. Keep staying focused. As long as you do that, you wont have many problems. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know what exactly would be different, but nodded anyway. I can promise you one thing, though. What is it? Itll be really interesting. Sichuan, that is. Hehehe. Gongson Chun Gi let out a toothy grin as he spoke. Cho Ryu Hyang became nervous when he saw this. Things always became really tiresome when teacher smiled like this. I must be imagining things.. Cho Ryu Hyang really hoped that he was only imagining things. Chapter 80. Expansion into Mainland Chapter 80. Expansion into Maind Sichuan Castle (Ĵʡ). As the name implied, this was an area where four rivers flowed. Because of this reason, the area got the name Sichuan, and this was where the kingdom of Shu, created by the famous Liu Bei, started. Many kingdoms havee and gone after the Shu kingdom, and the times had changed. In the flow of time, even the city of Sichuan, which was affiliated with the martial world, was about to change. For the Alliance, And the Heavenly Demon Church, the city of Sichuan was a very important ce, the ce that would change the future of the church. In order to help transport fifty oxen-carts and thirty horse carriages from the Heavenly Demon Church, the armed escortpany dispatched up to two hundred third-ss guards, one hundred second-ss guards, thirty first-ss guards, and two special-ss guards. We did not bring any carriers, due to the fact that they may get in the way of the mission. The boy who was listening to the report. He had a loose ck uniform on his body. But his clothes actually had a golden dragon imprinted on it, a sign of an emperor. The boy, Cho Ryu Hyang, was inside the giant, overbearing six-horse carriage, reading the report while fiddling with his sses. Escort Jeon. Yes, sir. Jeon Wi (λ). He was one of the only two special-ss escorts in the Gray Heaven Armed Escort Company, and the administrator of the entire mission. From a while back, he had been looking at Cho Ryu Hyang with an astounded face. Amazing. Its already been ten days since they left the church. During this time, Cho Ryu Hyang checked reports daily, found out anything that had changed, and always asked others to fix mistakes whenever he found one. If there was a slight mistake in calctions, he asked his subordinates to fix that as well. This was very troubling for those who worked under him, but since this meant that Cho Ryu Hyang was an expert when it came to things like this, they did notin. This was good. I had heard that the son of the president was quite talented in the past, but. He had known that the phrase a nail in the pocket can only stick out (meaning: talented people are destined to be noticed.) was being used in thepany to describe Cho Ryu Hyang. But he had only thought that Cho Ryu Hyang was only a bit talented. To think he would have be the heir of the church. Wasnt this a quite a big event? This was why Jeon Wis face was full of admiration and amazement. Our people dont really need escorts anyway. It would be better to bring all the escorts to the front as scouts instead. Understood. Jeon Wi was looking at Cho Ryu Hyang, who was giving him various orders, proudly. As you might already know, the people from the church arent weak. So please direct all your attention into protecting the goods, not the people, in case we get attacked. Understood. Jeon Wi nodded. He knew. Although this was only a advance party, the power of it was truly terrifying. One of the ten divisions within the Heavenly Demon Church.. The Ruling Fire House. One of the ten great military divisions of the church was making its move. The fact that one of the ten divisions were moving was surprising already, but the fact that made Jeon Wi even more surprised was the fact that the martial artists of the Ruling Fire House were all women. But Jeon Wi was unable to look down on these women. Sunwu Cho Rin, was it? She was a woman of unparalleled beauty. But when Jeon Wi looked at her in the eye, he was assaulted with a feeling that resembled that of a predator looking at its prey. She was definitely a peak expert. Her beauty didnt evene into his eyes. Even if they were both peak experts, the power difference between them was quiterge. The difference between a fifty year old man like him, and a twenty year old girl, was much toorge. As expected of the Heavenly Demon Church. Sunwu Cho Rin was an expert who was nearing the Harmonious stage. And the female experts of the Ruling Fire House were all at least second-rate warriors, if not first-rate. There were a few in the peak stage as well. Jeon Wi kept ncing at Sunwu Cho Rin as he talked with Cho Ryu Hyang. Beauty and power. Shecked none. And his first impression of her was imprinted very strongly in his mind. CLook down, bitch. This truly gave Jeon Wi a strong first impression of this woman. After this event, Jeon Wi did not even dare get close to the people from the church. Cho Ryu Hyang read the report from Jeon Wi, stamped it, and looked out the window. It was almost winder. The cold wind outside was already seeping into the carriage. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly closed the doors, and spoke. Lets go. Understood. When the door closed, the carriage began to move. Soon, it began to run through the mountain path with extreme speed. They had to move like this for ten more days in order to reach Sichuan. Cho Ryu Hyang looked outside the window at the rough mountain path for a bit, and realized that he might not be able to go back anymore. He could only smile bitterly. Just a while ago, he was studying math at an academy. He never could imagine that hed lead a life like this. But within a period of a single year, too much had changed in his life. When will they attack? He trusted Un Hui, who was on top of the carriage, and No Jin Nyung, who was driving the carriage. They were both Harmonious experts. Weaklings wouldnt even be able to dream of attacking them. But the problem didnty in these weaklings. The real problemy with those who lied and mingled amongst them. How long could Cho Ryu Hyangst against them? They would definitely attack Cho Ryu Hyang with strange tactics. Im thinking too much. Cho Ryu Hyang realized he was thinking too negatively, and shook his head. He wont die. There were too many things he didnt aplish yet. He couldnt die just yet. There were too many things he did not even manage to do yet. He couldnt die. Cho Ryu Hyang clenched his fists. It didnt matter what happened to him. Moving into the maind just meant that he was getting closer to him. Yu Sul Bin.. The Wudang Sect. He had never forgotten about the man from that sect. In the past, he could only suffer from that mans hands due to hisck of power, but not this time. He would take care of the anger in his heart with his own strength. While he was thinking of such things. Knock knockC Somebody knocked the door of the moving carriage. Cho Ryu Hyang had known that someone was approaching from the beginning. Due to the area that was created thanks to the Moon Edge de Technique, he was able to notice people who were approaching him from a certain distance. Who is it? The youngdy wishes toe in. He must be talking about Gongson Ahri. After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. Does she have a request? Looks like it. After thinking some more, Cho Ryu Hyang sighed and opened his mouth. Alright. Tell her toe in. Ill bring her in. Cho Ryu Hyang fell in deep thought as Sunwu Cho Rin walked away. He remembered what his teacher told him when he realized that Gongosn Ahri would follow him in this dangerous trip. CDo you like an idiotic woman, or a smart one? Cho Ryu Hyang was confused. Why would his teacher suddenly talk about a woman at a time like this? Also, wasnt he too young to even think about such things? When he made a confused face for a moment, his teacher grinned and spoke some more. CSo youre just into pretty girls? When Cho Ryu Hyang made aplicated face, due to the fact that he did not even know what was going on, Gongson Chun Gi tapped the armrests on his chair and spoke. CTheres a girl as white as paper. Well, youll see that she has quite a lot of perks about her as you spend more time with her, but for now, the biggest perk she has is the fact that she is a clean sheet of paper. Would you like to try drawing on that piece of paper? Cho Ryu Hyang didnt know what his teacher was talking about at first. He only managed to realize what his teacher meant when he heard Gongson Ahri would be apanying him on the trip. When he realized this, he blushed without realizing it. And he began thinking to himself, Teacher, arent you being too blunt? Right. His teacher was being too blunt. That made him ufortable. This actually made him turn away from Gongson Ahri more than usual. He had avoided her for ten days by making up random excuses. Gognson Ahri probably noticed that something was going on by now. I dont have time for her. No, this wasnt just for Gongson Ahri. This applied to everyone. Plus, he was too young to think about such things. While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking about such things. Somebody knocked on the doors. Knock knockC When Cho Ryu Hyang opened the doors of the carriage, the cold wind of winter struck the interior of the carriage like a storm. WhooC The sound of Cho Ryu Hyangs surroundings suddenly got much louder when he instinctively scrunched up his eyes. ck, ckC Thump, thumpC The sound of the horses running, and the carriages shaking rang clearly in his ears. Right then, he could see Gongson Ahri, who was smiling brightly while sitting on Sunwu Cho Rins horse, came into his eyes. Screen Shot 2016-02-21 at 10.53.13 PM.png ThumpC His eyes then moved onto the golden hair that shone in the bright sunlight. This is. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at Gongson Ahri with a dumb face for a moment. What was in front of him just seemed too unreal at the moment. Right then, Gongson Ahris mouth opened up to reveal her white teeth, and a clear voice flowed out from it. The view from a horse is much better than looking outside from the carriage! .. How should he respond? Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit, and leaned forward outside the carriage a little bit. Then, the strong windshed out at Cho Ryu Hyangs body full force. DudududuC Cho Ryu Hyang frowned as he felt the carriage shake beneath his feet. He felt strange when he looked at Gongson Ahri. I thought she was an angel. The thought rose up in his head all of the sudden. Cho Ryu Hyang became surprised by his own thought, and looked at Gongson Ahri strangely. * * * He should be really confused by now. What? No, I just thought of my disciple for a second. Dont worry about me. Jeon Bak and Sunwu Jo Duk became confused. They didnt understand why the Pope was grinning all of the sudden. But since the Pope did things like this all the time, they quietly went back to checking documents. They still had plenty of work to do. Gongson Chun Gi just kept smiling evilly, as if he found something funny. My dear disciple, at times like this, you lose as soon as you be aware of her. Would he have noticed by now? He didnt tell Gongson Ahri anything. But he had purposefully thrown several things to Cho Ryu Hyang to make the boy nervous. He was wondering what his smart disciple would think about his words, and once the boy realized what he meant, the boy would keep thinking about it without realizing it. And making his disciple just think about such things would be enough for Gongson Chun Gi. Now what kind of a picture are you nning on drawing, my disciple? Gongson Chun Gi worked whileughing to himself for the rest of the day. Chapter 81. The Worries of the Alliance Chapter 81. The Worries of the Alliance Just what is the Beggars Sect nning on doing about this matter? Hah? I came here to ask you that question. What the heck am I supposed to do if you ask me the same question? The master of the Sichuan division of the Beggars Sect. In other words, the one who administrated everything that happened in Sichuan, Wi Gul Gae, looked at the four people in front of him with an annoyed face. The four experts who were looking at each other with troubled faces. They were the leaders of the major powers in the Sichuan area. Diancang Sect, Emei Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and the Sichuan Tang n. (TL: I do realize that Qingcheng sounds a lot like Chingchong. But lets just ignore that for now.) They were the masters of those powers. But their faces, that were usually filled with pride and confidence, were currently filled with worries and troubles. Did the Tai God Beggar not say anything? What use is there in trying to find an old man? The Tai God Beggar gave up getting involved in any matters rted to the alliance after we gotpletely crushed in the war. Theres no use in trying to find him. When Wi Gul Gae said this with a bored face, the master of the Qingchang Sect, and the one known as the Ten Thousand Qing Wind Sword, Qing Song Ja, stroked his white beard, and spoke with an annoyed face. You should know how strong the Heavenly Demon Sect is! Please, help us. The beggars sect should help out in matters like this, should they not? The Heavenly Demon Church made its move into Sichuan. Unlike in the past, they were telling the entire world about this matter, as if they were going to parade into Sichuan. There was no way to stop them, however. That made the sects located in Sichian very afraid. Wi Gul Gae looked at Qing Song Jas face calmly, then sighed. Ill be honest, since youre being so desperate. Even if us beggars get into the fight, just what would change? Were weak, and wein a lot.. We just have numbers. Thats why were going to make a run for it when we can. . The four experts lost their words when they heard this. The Alliance valued justice and camaraderie. Saying something like this was almost heretical. Wi Gul Gae smiled after looking at the ridiculous faces of the experts, then sat down on his chair. If youre trying to get the Beggars Sect to make its move, its better to give up. We have no power to help you. No, even if we did, we wouldnt help. Theyre scared. The beggars in the sect are just observing whats going on fearfully. .Youre still very honest, I see. The master of the Emei Sect. When Godly Monk Gyu Min smoke this with a disappointed voice, Wi Gul Gae shrugged, and opened his mouth. Do you mind if I keep on being honest? Please do so. When the master of the Sichuan Tang n, Tang Mun Hyup said this, Wi Gul Gae began talking. Dont look lightly at the fact that the Heavenly Demon Church is making its move. You may have expected this as well, but this is a serious move made by that demon, Gongson Chun Gi. Do you mind if I give you a serious advice to you right now? .What is it? Wi Gul Gae took a sip from a bottle strapped to his hip, while Tang Mun Hyup looked at him a little ufortably. The best thing we can do at this point is to get as far away as we can from this damn ce/ .Amitabha. Just at the point when everyone grew fearful. The master of the Diancang Sect, the one known to be the Worrying Light Sword, Man Suk Ja, sighed and spoke. Amitayus. Its not like this would be solved if we run, correct? Isnt it better to help? (o۷) Wi Gul Gae stopped drinking alcohol from the bottle in his hand, and wiped his mouth. Half a year. One if itste. After that point, something will definitely change. Half to one year. When everyone made a dark face. If we hold on till then, the world will change. Can we believe that? Thats your choice, not mine. Everyone made a serious face when they heard this. Tang Mun Hyup, who was thinking quietly for a bit, opened his mouth. Is this the conclusion you made yourself? Wi Gul Gae paused, and looked at the man who spoke. He faintly smiled. As expected of Tang Mun Hyup. The master of the Sichuan Tang n was staring at him with a serious face. Wi Gul Gae did not avoid the mans gaze as he responded. This is the conclusion that the Beggars Sect. No, the Alliance reached. Everyones worried faces lightened a little when they heard this. Like this, the response to the movement of the Heavenly Demon Church has been decided. * * * Sunwu Cho Rin had been looking at the carriage with aplicated face for a while. Shw was looking at the carriage where Cho Ryu Hyang and Gongson Ahri was. Damn child. Sunwu Cho Rin thought of Cho Ryu Hyang in her mind, and sighed. The look Cho Ryu Hyang gave Gongson Ahri a moment ago. Sunwu Cho Rin knew that face of Cho Ryu Hyangs very well. To think Id witness someone fall in love. The boys face was simr to those that men gave her, but somewhat different. It was a little warmer? Softer? That was the impression she got from Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes. You must be kidding me. Even so, she couldnt hand over Gongson Ahri. How much did she treasure the girl till now? But she was still a little bit worried for some reason. Sunwu Cho Rin had been looking at the carriage intently from a while back. She was doing her best to pick up any sounds from the carriage. Damn it, whyd they build the carriage so well?! The carriage was built strongly, as it was made for the heir himself. Thanks to that, the carriage blocked sound very well, which prevented Sunwu Cho Rin from hearing anything. This made her annoyed. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang breathed deeply as he sat down facing Gongson Ahri. I made a mistake. Did he show his emotions by any chance? He didnt want to admit it, but he probably did. After all, he clearly felt his heart shake for a moment. Cho Ryu Hyang was very disappointed with himself. His heart was shaken simply because of a persons external appearance. While Cho Ryu Hyang was being disappointed with himself, Gongson Ahri looked in the carriage, and opened her mouth. So this was what father told me that he was making. Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses, and nodded. I believe teacher did indeed put some effort into making this. What Gongson Chun Gi talked proudly about before the trip was this carriage. It wasnt even possible to pierce the external parts of the carriage with a normal experts arrow, or qi. Since it was built using the famous Hardened ck Trees from Nanman, it would be able to withstand blows from even a first-rate expert. I have something that father requested me to give you before we arrive. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes brightened. Something from Gongson Chun Gi? Whyd his teacher give it to Gongson Ahri, not him? He felt that this was a part of Gongson Chun Gis prank, but he decided to not think about that for now. Cho Ryu Hyang stuck his hand out to Gongson Chun Gi. Id like to have a look at it. Right, please give me a moment. Gongson Ahri took out a small box from her clothes. When she took it out, Cho Ryu Hyang immediately felt annoyed. What is it? He felt a sense of rejection just by looking at the box. Since he never felt something like this before, Cho Ryu Hyang made a troubled face. Right then, Gongson Ahri handed the box to Cho Ryu Hyang. Open it. Whats inside? I dont know. But father told me to have you open it yourself. That was what his teacher said? There was no need to reject it, then. Cho Ryu Hyang licked his lips. They were getting dry for some reason. He took off the lock on the box, and opened it. SquirmC Cho Ryu Hyang could feel something move in his stomach, right when he confirmed what was inside the box. At the same time, Cho Ryu Hyang stepped backwards rapidly. Eh? Why? He didnt know why. It was a bracelet. There were just two ck bracelets in the box, but he felt rejection towards it for some reason. He began to sweat profusely. Whats going on? Is there anything wrong? . Screen Shot 2016-02-28 at 9.00.19 PM Cho Ryu Hyang did not respond, but instead red at the box from the corner of the carriage. To be more specific, he was looking at the ck bracelets. What are those? And the things that are moving inside my body. If Cho Ryu Hyangs memory served correctly, this was the power of the Shura Environment. Right now, that power was desperately trying to escape his body. While Cho Ryu Hyang was being quite confused, Gongson Ahri pped her hands, as if she just remembered something. Ah! Father told me to give you this after showing you this. She shouldve given it to him earlier. While Cho Ryu Hyangined inside, Gongson Ahri took out a small scroll from her clothes. Cho Ryu Hyang snatched it from her hands, and began reading. [What do you think? Seeing those makes them go berserk, doesnt it? Feels exciting, doesnt it?] Cho Ryu Hyang read the passage in Gongson Chun Gis yful voice, and smiled bitterly. He could feel them going berserk inside him, like his teacher said. It made his entire body tremble, in fact. The power of the Shura Environment was going berserk inside him. It hasnt even been that long since he learnt the technique, but the energy of the technique already grew from a size of a small grain of rice, to that of a big apple. To think this power could affect the body controlled by the Moon Edge de Technique to this degree. As expected of the Shura Environment. Indeed, this was an amazing amount of power. He could understand why previous Popes of the church risked so much in trying to learn it. But. I wont let you do what you want. Power was useless in the hands of someone who couldnt control it. That was what Cho Ryu Hyang believed. And that made him want to control this power inside him. Cho Ryu Hyang red at the power of the Shura Environment struggling to get out of the sphere in his dantian. He was looking inside his own body. Then, the Moon Edge de Technique began to move. WuuC The power of the Moon Edge de Technique came in contact with the power of the Shura Environment. If the Shura Environment was akin to a sticky mess of bloody power, the Moon Edge Blood Technique was more clear, invisible, and clean energy. When the two energies came in contact, the insides of Cho Ryu Hyangs body began to tremble violently. The turbulence in his body immediately spread outside. TududukC Cho Ryu Hyangs arms suddenly bulged outwards, with the veins inside popping up, then contracted immediately. His shoulders expanded massively as well, then returned to its original size. This effect was repeated on different parts of his body. CrackC With a sound of bones cracking, Cho Ryu Hyangs body constantly shook. Eh? Ehh? Gongson Ahri became confused when she saw this. She didnt know what to do. Just when she was about to ask for help outside, A giant torrent of energy swept out from Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Kyaa! The force of this energy was enough to push Gongson Ahri to the other side of the carriage. At the same time, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes. He whispered softly to himself. .Bastard. His whole body was covered in sweat, but he still made a satisfactory smile. He managed to contain the power of the Shura Environment. Then, his eyes met with Gongson Ahris, who was quietly looking at him from the corner. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched the back of his head, and spoke. I apologize. I didnt get a chance to help you. Are you hurt anywhere? I, Im fine. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled, and kept reading the letter Gongson Ahri gave him. [Its a little early, but there is a need to put that thing back in its ce. Those guys will definitely go crazy, as they do not wish to be sealed, when they see the bracelets. Ignore them, and wear the bracelet.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He finally understood why the energy inside him was berserking like so. The pair of bracelets in front of him seemed to be made to suppress the power of the Shura Environment. [Since this is something I created myself recently, you dont have to do anythingplicated. Just wear it to suppress that thing before it restores its power. Youll be morefortable that way. Well, at any case, this is just a temporary solution to your problems, but you should be safe for now.] Cho Ryu Hyang faintly smiled. He realized why his teacher gave this to him. But he did not need them. At least, for now. Cho Ryu Hyang had used his own power to crush the power of the Shura Environment back into the sphere in his dantian. He did not know how stronger hed get in the future, but he shouldnt have many problems, for now. Cho Ryu Hyang extended his hands to the bracelets in front of him. When he touched them, he could feel a shock run down his spine, but he ignored it. ck- ckC Cho Ryu Hyang yed around with the bracelets for a few seconds, then stuffed them into his pocket. Ill take care of these for now. Right. Gongson Ahri looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a curious face. ording to her father, Cho Ryu Hyang shouldve put on the bracelet. He shouldve then fainted inside the carriage. Gongson Ahri quietly thought to herself while fondling the bottle of medicine in her clothes. Its the first time. There has never been a case where her fathers words were incorrect. Even the tiniest details matched what Gongson chun Gi had said. Even the tiniest details. But now, for the first time, Gongson Chun Gis words did note to life. For the entire day, Gongson Ahri watched Cho Ryu Hyang as if she was observing a peculiar animal, with the bottle of medicine in her hand. Chapter 82. No Jin Nyung’s Role Chapter 82. No Jin Nyungs Role The harmonious expert that the Shaolin Temple proudly disyed to the world. The Buddhist king, Godly Monk Kongye. He, who was temporarily acting as the leader of the Alliance, was currently sitting with Gu Hui, the next heir of the Nanman Beast Gate. Amitabha. Godly Monk Kongye put the steaming teacup to his mouth as he chanted buddhist prayers to himself. Then, Gu Hui, who was seated on the other side, opened his mouth coldly. I gave you one month. Then waited for ten more days. Do we still need to wait more? Godly Monk Kongye shook his head. We have made our decision. This is why I am here with you today. Gu Huis sharp, annoyed face disappeared when these words were spoken. This face was soon reced by one that was filled with anticipation. Thats good. So you have made your decision? Amitabha. Godly Monk Kongye was hesitant on saying the answer. Honestly speaking, he was against the decision that the Alliance made. Right then, Gu Hui spoke. As you know, the Heavenly Demon Church is moving towards Sichuan. If we are slow to ally with each other, you would be the one to suffer. The Godly monk faintly smiled when he heard this. It is true that we must treat the church with care. But it is also true that the Nanman Beast Gate isnt able to act freely due to the church, is it not? ..What do you mean? Did you not already have a talk of how youll take over the maind with the North Sea Ice Pce? Gu Hui smiled. But inside, he was extremely nervous. Just how? How did they know of this? The Godly Monk had somehow gotten hold of the information that the Nanman Beast Gate was working with the North Sea Ice Pce. (TL: I barely remember any of this.) Many thoughts crossed Gu Huis mind in a short span of time. But soon, Gu Hui opened his eyes with a smirk. Howughable. Since when did the godly monk of the Shaolin temple turn into a snake like this? This time, the Godly Monk was the one to smile awkwardly. The young one in front of him wasnt an easy opponent, as he thought. This child wasnt just good at fighting. The child was also frighteningly strong. He had realized that the Godly Monk tried to provoke him in an instant. Hes not easy. The fact that the North Sea Ice Pce, and the Nanman Beast Gate were working together to form an alliance with the ck Moon Guild and the Alliance was not a secret. If one were to think about the Alliances current situation, allying with them was the most sound decision they could make. The Heavenly Demon church was that powerful. The higher-ups in the Alliance naturally talked about allying with them, but then Sanguan Zhongda, the strategist, stopped them. He gave everyone a single question. Why did they ask for an alliance? Why would they, who was not involved in all this in any way, try to fight the Heavenly Demon Church? Even by suffering from immense losses? Everyone in the Alliance became speechless when they heard this. Nanman Beast Gate, and the North Sea Ice Pce. They were not idiots. There was no way they would step out to help the Alliance for nothing. Then why? Why would they fight the church? Sanguan Zhongda answered this for them. He took out a map of the maind, and exined everything for them. Theyre probably trying to take this area for themselves. After all, they need this piece ofnd to expand into the maind. Only then did everyone nod their heads. Both the Nanman Beast Gate, and the North Sea Ice Pce were trying to expand into the maind. Their interests aligned, and they decided to work together. It would not be wise to bring in a bloodthirsty fox and a bloodthirsty wolf to chase out a tiger. The Godly Monk came here in order to find out just what the Nanman Beast Gate was trying to do. After all, the Alliance would only be able to prepare if they knew what was going on. But their opponent was not easy to take on. He had seen through all of the Godly Monks ns, and responded properly. Does it even matter, if you think about it? What do you mean? Gu Hui looked straight at the Godly Monk, and opened his mouth slowly. It is not possible to block the Heavenly Demon Church without working with us. It is hard to admit, but the church is the strongest force in the world, after all. The Godly Monk nodded. The strongest expert, Gongson Chun Gi,bined with the strongest power that currently existed in the world. It was not possible to take it on. Right then, Gu Hui continued talking. But if we work together, the whole story changes. What we n to do in the future does not matter for now. What matters is the fact that the Heavenly Demon Church is trying to expand. Im sure even your strategist reached the same conclusion as I. Amitabha. Right. No matter how fierce and bloodthirsty a wolf and a fox was, they could never measure up to a tiger. It would be better to get rid of the tiger first, then think about getting rid of the fox and the wolf. That was the conclusion Sanguan Zhongda had reached, and surprisingly enough, Gu Hui saw through it. The Godly Monk took on a serious face. The one in front of him was even smarter than he thought. He was young, as well. That made the Godly Monk afraid. Just how much would this person grow? It was not a stretch to think that this person might grow to be the second Gongson Chun Gi. Perhaps we are bringing in a tiger cub into our midst, and not a wolf. But there was nothing he could do about this. The tiger stretched out its ws into Sichuan, threatening the Alliance. We will work with you. It was dangerous, but there was no choice. When the Godly Monk said this with a grim face, Gu Hui nodded. Good choice. Only then could Gu Hui smile. So the tasks that the North Sea Ice Pce was given is nowplete. Allying with the Alliance was originally something the North Sea Ice Pce was supposed to do. But then Juk Hyul Myung, the heir of the North Sea Ice Pce, foolishly injured himself in a fight. Due to this, the Nanman Beast Gate was forced to take on this task by themselves. Gu Hui was not annoyed by this, however. He merely became curious. The one who fought with Juk Hyul Myung.. Shi Yup, was it? The heir of the North Sea Ice Pce was definitely not weak. Gu Hui knew this as soon as they met. Just as strong as me.. He didnt want to admit it, but Juk Hyul Myung was as strong as him. His pride seemed to be big enough to match his martial power as well. The fact that this prideful guy actually asked him for help meant that he had suffered greatly. Of course, this made Gu Hui very curious. Just who? He was unable to believe that someone other than Neng Mu Gi of the ck Moon Guild would be able to put Juk Hyul Myung in such a predicament. Interesting. In any case, things were getting interesting now. It seemed that even the ck Moon Guild had a useful expert. To Gu Hui, who was trying to be the master of the next generation, the current state of the world was very satisfactory to him. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang took a hot bath from a decent house, which was something he had not done for a long time. He smiled as dressed himself with a red face. Un Huis stealth technique was good enough to prevent Cho Ryu Hyang from noticing him without using Godly Vision. But that was not the case for No Jin Nyung. No Jin Nyung was quite easy to discover, even without Godly Vision. It was almost as if he was shouting Im here!. It was even possible to hear his breathing. Well, theres nothing we can do about that for now. As stealth techniques were something that took practice to master, it took a lot of time for one to actually get good. Normally, experts find a way to deal with such things easier, in order to master techniques faster, but No Jin Nyung couldnt do that. After all, No Jin Nyung only valued simple, straightforward things. This caused him to have trouble at hiding himself, even with much power. His personality as a hotheaded person got in his way as well. Pleasee out for a bit. No Jin Nyung made a half-surprised, half-guilty face when he heard Cho Ryu Hyang call him out. He pretended to not have heard any of it, but Cho Ryu Hyang kept looking at him. Im not trying to punish you or anything. Come out. No Jin Nyung finally stepped out from behind the wall with a sad face. Even to him, his skill at stealth techniques was just horrid. After all, even normal people who didnt practice martial arts were able to notice him. He could remember the words Un Hui said to him multiple times when learning stealth techniques. CYou are not using your strength efficiently. But no matter how many times Un Hui exined this to No Jin Nyung, No Jin Nyung did not understand. It was too hard. No Jin Nyung walked to Cho Ryu Hyang. In the process of doing this, he kept looking around. Just where is he? Although hiding in itself was not rted to martial arts, detecting hidden people was. The fact that even he, an expert on the same level as Un Hui, showed that Un Hui was that good at hiding himself. While No Jin Nyung didnt acknowledge Un Hui, he had to acknowledge Un Huis stealth skills. The thing he really couldnt understand was Cho Ryu Hyang. He can sense Un Hui? How? It was unbelievable, but it came from the mouth of Un Hui himself. It had to be true in that case. Cho Ryu Hyang, without realizing what No Jin Nyung was thinking, looked over to where Un Hui was for a second, and opened his mouth. Isnt it hard to try and hide yourself? It is, but its fine, hehe. I can hide my shadow now. When No Jin Nyung said this with an awkward smile, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled back. So youre getting better. Yes. Ehehe. No Jin Nyung smiled like an idiot when he got praised. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled as he looked at No Jin Nyung. Strangely enough, it was hard to hate this person. No, he was a person you just naturally liked. Almost too much. TL: Not in a gay way you pervs. Gotta say this before all of you start making BL fanfics and shit. Was it because all of No Jin Nyungs emotions could be seen on his face? After thinking for a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke again with a smile. You can guard me in public now. Haah? Is that fine? Yes. I do need someone to help me out and guard me at the same time in public. Right. No Jin Nyung nodded with a delighted grin. He was being shouted at by Un Hui constantly because he had to learn stealth techniques, but now, there was no need to be shouted at anymore. Even that made him happy, but Cho Ryu Hyang decided to go one step further. And now, you two may sleep in a room other than me. You can guard me at night by taking turns. [Impossible!] Somebody dropped from a ceiling, like a drop of water. It was Un Hui. Screen Shot 2016-03-04 at 9.56.34 AM As soon as he appeared, he looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a stiff face. Please take back the order you just gave us. Isnt it hard for you? Un Hui red at No Jin Nyung viciously for a second, then bowed down. That idiot might not know, but Im fine. I was trained like this, and was taught like this. He was trained to be an assassin in the first ce. Being in the darkness made himfortable. But Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. It makes me ufortable. .. Un Hui became speechless. While he put on a dumb face, Cho Ryu Hyang satfortably on his seat, and spoke. Im really thankful for how much you have protected me during this time. But such intense protection isnt really needed anymore. But. We have to be ready for anything. Un Hui turned serious when he heard Cho Ryu Hyangs tone. He decided to hear Cho Ryu Hyang outpletely. Even if you are a harmonious expert, you wouldnt be able to make use of all your power without sleep. The ce where we are going now wont allow you to survive in such a condition. .. Even if this reason might seem a little hard to ept, you must follow my orders this time. Also, it would be hard for me to have a good rest while knowing that the two of you arent even sleeping. Un Hui became thoughtful. It was true that Cho Ryu Hyang was diforted by Un Hui guarding him 24/7. But that wasnt a proper reason for him to guard Cho Ryu Hyang less. After all, Cho Ryu Hyangs safety outweighed his difort. But It wasnt easy to refuse Cho Ryu Hyangs order. After all, Cho Ryu Hyang was a master he decided to serve for the rest of his life. After some thought, Un Hui bowed. I will follow your orders, untill you be used to us guarding you 24/7. Thank you for being so understanding. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled brightly. He expected No Jin Nyung to agree to his request immediately. But not Un Hui. As Un Hui was quite intelligent, Cho Ryu Hyang expected Un Hui to disagree with him a bit. He was thankful that Un Hui was so understanding. He could see that Un Hui truly cared about him from this. That made Cho Ryu Hyang happy. I want to go on a walk for a bit. When Cho Ryu Hyang shook off the excess water from his head and stood up, No Jin Nyung quickly prepared to go out. Un Hui also prepared himself by hiding his body. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded when he saw this, and spoke quietly. Good. What should he say about this. It felt like everything was in its right ce. He felt such a thing at that moment. What is this? It felt like he would see this scene many times in the future. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled faintly, and walked out to the garden. He stood at its centre, and breathed in. He could see. He could see the Emei Mountain, which was standing quietly below the moonlight. Well be arriving soon. The expeditionary force of the Heavenly Demon Church. Their destination was a region known as Jiulong () of Sichuan. This was an area that belonged to the Emei Sect, but was also close to the Qingcheng Sect, as well as the Sichuan Tang n. There was no choice but to fight those of the Alliance in order to settle in to Sichuan. Im different from before. Cho Ryu Hyang quietly looked down at his hands. In the past, these hands were unable to hold anything other than a brush. Not anymore. He learned martial arts, and created his own formation. He was much stronger than him of the past. Cho Ryu Hyang licked his lips as he thought this. When the fighting begins, there maye a moment where he would have to hurt someone. No, it will definitely happen. I wont try to run away from it. If he tried to run here, he wouldnt be able to meet him. The one who killed his teacher, Jo Gi Chun. Krr (TL: Sound of someone whos grinding his teeth. Cante up with a decent onomatopoiea for this) The Wudang Sect.. and Yu Sul Bin. Cho Ryu Hyang ground his teeth. He would make them definitely pay. At that moment, while CHo Ryu Hyang was thinking such things, something strange came into his eyes. Nn? Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses, and tilted his head in confusion. He blinked several times, to confirm if he wasnt imagining things. Cho Ryu Hyang made a strange face as he looked at the Emei Mountain. What is this? He saw something strange. Something he shouldnt have seen. Was he imagining things? After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. How long do we have to travel until we arrive? Well arrive tomorrow. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth after pondering on Un Huis response for a bit. So Ill have to confirm tomorrow, in that case.. When Cho Ryu Hyang said this, [So you can already see such a thing.. what a monster.] Cho Ryu Hyang widened his eyes when he heard something in his head. He could hear Zhuge Liang, who had been staying quiet for a long time. Chapter 83. Nine Lands Medicinal Flower Chapter 83. Nine Lands Medicinal Flower At Jiulong, Sichuan, the area under the control of the Emei Sect, and the area that could be said to be the heart of the Alliance, the Heavenly Demon Church established its Sichuan branch. This was an extremely shocking event. The church had extended itself into Sichuan without shedding even a drop of blood. Wasnt this truly a perfect example of taking over a castle without shedding blood (oѪ)? Many storytellers used this event to make fun of the Alliance, but even then, the Alliance didnt do a single thing about any of this. This was expected. Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at a document in his hand at the centre of the Sichuan branch of the church, then closed his eyes. The church had already expected that getting into Sichuan itself wouldnt be that difficult. The problems begin now. Cho Ryu Hyang adjusted his sses. Although the Alliance didnt do much when the church provoked them, it didnt mean that they gave up. Why would they stay quiet when the enemy was right in front of them? They were just waiting quietly, since they didnt have power. The moment they are given a chance, the Alliance would take up their sword and attack. The first day the church came into Sichuan. Everyone was very alert and nervous, but nothing happened all the way till night. Cho Ryu Hyang, who was sitting with his eyes closed for a bit, opened his eyes. He lifted his head, and looked in front. Did you find out? Yes, lord heir. The Leader of the Maras Heavenly Wind Division. Lim Hak Gyum faintly smiled towards Cho Ryu Hyang, who found him while he was hidden with ease, and read his report. [There are no forces from the Alliance within the radius of about half a days worth ofnd.] Understood. It was as he expected. The experts of the Alliance werent fools. If they fought now, it was obvious who was going to lose. There was no way theyd try to fight head-on. Thats good. It looks like we can work tomorrow ording to the n. Please tell this to the master of the Ruling Fire House as well. [Yes sir.] With this, all the urgent matters at hand was over. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled, and stood up. Then, Lim Hak Gyum, who was prostrating before him, stood up with a confused face. [Is there somewhere you need to go sote at night?] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, then looked out the window. A full moon. A full moon was staring down at earth quietly. What Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to confirm was easier to do at night than day. Theres no need to wait. This is a simple task thatll probably take moments. Lim Hak Gyum thought for a bit. Since the church came into Sichuan today, the area wasnt very secure yet. There could be danger lurking anywhere. But.. Liim Hak Gyum, who had scouted out the entire area already, thought to himself with a serious face. Since he has two harmonious experts with him, nothing critical should ur. Harmonious experts were actually very rare. Right now, in the church, there were four harmonious experts, if you were to omit Gongson Chun Gi. Ju Sang San, and Wu Gyuho. The two guardians had already taken up a spot in the list of the 3 Sovereigns, 5 Emperors, and the 7 Kings. And the two that were still unknown to the world were Un Hui, and No Jin Nyung. The ones who would lead the next generation of the church. This truly is the strongest military force the church ever had in history. Lim Hak Gyums blood boiled in excitement when he thought about the power the church currently had. Just a single generation. Was there ever a time the church had so much power in a single generation? No. This had never happened before till now. A harmonious expert. Each of them had power enough to take over a single sect easily on their own. Two of these experts were with Cho Ryu Hyang as a bodyguard. Cho Ryu Hyang truly was guarded very well. As expected, the Pope indeed is amazing. Lim Hak Gyum was assuming that Gongson Chun Gi was the one who put Un Hui and No Jin Nyung as Cho Ryu Hyangs bodyguard. Then, Ill be going out for a bit. Lim Hak Gyum came back to his senses. The heir had already prepared, and was ready to go out. [Pleasee back before morning.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, and turned away. Like he said before, he just had to confirm. It wasnt something that would take up much time. What was that? He had managed to notice it in a passing moment. Did he really see it correctly? And Zhuge Liangs words were weighing in his mind quite a bit as well. The fact that the man stopped talking after trying to say something bothered Cho Ryu Hyang. ShfC While he was thinking about Zhuge Liang, Un Hui revealed himself. Is it fine to not take that idiot with us? We need to be as secretive as possible. What Cho Ryu Hyang saw was located in the mountain of the Emei Sect. It was located within the area of the Emei Sect. There was a need to move stealthily because of this. Right. For now.. The situation would change sooner orter. As the church set its foot in Sichuan, the matters in Sichuan would change in an instant. Un Hui nodded. Understood. It would be better to not take that idiot, then. If they were to bring No Jin Nyung, they would be anything but stealthy. Ill take you. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Un Hui turned, and sat down with his back to Cho Ryu Hyang. Please, get on. Cho Ryu Hyang hesitated for a bit, then got on Un Huis back. He knew he had too little power to even talk about humiliation thates from doing this. I should learn Qinggong in the future. When Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking this. Where would you like to go? Cho Ryu Hyang came back to his senses, and pointed at a single point located deep within the mountain of Emei. Screen Shot 2016-03-12 at 9.36.10 AM.png Un Hui measured the distance for a second, and nodded. Well leave, then. PaanC! With the sound of air rapidly moving back, Un Huis body turned into a single line. ShuaaC! Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely surprised at this immense speed. The air was like a knife moving against his skin. It was even faster than the carriage he was on. It was hard to even breath. As expected of a harmonious expert.. He really was amazed. This truly was an amazing speed. To think it was possible to move at such speeds. Un Hui jumped, using a rock beneath him as support, and leapt even higher by jumping once more on a tree branch. After that, he used the tree branches at the top to move even faster. SssC The speed of a harmonious expert was even greater than Cho Ryu Hyang could imagine. And seeing that Un Hui wasnt breathing that hard either, it seemed that he wasnt even that tired. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips as he thought of something. He had this kind of an expert as his enemy. Yu Sul Bin. The man was probably as strong as Un Hui. Eighty. The talent the man possessed was quite amazing. After all, it was equivalent to Un Huis. But thats in. It didnt matter how talented Yu Sul Bin was, or how strong he was. Cho Ryu Hyang would have his revenge. While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking such things, Un Hui stopped on top of a single branch. ShwaaC The wind that followed them during the trip shook the surroundings violently. In the distance, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to spot that from before. What is that? The number that could be seen in his eye was immense. Its color was red, as well. Cho Ryu Hyang became hesitant when he felt a feeling of danger creep up on him. Should I go near it.? So far, there were many cases where a numbers numerical value wasrge, but there was never a case where the number itself wasrge. And the value of that number was changing as well. It really was a strange phenomenon. Is it here? Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to make a decision, even after hearing Un Huis voice. Un Hui probably couldnt see this phenomenon. Should I go? Zhuge Liangs words held him back quite a bit for some reason. After thinking for quite a while, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke as he fixed his sses. Its over there. Understood. Un Hui looked at the direction Cho Ryu Hyang was pointing at, then exerted pressure on the top of the tree he was on with his foot. The tree bent backwards like a giant bow. When Cho Ryu Hyang began to feel his body tilt backwards, PaanC! Un Hui moved rapidly through the air, using the tree. ShwiiiC! The distance between Cho Ryu Hyang and that thing rapidly closed as Un Hui moved. Cho Ryu Hyang widened his eyes as they moved through the air. Ah.. A sigh came out of Cho Ryu Hyang. TukC The moment Un Hui set his foot on the ground, Cho Ryu Hyang gripped Un Huis shoulders strongly. My lord? When Un Hui made a confused face, Cho Ryu Hyang bit his teeth. .Be careful. Un Hui looked around at Cho Ryu Hyangs words. But he couldnt really see anything. After this, he opened up his senses. As he was a harmonious expert, his senses were much better than those of a normal mans. But he still couldnt find anything. While Un Hui was looking around confusedly, Cho Ryu Hyang was also getting confused. I cant see it? The moment he got closer, the giant number disappeared. Just what was going on? Then, something caught Cho Ryu Hyangs eye. Let me down for a second. Un Hui kneeled, and carefully put Cho Ryu Hyang down. Then, Cho Ryu Hyang marched forward, then touched the ground, the stone, and the trees. His eyes twitched. This is.. It was a formation. If this really was just a normal formation, Cho Ryu Hyang wouldnt have been surprised at all. What surprised him was the fact that the formation wasnt artificial. He confirmed multiple times, but found that the formation wasnt created by a human. It was created by nature, thanks to having several conditions for a formation being met in the area. So these really did exist. He had heard of these in the past from his teacher. A formation of nature. It was a formation c/reated after a long period of time, due to the harmony between the trees, the grass, and the rocks. These formations didnt really do much harm. It just warded off intruders, or made people confused. A normal formation expert wouldnt have even been able to notice such a formation. Cho Ryu Hyang was only able to realize this fact due to his sight. ording to his memory, even his teacher, Jo Gi Chun, never managed to see such a formation. Cho Ryu Hyang began to think again. Inside the formation, there should be that thing he saw earlier. That was certain. This might really be dangerous. Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses. He could feel his heart tighten all of the sudden. His senses were warning him of danger. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt ignore his own senses. Zhuge Liang clearly told him before that anything that could harm him was disyed with red numbers. What was in the formation was bright red, and it was giant as well. But. He was curious. Curiosity had taken the better of him. After thinking for a long time, Cho Ryu Hyang took a look at Un Hui. Un Hui was silently watching Cho Ryu Hyang from a distance. .Im thinking of doing something now. Can you stay quiet while I do this? As youmand. Dont shout or move too much. Understood. Cho Ryu Hyang rolled up his sleeves, and licked his lips. He decided to look at what was inside. I cant go back with empty hands, after all. It would be disappointing if he went back with empty hands. That feeling excited Cho Ryu Hyangs heart. And that was why Cho Ryu Hyang decided to be adventurous. Lets do this. It was easy to destroy a formation. There were formations that required someone to go in first, but that was usually for an extremelyplicated formation. A formation like this could be easily destroyed from the outside. Well, easy for Cho Ryu Hyang, that is. PaaC! Once Cho Ryu Hyang touched something on the ground, and broke a tree branch next to him, the world opened up to him. It was same for Un Hui as well. It was almost as if the trees in front of him suddenly lost its vibrancy? Amazing. He had already known that the heir was a master of formations. But this still amazed him. While Un Hui was looking at everything with amazement, Cho Ryu Hyang stepped forward. There was something in front of him. And it was dragging him in. Un Hui slowly followed Cho Ryu Hyang. How far had they walked? After a moment, Cho Ryu Hyang stopped moving. Un Hui stopped as well. What is it? There was barely anything in front of him at all. There was just an empty field. The fact that there was such a field in the middle of a forest was surprising, but there was a strange flower in the middle that drew even more attention. Un Huis eyes widened as he carefully observed the flower. Nine Lands Medicinal Flower (ŵmˎ)? Was that not the medicinal herb of legends? When his mouth was about to widen in surprise. A small, white bunny leapt from the back of the flower. The moment Cho Ryu Hyang saw this, he began to tremble. Cho Ryu Hyang spoke with fear, towards the confused Un Hui. ..Run. What? It was a small whisper. When Un Hui said this, Cho Ryu Hyang began to move backwards while trembling violently. Run, damn it! Un Huis face immediately changed. The heir was a master of formations. There must be a reason why the heir was being like this. Un Hui quickly grabbed Cho Ryu Hyang, and ran. But it was already toote. Chapter 84. The Rise of The Second Gongson Chun Gi Chapter 84. The Rise of The Second Gongson Chun Gi [Rabbit ver.] (Real Name of Chapter: Little Monster) What, did you dream or something? Cho Ryu Hyang, who had been struggling quite a bit in his sleep, found his teacher, and made a surprised face. He quickly stood up. Gongson Chun Gi pushed the boy back to bed, then spoke. Its fine, its fine. You shouldy down a bit more. We still have time before we leave. A day before the trip, Gongson Chun Gi came into Cho Ryu Hyangs room, and watched the boy all night. He had been thinking all this time. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his teacher with a tired face. He could see that his teachers eyes held feelings of trust and worry at the same time. When he saw such humane feelings emanate from his teacher, he was a bit relieved, and surprised at the same time. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled, and spoke with a slightly tired voice. .I feel like I had a really long dream. He was still very confused. He felt like he went on a really long trip in his dream. He didnt know if this was reality, or if the world in his dream was reality. But he soon began to be able to distinguish which was which. His senses wereing back. Hoh? A dream at a time like this. Did it have any pretty girls in it? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled at his teachers yful tone. There were no pretty girls. Its just Just? Cho Ryu Hyang didnt say anything for a second. He spread out his hands with a thoughtful face, and muttered quietly. My body became exceedingly light. and I traveled to ces. And I think I touched something with these hands. Cho Ryu Hyang was already beginning to forget the contents of the dream. Cho Ryu Hyang blinked a few times with a dumb face, then looked at his teacher. Gongson Chun Gi looked at his disciple with a little confusion, and asked a question. Where did you go? Cho Ryu Hyang desperately grasped at his fading dreams, and opened his mouth. I looked around everywhere in the world. But even that wasnt enough, so I went down the see, and even flew up into space. He then grabbed something with his hands at the end, but he wasnt able to remember just what he had grabbed. What was that? It seemed really important. But he just couldnt remember it. Gongson Chun Gi spoke, as Cho Ryu Hyang scrunched up his face trying to remember what he had dreamed. You dreamt a really adventurous dream, huh. Thats unlike you. Adventurous? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled, and nodded. Yes, I think so. I think I might have wanted to explore the world a bit. Gongson Chun Gi quietly stared at his disciple, then opened his mouth. Weaklings believe that dreams are signs of the future, and fear it. But strong ones believe that dreams are a manifestation of their desires. . It seems that you have quite a big desire. Cho Ryu Hyang made an awkward face. He felt that his teacher was right. Gongson Chun Gi lightly tapped on his disciples shoulder, and spoke quietly. Be careful of that old man with the fan. What? What old man? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and opened his mouth. You see, I really, really dont like that guy. Even though hes just watching for now. What was he talking about? While Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking about his teachers words confusedly, his teacher smirked, and changed the topic. How much of the Moon Edge de Technique did you learn? I passed Ryun. You still have a lot to do, huh. When Cho Ryu Hyang nodded with a bitter face, Gongson Chun Gi spoke. Try not to use the Shura Environment as much when you go out. That thing likes to go berserk the more you use it. I just came to tell you that. Understood. Ill be there with you at Sichuanter on. Go buy some good drinks for me meanwhile. Ill do that. Gongson Chun Gi said this, and exited the room with a yful smile. * * * Ouch, my back. Gongson Chun Gi exited Cho Ryu Hyangs room, and sat down on a random rock in the back yard while massaging his waist. After inheriting the Shura Environment to Cho Ryu Hyang, Gongson Chun Gi had gotten a lot weaker. No, its not that I actually got weaker. Gongson Chun Gi had been strong from the moment he had been born. He wasnt talking about his body, or skills. The person of Gongson Chun Gi had been strong from the start. A sense of perseverance that would not wilt under any circumstances, and the sense of leisure that allowed him to smile at any given situation. This was a type of strength unrted to martial arts. Gongson Chun Gi looked up at the sky, andughed a little. Shura Environment. The way this technique was transferred was to split off a part of it from his body, to imnt it to the next heir. This inheritance ceremony was dangerous enough to take away the lives of many former heirs. Well, at least its easy to pass on. If you dont take into ount the fact that you age instantly. It wasnt very noticeable due to his youthful personality, but Gongson Chun Gi was able to feel that he had aged quite a bit. He trembled more than usual when a cold wind passed nowadays. He could even feel the wind pass through his bones. But even at a time like this, Gongson Chun Gi smiled. After all, he had earned as much as he had lost. I might actually be able to get rid of this damn side effect. All this time, Gongson Chun Gi worked ceaselessly to get rid of the Shura Environments side effect. Everyone thought that he had shortened the countless verses of the Shura Environment out ofziness, but that wasnt the case at all. He did all this with backbreaking work, in order to try and get rid of the side effect. And when he let Cho Ryu Hyang inherit the Shura Environment, he was able to realize something. I can get rid of the side effect. When he thought of this, he could onlyugh. The results of his lifes work was finallying into his view. He just needed time to confirm it now. Gongson Chun Gi was nning on spending the rest of his time trying to get rid of the side effect. Doing that would benefit both Cho Ryu Hyang and the church. * * * This isnt.good. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his teeth as he ran. He made a wrong decision. He was too greedy. He had been ensnared by the beast called curiosity. And the price for being caught by the beast was truly horrifying. It, who had been quietly watching Cho Ryu Hyang and Un Hui run, began to move slowly. Cho Ryu Hyang grit his teeth when he saw this. Would it work? He couldnt get Un Hui dragged into this. Cho Ryu Hyang made a concerned face as he fondled the gems in his pocket. At that moment, it thought. What an interesting child. It was exceedingly happy after his thousand-year old seal got broken. It was happy enough to disregard its status, and dance around. What surprised it was that a mere human managed to break the seal created by the heavens itself. But that didnt really matter to it. It was just thinking of gifting the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower to the boy. Well, I was only going to do that as long as the boy didnt recognize me, though. It wasnt going to give the flower away anymore. It became interested in the boy. It revealed its sharp teeth, and grinned. That child. That child was able to see it even when it hid itself. It was kind of confusing at first, but the boy was clearly looking at it. The child mustve had a lot of fortuitous encounters to see it. It tried to just leave everything at that at first. But. Something was strange. It could smell something that wasnt of human origin from that child. It was strange. He has something in his body? What? There was something that even it couldnt recognize, even with its eyes and nose? And that something was in a human of all things? It began to focus. Child, just what are you hiding? It stretched out its senses like a spiderweb, and surveyed the childs body. When that spiderweb touched the boy, the boy began to twitch. Sensitive, wasnt he? It just ignored the boys reactions, and focused more. Only then could it see. [Hoh?] It widened its eyes, and lifted its body. It then licked its lips greedily. [A mere human managed to attain a dragons pearl?] Even though the pearl was damaged, it still wasnt something a human could take. I should take it back. When it thought this, the boy stepped back like a surprised deer. [Foolish child.] The rabbit, who possessed snow-white fur, stood up on its two legs, and began stretching. It then got into position, and grinned. [Hehe, thisll be fun.] This would be the first fun it had in a thousand years. It would definitely be fun. The child kept staring back at it with a fearful gaze as he was carried away by the person who was behind him. [Running away? Thatd be no good. Theres a lot of things Id like to ask you, boy.] The rabbit said this as it took a single step. It then disappeared at that spot, then reappeared like a ghost in front of Cho Ryu Hyang. Pyong~! Cho Ryu Hyangs face paled as he saw the rabbit who appeared in front of him with a strange sound. He couldnt even see it move. Cho Ryu Hyang threw out six gems without even thinking. ckC He seemed to have thrown it without thinking, but this was actually a formation. Conditional Formation. That had been activated. [Eh?] The rabbit disappeared in mid-air. R, run faster! When Cho Ryu Hyang shouted this, Un Hui put Cho Ryu Hyang at his back, and began to move faster. PaaC! With a sound of the air ripping apart, Un Hui traversed several tens of meters in an instant. Only then did Cho Ryu Hyang get rxed. He seemed to have escaped immediate danger. But right at that moment. CrackC! Cho Ryu Hyang could see the formation far away get broken to pieces. His eyes widened. The formation that was created earlier was made in a hurry, but was still a formidable formation. It was much, much stronger than the one used against No Jin Nyung It destroyed the formation in an instant? As expected, the being in front of him truly was a monster he couldnt handle. Screen Shot 2016-04-01 at 10.37.36 AM.png Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes started to show a light of despair. [What the? So you can even use fields? You really have a talent for surprising your elders.] The rabbit made an excited face after destroying Cho Ryu Hyangs formation. Even when the boy was getting farther away from it, the rabbit seemed veryid back. Cho Ryu Hyang looked back, and bit his lips. Itsing. He didnt know what the rabbit was going to do, but he couldnt even see the rabbits movements. It was the same for this case as well. Pyong~! Again, the rabbit appeared with a strange, yful sound. Cho Ryu Hyang grit his teeth. Right then. ShuaaC! KuangC! Cho Ryu Hyang was able to see a lump of Gang Qi fly by. Un Hui had begun to sh at the rabbit with his short sword. His attacks were very sudden, and that much effective. The monstrous rabbit had been stalled by the sword for a bit. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Un Hui with eyes filled with admiration. The rabbit hit the floor, spat out blood, and began toin. [Hn, so we even have a harmonious person here? What the hells been happening for thest thousand years I wasnt here?] Un Hui looked down at the rabbit with a curious gaze. A rabbit who was looking up at him with a human-like posture. It was speaking in human tongue, as well. This was already surprising enough, but what surprised him more was the fact that the rabbit managed to block his ambush. It managed to block his attacks perfectly. The rabbit began to stroke its chin with a delighted face. [It wouldnt do to fight a harmonious person with bare hands now, would it? I suppose Ill have to take him out] Him? Who was him? When Cho Ryu Hyang made an anxious face, the rabbit grinned yfully. [I havent taken him out since the battle with Sun Wukong, now have I?] Vun vun vunC The rabbits body suddenly began to resonate with its surroundings. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes widened when he saw this. Right, this was it. The giant red number he could see from the distance. He was wondering why the number had disappeared. But in reality, the number was too big for him to see up close. [You should be honored, human.] TudududuC! Un Hui felt an immense amount of energy in the area, and gripped tightly onto his sword. So its a monster. Un Hui silently muttered this to himself. The rabbit heard this, and shook its head. [Tch, dont put this elder down in the same ce as those bastards, dumb human.] Un Hui ignored the rabbits words, then made a regretful face. I shouldve finished it off when it was unguarded. He was regretful of letting go of such a good chance to finish off the monster. And now, the monster was beginning to grow in strength. Just watching the thing get stronger made him feel nervous. I cant just let it keep getting stronger. Un Hui quickly made his move towards the rabbit. He didnt know what the rabbit was trying to do, but there was no doubt that it would be dangerous. There was no need to wait for a dangerous thing to appear. Un Hui supported Cho Ryu Hyang at his back with one hand, and swung his sword with the other. [Toote.] BangC! The rabbit blocked Un Huis sword with something. It was a small iron hammer that it was holding with two hands. Un Hui moved back, and looked at it with squinted eyes. .Mochi Pestle? [TL: What the rabbits using heres different from the standard mochi pestle in Japan. Heres a picture.] Bam, bamC! The rabbit struck the ground a few times with the pestle, and smiled. Cho Ryu Hyang whispered to himself when he saw this. Could it be, the moon rabbit? The rabbit blinked a few times when it heard Cho Ryu Hyangs words. It then grinned delightedly. [Ehehe, what a perceptive child.] Cho Ryu Hyang frowned as he looked at the rabbit. Things werent really going too well, he thought. Right then, the rabbit moved. Chapter 85. Seal Chapter 85. Seal Do you recognize your sins? The bloody white-haired man. That man smiled as he supported his broken body with his pestle. .How entertaining. To think Id hear something like this from an idiot like you.. Ptui! The future really isnt something you can predict. In front of the white-haired man was a ck-haired man. Screen Shot 2016-04-11 at 12.42.35 AM.png The ck-haired man stared at the white haired man for a bit, then smiled. Youre actually pretty lucky to have met me, Pian Mu (ľ). The ck-haired man took out a small talisman as he walked towards the white-haired man. The white-haired mans eyes narrowed. .Sun Wukong, what the hell are you trying to do? Sun Wukong. He, who was the current lord of monsters, the one called the Monkey King, smirked, and spoke in a friendly tone. I can rte with you right now the most. You see, I was a bit of a troublemaker in the past. .Bullshit. Well, thats not all, really. To be honest, I just cant bear to see the next king of monsters die here. Paa-! A bright light came out of the talisman, and the white-haired man was reced by a small, cute rabbit. [T, this is] Kuku, as expected, the talismans made by Daode Tianzun really are effective. If only that old man would stopining for once. As Sun Wukong spoke to himself, the rabbit looked at its own two hands in confusion. It observed its hands with a surprised expression. Sun Wukong looked down at this rabbit as he stroked his beard, and spoke. Youre actually pretty cute, arent yah? Go live in the mortal world quietly for now. Since this uncle has bad memory, it would do well for you to stay quiet for just a thousand years. Crack- craack-! The moment he said these words, the floor the rabbit was on began to crack. White clouds could be seen below. The rabbit began to fall. Sun Wukong spoke as he watched the rabbit fall. Ah, yeah. If you get lucky and find a guy who renames you, you might get unsealed quicker. Have hope, cutie pie. The rabbit shouted in rage when it heard the word cutie pie. [Sun Wukong! I will definitely kill you!] Puhehe, youre 10,000 years too early for that. Ill still wait, though. * * * The rabbit. He, who had been expelled out of heaven in the past, was having lots of fun at the moment. [The mortal world is quite fun.] Bang-! Baang-! Kuh! Un Hui trembled whenever the pestle was swung. Its this strong even when being parried He wasnt even taking a direct hit. He was parrying the hits, but his shoulder felt like it was about to break. Contrary to Un Hui, the rabbit was being extremelyx as of now. It didnt even have a tenth of its former power, but this was more than enough to take care of the person here. It could take on several Harmonious people at once with this power. Even so [Too weak.] It was regretful. The effect of having its power sealed for a long time affected its strength a lot. It could feel that the Godly Power inside it was not moving properly. But it was still satisfied with what it got. Strength would recover all in due time, anyway. Baaang-! With a giant sound, the man with the mask flew back a great distance. The rabbit became surprised. He took a direct hit on purpose? What was the reason? He had purposefully pretended to ignore the man trying to parry his moves, but now the man took a direct hit. Hes trying to do something. What would that be? It became excited. The rabbit waited. What was the man trying to do? Strangely enough, the man did not do anything. The kid at the mans back dropped down, and opened his mouth with a tired face. You can do whatever you want if you destroy this. The boy then took out a single gem, then stuck it in the ground. The rabbit became alert. Warning signs were ringing everywhere in its head. That kid is dangerous. The kid was a rare sort that could use extremely powerful fields. When it looked around, it could see that the surroundings were already filled with gems. A chill ran down its back. Vuun-! An ominous feeling, and a strange vibration. The rabbit quickly moved. Pachichichi-! [Kuh!] With a loud sound, the rabbit struck the air and flew back. It tried to leave before the field fully activated, but something powerful had blocked it. [Damn it! Just when?] Its area was extremelyrge. A formation asrge as this one could actually be dangerous. When the rabbit began to condense energy once more, the kid adjusted the ss on his face and spoke coldly. Go back to your moon pce, crazy rabbit. [Shut up, kid.] The rabbit gathered more energy. I need to do this in one hit. It might work if it attacked now. Vuun vuun vuun-! The moment the rabbit focused enough energy into its pestle, the kid said something to the man with the mask. Then, the masked man threw his dagger. Pang-! The red energy that was gathered at the tip of the dagger smashed into the rabbits face. [Keh!] The energy it gathered dissipated, and the rabbit red at the masked man. The kid then seemingly became confused, and asked a question. What? Did you really think Id let you get out? [.] The rabbit made an astounded expression, thenughed. Right. There was no way they would wait for it. Was it because its been too long? It looked like its senses were deteriorating. Right then. Paa-! A bright light came out, and the rabbit disappeared. Plop- When Cho Ryu Hyang confirmed that the rabbit had disappeared, he fell on the ground with an exhausted face. He tried to stay calm, but he was actually spending an astounding amount of mental energy just trying to stay standing. But I did it. Cho Ryu Hyang had scattered various gems as Un Hui fought the rabbit. There was no way to finish the formation due to the two moving so much, but when the rabbit stopped for a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang couldplete the formation. It was tooplicated. There were many, many variables to think about, but in the end, he did it. Will it be able to break this, as well? Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a bit, then shook his head. This formation was a variation of the Great Heavenly Ghost Formation, which was one of the strongest formations he knew of as of now. It took a while to make, but it was impossible to destroy once the opponent became trapped. This was the formation that the imperial pce currently was using after all. But Something weighed heavily on his mind. Since the formation was created without thinking about the power of the enemy, he couldnt predict the result. Un Hui approached him. Dont you think it would be better to leave? When Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, Un Hui narrowed his eyes and looked left. Someonesing? Un Hui frowned, and tightened the grip on his dagger. He quickly expanded his senses, and counted the presences nearing them. One, two. Three, four. A total of twelve people. Their speed was increasing as well. They were martial artists. They seem to be people from the Emei Sect. Right. This area was controlled by the Emei Sect. There was no reason why they wouldnt be moving. Cho Ryu Hyang immediately stood up. This was not the time to fight the Emei Sect. They needed to leave. We need to leave. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. There was no need to provoke the other side. Right then, Un Hui asked a question. What will you do with the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower? The Medicinal Flower? Yes. Its a herb that only appears in legends. Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a bit. The flower really was strange. It seemed almost ethereal. He had never seen an object with a blue number, either. Lets take it. Understood. Un Hui quickly brought Cho Ryu Hyang next to the herbal flower. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded when he neared it. It wouldve been bad if we had just left. Yes. A heavenly odor rose out of the flower. The smell alone cleared the head, and made one rxed. Cho Ryu Hyang got off Un Huis back, and approached the flower. But when he tried to touch the flower, he could feel the flower trembling. The flower was avoiding his hands. Eh? When Cho Ryu Hyang paused. Un Hui opened his mouth. They say that the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower actually has a consciousness of its own I did not expect the rumors to actually be true. Cho Ryu Hyang listened to Un Huis exnations, nodded, and made a lightment. You seem to know a lot about herbs. Un Hui made an awkward face, and answered. I studied a little about it in the past. Actually, he didnt just study little. His aplishments when it came to medicine was enough to make Sunwu Jo Duk envious. Un Hui didnt really talk about that, though. Cant we take it without killing it? Killing the flower seemed easy enough. But Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt really keen on killing things. Un Hui realized this, thought a bit, then asked a question. Isnt it strange that there are no trees in this area? Cho Ryu Hyang looked around. He was right. Why were there no trees around here? He thought it was because of the effects of the formation, but that didnt seem to be it. The answer was simple. It means that the roots of the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower is just that big. It managed to absorb all the nutrients in the general area. Mmm. In other words, they had to kill the flower to take it. Cho Ryu Hyang paused a bit, and sighed. Looks like Ill need some time to think. He then threw a few stones around the general area. Come here. When Cho Ryu Hyang gestured with his hand, Un Hui came to him. He could tell his master was trying to make a formation. When Un Hui came out, Cho Ryu Hyang fiddled with a stone in his hand, and threw it to a strange ce. He threw it into the forest for some reason. When Un Hui made a confused face. Cho Ryu Hyang kicked a stone next to his feet. Then, the empty field they were on just moments ago turned into a forest. Huh? When Un Hui widened his eyes and let out a breath in surprise, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke embarrassedly. This was my first time trying this. Im d it worked well. Lets leave. He tried this magic-like thing for the first time? Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang as if he was looking at a monster, then came back to his senses. He immediately put the boy on his back. Shuaa-! Un Hui thought as he moved through the air. Perhaps his master was much stronger than he thought. Un Hui felt the light weight at his back, and swore in his mind one more time. I will guard you forever. He wanted to see just how far the child could go. He would guard the child no matter what happened in the future. Even if he had to sacrifice his own life. That was what Un Hui thought. Chapter 86. The Destroyed Formation Chapter 86. The Destroyed Formation The female monks of the Emei Sect were famous for never making a move in the outside world. Along with the Shaolin Sect and the South Sea Putuo Sect, the Emei Sect formed the three holy buddhist grounds. Because of this, their buddhist aspects were very strong. And because of that, they were extremely isted. Of course, they would take action once things started to happen within their grounds. The things that happened in the Emei Sect were their responsibility. Just like what was happening at the moment. Shushushu- The experts of the Emei Sect, who were running somewhere urgently, suddenly stopped. They looked into their eyes, and spoke. Amitabha. Their presence disappeared. Indeed. What shall we do? The head of the group, Junghwa Sate, took out a rosary, and thought as she rubbed the beads. This ce wasnt that far from the main mountain of the Emei Sect. It was definitely on the boundaries of theirnds, but it wasnt so much of a ce where someone could do whatever they wanted. Especially if the source of that sh of energy from before was involved. If an external force had invaded, there was a need to chase them down. That was their mission. Well need to check what happened. Understood. Shushushu-! The experts of the Emei Sect moved even faster than before. At least a peak expert. The sh of energy that shook the air itself. It was definitely something that could only happen when two peak experts attacked each other at full force. While Junghwa Sate looked calm on the outside, she was actually extremely nervous. She tightened her grip on the rosary beads, and thought. Hopefully its not the Heavenly Demon Church. There was a chance that they might find evidence of the church at the battleground. That was something that she really didnt want. Their mission was to track down the invaders and dispose of them, no matter who they were. If the invaders were the Demon Church, the results from fighting with them would be obvious. Even if we find evidence. In the worst case, she was thinking of ignoring the evidence to pretend nothing happened. They couldnt afford to evene in contact with the church. Even if the church provoked them. Junghwa Sate prayed with a weak face. Amitabha Amitabha. Having no power in the martial world. There was nothing worse than that. [There.] One of the monks pointed to a ce. Junghwa Sate bit her lips. She needed to be the one to find the evidence. She would be able to cover it up as long as she found it first. After all, if it happened to be the Demon Church, there was a need to hide the evidence. Right then, Junghwa Sate stopped moving. She then tried to grab the monk at the very front with a pale face. But She was toote. The monk disappeared into thin air. Ah? W, what is. When all the experts simultaneously made a shocked face. Step back! The experts of the Emei Sect moved back when they heard this. Junghwa Sate looked around, and spoke quietly. .This is a formation. Formation? Yes, a formation. Amitabha. She experienced something like this back when she went to the Zhuge n. She only experienced it once, but this really made a difference between heaven and earth. She was able to see what was going on in an instant, because of her experience with formations in the past. And. Why couldnt she see before? The strange energy that was being emanated from the area in front of her. Junghwa Sate cursed her idiocy, and bit her lips. Cant you feel its power? Everyone focused at those words, but they were unable to feel anything. Only first-rate experts could sense a formation. This is bad. She patrolled this ce frequently in the past. It was a ce that everyone in the sect passed by at least once or twice. She was certain it didnt have a formation in the past. That would mean that the formation was created recently. That couldnt be good news. After thinking a bit, Junghwa Sate bit her lips and spoke. Well have to destroy it. Finding out who made the formation, and why he made it all cameter. The formation currently had one of her monks stuck in it. Junghwa Sate took a deep breath, and put up her sleeves. She then put out her hands forward. Bddd- With a sound of an old door opening, a load of pressurized air flew out of Junghwa Sates hands. It was the signature technique of the sect, the Great Strength Palm Strike. But. Bang-! Kuh! Junghwa Sate flew back with a giant sound. Martial Aunt! Are you alright? When the experts took Junghwa Sate by their arms. Junghwa Sates face was extremely pale. She took a deep breath, and waved them away as she stood back up. Set up the Demon Sealing Formation. Were going to destroy this in one go. Understood! The Demon Sealing formation. It was the Emei Sects strongest formation. It was a formation that required at least 5 people, and its power depended quite a bit on the strength of its users. Activate! Amitabha. Kuuu-! The energy of the ten members who created the formation condensed at the spot where Junghwa Sate was. Junghwa Sate condensed the energy further into her hands. She then proceeded to shape the energy into a bead-like form. Her hands were beginning to emit a golden light. When this golden light became immensely bright, Junghwa Sate widened her eyes. Haah! When she stretched out her hands, the Emei Sects Great Strength Golden Palm Strike was unleashed. Baang-! With an ear-deafeningly loud noise, the area in front of the monks distorted greatly. Junghwa Sate watched this with a pale face. We failed. The attack just now had all their strength put into it. But the formation was powerful enough to resist that. It just shook a bit from the attack. When Junghwa Sate let out a sigh of amazement. The formation began to tremble. Move back. When she said this. Kiii-! Aah! Kyaa! A sound that resembled having ss scratched appeared. The experts of the Emei Sect shouted in pain. At the same time, the formation in front of them shattered like ss. Junghwa Sate became extremely confused at the sight. How? The formation broke, even when their power was insufficient? Something strange was going on. Right then. [.Damn kid.] A small lifeform stumbled out of the dust cloud. A rabbit. It stared at the eleven dumbfounded monks in front of it, then smirked. [What?] ! A talking rabbit? And the thing it was holding in its hands was the monk that fell into the formation earlier. When she was about to make a move. The rabbit let go of the monk it was dragging with its hands. [Eh, it was hard enough trying to survive on my own. Whyd you have to drop in a useless baggage like that? Annoying.] Amitabha. Junghwa Sate made her subordinates move back, and made a concerned face. That obviously wasnt a normal rabbit. To think that much energy coulde from a single rabbit. Its power was inhumanelyrge. Just looking at it made her nervous. [I never wouldve thought that Id actually be helped by some damn monks.] The rabbit made an annoyed face, cracked its neck a few times, and stretched a bit. It looked at Junghwa Sate, and spoke annoyedly. [Ill pay you back in the future. Im just too busy at the moment See youter, damn monk.] . Junghwa Sate was unable to say anything until the rabbit disappeared abruptly from its spot. When the rabbit disappeared, she dropped down on the ground like a doll. Amitabha. Amitabha. She was unable to say anything other than buddhist scriptures after what she had just seen. * * * [Damn, I feel so embarrassed.] The rabbit was extremely ashamed at the moment. It never thought it would be shamed to this degree by a mere human. [Well, at least I wasnt humiliated to the utmost, since it was a full moon.] Most monsters went through an increase in strength at full moon. It was the same for the rabbit. Since it was a moon rabbit, the full moons effects helped it even more. If it wasnt for that, it really wouldve died in the formation. [Just what was that field.] The rabbit had never experienced such a terrifying thing. The rabbit trembled a bit as it remembered the formation. It looked down at its body, and nodded. Its body was healing rapidly thanks to the moon. [Tch, once I get my hands on that Dragon Pearl.] It should be able to recover half its strength with the pearl. [But. Its quite regretful.] It didnt look like the pearl was the real thing. Based on the tiny cracks on the pearl, it looked like the boy killed a random imugi and ate the pearl. But the pearl was still much too valuable for a human. And the human wasnt even using it right. It was truly a waste. Shushushu-! The rabbit repeatedly used teleportation to catch up to the boy. [Hehehe Just you wait.] Although the pearl was iplete, it would still help it recover. It should give it enough power to fly. But [Well, I did manage to catch up.] The rabbit scratched its ears with a troubled face. Following the kid was good. There was no way itd lose track of the boy, since it never could lose a person. But the problemy with the ce where the boy was at. [Looks like the mortal world really became a dangerous ce while I was gone.] The rabbit looked at the area the boy was at, and frowned. Along with the guy who wore the mask from before, there was a new guy with a simr strength as the mask man. Screen Shot 2016-04-17 at 10.09.42 AM.png [And.] The rabbit frowned even more. No one in the house the boy was at was normal. There were a lot of them in the first ce, but each and every one of these people were quite strong. [Damn.] That kid seemed to be an important person among the humans. It couldnt just charge in through the front, because these people were so strong. To be honest, it wasnt confident that it could survive in there with its current strength. [What shall I do, then.] It needed to meet the child without having anyone notice. What could it do to achieve that? After a moment of thought, the rabbits eyes began to gleam. It had thought of a pretty good n. Chapter 87. An Unexpected Meeting Chapter 87. An Unexpected Meeting It was a tiring day. Cho Ryu Hyang stretched a bit, andy down on his bed. Plop-! He could feel Un Huis presense near him. He was bothered by it in the beginning, but the mans presenceforted him now. He had developed trust in the man. Trust. Right. He developed such feelings towards Un Hui. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks, and rolled on the bed. It really was too big for him. He looked up at the ceiling from the bed. At that moment, he thought of something, and smiled. Moon Rabbit. When the rabbit took out its pestle, the strangeness of it all almost made himugh. But the only reason he didnt do so was because of the insane amount of energy that emanated from the rabbit. And. It was definitely enjoying it. The rabbit looked happy as it fought Un Hui. It was enjoying the fight. Unlike its cute looks, it was actually a vicious creature. But why did the rabbite at him? He still wasnt able to figure out why. After thinking a bit more about the rabbit. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. There was no need to think about the rabbit anymore. Would it be about now? At this time, the rabbit shouldve reached the end part of the formation. It probably perished at this point. Even if that rabbit survived till now, it still wouldnt be able to get out alive. That was because Cho Ryu Hyang had changed the end of the formationpletely. Disappear with the formation. He wasnt interested in the rabbit at all now. In his eyes, the rabbit was a dangerous existence. That dangerous existence came at him without any hesitation. Because of that, Cho Ryu Hyang was unhesitant to go all out in killing it. The second gate of the 36 gates The formation had a total of 40 gates, and every time a new door opened, a cmity would strike. Out of all those gates, there was the 36th gate. Cho Ryu Hyang had messed around a little with the gate. He had made the immense energy contained on the other side of the gate go berserk. As he had thrown in something that wasnt supposed to be in the formation within that gate, it was entirely possible that the formation was going to explode. It was his first time attempting this, but he was confident that he would seed. Cho Ryu Hyang paused. Why did I think it would go well? Cho Ryu Hyang wondered as hey down. He just felt it would go well. He just felt it. Normally, he wouldnt trust in his feelings like this. He was unable to trust things like this. And yet, I trusted them. Cho Ryu Hyang made a dazed face for a moment. Come to think of it, anything he tried out in his head always became reality. Is it because I can see the world with numbers.? Perhaps it was because of that. Cho Ryu Hyang thought this much, then began to visualize the fight between Un Hui and the rabbit in his head. Since he didnt miss one beat of the battle, he was able to visualize it perfectly. I wouldve done it like this here. He thought this at one point as he watched the fight. Then, he lifted his head out of curiosity. Would it work? Could he be the fighter in this battle? There was a 50/50 chance that this was possible. It wouldnt be bad to try it. After all, this was just imagining things, wasnt it? Cho Ryu Hyang began to focus. After a moment, his eyes began to sparkle. It worked! He tried fighting from the rabbits point of view, then slowly switched to Un Hui. When he became used to it, he even became a third party and fought both of them. This truly was a strange experience. He was able to use the powerful moves of the Shura Environment and the Moon Edge de Technique. They were moves that he was unable to use as of now because of his insufficient strength. All of those moves were being executed now. Amazing. Cho Ryu Hyang was astonished. Like this, Cho Ryu Hyang attained the greatest method of trainingC He attained heartfelt thought (). * * * [Sleep, you little bastard] The rabbit stared at the house the boy was in from the mountains. The rabbits eyes were very special. Righteous mesteel Eyes (). They were eyes that were quite simr to the Thousand Li Eyes (ǧ). Although Cho Ryu Hyang was in the house, the rabbit could still see him. It could even see the threadlines on Cho Ryu Hyangs clothing. Buildings or walls were not a problem. At this distance, it could see just about everything. [Sonuvah.] That bastard was rolling on the bed without sleeping from awhile back. It would only be able to do what it wanted if the boy was asleep. As the rabbitined like so, Cho Ryu Hyang finally went to sleep. The rabbit looked at this quietly for a moment, then grinned. [Shall we go in, then?] It didnt know if the spell would work, since it had been a while since itst used it. But since it was just using it on a boy, there was no way it could fail. The rabbit took a few breaths, and refrained fromughter. It was having fun. It couldnt wait to teach the boy a lesson. Kuhehehe, I need to calm down. It wouldnt do to get this excited already. Things would only get better from now. It couldnt be satisfied with just this. The rabbit calmed its heart, and listened carefully for a moment. Then, it leaned forward, as if it was going to fall on its face. When it did so, its body turned into white mist, and flowed into the garden. The mist advanced into Cho Ryu Hyangs shelter. But. Eh? The rabbit became surprised. The boy was in front of it, but it couldnt get near the boy at all. The rabbit almost swore when it observed this phenomenon a bit. Shoot! Its a formation! The boy was prepared. He even put a formation around him when sleeping. Was there even a need to be this careful? It just couldnt understand the boy. After looking at the formation for a bit, the rabbits eyes sparkled. Theres a hole? Just one ce. At the ceiling, there was a hole. A hole just big enough for a single person. Puhehe, I knew it. Did you think you could fool your elder? The rabbit refrained itself fromughter. Its eyes were able to see through the truth. It would be able to notice even the tiniest holes. When it tried to enter the hole joyfully, it was able to see why the boy created the hole. Keke, so it was for this masked person. A hole for one person. Above that hole was Un Hui. The rabbit looked down at Un Hui, and grinned. The magic it was currently using, the Hidden Cloud Technique, was a very difficult magic technique. Even if Un Hui was a harmonious expert, he was still human. The technique the rabbit was using wasnt something humans could see through. The rabbit flewps around Un Hui with a prideful face. Although Un Hui wasnt able to see it, the rabbit made fun of the man as much as it liked, then flew into the formation. Kehehe, how shall I annoy him? After watching Cho Ryu Hyang for a bit, the rabbit smiled evilly and ran towards the boy. Shuuu-! Mm. Cho Ryu Hyang frowned a bit when the white mist entered his nose. But he was unable to wake up, and went back to sleep with a peaceful face. * * * [What the hell is this?] It managed to get into the boys mind, but all it could see was darkness. To think it would be this dark The rabbit was amazed by the boys corrupt mind, and walked. How long had it walked? It was just about ten steps. At that point, the rabbit turned its head sideways. [So, who are you?] When the rabbit said this, the space next to it distorted, and an old man with a fan appeared. Zhuge Liang. He had appeared. He looked at the rabbit with a gaze of pity. Tch, I knew youde here, Pian Mu. The rabbits eyes widened in surprise. [Eh? How did you know my name?] Zhuge Liang smiled faintly. Its written on your head, is it not? The rabbit, taken aback by the old mans answer, moved back a step, and rubbed its head. At that moment. The ground the rabbit had been standing on started to distort. Something had been activated. [You, you bastard..] It had realized that it fell into a trap. At the same time, it realized what this trap was, and smiled mockingly. [You were a formations expert? Did you really think normal formations would work on me? Who did you think I am?] Zhuge Liang shook his head with an arrogant face. Of course I wouldnt be injure you with formations. After all, you are still a god. The rabbits eyes twitched. How did this guy know about it so well? And how did he manage to create an alternate dimension in somebody elses mind? It suddenly became nervous. But you see, this isnt a formation. It was something that I made because of some annoying guest who came some time ago. It wouldnt be as disappointing as you might believe. Crack-! A hole formed on the ground. A tornado could be seen inside of it. The rabbit tried to get out, but clicked its tongue when it felt the sucking power of the tornado. It looked at Zhuge Liang, and spoke. [Formations cannot harm me. This is a useless act, human.] Well. Who knows. The rabbit swore, and got sucked into the hole. The hole then disappeared, and everything became normal again. Zhuge Liang looked at the spot where the rabbit used to stand, and faintly smiled. Do not look upon humans lightly, monster god. This will be the small lesson I shall teach you this day. He closed his eyes, thought a bit, and spoke with a disappointed tone. I didnt want to get involved with the boys affairs. It would be cheating if he helped the boy too much. Since getting his help would make things too easy, Zhuge Liang did not try to get himself involved with outside matters. Well, he couldnt help but intervene at situations like this, though. Theres no choice if the boy keeps pulling in trouble like this. Other than that, how should he take care of the rabbit? He pped the fan a few times as he thought, and made up his mind. The rabbit was something that lived pridefully all its life. There was a need to humble it a bit. Doing that should help the boy a bit. Come to think of it, having a strange thing like this near the boy should be useful. Zhuge Liang thought this as he observed the rabbit struggle in the hellhole he had created. Chapter 88. Cho Ryu Hyang’s First Business Venture Chapter 88. Cho Ryu Hyangs First Business Venture Ow. my body hurts so much. The man who was stretching while looking into the mirror, was none other than the heir of the North Sea Ice Pce, Juk Hyul Myung. He stretched a few times, and cracked his neck a bit. Crack- Craack-! After stretching all his muscles, Juk Hyul Myung grinned a toothy grin. Fufu, I have revivedpletely. Perfect. A lot of things went wrong in his n because of his battle with Shi Yup. But after much rest, he hadpletely recovered. Juk Hyul Myung admired his self through the mirror, as he sang to himself. Then, he moved his gaze down to his chest. After looking at it for a bit, he licked his lips, and covered up his chest with his clothes. The scar was quite hard to see, as it was well-hidden by the clothes. But he would never be able to forget it. Well, I learned a good lesson from it, so its all good, I guess. He tried to erase it, but it didnt really work. After all, the wound was quite big. It was sad that his beautiful body was injured, but since he learned something from it, he was able to let it go. I can take a wound like this. It was the first time he got a scar from someone. This motivated him very much. This wont happen ever again. As he resolved himself, someone began to knock. Knock knock- As Juk Hyul Myung was able to sense the person, he didnt bother responding. He just kept admiring the mirror. Knock knock knock-! The sound of the doorknock got louder. Juk Hyul Myung ignored it, and kept praising himself through the mirror. Soon enough, a girl walked in without permission andined. .Senior brother, isnt this humanely too much? You should at least pretend to notice me. You make me really feel bad. You really dont realize how much courage it takes for me to look at an ugly person like you, do you? .tch. Juk Hyul Myungs Junior Sister, Ju Da Hye, pouted. Only then did Juk Hyul Myung turn around. Ehh? Whats up with that face, junior sister? You look very discontent? When Juk Hyul Myung said this with a threatening tone, Ju Da Hye inched backwards. Then she shouted out in fear. .D, dont forget Im your savior! Juk Hyul Myung stopped. He then spoke with a tired face. Damn, so you managed to find a weakness of mine. When it looked like Juk Hyul Myung wasnt going to tease her, Ju Da Hye lifted her head and grinned. Ehehe, senior brother~ What? Why are you smiling like that? Senior brotherrr~! Ju Da Hye suddenlytched onto Juk Hyul Myungs waist. Screen Shot 2016-04-25 at 1.02.21 AM Juk Hyul Myung turned pale. Junior sister, arent you going a little too far? Eh? What? Are you going to hit me? Your savior? When Ju Da Hye said this, Juk Hyul Myungs cheeks twitched a bit. He couldnt hit her. Normally, hed attack her, but he just couldnt this time. This made him extremely pained. Shi Yup. I will have my revenge. As Juk Hyul Myung strengthened his resolve to have his revenge, Ju Da Hye buried her face into Juk Hyul Myungs chest, and muttered to herself. When else would I be able to touch you, other than now? If the sisters in the pce heard of this, theyd be so jealous! Hehe, its good that I came here with you. .Oh my, you thinkpletely different from me. Juk Hyul Myung frowned when he realized Ju Da Hye wasnt going to let him go. At that point, Ju Da Hyu blushed a bit, and let go. Someone called. About time. Its been too long. He went missing at a critical time. Juk Hyul Myung stretched out his hand, disregarding Ju Da Hyes blushed face. Give it. Ju Da Hye made a slightly disappointed face, then gave him a piece of paper. Lets read, shall we The paper was encrypted, but since Juk Hyul Myung memorized everything already, it was easy for him to decode it. His eyes began shing as he read. Hoh? So that great heir of the church is in Sichuan? Yes. I think he came as the representative. How daring. It was unexpected. Why would a heir of the churche out to a dangerous ce like this? Teacher wants him eliminated. Obviously. Pretty much everyone in the world except the church was probably thinking this. We cant create a new Gongson Chun Gi. The heir of the church, and the student of Gongson Chun Gi. That enough made it worth risking ones life to kill the boy. Juk Hyul Myung thought this as he stroked his chin, and smiled. How strong are you? There was no information whatsoever about the heir. That was strange. No one knew the heirs gender, age, habits, or likes. There wasnt even basic info. That just served to boost his expectations. It made him believe that the heir would be worthy of having Gongson Chun Gi as a teacher. But. It wouldnt happen a second time. A monster like Gongson Chun Gi mustnt live on. There was a need to strike the roots when it was still young. Everyone moved towards Sichuan while thinking this. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang realized that he actually felt quite exhausted when he woke up. It was actually tiring to even lift a finger. What happened? The highest level of training, the heartfelt thought, didnt just train one through imagination. The imagination actually managed to train the body a bit, as well. This was why he felt so tired, but Cho Ryu Hyang failed to realize this. Nnn. Cho Ryu Hyang tried to stand, but gave up. He then utilized the Moon Edge de Technique as hey down. The Moon Edge de Technique allowed for perfect control of the body. When the clear, refreshing energy flowed through the body, his tired body quickly became refreshed. After realizing that he was no longer tired, Cho Ryu Hyang stood up. There were a lot of things to do today. When Cho Ryu Hyang walked out, No Jin Nyung greeted him. No Jin Nyung greets his lord. Cho Ryu Hyang faintly smiled at No Jin Nyungs professional attitude. Did you sleep well? Yes. Then, please take care of me well. Hehe, understood, my lord. No Jin Nyung followed Cho Ryu Hyang with a grin. He then widened his eyes, and carefully observed his surroundings. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled when he saw this, and walked towards the Greeting Hall. This one greets the heir. When he arrived, Sunwu Cho Rin greet him immediately. Cho Ryu Hyang lifted his hand as a greeting, and spoke. Did hee? Yes. He is waiting for you inside. Bring him here, then. Understood. Cho Ryu Hyang drank some tea as he waited. Soon, a pale, scar-faced man entered the room. The man flinched when he saw Cho Ryu Hyang, then realized his mistake, and bowed. The master of the ck Serpent Guild, Gal Mun Hyuk, greets the heir. It is nice to meet you. I am Cho Ryu Hyang. Gal Mun Hyuk sweat profusely. To think the heir was a mere boy. Just how much talent does he have..? There were no information on the heir in the martial world. It was partly thanks to the ability of the church to be able to control information, but it also had to do with the fact that no one was confident enough to prate into the church to get info. I have heard that you controlled the salt merchants in the area. Gal Mun Hyuk came back to senses at Cho Ryu Hyangs words. He raised his head, and looked at the heir. He could see the heir looking down on him. At that moment, he became very confused. What the? There arent any traces of him ever training martial arts? For a man, the more powerful he gets, therger his temple became. But there was no traces of that happening for Cho Ryu Hyang. There were only two cases of this happening. The boy didnt know martial arts, Or he was so powerful, it was unable for him to sense it. Could he be a harmonious expert? At that age? It seemed possible, as the heir was the student of Gongson Chun Gis. Once he thought this far, he unconsciously sucked in, and opened his mouth. Right, I am the one who controls the salt in the ck market. He spoke in a very polite tone. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the documents in front of him, and opened his mouth. So you are trying to work with us, but would that be alright? The ck Moon Guild would try to take revenge.. The ck Serpent Guild and the ck Moon Guild actually held some connections. The ck Serpent Guild operated under the ck Moon Guilds protection. Changing sides like this would definitely enrage the ck Moon Guild. Gal Mun Hyuk grinned. He knew how much risk he was taking. But he needed to do this. If he wanted to get stronger, he needed to be prepared for danger. Gal Mun Hyuk opened his mouth. Guys like us who are at the bottom needs to know who is the strong one in this era. We know who we need to stick to in order to continue to survive in Sichuan in the future. Cho Ryu Hyang put down the documents, and looked at Gal Mun Hyuk. Although the man was smiling pitifully, his eyes were extremely calm. The man was testing him out. He wanted to see how Cho Ryu Hyang would respond. So he wants to feel us out? It looked like the man wasnt just an idiot. Controlling up to thirty percent of the salt in Sichuan was no small feat. It wouldnt be good if an unintelligent man took care of such a thing. Cho Ryu Hyang would need an intelligent man to serve him in the future. Is that the only reason why you want to work with us? Of course. Being safe is at the top of my priorities. I firmly believe the church would be able to help us far more than the ck Moon Guild. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. He then opened his mouth with a cold voice. Thats not all you want though, is it now? What? Did you not wantplete monopoly over the salt of the church? . Gal Mun Hyuk paused a bit. He didnt know theyd get to the main point this early. This kid. It looked like he was seen through. He didnt know how much salt the church could acquire, but there was no doubt the amount would berge. But then grabbing onto this opportunity made him too afraid of the consequences. As Gal Mun Hyuk hesitated, Cho Ryu Hyang continued to talk. What happens if we decide not to work with you? ! Gal Mun Hyuk frowned. If they refuse his offer here, things would go very badly for him. The ck Moon Guild definitely wouldnt get go of someone who tried to betray them. If the church steps out of this, his guild would get in much trouble. Shoot. When Gal Mun Hyuks face turned pale, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. I think its a fitting time to talk about our terms, is it not? The trade with Gal Mun Hyuk. This would be the first thing Cho Ryu Hyang would do in Sichuan. Chapter 89. Cho Ryu Hyang and Maksu Chapter 89. Cho Ryu Hyang and Maksu The first deal that was struck with Gal Mun Hyuk caused much excitement in the church. It had gained approval from the schrs who hade to support the growth of the Sichuan branch of the church. This truly is an amazing deal, my lord. The middle-aged schr who was analyzing the contract spoke excitedly. He was Jung Yigun, who was temporarily taking care of the Sichuan branch of the church. We earned much more than we initially expected. If things keep going like this, we would be able toplete the expansion 2, or even 3 months earlier than expected. It was much easier to take over an existing business, rather than create a new one. This was something that even kids knew. The deal that Cho Ryu Hyang had just struck with Gal Mun Hyuk was just that useful to the church. It was an amazing result. However, while others were praising Cho Ryu Hyang endlessly for his feats, Cho Ryu Hyang himself looked at the contract with a concerned expression. Somethings strange. Something got on his mind since a while back. What was it? Something strange dug at his mind, but he just couldnt figure out what it was. Something extremely filthy, and dangerous. There was never a case where something good happened when he smelled this. .Somethings strange. Hm? Is there something wrong? Jung Yigun looked at Cho Ryu Hyang curiously. Just what was the problem here? Everything was going so well for the church. Thanks to Gal Mun Hyuk, they were able to sellrge quantities of salt in the ck market, and since they managed to get the list of some of the greater merchants in the area, they were able to secure themselves firmly in the city. So why? Our young heir seems to be very greedy. Cho Ryu Hyang thought carefully as Jung Yigun thought this of the heir. It felt like he missed something improtant. So what is that? After thinking for a long time, Cho Ryu Hyang closed his eyes. He just felt nervous for now, but if he didnt take care of the problem as soon as possible, it would most likelye at it like a giant sword. What are you? Cho Ryu Hyang concentrated as much as he could in order to take out something from the darkness. How much time had passed? Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes, and stood up. He looked up at the ceiling, and opened his mouth. Im going to need your help. [What is it, my lord?] Follow him. He definitely has something behind him. [Gal Mun Hyuk?] Yes. [How long do I have to watch him?] Cho Ryu Hyang calcted something in his mind, then opened his mouth with a frown. Four days. If nothing happens during that time, you cane back. [Understood.] As Un Hui tried to leave, Cho Ryu Hyang put up his hands to stop the man. Be careful. They might have a strong enemy on their side. No, if my prediction is correct, they should definitely have one. An expert that you wouldnt be able to face alone. Un Hui made a concerned face. He didnt know how it worked, but the heir seemed to have the power to look into the future. A person like that warned him to be careful. This mission of his was definitely not going to be simple. This mission may endanger you life. But. Cho Ryu Hyang stopped for a moment, and looked at Un Hui with aplicated gaze. He bit his lips, and spoke with a determined face. Can I trust that youde back safely? Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang for a moment. The boys eyes were clear and unshaken. Un Hui stepped down onto the floor, and bowed to Cho Ryu Hyang. .Your guard promises toe back in four days. I trust that you will. Understood. Un Hui held his bow for a moment as he stared at No Jin Nyung with an unfaithful gaze. He felt that No Jin Nyung was a bit unsuitable to protect Cho Ryu Hyang for now. What the hell are you looking at? No Jin Nyung looked at Un Hui with an annoyed face as well. I hope he breaks something when hees back. Although the heir warned Un Hui that this mission would be exceedingly dangerous, No Jin Nyung was well aware of how strong Un Hui was. He just couldnt believe that such a cold blooded man could actually get beat up anywhere. Un Hui looked at No Jin Nyungs childish face, and sighed inside. Even though No Jin Nyung was a bitcking, the man was still a harmonious expert. There was no way Cho Ryu Hyang could get in any real danger. He still felt a bit nervous, but there was no choice. Un Hui began to move as he tried to console himself inside. Cho Ryu Hyang began thinking as he watched Un Hui fade off into the distance. This is dangerous. But there was no choice. The other side had concealed themselves pretty well. Cho Ryu Hyang sat down on his chair, and made a tired face. There was no way things were going to be this easy, anyway. Gal Mun Hyuk was a man who controlled up to a thirty percent of the salt in Sichuan. A man like that actually sumbed to a childs threats? Theres no way. All this so far was just a suspicion. A suspicion of a person who encountered a huge stroke of fortune. Right then, he realized something. Why did Gal Mun Hyuk try to side with the church? Did he really just want to monopolize the salt? It seemed usible, but when he thought about it, it was too big of a risk to take. After thinking a bit more, Cho Ryu Hyang reached a conclusion. There definitely was someone at Gal Mun Hyuks back. When he realized this, all of his questions were resolved. Even so, Cho Ryu Hyang desperately wished that his prediction was wrong. Crap. If his prediction was correct, Un Hui was going to be in great danger. After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang stood up. Im going to rest a bit. .What shall we do with the contract? When Jung Yigun carefully asked this, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. Well hold it off for four days. Yes, understood. Cho Ryu Hyang left Jung Yigun behind, and headed outside. At the back of the building, there was a garden that greatly resembled the one in the church. There was even an artificial pond that used to be outside his shelter. It was all created due to the kindness of Gongson Chun Gi. Cho Ryu Hyang sat on the edge of the pagoda of the garden, and closed his eyes. No Jin Nyung looked around carefully, trying to see if there was any danger. Right then. Cho Ryu hyang, who had been sitting dazedly on the pagoda, suddenly stood up. He ran to the other side of the pagoda, and began looking somewhere. No Jin Nyung made a strange face at Cho Ryu Hyangs actions. Is something wrong? . Cho Ryu Hyang didnt say anything, and looked at No Jin Nyung with a pale face. No Jin Nyung became confused. What, is he scared? If No Jin Nyung was right, the heir was pretty afraid right now. Why? Wasnt the heir someone who fought him head-on unhesitatingly? So why was he making such a face? No Jin Nyung calmly walked up to the ce that Cho Ryu Hyang was looking at. When he walked over, a small, cute rabbit jumped out of the bush. Nn? What? The heir actually got afraid of something like this? Pff! So the young master can be like a child at times. No Jin Nyung thought CHo Ryu Hyangs actions to be quite cute, and tried to hug the rabbit. Right before he did so, however, Cho Ryu Hyang shouted. Stop! No Jin Nyung felt the urgency contained within Cho Ryu Hyangs voice, and looked back. He could see Cho Ryu Hyang walking towards him. What do you want? What? Cho Ryu Hyang motioned No Jin Nyung away with his hand as he red at the rabbit. The rabbit looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with an innocent face. But then. [Kehehe, dont be so scared, kid. Im not going to hurt you.] Cho Ryu Hyang flinched when he heard the rabbits voice in his head. The rabbit just kept acting like a normal rabbit on the outside. It picked its nose using its cute front paws, and opened its mouth. [Kid, lets make a deal.] What deal? [Its kind of problematic for me to fight you here, actually. I still havent recoveredpletely.. It would be troublesome to fight the people here.] Cho Ryu Hyang narrowed his eyes. He was trying to discern the rabbits motives. [Keke, dont look at me like that. My objective is simple. I desperately need that dragons pearl in your body.] Dragon pearl? Cho Ryu Hyang thought of the bead inside his dantian. He had suspected that it might be a dragon pearl, but he didnt actually think that was the case till now. A dragons pearl Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at his dantian with an amazed face. The rabbit continued talking. [I had tried to take the pearl by force but I managed to find a different way to do things.] The rabbit needed the pearl in order to recover. That was why it had entered the boys dream, but when it did so, it got horribly beat up by that strange old man. And I made a promise with the old man in there. The rabbit scratched the back of its head. A promise between beings like those were worth more than a thousand gold. The demands of the old man was simple. It was to simply observe the growth of the child without causing trouble. And the reward for that is The old man promised not to interfere if it took the dragon pearl after the boys death. It would seem that the rabbit lost a lot from this exchange, but that wasnt the case. A humans lifespan was quite short. And the kid could die from outside matters as well. Also, the rabbit would still be able to recover faster than normal just by being near the pearl. It wasnt that bad of a deal. But who really is that old man? The old man was a person who had surpassed human limits since long ago. And since the old man had thrown away his mortality using apletely unconventional way, the rabbit felt extremely ufortable fighting the man. Although it didnt want to admit it, it was true that it was easier for it to ept a deal like this rather than fight that old man. Just what is it thinking? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the rabbit with careful eyes. It would be dangerous fighting that monstrous rabbit without Un Hui. He knew very well No Jin Nyung wouldnt be able to fight the thing. But calling others here to fight this thing would cause too muchmotion. He didnt want to do any of this. What is your purpose? [Im nning on taking the pearl after your death. How is it?] .Is that all? This was too simple. When Cho Ryu Hyang frowned, the rabbit spoke. [But, Im going to have to observe you from close by at all times. It would be troublesome if you left.] Cho Ryu Hyang began to think. It would definitely pressure him a bit to have such a monster near him at all times. But once he thought of something, he was able to smile. You said this was a deal, correct? The rabbit nodded. Cho Ryu Hyangs smile grew wider. The smile resembled the evil smile that Gongson Chun Gi had on his face when performing a prank on Cho Ryu Hyang. I ept your proposal. But I have a condition as well. [What is it?] You must act like a normal rabbit no matter what. When Im near you, at least. The rabbit tilted its head in confusion. [Is that it? Thats simple enough. I ept.] Cho Ryu Hyang quickly spoke. Good, with this, the deal isplete. Also, I had heard that deals or promises like this was worth your own lives for beings like you. Is that true? The rabbit began to feel a bit ufortable, but it nodded calmly anyway. For beings like it, promises were worth their own lives. [Are you trying to scare me, damn kid?] Did you actually think that? I was just confirming things. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled strangely as he responded. The rabbit felt ufortable when it saw that smile. The conditions given to me are very easy. Nothings wrong with it. The rabbit tried to organize its thoughts. At that point in time, however, everyone in the area sensed a presence, and looked sideways. Ah? Lord heir, so you were here? Cho Ryu Hyang erased the smile off of his face when he saw the person who had appeared. Gongson Ahri. Cho Ryu Hyang tried hard to erase the strange feelings he got when looking at Gongson Ahri. Why are you here? Ah, I came out for a short walk. I like how much this ce resembles the church. Gongson Ahri smiled innocently as she said this. Cho Ryu Hyang turned away without realizing it when he saw the girls smile. Gongson Ahri spotted a rabbit at that moment, and widened her eyes. Eh? A rabbit? Is it something youre taking care of? Ah yes. [Crazy bastard. You? Raise me?] When the rabbit frowned in displeasure, Gongson Ahri asked a question. Can I touch it? .Yes? Gongson Ahri seemed to take Cho Ryu Hyangs surprised response as a yes. She smiled brightly, and rubbed the rabbits cheeks. Screen Shot 2016-05-09 at 11.54.05 PM.png Heeh, its very soft. Whats its name? The rabbit widened its mouth out of extreme surprise because of how Gongson Ahri was treating it. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly gathered himself. Then, he looked at the rabbits face, and smiled evilly. Maksu its name is Maksu. [!] The rabbits eyes shook greatly. It remembered Sun Wukongs words when hearing Cho Ryu Hyangs words. C If you get lucky enough to find a person who renames you in the future, you might be able to be unsealed a bit faster. Have hope, cutie. As the rabbit looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a dumbstruck face, Gongson Ahri simply kept rubbing its cheeks. Maksu what a nice name. [.] The rabbit. No, the being that was to be called Maksu from now on, just sat there with a depressed expression. It was just looking at its new name over and over again in its mind. Chapter 90. Collision. Chapter 90. Collision. Un Hui thought that his calmness was his greatest virtue. It was an ability that allowed him to ess the situation calmly at all times. Perhaps some people would say that Un Hui was excessively calm, but Un Hui didnt think that was a problem. Especially at times like these. So todays the fourth day. Was the heirs prediction wrong? Galm Mun Hyuk didnt really do much. He checked up on his subordinates at hispany every day, recorded their losses and profits in his book, and traded goods with different merchants. Unlike how he acted in front of Cho Ryu Hyang, he was quick, cold, and efficient. So he was hiding his true self When it came to work, this man was extremely talented. He seemed to care much about his family as well. He realized how useful of a man this Gal Mun Hyuk was, but he learned nothing else about the man. But Un Hui stayed patient, and didnt let his guard down. Ill watch him till dawn. There was still plenty of time before night. Before then, many things could happen. And around evening, something happened. Gal Mun Hyuk began to act strangely. Hes getting on a carriage? At this time? He didnt know when the man prepared it, but Gal Mun Hyuk moved to the back of his house, and got on a carriage that was parked there. Un Hui melted into the roof of the carriage, and thought a bit. I should be careful. Something was different. He realized that the man was about to do something. The carriage that held Gal Mun Hyuk and Un Hui moved away from the city, and kept moving for a long time. Soon enough, they reached a small mountain building, and stopped. Secret Mountain Hut.. It had a strange name. Multiple thoughts floated up in his mind, but Un Hui got rid of those thoughts for now, and lowered his presence as much as possible. He then calmly continued to watch Gal Mun Hyuk. Gal Mun Hyuk got off the carriage, then walked into the building,pletely ignoring the guards in front. The guards did not stop the man. When he saw those guards, Un Hui licked his lips. First-rates. They were just guards. But they were using four first-rates as guards? This was strange. Un Hui lowered his presence even more, and followed behind Gal Mun Hyuk. Gal Mun Hyuk greets the master. Un Hui frowned as he looked at Gal mUn Hyuk bow. There were far too many experts in this one building. Thirty experts inside if I count those outside as well, theres more than a hundred. Un Hui turned even more cautious. Most of them were close to bing peak experts. This proved that the ones behind Gal Mun Hyuk were far stronger than he initially expected. Right. So how was the heir? Gal Mun Hyuk respectfully looked up at the man at the highest seat in the building, and opened his mouth. The man was different from anything you had expected. Hoh, really now? Thats interesting. The man at the top seat. He seemed quite youngpared to the position he held. Un Hui looked at the young man for a bit, then frowned even more. He didnt learn martial arts? Un Hui was a harmonious expert. He could detect just about anyone who had learned martial arts. But he couldnt detect any signs of martial arts from that man. That man did not learn any martial arts at all. But What should he call it? He could feel a sense of alienation from the man. What is it? That man seemed far too rxed, even as a man who never learned martial arts. Gal Mun Hyuk was a first-rate expert. But the man was actually managing to pressure Gal Mun Hyuk? And the presence of that man encased the entire building. This was extremely strange. As Un Hui thought of the strange points of this young man, the young man opened his mouth. So, how was he different? The heir, that is. The heir was an extremely young child. Although the boy seemed smart, but he was still a child. Really? The young man blinked a few times, and scratched the back of his head. I dont really like killing children and since the church is heavily guarded, it would be hard to try and kill him. When the man hesitated a bit, Gal Mun Hyuk spoke. I made a deal with that child. We will have a chance to kill him soon. As there are matters where the heir will have to appear directly, there will be cases where he exposes himself. Then leak the date and time to the North Sea Ice Pce, Nanman Beast Gate, the ck Moon Guild, and the Alliance. Dont forget anyone. They will then kill the heir for us. Un Huis eyes lit up with intense fire. He had just heard of the ns to kill the heir. And strangely enough, they werent affiliated with the four great powers. Who are they? As Un Hui looked on with a confused face, Gal Mun Hyuk bowed respectfully and spoke. Understood. I will leak the information to the four ces. We will move after they fight. We have to take everyone out, after all. Understood. The General will go himself as well. He will appear on the battlefield with the strongest troop in the world, so you may go assist us at that time as well. Un Huis eyes widened. Once he heard of the word General, he was reminded of a single group. The imperial pce! At that moment, a shock ran down Un Huis body. At the same time, somebody appeared like a shadow directly behind the young man. He was tailed. What? That idiot got tailed. As soon as those words were said, a light shone out. Shuiii-! With a sharp sound, a frightening amount of sword qi exploded from the back of the young man. As Un Hui was already on guard, he was able to dodge it easily. Baang-! The roof copsed, and rocks flew everywhere. From inside the dust cloud, Un Hui stared out with a cold gaze. What the? Hes stronger than I thought? The man who walked out from the back of the young man was a thin man with a very feminine appearance. His pale, white skin with his red lips made others feel sexually attracted to to the man. Screen Shot 2016-05-15 at 3.05.32 PM.png I had wanted to fight a harmonious expert at least once. this is a good chance. Eh? Hes a harmonious expert? Yeah. Hes at least as strong as me. This is going to be quite interesting. The pale-skinned man licked his lips, and narrowed his eyes. That mans actually as strong as you, Tai (̫) Gonggong ()? Yeah. But dont worry. Im confident in being able to protect you. The young man blinked a few times, and turned to Un Hui. He shook his head a few times, and walked forward. What are you doing? Please step back. What? Just watch. I told you that I could protect you, didnt I? Tai Gonggong. The man narrowed his eyes, and red at the young man in front of him. Are you telling me that youd ruin my fun? The young man made a troubled face, and opened his mouth. It would be fun to watch you have fun, but if we kill or lose that man, the General will be very mad. Tai Gonggong hesitated when he heard the word General. Then, he looked at Un Hui with a disappointed face. Those kinds of guys are really rare and its going to be my first chance to fight guys like that without restrictions from the pce. Youll have many chances soon, Gonggong. After all, are we not in the martial world right now? Really? Sure, there must be many others like that man over there. .Tch, fine. Ill let go of it this time. I wont let this pass next time, though. Thank you, Tai Gonggong. .. Un Hui listened in on the conversation without saying anything. He let go of the fact that they treated him like a caught prey as well. He didnt feel bad at all for some reason. It was probably because that monster that resembled both man and woman was strong as he. So the pce made its move. The heir was right. The Imperial Pce was far too dangerous. It was a power that was far stronger than anyone else in the martial world. If the army moves, everyone dies. That was the thought of everyone in the martial world. At that moment, the young man slowly moved forward, and confronted Un Hui. There was a distance of about 7 zhang (20 meters) between them. The young man looked at Un Hui and smiled. You are not invited here, and should have not been here. . Un Hui looked at the young man with a calm gaze. He was actually more concerned about the yinyang person (an individual who possesses the genitals of both man and woman) behind this young man. Where did I feel this The feeling he got from this schrly young man in front of him was definitely something he had felt before. What is this? Un Hui looked at the young man with caution. Then, the young man opened his mouth. My name is Ju Ho Yu. What would your name be? Is there a need to tell you? Ju Ho Yu, the man dubbed with the title of being the greatest mathematician in the world, grinned. Thats quite disappointing. Well were probably going to spend much time together, so well have plenty of time to learn it, I guess. What makes you think well have a lot of time together? Well, I just feel like well have a lot of time Once Ju Ho Yu took something out of his pocket, Un Hui widened his eyes. Un Hui knew exactly what that man was once he saw the object from Ju Ho Yu. Youll have to stay for the time being. CrackC The wooden box the man took out broke, and jewels fell out from it. At the same time, Un Hui began to move back as fast as possible. But. Was I toote? Paa-! Un Hui frowned as he disappeared. Tai Gonggong whistled as he watched all this. Wow~ so thats the formation thing that the General talked about so much? Ah. yes, its just a simple trick of mine, though. It must cost a lot of money. Yes. I wouldnt even have been able to use this without the Generals help. I brought this along in case of an emergency, and the formation was still in experimental phases, but it still managed to work. Thats a relief. An ability to capture a harmonious expert alive Its no surprise the General entrusted you with all this work. Tai Gonggong looked at the space in front of him curiously as he said this. You shouldnt get near. The formations still activating, so its quite dangerous. I know. I heard from the General already. Although he acted fine on the outside, Tai Gonggong was actually extremely surprised. This is a scary power. A harmonious expert was something that couldnt be created even with hundreds of experts training for a lifetime. Only a few people were ever able to break through the shell of human limits, and get into the harmonious realm. A power that was able to capture a harmonious expert so easily, like this? A smallughter escaped out of Tai Gonggongs lips when he thought this. Well, I can kill him whenever I want, though. If they ever became enemies, hed have to kill the man as soon as possible. He would die if he didnt do that. This young man actually happened to be an extremely frightening being. As Tai Gonggong consoled himself like this, Ju Ho Yu frowned. Eh, could this be?! Craaack-! The ground shook slightly. It was enough to shake the entire building. When Gal Mun Hyuk was about to move away from the formation, Paa-! The scene in front of them shattered to pieces, and a bright light came out from it. And that light began to shoot towards Ju Ho Yu. I wont allow you to do that! Tai Gonggong took his sword, and swung it towards the light. Bang-! With a giant sound, something bounced backwards with speed. That thing continued to move out of the building without stopping. ying tricks? Get him! [Understood!] Tens of shadows began to chase Un Hui at Tai Gonggongs words. Once he confirmed that his subordinates had all disappeared, he looked at Ju Ho Yu with a worried face. Hey, you alright? .Yes. When Ju Ho Yu nodded with a dumb face, Tai Gonggong opened his mouth with a frown. That bastard yed tricks to escape from the start. But you dont have to worry. My subordinates are first-rate hounds. That guy will get caught for sure. Right. Ju Ho Yu looked down at the ground with a crestfallen face. The fact that he almost died just now didnt matter. What made him feel really depressed was the fact that his formation got broken so easily. Just how? Although it was still in experimental phases, he was sure that the formation could even hold the General himself at bay. But his belief got shattered mercilessly just now. This isnt real. This was a portable formation that he developed after much work. Although making just one took him immense work and time along with money, he had thought that he would be able to get through just about any situations with just this. But that wasnt true. Was I being too pretentious? As Ju Ho Yu looked at the ground dumbly, Tai Gonggong was thinking of something else. That guy just now definitely wasnt one of the fifteen guests. (TL Note: 7 kings, 5 emperors, and 3 sovereigns if you dont remember. Gongson Chun Gi is one of the Sovereigns) He saw the martial arts techniques performed by the man clearly. That man wasnt part of the 15 guests for sure. This just made everything more interesting. It showed him that there were many powerful people in the martial world. When he realized this, a giant grin appeared on Tai Gonggongs face. Chapter 91. Un Hui Chapter 91. Un Hui Un Hui took off his mask, and threw up a mouthful of blood. He calmly took a look at the white pieces of his intestines floating in the pool of blood behind him, and slowly sank down to the floor with the wall on his back. I barely managed to shake them off. Un Hui closed his eyes as he steadied his breath. He somehow managed to get out of the mountain building, but he couldnt return to the church just yet. He was concerned that the church might collide with the imperial pce. Because of this, Un Hui did not run straight for the church. Instead, he ran around the property of the Alliance for quite a while, and lost his followers. As he had to travel twice the distance he wouldve originally have had traveled, he had ovee death encounters several times already. The experts from the pce were truly strong. About three Un Hui had been quite confident in his speed, but when he thought of the three experts that chased him, he shook his head. He was both tired and hurt, but thinking of the experts that did not let go even till the end made him feel a chill run down the spine. Lets wait till day like this. Un Hui quieted down slowly. How much time had passed? Even after a long while, there were no signs of anyone following him. That was good. If someone were to chase him all the way here, he might have not been able to take it anymore. He could feel the sun rising as he slowly let out a sigh of relief. Un Hui felt the cold air of dawn, and stood up. Its good that I knew about it beforehand. Once Un Hui got trapped in Ju Ho Yus formation, he immediately remembered Cho Ryu Hyangs words. He remembered the method to destroy the formation that Cho Ryu Hyang had taught him. -Destroying a formation from the inside with pure power thats actually very hard to do. But if I were to give you a single advice, it would be good to attack at the weakest point in time when the formation forms. The method of doing this is different for different types of formations, but most formations are at their weakest as they form. If you attack with all your power right as the formation forms, then perhaps you would be able to destroy the formation from the inside. Un Hui trusted those words, and performed his greatest technique from inside the formation. Radiance-killing phantom de. It wasntpleted yet, but this was the name of the martial arts technique Un Hui had created. This allowed Un Hui to make use of all his power. But the consequences of doing so is immense. After he uses this technique, his body would be depleted of inner energy and strength for a while. Un Hui stretched with his trembling body in order to rx his muscles. His body that had been pushed to the utmost limit let out a painful scream. Un Hui ignored it. I need to go. He had made a promise. He made a promise with his young master. A promise to go back safely. His master would be very worried for him right now. Thats why he needed to leave as soon as possible. Un Hui grit his teeth, and moved. Shushushu- His inner energy still wasnt able to flow properly, but Un Hui didnt stop to rest. And as he finally arrived at his destination, he could sense someone moving inside. .My lord. Bam-! A person violently opened the door and ran outside. It was Cho Ryu Hyang, Un Huis little master. Youre back! Un Hui smiled faintly. Seeing the worry and relief on Cho Ryu Hyangs face made him feel relieved. Yes. Although I waste, Un Hui, your bodyguard, has returned. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt speak for a moment, and instead observed Un Huis body for a moment. The man was covered in blood, and his mask was soaked with blood as well. His pale face and trembling body showed Cho Ryu Hyang just how much pain Un Hui had gone through. Screen Shot 2016-05-22 at 5.07.15 PM.png Its my fault. Cho Ryu Hyang balled up his fists tightly. He could have expected this easily beforehand. No, he had expected this to happen beforehand. He should have given Un Hui a way to get out safely. He had warned Un Hui to be careful, but then Un Hui, a harmonious expert, came back nearly dead. Cho Ryu Hyang could easily see how much danger the man was in. If something had happened to him. When he thought up to that point, Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. He took off his sses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His eyes were getting read. He had suddenly thought of his teacher, Jo Gi Chun. I wont let something like that happen ever again. Cho Ryu Hyang slowly walked up to Un Hui, put his hands on the mans shoulders, and spoke with a bit of a stutter. Thank. Thank you foring back safely. .. Un Hui somehow managed to kneel with his tired body, and opened his mouth. The the Imperial Pce became involved. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly stood up Un Hui, and supported his body. Ill listen to your reportter. First, your treatment. Un Hui shook his head, and opened his mouth. Your predictions were correct. There was someone behind Gal Mun Hyuk.. the Imperial Pce. And there was a strong expert with them as well. As expected.. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He had expected this already. But an expert that could reduce Un Hui to such a state.. He wasnt able to see just how strong a person like that could be. Then, Un Hui steadied his breath a bit, then kept talking. And there. there was a person who could use formations like you. .! He was about thirty. He was in schrly clothes, and didnt seem to have learned any martial arts. Cho Ryu Hyang made a face of strong disbelief. A person who used formations like me? Yes. Thats impossible. It was impossible. The only reason Cho Ryu Hyang could use formations like he did was because he used them using apletely different methodpared to other formation experts. Unless one had Godly Eyes like he did, it was impossible for a normal formation expert to use formations like him. Un Hui frowned in pain for a moment, then opened his mouth again. Once that man threw a small box at me, I became trapped. If it wasnt for your advice, I wouldve been captured. .He threw a box, and then you got captured? Yes. Cho Ryu Hyang became dazed at that moment. He had instantly understood what had happened. Cho Ryu Hyang stood dumbly for a moment as he reenacted what had happened to Un Hui in his brain, then came to his senses. No way. A formation strong enough to contain Un Hui. Making such a formation by throwing a box would mean that his new opponent had understood thews of the world using math. At that instant, Cho Ryu Hyang became frightened. He handed over Un Hui to No Jin Nyung who was hurrying over to where he was, and stood dumbly. Ill take him to the doctor. Yes. Once No Jin Nyung disappeared, Cho Ryu Hyang began to calcte the possibility of there being a man who could understand the world like he did. Once Cho Ryu Hyang reached a conclusion, he became calm once more. Its notpletely impossible. But one had to contribute immense amounts of time studying mathematics in order to achieve that. One had to expend almost as much time as Zhuge Liang did in studying math. It was possible that such a person existed in the world. I was to meet him. What would happen if they were to meet? If they met as enemies, Cho Ryu Hyang would perhaps be meeting the strongest enemy he had ever met. While he was thinking that, something came over and hit his legs. When he looked down, he saw Maksu. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the sickly rabbit, and opened his mouth. How are you here? [.Is that really something you should say after handing me over to that damn girl?] So you ran away. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the rabbit with uncaring eyes, then moved away. He had treated Un Hui badly due toing into contact with such a shocking piece of information. He needed to visit the doctor to check up on him. When Cho Ryu Hyang moved away like such, Maksu trembled and shouted angrily. [You damned child! Are you even aware of who you are looking down on?] At the moment, an oppressive aura came out of the rabbit. But Cho Ryu Hyang was not fazed one bit. He wasnt scared either. I dont really care about who you are, but I can say that I know one thing about you. Cho Ryu Hyang readjusted the sses on his face, and spoke slowly. You hold promises extremely lightly. [!] Why do you look at me like that? Am I wrong? Maksu slowly repressed his aura, and grit his teeth. If he could turn back time, he would just destroy the deal he had made with that boy. But he knew very well that he couldnt. [.I lost control. I apologize.] Cho Ryu Hyang epted the rabbits apology, then turned around with a smirk. Beings like Maksu were strangely obsessive about promises, as he had learned from Tian Nu, the Imugi. Unlike humans, they were beings that could be trusted. [I need to ask you something.] The rabbit said this as he followed Cho Ryu Hyang from behind. Go ahead. Cho Ryu Hyang answered with an uninterested tone. Maksus eyes trembled from anger at Cho Ryu Hyangs attitude, but he could only endure. He made a promise, didnt he? That hed act like a normal rabbit. He wanted to die every time he thought of the promise. [What did you do with the Godly Herb that I was growing? Did you eat it?] Godly Herb? [Yeah. It has red leaves and its petals are green. it looks like this.] Maksu somehow used his hands and legs to describe what the flower looked like while running. Are you talking about the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower? [I believe that was what the foolish humans were calling it.] The rabbit spoke with a majestic voice. It just made Cho Ryu Hyangugh. Cho Ryu Hyang barely suppressed hisughter, and spoke. If I ate it? [.Others would normally die, but you] Maksu thought a bit, then frowned. He then spoke dejectedly. [Perhaps youd survive. Thats why Im asking. Did you just stuff the thing into your mouth? Eh? You greedy pig.] No, I didnt eat it. Its still there. Maksus ears stood up in excitement. [Really? You didnt eat it?] Yeah. [Humans lie easily. Are you telling me to believe such a thing?] .You dont have to. When Cho Ryu Hyang made an annoyed face, Maksu spoke as he shook his tiny little arms. [No, no, I believe you. You are different from the others.] As Maksu said this, he looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a curious gaze. [But why didnt you eat it? Dont humans like you go crazy over things like that?] Just. It seemed to be alive, so I didnt want to hurt it. When Cho Ryu Hyang spoke honestly like this, Maksu became dazed. Maksu tilted his head in curiosity, and spoke. [Is that. really it?] Yeah. [Are you telling me to believe such a thing?] .You dont have to. Cho Ryu Hyang made an annoyed face, then turned away. If you have nothing else to say, then go. Im busy. He was extremely worried about Un Hui. When Cho Ryu Hyang left for the doctor, Maksu stood in his spot alone and spoke. [I I do not believe there are humans that arent greedy.] But Maksu knew. He knew that Cho Ryu Hyang did not eat the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower. He knew that the boy did not take the Flower. He just didnt want to ept it. [I had thought that all humans were dumb and idiotic..] Perhaps one of them wasnt an idiot. That made Maksu feel veryplicated. Chapter 92. Maksu’s Sorrow Chapter 92. Maksus Sorrow ED: Chrysanthemum Un Huis condition was worse than everyone had thought. He had used too much inner energy whilst he was severely injured. Cho Ryu Hyangs face turnedplicated as he watched Un Hui. What will we do about Gal Mun Hyuk? Are we just going to leave him be? Cho Ryu Hyang thought a moment when he received those questions from Sunwu Cho Rin; then, he opened his mouth. It would be best to leave him be for now. Sunwu Cho Rin made an annoyed face as she opened her mouth. Is it because of the experts at the pce? At the moment, not even Sunwu Cho Rin knew how many experts the Imperial Pce had. But she didnt believe that they would lose in terms of sheer power. At least once. Sunwu Cho Rin bit her lips. As long as the church sold salt in Sichuan, the church and the Imperial Pce were definitely going to collide at least once. Thats why she thought that there was a need to crush them as soon as possible. I never liked that idiot anyway. If Sunwu Cho Rin were to name one reason why Gal Mun Hyuk should die, it would be because he was annoying. The man actually dared to go against the church? That alone made him deserve to die a thousand times over. Sunwu Cho Rin immediately discarded the idea; however, when Cho Ryu Hyang continued. Im not worried about the Imperial Pce. What Im really worried about is the ck Moon Guild. ck Moon Guild? How were they rted to all this? Cho Ryu Hyang continued to exin to the confused Sunwu Cho Rin. Gal Mun Hyuk has ties with the ck Moon Guild. If the ck Moon Guild knows that Gal Mun Hyuk was making dealings with the Imperial Pce, they wont stay quiet. They have their pride after all. Its not worth going after him. Its inefficient. . Sunwu Cho Rin looked at Cho Ryu Hyang strangely. Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt shaken at all by Un Huis injuries, and he was still making logical decisions at this time. The kid really was someone who knew how to think. She was beginning to see Cho Ryu Hyang in a new light, but on the other hand, her desire to kill him intensified even more. I definitely cant let him get together with Ahri. As Sunwu Cho Rin was having these thoughts, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. Leak the information about Gal Mun Hyuk to the guild. Dont let them know we leaked the information, though. Understood. Doing just that would be extremely easy for the church. After giving out orders, Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at Un Hui with a worried face. Sunwu Cho Rins thoughts began to stray as she looked at Cho Ryu Hyangs face from the side. There also was a white rabbit that Gongson Ahri began to bring to her bed every night. Because of the fact that this rabbit, which had the strange name of Maksu, belonged to Cho Ryu Hyang, Sunwu Cho Rin felt annoyed whenever she saw it. That was why she always bothered the rabbit when she got the chance. Come to think of it, that rabbit was a little bit strange. Just what about it was strange? Sunwu Cho Rin recalled the time when she threw the rabbit by its feet when Gongson Ahri wasnt watching. It almost felt like the rabbit was looking at her in a certain way. I mustve been imagining things. Was it sorrow and pain? No, those eyes seemed to reflect a hint of grief. They were eyes that seemed far tooplicated to belong to a simple animal. After that point, Sunwu Cho Rin decided not to bother the rabbit anymore. It made her feel ufortable. But watching Gongson Ahri happily talk about the rabbit to Cho Ryu Hyang made her stomach flip. She immediately forgot about the rabbits sorrowful eyes altogether, and threw the thing by its ears in rage. How could she describe the eyes of the rabbits at that point. It greatly resembled those of an old mans at that time. I must be going crazy. Anyway, both the rabbit and its owner were very annoying. The two resembled each other. As Sunwu Cho Rinined to herself, the rabbit teleported away to the ce he had been sealed at. Damn women. Maksu rubbed his ears and ground his teeth. His ears still hurt. Whether it was the gold-haired girl or the ck-haired one, they were both equally annoying. Are you not afraid of my revenge Maksu swore that he would take revenge as his body trembled in rage, but he knew that doing that would be extremely hard. Unless that strange kid called Cho Ryu Hyang didnt die, he couldnt do anything. Maksu was about to walk to the ce where he had been sealed with depressed emotions, but then something entered his senses. Krrr. The two shining eyes in the darkness. The (wang: king) character that was engraved on the forehead. It was a tiger that was known to be the Mountain King. The aura that was being emitted from its giant body was truly overbearing. But Maksus eyes didnt have a tint of fear in them. Instead, his face actually held a smirk. [Leave, cat. Dont be tempted by my appearance, and instead go find some other guy to eat.] Krrrr. The tiger ignored Maksus warning, and took a step forward. Maksus eyes were filled with rage in that instant. But he managed to control himself a bit and calmly opened his mouth. [This is myst warning. Im busy so leave.] Kuaaa! The tigerpletely ignored Maksu and jumped towards the rabbit with its paws wide open. It was an attack that obliterated countless victims in the past, but this only managed to annoy Maksu even further. [Shit! These bastards.] This time, Maksu did not control himself. No, there was no need so. He jumped up and performed a spinning kick on the tiger. It struck the tigers chin, and made the tiger fly off into the distance. Kuoooo! Smash-! When the tiger hit the ground, it made a heavy noise. But Maksu wasnt satisfied with just this. [Youre dead.] Maksu quickly ran to the tiger, and smashed his paw into the abdomen of the tiger. Crack-! Kang! The tiger let out a painful shout in this strange and peculiar situation, but Maksu just kept on kicking and punching the thing. Crack-! Wham-! Maksu beat up the tiger to the verge of death, then he crouched in front of the sared tiger and opened his mouth. [How is it? Can you see who is the stronger one now?] Hnn. When the tiger moaned in pain, Maksu spoke. [Im going to get shit on if I kill a weakling like you, so Ill let you go for now. Leave.] Hnng When the tiger left with its trembling body, Maksu shook his head and sighed. Since when did he start doing shameful deeds like this? The fact that he actually got himself involved with such a thing made him feel extremely humiliated. Humiliation bubbled up in his body. Maksu stood dumbly at his spot for a moment, then shook his head, and opened his mouth. [I should go get that child.] Maksu looked around a bit, and became a bit confused. [It should be here?] He couldnt find anything when he looked around, though. Did someone take it? [No way.] The Godly Herb wasnt something people could easily get their hands on. It only begged for its life because Cho Ryu Hyang and Un Hui were that strong. If a normal person were to approach it, its roots would wrap around the person and turn him/her to food. After looking around for a moment, Maksu realized something. [Could it be?] Something was strange. He stretched out his senses, and scanned the area once more. When he did so, his jaw dropped. [Magic? No, a formation? Wait, what? Its both? What the hell?] Maksu began to mumble to himself like a buddhist monk uttering prayers. [Come to think of it, that strange old man with the weird fan did a simr thing. So that kid was imitating that old mans works.] As Maksu did not realize that all this was created with mathematics, he simply became even more confused about Cho Ryu Hyang. [Is the kid the old mans disciple or something.] When he thought of the old man, he became annoyed again. But he quickly came out of his imagination and began to look around once more. There had to be the core of the formation nearby. He managed to find it rather quickly. [.He used this rock as the core?] Maksus face turned strange. Normally, one would make a formation with precious gems, or something that was as abnormal as a gem. But using a rock as a core? That was the first, even for Maksu. Crack- When Maksu lightly exerted pressure into the rock, it turned to dust. At the same time. Whoosh- The air rushed out, and the space in front of Maksu exploded. There, Maksu was able to see what he had been searching for. Have you waited long, Henge ()? Tremble- Henge. It was the name of the beauty who was said to live in the pce of the moon. Maksu had given the flower this name, and had been taking care of it for long. The Nine Lands Medicinal Flower trembled one of its leaves slightly. Maksu grabbed onto that leaf, and spoke. [I havee for you, for I knew you were still alive. It looks like I came at the right time.] Maksu spoke tiredly as he stroked the body of the flower. [Now, I must follow the arrogant kid on his journey. That would be the best way to recover my strength. But it worries me to just leave you here.] The Nine Lands Medicinal Flower stretched out its other leaf and stroked Maksus cheeks. It seemed to be telling him that it was alright, and that he shouldnt be worried about it. Maksu, who had been staying silent for a while, spoke. [Will you follow me?] The Nine Lands Medicinal Flower stopped moving. It was thinking. Maksu looked at the flower with patience. After a moment, when the flower made a positive movement, Maksu opened his mouth with a gleeful face. [Thank you for trusting me.] Maksu carefully put his feet at the ground where the roots of the flower were located. He then asked a question. [You will never be able to go back. Are you fine with this?] The flower once again made a positive movement. Maksu smiled as he saw this. [You will apany me from now on.] Screen Shot 2016-05-28 at 11.09.25 PM.png When he exerted force, the ground shook like water. Maksu then breathed in arge amount of air. He was trying to exert as much godly power as he could. [Huaaa!] Dududu-! The giant roots of the flower were exposed and was floating in midair. Maksu opened his mouth. [Put your roots down into where my neidan is.] The roots of the flower flew towards the abdomen of Maksu. Vuun- It seemed that Maksus body was going to get pierced by the roots, but that was not the case. The giant roots of the flower got sucked into Maksus abdomen. Soon, Maksu looked down at his abdomen, and smiled. Most of the flower, save for a single, tiny leaf, had set into the body of Maksu. Maksu began to move slowly. [Nnnn.] His body was extremely tired from using so much energy, but he had to walk. He would recover fast as long as he was next to Cho Ryu Hyang. Although he didnt like the kid, there was no choice. [Just wait until I recoverpletely.] There would be no need to be so concerned with the pearl that the kid had when that happened. Hed go up to heaven, then perform his revenge. He tried to take a step, and swore without even realizing it. [Shit! Damn!] He couldnt even teleport because he had used too much power. Hed have to walk the whole distance. Walking to the branch of the Heavenly Demon Church by feet made Maksu feel very, very sorrowful. He realized something then. [Come to think of it] Didnt he have some ability other than his strength? How did he forget about it? Maksus sorrowful gaze immediately began to turn evil. Screen Shot 2016-05-28 at 11.09.44 PM.png TL Note: Above pic is a present from the authors friend who drew this for him on the authors birthday. Chapter 93. Request Chapter 93. Request ED: Chrysanthemum The old man with the cold face was the previous master of the ck Moon Guild and the member of the Three Sovereigns, the Night Emperor Neng Mu Gi. He, who had been quietly meditating in his home at the Qilian Mountains, slowly opened his eyes. He then opened the door and went outside. The ce where Neng Mu Gi resided was at the very peak of the Qilian Mountains, the Tuanjie (FY) peak. His house was built on its dangerously steep cliffs. Once he stepped outside his house, the first thing he could see were the clouds that gathered down the floor. Neng Mu Gis gaze pierced through the sea of clouds and focused on a single spot. When he did so, he could see. Far away from him, someone was beginning to climb the mountain. It was a giant man wearing a golden robe, walking confidently upwards. Neng Mu Gis eyes narrowed as he saw this from the cliffs. Its an expert. Who is it? He had never seen such a person before. As Neng Mu Gi tried to see through the identity of the man, the gold-robed man looked up. The man looked up and smiled faintly. That smile contained the confidence and leisure of a conqueror. When Neng Mu Gi looked down at the man with a calm face, he was able to hear the mans voice in his head. [I apologize foring without notifying you in advance, but we are in a troublesome situation here so please understand.] . [My surname would be Chuk, and I work for the pce. I walk a different path from you, so you do not have to be so wary of me.] Neng Mu Gi frowned when he heard the mans name. He realized who the man was. General Chuk Gye Gwang. The expert of the Imperial Pce. He was a harmonious expert that was still hidden to the world. And surprisingly enough, this Chuk Gye Gwang happened to be on the same level as he, one of the Three Sovereigns. [Is it possible for us to talk for a moment?] What shall he do? The man was an unexpected guest. Even so, the mans identity alone made Neng Mu Gi think that the mans actions were not rude at all. After thinking for a moment, Neng Mu Gi nodded. He was curious as to why Chuk Gye Gwang came all the way here. [Well then, please excuse me.] Chuk Gye Gwangs body began to speed up. His giant body turned faint for a second, then it got enveloped in golden light and began to move with extreme speed. Shuaa- The man, who was climbing the mountain with extreme speed, saw the cliff in front of him, but didnt slow down. Instead, he began to speed up. And. Crack- He stepped on one of the stones that poked out of the cliff with his feet, and like a golden bird, flew straight upwards to the top. He did this about three or four times. In an instant, Chuk Gye Gwang had reached the top. Neng Mu Gi went into his home and brought teacups and a teapot. He put them on his table. After he breathed about two times, something came up from the cliffs. It was something that was filled with golden light. That something fell to the ground, and left a deep, clear footprint. Kuuum-! A loud, heavy sound rang out. At the same time, Chuk Gye Gwang had appeared on the top of the cliff, wreathed in a golden light. He dispersed his energy easily by moving his arms around a bit and smiled. It is nice to meet you. My name would be Chuk Gye Gwang. Are you Neng Mu Gi, the Night Emperor? Neng Mu Gi nodded. Then, he threw the teacup filled with tea towards Chuk Gye Gwang. Shuii-! Tuk- Chuk Gye Gwang received the teacup lightly and smiled. What a surprise. I didnt expect the Night Emperor himself to treat me a tea. I didnt know that a guest woulde. The tea might not taste that great. Does taste matter? The heart is what matters the most, and Im too dumb to even recognize what is good tea and what is bad tea, anyway. Neng Mu Gi did not say anything, and simply looked straight at Chuk Gye Gwang. Chuk Gye Gwang quietly looked at Neng Mu Gi as well, then spoke as he took the teacup to his mouth. In any case, thank you for treating me as a guest. I was afraid that you might try to turn me away. Your identity is too great for me to simply ignore you. A wise decision. Gulp- Chuk Gye Gwang drank the contents of the teacup in one fell swoop and sat down on the opposite side of the table form Neng Mu Gi. He red at Neng Mu Gi. Neng Mu Gi did not look away, and opened his mouth. What do you want? Chuk Gye Gwang licked his lips in disappointment when he found that Neng Mu Gi wasnt fazed one bit by his re. He opened his mouth. I have a request. Request? Yes, a request. Neng Mu Gi smiled. It was a mocking smile. You came to the wrong ce. You didnt even hear me out. I already know what youre trying to ask me to do. Neng Mu Gi brought the teacup to his mouth, and looked straight at Chuk Gye Gwang. Gongson Chun Gi isnt someone you can assassinate in the first ce. . Chuk Gye Gwang closed his mouth. That was exactly what he was about to talk about. An awkward silence emerged between the two. But to Neng Mu Gi, this silence was as natural as the air itself. Within that silence, Neng Mu Gi quietly put down his teacup and opened his mouth. There is one good thing thates out of getting old, I guess. What are you talking about. Neng Mu Gi didnt respond immediately and quietly looked at Chuk Gye Gwang. Once Chuk Gye Gwangs burning eyes and Neng Mu Gis cold eyes met midair, Chuk Gye Gwangs eyebrows twitched. This man. Chuk Gye Gwang felt the leisure and infiniteness from the eyes of Neng Mu Gi. As Chuk Gye Gwang began to frown from those eyes, Neng Mu Gi began to talk slowly. I realize that you have a different motive other that to request me to do something. .. But I have already retreated from the martial world. Do not try to make me move. I do not have neither the desire nor the power to help you. Chuk Gye Gwangs eyes shone at that moment. He couldnt give up. I need your help desperately. Although you have retreated, your fame still pierces through the heavens. If it has anything to do with Gongson Chun Gi, I cannot help you. It would be hard with just you alone, but how about five? Five? Neng Mu Gi paused at the number five. He instantly realized who these people were. Chuk Gye Gwang proceeded to confirm his suspicions. The former chief of the Alliance, Baek Mu Ryang. The master of the Nanman Beast Gate, Gu Ma Byuk. The pce lord of the North Sea Ice Pce, Dam Chun Hoo. You, and I. Even Gongson Chun Gi will be ground to dust if us five attack, dont you think? .. This truly was a frighteninglyrge n. Gongson Chun Gi wasnt someone that couldnt be overpowered with numbers. A small number of elites were needed to face him. Elites that could block his attacks and kill him. If the five that Chuk Gye Gwang spoke of were to gather, Gongson Chun Gi would just be a small obstacle. When Neng Mu Gi thought that much, he slowly opened his mouth. Again, I refuse. Why? When Chuk Gye Gwang asked this with a frown, Neng Mu Gi spoke. Like I said before, I have already left the martial world. I do not have the desire to interfere with anything that happens there. .Really? Neng Mu Gi nodded. He then closed his eyes. Neng Mu Gi was clearly chasing out his own guest. Chuk Gye Gwang looked at Neng Mu Gi with aplicated gaze then stood up. He turned around and spoke. Ill trust that you were speaking the truth just now. . If you happen toe out into the martial world in the future, I will not treat you as kindly as before. It was a clear threat. Neng Mu Gi didnt say anything. Chuck Gye Gwang spoke again with his back to Neng Mu Gi. Although there have been some changes to the initial n, Gongson Chun Gi will still die. . Then, I shall leave. Chuk Gye Gwang walked forward and jumped off the cliff. His body was once again enveloped with a golden light and fell down with great speed. Right before his body hit the ground, he stopped. This wasnt some low-ss technique he showed Neng Mu Gi earlier. He had been hiding his strength on purpose. As Chuk Gye Gwang slowly descended down onto the ground, Neng Mu Gi spoke. I do not think that even if five experts from five different forces were to work together, Gongson Chun Gi could be killed that easily. Neng Mu Gi thought of Chuk Gye Gwang and smiled faintly. That arrogant man of the Heavenly Demon Church has reached the peak of power already. No matter what you do, it would be impossible for you to kill him unless you know of his weakness. Neng Mu Gi knew of the weakness Gongson Chun Gi possessed very well. He saw the battle between Gongson Chun Gi and Baek Mu Ryang and noticed it. Shura Environment.. That overbearing martial arts technique had a frightening side effect. The user would be mad from all the blood once it is used. The Shura Environment was an evil technique. In order to kill Gongson Chun Gi, one would have to make him exhausted after using the Shura Environment. But Neng Mu Gi really didnt want to tell anyone that. I repaid you for the meal you got mest time. Neng Mu Gi thought of Gongson Chun Gis face from the past and smiled. He thought that the price of the meal was far toorge. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang checked up on Un Hui in the morning, and went straight to work. The first thing he had to do was to deal with the problem that urred due to Gal Mun Hyuk. This is annoying. He needed a new seller. Salt wasnt something one couldnt sell easily. As the country controlled almost all the salt, people who werent licensed couldnt even sell it, and even if they could, they could only sell a small amount. Therefor, the best way to sell salt was to use other sellers as a proxy, or to get a license, but none of these methods were possible. Many of these sellers were rted to Gal Mun Hyuk in one way or the other, so it was going to be extremely hard to do anything that had to do with them. Getting a new license took about half a year. This took far too much time. He needed to either make a new seller, or make connections with one that wasnt rted to Gal Mun Hyuk. This was the assignment Cho Ryu Hyang had been given, and it was something he had to solve as the leader of this ce. After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang moved to the underground storage. Normally, underground areas were extremely humid, but this was not the case for this one. It was far too dry. There were torches lined up to no end, and the storage was extremelyrge. This ce had enough security to rival the security at the actual church itself. Just what was here? Cho Ryu Hyang was able to go down to the storage easily thanks to his position in the church. It almost seemed that he knew exactly what was under the ce. Behind him was No Jin Nyung, and the Maras Heavenly Wind Division. They were extremely alert as they had to fill the position that Un Hui had been taking as well. This would be the best time for the enemy to make a move. Cho Ryu Hyang knew this well. But he was too busy to just stay holed up in a safe ce. ck ck- The underground storage had, in its centre, not gold, but white rocks. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at this with a concerned face. He took his finger to one of the rocks, scraped off the powder from it, and licked it. He could then feel the saltiness from the powder. Stone salt. This was it. This was the salt that the church had discovered. This was not the salt that came from the sea. It was the kind that could be asionally found in the mountains. The Heavenly Demon Church managed to find a giant salt mine in the mountains. About a hundred years worth. It was worth a huge amount of money. It wasnt low-quality salt, either. Normal stone salt was far inferior to the salt from themon salt. But the salt the church discovered was different. The degree of salinity in one of these rocks were enough to paralyze the tongue. Its taste and quality outranked the normal salt by quite a bit. The problem is, theres no ce where we can sell it. So what if it was tasty? If there was no ce to sell it, it was the same as any other rock. Bang-! Bang-! Cho Ryu Hyang punched lightly at these stones and growned. Normal salt sellers were too exposed. He needed to find a seller that was hidden well. As Cho Ryu Hyang thought this, No Jin Nyung tried having a taste of the salt as well. Ugh ptui! This is way too salty! Cho Ryu Hyang smiled lightly when he saw No Jin Nyung frown from the salt. Unlike the Maras Heavenly Wind Division, No Jin Nyung seemed extremely loose and leisurely. Leisure. Cho Ryu Hyang made a dazed face for a moment. Was he thinking too hard? Perhaps the answer was easier than he had thought? When he thought this, something came into his mind like lightning. Perhaps it was a coincidence, or a stroke of genius. Cho Ryu Hyang had managed to think of a n to solve all his problems. Cho Ryu Hyang grasped the hands of No Jin Nyung and spoke. I found it! What? Its all thanks to you. Thank you. No Jin Nyung looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a confused face. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled like a child in response. Although Cho Ryu Hyang himself did not realize it, this was the first childish smile he had shown in a while. Cho Ryu Hyang seemed to have forgotten how to smile brightly at some point in the past. But after he arrived at Sichuan, he seemed to be changing slowly. Chapter 94. Cho Ryu Hyang’s Plan Chapter 94. Cho Ryu Hyangs n ED: Chrysanthemum In the nation, there was aw known as the saltw. If one were to exin it simply, it was aw that allowed the nation to administrate and control the salt, and thisw was created in the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. The saltw, when it first began, allowed the government to take in a huge amount of money in taxes even more than what the officials initially expected. With this money, the nation was able to create a huge army. A huge army would be the power of the Imperial Pce. The greater the power, the more stable the position of the government would be. This was why the Imperial Pce was being so wary of salt smuggling. * * * A strange rumor began to float around the salt merchants of Sichuan. At first, this was a small rumor that just roamed from mouth to mouth of a few salesmen, but the rumor soon grew to something that choked at the necks of all the merchants. Bang-! A firm hand struck the table below it. The owner of that hand was currently trembling from extreme rage. Are you kidding me? How can our profits just halved in ten days? The losses that they sustained from all this was actually much bigger than what it sounded. Gal Mun Hyuk red viciously at the rat-like man with red eyes. But its true. The merchants that bought salt from us previously simply refuse to buy anything from us. Do you still not know why theyre doing this? None of them would agree to meet us at all. Theyre being extremely cautious as well, so its pretty hard to use brute force. Gal Mun Hyuk ground his teeth. There must be something going on. Yes, but theres no way to figure out whats happening. You bastard! You shouldve found out one way or the other. At this pace we all are just going to starve to death. But these merchants have been in this business for a long time, and they have quite a lot of influences on their own. It would be extremely difficult to capture even one merchant. Just do it. You can use how many people you want, so you just go and capture one. Understood. You know what would happen if you fail, right? ..Ill keep that in mind. You have to seed unless you want to be cured in salt. Jung Ok nodded countless times at the words of Gal Mun Hyuk and ran out. Gal Mun Hyuk looked at this scene quietly, then he sat down on his chair and muttered to himself. Its clear that the Heavenly Demon Church has made a move. This wasnt just a suspicion. He was almost certain that this was the case. The market wouldnt change like this unless someone that big moved. Gal Mun Hyuk owned the biggest salt-selling organization in Sichuan. There was no way he would not know of what was going since he owned up to 30% of all the salt in Sichuan. So how? The market does not change that easily. Unless something more charming than the norm appears, the market would stay the same. They mustve done something ingenious. He just couldnt figure out what they did, though. However he had to know. Having big merchantse to him to buy salt was extremely important. Even if selling salt in the ck market was profitable, there was a clear limit on how much they could earn. If the merchants didnt buy salt from him anymore, then they wouldnt be able to earn anything. No, theyd actually have to sell everything they had to just survive. I cant allow that to happen. Just how did he get all the way here? The Imperial Pce came to kill him for smuggling salt at first. But he bribed his way out of it, and he somehow managed to get to where he was now. He truly turned a dangerous encounter into a fortuitous event. He could be filthy rich if he just worked a little more. It would be troublesome if everything crumbled now. Want some help? Schr Ju told me to help you as much as needed, so its fine. Tai Gonggong appeared like a shadow behind Gal Mun Hyuk. Gal Mun Hyuk became extremely conflicted when he saw the man. It would be easy for the task to be finished if he were to employ the power of a harmonious expert. However this was a dual-edged de. It would show that he wasnt even capable of solving this small problem on his own. Its just a task of kidnapping a merchant. Us alone is enough. Really? I was looking forward to taking a little walk. How disappointing. When Tai Gonggong licked his feminine red lips in boredom, Gal Mun Hyuk looked down whilst concealing his feeling of disgust. Jobs as dirty as this isnt really fitting for someone like you. Its better to leave such things to us. Tai Gonggong smiled strangely. Hoh? Really? Anyway, just contact me if you need help. I havent been getting any excitement at all after that bastard. I cant help but get bored, you know? Understood. When Tai Gonggong disappeared into the shadows, Gal Mun Hyuk sighed to himself. They call it protection, but this was no different from them monitoring him. The fact that he was being monitored 24/7 stressed Gal Mun Hyuk quite a bit. But it couldnt be helped. If the ck Moon Guild or the Heavenly Demon Church moved, he would disappear in an instant. This is bad. That man who appeared before in the mountains was definitely from the Heavenly Demon Church. Just thinking about that time made Gal Mun Hyuk feel pissed. That kid who was being called the heir of the church. He had underestimated the kid far too much. He thought that he fooled the kid but to think he would be tailed.. he didnt expect it at all. Im not going to die so easily, though. As long as the Imperial Pce protected him, he was safe. Gal Mun Hyuk consoled his unstable self like so. * * * They deployed us to catch a little merchant like that? Arent they overdoing things a bit? What do you think, Chu Ilsan? The one known as Chu Ilsan, who had a nickname of Hundred Victories Saber (لٵ) in the martial world, looked at the fat man who called him calmly. Well, they must just be asking me to actually start doing something worth my money. You, Elder He (He : Pig), mustve gotten too used to ying around as well. You became too shameless. Elder He, the one who was called Ten Thousand Palms Pig (fֺ), scratched the back of his head as he spoke. Did I? Well, it is true that I dont really like this job though. What a surprise. The great pig got scared of the job before even starting? Just think of this job as repaying the employer for all the money he gave us. At this point, a skinny old man joined in on the conversation. Keke, Chu Ilsan, you kid. Its not a bad thing to steal from a salt merchant. They have a lot of money anyway, you know? Were just sharing a little, so why are you so diforted by all this? Chu Ilsan looked at the skinny old man in disgust. So the Ancient Tree Sage has the mind of a bandit. I didnt know that. Kekeke, I was a bandit from the start, so I dont really feel insulted. Chu Ilsan smiled. I wasnt trying to insult you. Theres no point in fighting with you anyway. Kekeke, arrogant child. If Im an arrogant child, wouldnt you be a sensible old man? When Chu Ilsan said this, the old man called Ancient Tree Sage cracked a few of his bones while he smiled creepily. Crack- Kukekeke, child, is your sword skills as good as your dirty talk? Its not bad. Do you have the courage to show it to me? The ten peak experts that gathered here were all the subordinates of Gal Mun Hyuk. They were all here for the same job, but since they had barely ever met each other, they did not synergize well at all. At the moment when the two seemed to collide, p-! Someone walked out from the back and spoke. Now, now. Lets stop getting all worked up, and we better start getting ready. Jin Tae Ho began to make his move. Jin Tae Ho. This was the name of their target today. Gal Mun Hyuks right hand, Jung Ok, nervously observed the group of experts. Thankfully, it seemed that they would no longer get into a conflict. Chu Ilsan decided to give in first. Then, the peak experts who were looking forward to seeing them fight stood up with a disappointed face. They then began moving towards the areas they were in charge of. Jung Ok quickly opened his mouth. Lord Gal Mun Hyuk has assigned all of you a special mission due to the trust he has in all your skills. A special mission? Jung Ok nodded. He would give one hundred gold nyangs to anyone who captures Jin Tae Ho. Kekeke. As I thought, a salt merchant has a lot of money. When the Ancient Tree Sage smiled in satisfaction, everyone nodded. Their job was to capture a single merchant. Of course, the merchant, being the rich man he was, probably had good guards, but they were all very prepared,and since the group contained peak experts, this would be an exceedingly easy job for them. Lets go. Three hundred martial artists quietly followed the marchants carriage that came out of a building. They all trembled at the thought of the massacre that would soon ensue. How long have they been following the carriage? Once the carriage reached the middle of the mountain, the experts immediately made their move on the carriage. However on the moment of impact, every single one of them realized that something was horribly wrong. The Ancient Tree Sage, who was at the very front, got bounced back like a leaf, and a huge amount of people surrounded them. Upon seeing this, Chu Ilsans face turned ugly. Were surrounded? But when? They were the ones who attacked, though. As Chu Ilsan took out his sword in confusion, someone got off the carriage. Yah! How amazing. How did you realize that these people would attack us on this spot? This merchant, Jin Tae Ho, is truly learning new things from you today. The fat middle-aged man who was sweating in the middle of winter. That mans triple chin and giant belly showed just how wealthy he was to the surrounding people. This was Jin Tae Ho, their target. Chu Ilsan was unable to run to the man, though. He was only able to frown at the group of enemiesing towards him. What? Theyre all girls? The experts who were surrounding him were, surprisingly enough, women. But Chu Ilsan was unable to underestimate them one bit. Every single one of them were either first-rates or peak experts. When Chu Ilsans jaw dropped at this scene, a voice came out of the carriage. Are there any more people? Jin Tae Ho took a look at the people who were surrounded in their formation, and he then shook his head. No, theyre all people under Gal Mun Hyuk. Thats a bit disappointing. A boy wearing sses stepped off the carriage. It was Cho Ryu Hyang. The moment he stepped out, he opened his mouth. Assistant Pce Master. Yes? The crossdressed woman who had been driving the carriage, Sunwu Cho Rin. She, who disabled the Ancient Tree Sage with a singlesh, took off her mask and kneeled. Kill everyone except him. Understood. Sunwu Cho Rin stood up with a whip in her hand. Then, she opened her mouth with eyes that shone with a hint of insanity. You heard, right? Kill everyone other than that rat over there. Understood! A massacre ensued immediately after. Everyone, whether they were a normal or a powerful expert, were being ughtered one-sidedly. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at all this with a stiff face. I was going to have to see something like this at some point anyway. His fists balled up without him knowing it. When a storm of blood began to rage, Cho Ryu Hyang thought as he bit his lips. I cant afford to let anyone live anyway. This was a strategy to bring out the ones behind Gal Mun Hyuk. The experts of the Imperial Pce. Cho Ryu Hyang was thinking of capturing them. Unfortunately, these experts did not make their move this time. In that case, there was a need to silence everyone for the sake of the next strategy. Shall I join in? Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head when No Jin Nyung asked a question. No need. Ok No Jin Nyung made a disappointed face. He saw a few skilled ones out there, so he was thinking to y around a bit, but the heir forbid him from fighting. It is finished. After a while, Sunwu Cho Rin came to Cho Ryu Hyang with a bloody whip and reported what happened. Jin Tae Ho looked at the terrifying yet beautiful visage of the woman with glee. But when his eyes came in contact with the murderous eyes of Sunwu Cho Rin, he quickly retreated into his carriage. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Jin Tae Ho for a second, then turned to Sunwu Cho Rin. Move ording to the second n, then cleaning everything up. Understood. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips as he observed the bloody field. This is only the beginning. I cannot be shaken by this. He would only be able to fight the four major powers of the world when he would drag out of Imperial Pce into the scene. Everything was moving ording to n, but Cho Ryu Hyangs face was not bright at all. Chapter 95. Maksu’s Appearance Chapter 95. Maksus Appearance ED: Chrysanthemum Cho Ryu Hyang came back to the Sichuan branch church with a tired face. He had to watch Sunwu Cho Rin and her minions decimate a group of people without turning away. It was mentally exhausting, but he didnt dare to show it. As a heir to the church, he couldnt show himself being shaken by such things. Once Cho Ryu Hyang came to the Sichuan branch, he walked to the ce where Un Hui was resting. Un Hui was unable to even sit up for ten straight days. Thankfully, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to see that the man although he had a pale facepoint, was able to sit down on a chair. Un Hui had recovered that much. The moment Cho Ryu Hyang entered the room, Un Hui stood up, walked towards Cho Ryu Hyang, and barely managed to kneel. I have worried you much, my lord. Screen Shot 2016-06-19 at 8.49.59 PM.png Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to say anything. He just stared at Un Hui silently. He soon came to his senses and make Un Hui stood up. Stop stressing yourself like that with formalities. I heard you almost died from your injuries are you alright now? Yes. In Four days I should havepletely recovered. How about your internal injuries? Have they healed? Yes, my lord. Un Hui smiled bitterly. His internal injuries were far worse than what it looked like from the outside. It was all because he used far too much inner energy while running from the experts of the Imperial Pce, and things got dangerous at a certain point After the mission finished, he recovered with extreme speed. Thanks to Un Huis strength, when the body found its bnce, it was able to heal faster. I heard you sold most of the salt that you brought. Mm. After he sat Un Hui down, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Un Hui carefully spoke with an unusual amount of curiosity. If you didnt make a deal with Gal Mun Hyuk, how did you sell all the salt? From Un Huis understanding, without Gal Mun Hyuks help, it was impossible to sell salt. Gal Mun Hyuk, who had ties with the Imperial Pce, was sure to do anything to prevent them from selling anything, and since it was impossible to sell it out in the open, the salt shouldve been just sitting in the storage How did Cho Ryu Hyang manage to sell it? Cho Ryu Hyang faintly smiled as he had noticed Un Huis confusion. I decided to think a little differently. It was all thanks to No Jin Nyung. .That guy actually did something? Un Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang in disbelief. He immediately realized how rude he was and looked down. As this was a response that was unlike Un Hui, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. Yes. He helped me think of trying something new. Im thankful for that. Un Hui looked at No Jin Nyung, who was standing behind Cho Ryu Hyang with ackadaisical face, with extreme disbelief. Upon seeing this, No Jin Nyung slowly crossed his arms. Then, he looked at Un Hui with a re that clearly transmitted the message: Im this kind of a guy. You dont have to think tooplicatedly. Cho Ryu Hyang took a sip from a teacup. Unlike Gal Mun Hyuk, who waits for customers toe to him, we just decided to go to the customers ourselves to sell the goods. The goods here must mean the salt. Un Hui realized that and became extremely shocked. Isnt that too dangerous? This would expose their identity far too much. If one were to put it simply, Cho Ryu Hyang was visiting each of the merchants to sell the salt, but wasnt this too dangerous to do? The goods themselves were far toorge, and it was far too expensive as well. Depending on how things went, it was possible to lose both the goods and the people. Right. Its extremely dangerous. Thats why we needed a safety device. Something that can make this not as dangerous as it might look. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled as he said this. Safety device? Whats that? Cho Ryu Hyang watched Un Hui be even more confused and spoke. There are two things that we have that makes us superior to Gal Mun Hyuk. What are they? First, we have the quality of the experts. Second, its the goods itself. The salt? Right. Since Gal Mun Hyuks salt is in powder form, anyone can tell its salt. Thats why they can only sell it at night because they wouldnt be able to pass the guards in the morning, but the salt we have is different. Cho Ryu Hyang took out a cubed rock from his pocket and smiled. The rich enjoy decorating their gardens with fancy rocks. Each and every one of these rocks are shaped differently and are colored differently. The country doesnt monitor it as much, either. Un Huis eyes widened. Right. As decorative rocks were only for the rich, it was inevitable that the nation wouldnt pay much attention to it. Cho Ryu Hyang used that to his advantage. We used sculptors to modify the stone salt a little and sold it. We tried to make it resemble decorative rocks as much as possible. Thanks to that, we were able to sell salt safely in the morning as well. Being able to sell salt in the morning definitely brought big changes to the salt market. The quality of the salt was good, and it was able to be sold in the morning. This was enough to move the hearts of the salt merchants. And since the seller delivered it to them themselves, it couldnt get any better. One thing that I regret though, is the fact that were selling this at the price of normal salt, but since we cant really be too greedy right now, it was inevitable. . It was easy to see that Cho Ryu Hyang really was disappointed over that one fact. It was impossible to see the happiness that one would find from someone who thought of an ingenious way to do something. Something like this wasnt impossible for Cho Ryu Hyang at all. Because of that fact, instead of gloating over the fact that he did something good, Cho Ryu Hyang just kept thinking of what more he could do. Un Hui was lost for words. He knew that the person he served was amazing. The persons talent and abilities were unfathomable by themselves. But this kind of wisdom was something unattainable by a child, wasnt it? It could only emerge after an umtion of a lot of experience and knowledge. Un Hui suddenly felt that Cho Ryu Hyang was a person who had surpassed human limits. This is the most important part that would allow us to secure our position; thus, Im going to need a lot of help. Un Hui quickly came back to his senses and spoke. Your servant shall carry out yourmands faithfully. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks. This isnt amand; its a request. You really need to recover faster now. Its about time our enemies make their move. Un Hui became more serious. The heir was right. Things were going to get dangerous from now on. They did a lot of things in Sichuan already. Information about them must have leaked out during that time. .I will try to recover as much as possible by tomorrow. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. I will be waiting. Cho Ryu Hyang exited the room, so that Un Hui could rest morefortably. Although he was able to see No Jin Nyung make fun of Un Hui behind his back, he ignored it. How long did he walk? He was able to see someone run towards him. When Cho Ryu Hyang saw this person, his heart instantly tightened. Again His heart was beating faster. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Gongson Ahri with aplicated face. Hello! . Cho Ryu Hyang was only able to nod. He was able to feel his face get hotter. The conditions are getting worse by the day. Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt able to understand. Why did he be like this in front of Gongson Ahri? He didnt do anything wrong, nor he was hiding anything from her. But he became extremely nervous in front of her. His mouth dried out, and his muscles tightened. It was as if he was in front of his teacher, Gongson Chun Gi. I dont get it. Gongson Ahri was not his teacher. He could understand when it came to his teacher since his teacher was quite special, but why Gongson Ahri? Just why? As Cho Ryu Hyang contemted on this, Gongson Ahri opened her mouth. Did Maksue here? Maksu? What about him? Cho Ryu Hyang became a little confused, but he didnt show it. He didnt. Ah.. what do I do? Gongson Ahri was unable to say anything and could only be agitated. At the point where Cho Ryu Hyang had calmed a bit, Gongson Ahri spoke. It looks like our Maksu has run away. The word our concerned Cho Ryu Hyang a little, but he decided to act calmly. Helle back whenever. You dont have to worry about him. Maksu wasnt something one could worry about. That thing only harmed. It wasnt something that could be harmed. But he hasnte back for 10 days. 10 days? Yes. Cho Ryu Hyang began to think. Ten days was a long time. The reason why he put the rabbit next to Gongson Ahri was partly because she wanted it, but mostly because Cho Ryu Hyang wanted the thing away from him. But That guy said himself that being away from me was not good for him. He didnt know how exactly far this distance was, but he was sure that it would be better for the rabbit to be close to him. Being away for so long definitely meant that the rabbit was trying to do something. How annoying. It was still unclear whether the rabbit was a friend or a foe. Because of that, Cho Ryu Hyang tried to distance him from the thing as much as possible. The actions of now must mean that the rabbit was his foe. This is bad. Since he had struck a deal with Maksu, he had some trust in him. But if Maksues out to be like this, there will be no way to stop him. The deal with him would end when Cho Ryu Hyang dies. In other words, it would be fine for Maksu to bring Cho Ryu Hyang to danger. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled when he thought of that. It was useless. It was inefficient to think of misfortunes that didnt had even happened. This was not how Cho Ryu Hyang worked. Lets wait. Will hee back? When Gongson Ahri asked this with a worried tone, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Yes. Hell definitely be back. Right. After all, he had something Maksu desperately needed. But the time when Maksu came back was a little faster than what Cho Ryu Hyang had expected. The rabbit came back that following night. In apletely different form than Cho Ryu Hyang had expected. Chapter 96. Maksu’s Identity Chapter 96. Maksus Identity ED: Chrysanthemum Naming a living being is basically a deration that one would take responsibility for that being. As parents be responsible for their children after naming them, every living thing bes tied to the one that names them. However, there was one being that simply refused to ept that. It was a dark, moonlit night. Cho Ryu Hyang woke up in the middle of that night with a splitting pain in his head. After standing up and doing several stretches, Cho Ryu Hyang became confused of the strange feeling in his head. What was that? He felt that somebody had called him during his sleep. The call was far too clear for it to be a mere dream. After thinking for a while, Cho Ryu Hyang put on his sses and went outside. Shf- Cho Ryu Hyang held his sses in one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other. As he came out to the garden, he soon frowned. It was too quiet. He couldnt feel the presences of No Jin Nyung nor the Maras Heavenly Wind Division. No, that wasnt all. He couldnt even feel any life from the nts around him. Was it because of his headache? Or was he just imagining things? Whatever the reason was, something was off. Cho Ryu Hyang looked around with a cautious gaze, and a man in white entered his sight. Yo, its been a while. . The man talked with a friendly tone to Cho Ryu Hyang, and he looked at the man confusedly. He had never seen the man before. Even so, there was a strange sense of familiarity about him. When Cho Ryu Hyang felt two conflicting emotions at once, he became extremely confused. You have responsibility over me. Thats why youre feeling two conflicting feelings at once. Dont be so confused. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the white-clothed man with a suspicious gaze. The man almost seemed to be able to read his mind. What a clever child. Youre right. I am reading your mind. Here, something like that is indeed possible. Boom-! The man took something out from behind him, and struck it in the ground. It was something Cho Ryu Hyang had seen before, and at the moment he saw it, he was able to see who the person was. Maksu? Do not call me by that name. My name is Pian Mu. This is my true form, and that is my true name. The man in white frowned deeply as he said this. You wouldnt know, but I paid much in order to get back to this form. This is only temporary, but I definitely have to check something from you. Cho Ryu Hyang saw the mans eyes slowly begin to turn of a scarlet color. I need to check if you are actually worthy enough to name me. Naming something means that one is taking responsibility over that thing. And to a nonhuman beings like Pian Mu, naming something that someone had to have greater importance than the one been named. It means that they would acknowledge that the one who named them is above them. In truth, when Cho Ryu Hyang first called him Maksu, Pian Mu was able to feel a powerful energy oppress him. However Pian Mu was unable to ept this. No way. The one who would name him needed to have strength. No, even if that person didnt have strength, the person should at least be influential enough to affect many. I cant ept it. Pian Mu wanted to confirm if Cho Ryu Hyang was truly a powerful human. Right then, Cho Ryu Hyang put on his sses and spoke. Is it fine if you break the promise between us? I thought you nonhuman beings treated promises with great importance? Of course we do. Thats why I came to you like this. The man in white, who had two names, grinned a toothy grin. Right now, I am Pian Mu. The one who made the promise with you was Maksu. How nonsensical. Cho Ryu Hyang frowned. He didnt know Pian Mu would be like this. He immediately tried to find some kind of a hole in Pian Mus statement. However. Bang-! Pian Mus pestle flew right past Cho Ryu Hyangs face and struck the ground. Lets stop the useless talk. We have to decide who is stronger right now, dont we? Something like this cant be decided with words. The floor that the pestle struck had cracked as if a bomb had gone off on that spot. Several rocks flew out from the shock, one of which had scratched Cho Ryu Hyangs cheek. Cho Ryu Hyang felt something warm flow from his cheek, and when he touched it, his face soon stiffened. Blood? Cho Ryu Hyang had been assuming that this ce might actually be an illusion. He thought that this ce was something simr to the dream that Gongson Chun Gi had shown him before. But when he actually got injured and felt pain, he began to feel more and more nervous. He wouldnt be able to feel pain like this in a mere dream. Pian Mu, once again, smiled and opened his mouth. This is a ce thats between dreams and reality. Its somewhere inside your head. I forcefully expanded that ce in your head and made this ce. Cho Ryu Hyangs face stiffened again. He had no idea what that bastard was about to do. I can always kill you in this ce. Also, if you die here, you die in real life as well. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his hands lightly as he listened. Then, for some reason, he smiled. There are actually a lot of people who are out to kill me. There were people looking to kill him in the church and outside, well that part didnt really need any exnation. But to think that even a nonhuman being woulde and try to kill him.. it was almostical. It was almost like everyone wanted his life. Come to think of it, how strong is he? Pain Mu was extremely powerful just as a rabbit. How strong would it be now? Why am I not afraid? The emotion of fear appears when one encounters the unknown. But Cho Ryu Hyangs opponent wasnt something that he didnt know anything about. Was it because of that? Cho Ryu Hyang felt unafraid. On the contrary, his opponent seemed extremely small. Strange. Cho Ryu Hyang became confused. Why was he not afraid? Did he go crazy? That didnt seem to be the case. While Cho Ryu Hyang was carefully thinking about his strange mental state, Pian Mu spoke. It is possible to do anything you want here. Use all your strength to fight me. If you manage to survive before the red moon sets, I will ept you. The red moon? Cho Ryu Hyang looked up at the sky. There was a red moon floating there. When he looked at this moon, he began to get calmer. After taking a look at the moon for a moment, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Pian Mu for a bit, and then he opened his mouth. Do anything? Pian Mu nodded as he stretched out his hand and took back his pestle. Yeah. There mustve been some things you wanted to do, right? Things you were unable to do because of your underdeveloped body. Here, you are able to do all that. Cho Ryu Hyang immediately thought of the heartfelt thought. He had been doing it since a while back. (TL Note: Heartfelt thought appears in chapter 88. Basically its a form of training where you can perform all kinds of moves w/o restriction in your brain.) When he thought of this, he smiled. He had just realized why he was so unafraid of Pian Mu. Maksu no, Pian Mu, was it? Right. Thats my name. It seems you made a huge mistake today. If he was able to do whatever he wanted like he did in his heartfelt thought training, he waspletely unafraid of any enemies. Everything that Cho Ryu Hyang possessed were extremely powerful, after all. Cho Ryu Hyang grinned. He needed to confirm something before they started. Anything within my imagination, you say? As long as its not something that exceeds your inborn talent. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded and stepped forward. There was something he needed to do before they started. The moment he thought that, his body quickly began to change. Crack-! He began to get much taller, and his body got thicker. Muscles began to grow from his limbs, and at the same time, his bones became extremely hard. Pian Mu simply smiled when he saw this. You heightened your growth rate? You wouldnt be able to get used to your new body. No, I did that a long time ago already. Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at his new body and smiled. It was the perfect body to create formations, and at the same time, make full use of the Shura Environment and the Moon Edge de Technique. This is good. He wasnt as muscr as Gongson Chun Gi at his height of power, but instead, he was thin and well-bnced. It was the body he wanted to have when he grew up. Seven years no, the me in eight years. Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at his hands. He could then feel something extremely powerful surge inside him. It was the power of the Shura Environment and the Moon Edge de Technique. You say I needed to survive till the moon sets? Right. Child, can you do it? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. I told you that you made a mistake, right? Yeah. Ill show you why. Cho Ryu Hyang made a simple punching motion. It seemed like a simple, harmless move. But when Cho Ryu Hyang did this, Pian Mu made a blocking motion with his pestle. Baang-! With a giant sound, the ground around Pian Mu broke to pieces, and the air trembled. Pian Mu began toin when he felt a throbbing pain on his wrist. Humans can have this much power? No way, this doesnt make sense. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. He really was able to do anything he wanted here. Surprised already? Thats not good. See, my teachers even more of a monster than me. The punch from before seemed simply, but in truth, it was the single most powerful punch in the world. It was the same technique Gongson Chun Gi used on Baek Mu Ryang in the past. The technique that took down Baek Mu Ryang in an instant. Dominating Shura Fist. One would expect the technique to be extremely weak due to the simple action performed by its user, but that would be a huge mistake. The Dominating Shura Fist was one of the more powerful moves in the Shura Environment. The action from before concentrated an immense amount of energy and made it explode. But of course, something like this didnt work on Pian Mu. Cho Ryu Hyang began to focus his power on his leg this time. This time. He needed something stronger. Cho Ryu Hyang pulled out the power of the Moon Edge de Technique. He then condensed it all into one part of his body. His leg shot out with extreme speed and struck the air. Kuaaa-! Air condensed into a giant lump and shot out towards Pian Mus stomach. They were 30 meters away, but distance didnt really matter between them. Pian Mu calmly looked at the lump of energy that came towards him, then struck it with his fist. How annoying. The invisible lump of energy and Pian Mus fist struck each other. Bang-! Energy dissipated along with an ear-splitting sound. Pian Mus arm trembled. The pain on his arm showed him just how strong Cho Ryu Hyangs kick just now was. How can a human even have this much power? Pian Mu was extremely irritated inside, but he acted fine on the outside. What the hell? You were so confident with just this? Or are you just trying to test me? The child really was quite amazing. But that was it. He was only amazing among humans. The child stillcked something. He didnt meet Pian Mus expectations. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. Although he knew that he didnt damage Pian Mu much, he had a smile on his face. Unlike what Pian Mu expected, Cho Ryu Hyang was actually enjoying his situation very much. I didnt test you. I tested myself, and I managed to get a satisfactory result from that test. Hoh? What was your result? Doable. Cho Ryu Hyang had calcted the power difference between him and Pian Mu. He repositioned his sses and grinned. Surprisingly enough, this grin resembled Gongson Chun Gis evil grin very much. Ill be going all out now. The Shura Environment and the Moon Edge de Technique. They were two forms of martial arts that dominated the heavens. However, they would not be able to beat Pian Mu by themselves. That was Cho Ryu Hyangs conclusion. But if I manage to mix the two? The answer he got after much thought. He was about to try out his newfound solution. Chapter 97. A Trade Chapter 97. A Trade ED: Chrysanthemum Nothing is free in this world. If you want to gain something, you lose something as a result. This was the same for Pian Mu. In order to gain back half the power he had in the past, Pian Mu had to spend quite a lot. Before meeting Cho Ryu Hyang, which was about a day ago, he had made a trade with someone. Oh? Whos this? Why did youe here today, maybe. Pian Mu? [Dont pretend that you havent seen me, Jin Jiao. You always look at me, dont you?] Maksu was currently talking to a handsome man with a long, blue hair. That man looked at the tiny rabbit in front of himself and smiled awkwardly. Were you able to feel my gaze? [Nope.] What the? You just guessed? [Yeah, you idiot. How would I ever be able to feel you looking at me?] You got me. The man called Jin Jiao lifted up his two hands with a bitter face. Even he was surprised that he made a confession like this due to some small talk. Right then, Maksu crossed his arms and spoke to Jin Jiao with a serious face. [So are you still doing that useless y with humans?] Its actually pretty fun, you know. Its fun watching them. Jin Jiao yed with his hair and grinned. That grin seemed to contain a twinge of sadness for some reason. Id probably go crazy if I didnt even have a hobby, you know? Especially with an infinite age like mine Im pretty sensitive, you see. [Useless talk.] Right, right. Just some mindless jibber-jabber from an old monster. Anyway, whyd youe here? [I came to make a trade with you.] As expected, it was that, wasnt it? Theres no way you woulde all the way out here otherwise. You hated moving around since a long time back after all. [Yeah.] Jin Jiao. He was one of the few greater monsters left in the human world, and he was someone who valued neutrality and bnce. Maksu looked at the greater monster carefully and opened his mouth. [Can you undo my curse?] It would be an impossible feat for others, but for this guy, it might be possible. The guy mustve been umting energy for countless years, which probably let him be immensely powerful. Therefore, Maksu assumed that this guy could undo his curse. However, Jin Jiao denied Maksus assumption immediately. Ei, not even I could do anything about that nonsensical curse. You think of me too highly. [So its impossible for you as well.] This was the curse created by the one and only Daode Tianzun. There was no way such a curse was going to be undone so easily. But. [But?] Jin Jiao smiled yfully. There is a way to undo it at certain times. Maksus eyes widened. He had never expected something even close to this being possible. [How?] Jin Jiao didnt answer and shook his head. He then stretched out one of his hands towards Maksu with a smile. You should tell me what youre going to give me first. You know how I work, dont you? Maksu ground his teeth. [Of course I do. You never make a deal with anyone unless you get twice the amount you give.] Hahaha! Ill take that as a praise. [What do you want from me?] Jin Jiaos eyes shone with a golden light at Maksus words. That sounds like youd give me anything that I want. Did I understand that wrongly? [You did not.] Hoh? Youll regret it though? [I regretted it already in the past. Tell me what you want before I change my mind.] Jin Jiao looked at Maksu with a curious gaze. Your current name was Maksu, right? Are you perhaps doing this all for that kid who named you? [Yeah.] Just what are you trying to get from the kid? Maksu did not respond. He simply looked at Jin Jiao with aplicated gaze. Jin Jiao looked at Maksus eyes, which was a mixture of hurtfulness and a fighting spirit and shook his head. Never mind. I asked you something useless. I just want to make a deal and thats all. I dont really need to know about what happened to you. [What do you want?] You should know. [Say it yourself.] You know that Ive only wanted one thing since the past. The mark of the beast king, ck Blood. I need that. You arent even going to use it, so why not give it to me? [Howughable. You want to be a beast king? Now?] Useless question. Lets not try to dig into our past, shall we? It just bes stressful. Maksu nodded. [Alright. Ill give it.] Really? [Yeah.] Jin Jiao smiled strangely. He crouched on the ground, got to Maksus eye level, and spoke. Im telling you this now, but I said this can only be done at certain times. [Right.] Maksu became nervous. When he made a face of defeat, Jin Jiao grinned as if telling Maksu that he neednt worry. It would be good when its the time when the full moon or a red moon rises. The curse should be undone at days like those when our power is the strongest. But you would only be able to use half your power at times like those. [Thats good enough.] Right. It was good enough. Normally, Maksu wouldnt even be able to use half of his power. This was better than nothing. After all, even if he had just half of his power, there were no beings in the human world who could beat him. I should do something about my personality. Maksu rubbed the back of his head with a bitter face. As Maksu swore that he would fix his impatience in the near future, Jin Jiao took something out from his pocket. Maksu became slightly confused when he saw that thing. [You knew how to make seals?] Of course I did. I have a lot of time, you know? You just have to activate this seal to undo it. When Maksu nodded, Jin Jiao grabbed onto Maksus hands and spoke. Ill take the ck Blood, then. [Do what you want.] WuunC ck Blood began to flow from Maksus body. It was the blood of the beast king. With such a thing as this, it was possible to bring all beings in the world under ones feet. It was something that had immense power. Jin Jiao put away Maksus blood inside a jar and smiled. The deal is done, then feel free toe by at any time. [.Bastard.] Maksuy down on the ground andined. He suddenly became tired when arge amount of his power disappeared. Maksu tiredly stood back up and burned the seal. [You say my power woulde back on the days when my power was the strongest?] Yes. [Alright. Thanks.] Maksu stumbled a bit, then managed to straighten up his body. Then, he immediately teleported himself away. Jin Jiao looked at Maksu for a moment, then opened his mouth. You cane out now, Lord Sun Wukong. I was about to. A ck-haired man appeared out of nowhere. The moment he appeared, the man stretched out his hand. Give it. Nn When Jin Jiao made aplicated face for a moment, Sun Wukong smiled. What? Do you really want to try being a king? I can just give it to you, you know? No, it just doesnt feel good to give it to you without getting anything back. Dont be so greedy. I was the one who gave you that seal, you know? Do you even know how hard it is to act like this? Isnt it too much to work me for free like this? Thats why I bought you some alcohol. To get you more motivated to swindle the rabbit, yeah? Swindle? No, the only thing I did was. Before Jin Jiao spoke any further, Sun Wukong snatched the jar of blood away and spoke. Tell me before I change my mind. I can give this thing to you. .Hn, it was just passing words. Isnt it hard, trying to be not greedy at all like that? Its not that hard when you get used to it. Jin Jiaosplicated eyes disappeared, and they were reced with calm eyes. But why do you care for Pian Mu that much? You dont even know him that well. Hmm. how do I exin? I feel like I rte to the guy? Well, theres something like that. Is that really all? Sun Wukong grinned. Well, honestly, its because watching him is interesting But its also because someone asked me to take care of him. Take care of who, Pian Mu? No, I mean the guy that Pian Mus with. Cho Ryu Hyang, was it? Jin Jiao became extremely surprised and literally jumped out of his seat. Who the hell asked you to take care of a human? Is he crazy? Yeah, I know. I was surprised too, but that guy who asked me to take care of the boy is kind of hard to refuse. Who was it? Well, you know. That dragon that came up a while ago. Tian Nu, was it? Jin Jiao blinked a few times, remembered something and opened his mouth. Ah That yinglong who became a godly dragon? Yeah. That guy came to be personally and requested me to do this. As a boss, I cant ignore my underlings requests, you know? I should at least pretend to do it. Sun Wukong rubbed his cheeks and looked up at the sky with a smile. but helping the boy anymore than this would break thews of heaven, so we should stop here. Right, Tian Nu? Jin Jiao made a fed up face when he heard Sun Wukongs words. That kid has quite a background for a human. Hes an interesting child. Sun Wukong looked at Pian Mu disappear into the distance and smiled. Anyway, that guy really is getting cuter by the moment. Why the hell is he trying to go back to his original state anyway? Just look at that pleasantly plump as.. .Noment. Jin Jiao looked forwardplicatedly. He had been watching Pian Mu before, but now he was looking at something else. He was looking at the one Pian Mu was heading to. He was looking at the human child wearing sses. Why did Yinglong feel the need to ask such a thing to Sun Wukong? It was an interesting story. The child who managed to make Sun Wukong himself move. Jin Jiao became interested in the child. * * * The Moon Edge de Technique worked only when one looked inside of oneself. It worked when one talked to the inner workings of their body. This was the core of the Moon Edge de Technique. Cho Ryu Hyang balled up his fists and looked at Pian Mu. He was not going to do something that he refused to do before. I will attempt to talk to the Shura Environment inside my body. It took quite a bit of courage to look at the Shura Environment body. Because the Shura Environment had the tendency to go out of control, Cho Ryu Hyang tried his best to not even look at it until he had enough power. Thebined consciousness of the past popes Cho Ryu Hyang bit his teeth. He had no idea how powerful that thing was going to be. He might actually be overtaken by the thing that was the Shura Environment. But I have to do it. There was no choice. There was no way to defeat that monster called Pian Mu otherwise. Cho Ryu Hyang needed to understand his two techniques perfectly and use them to his advantage. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his teeth and focused. Then, Pian Mu, along with his body, slowly started to disappear. He then sunk deep inside his consciousness. Pian Mu watched this with a great expectation. He didnt know what the kid was trying to do, but he decide to wait. Take out everything that you have. Cho Ryu Hyang. Pian Mu wished to see just what that kid was made of. Chapter 98. The Cure for the Bloodlust Chapter 98. The Cure for the Bloodlust ED: Chrysanthemum The Shura Environment. This technique was something that branched off of the first Heavenly Demons Technique. It was something that was created by taking only the most destructive parts of the original. No one really knew who was the first one to made this technique. Cho Ryu Hyang tilted his head in confusion. He could remember focusing his consciousness on the Shuras Gem in his body. Where am I. A well-trimmed yard along with a small hill. Cho Ryu Hyang watched deers run by him and observed the small stream of water flow nearby, then frowned. This is a dream inside dreams. Lets not get distracted. A while ago, Cho Ryu Hyang was inside the dream that Maksu made. He entered a dream from a dream, so he cannot afford to be confused of where he was. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head and walked forward. This was probably the illusion that the Shura Environment was showing him. In that case, his target probably wasnt far. Cho Ryu Hyangs expectations didnt fail him. After a short walk, he was able to feel someones presence. No, to be more specific, it seemed as if the being there let himself be seen for Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang walked towards that presence. When he walked over a small hill, he was able to see a thatched roof house. It wasnt too far off, so he arrived only after a short moment. He found a single old man who was sitting on the pavilion of the house. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shined when he looked at the old man. He immediately realized that the man was the master of this ce. In other words, this man was the master of the Shuras Gem inside his body. This man was the creator of the Shura Environment. The old man spoke first. Youre the disciple of that annoying idiot. Annoying idiot? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face, the old man faintly smiled as he put out the smoke from his pipe. Im talking about that idiot from the Gongson family. Cho Ryu Hyang realized that the man was talking about Gongson Chun Gi, his teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded candidly and looked at the old man in front of him strangely. How many people would be able to describe his teacher in such a way? Well, he is a person from the past And since this person was someone who created the Shura Technique, it was understandable that the man would look down on his teacher. Even so, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the old man with an interested gaze. The old man dusted off his pants and stood up. There must be a reason why you came here, right? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He needed to make the Shura Environment his. It would be bad if it went out of control. After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang asked a question. Are you the one who created the Shura Environment? Yes. The Shura Environment is mine. The Shura Environment is mine? Cho Ryu Hyang felt something strange from the old mans answer. What was it? The old mans way of speaking was strange. He decided to delve deeper. May I know of your name? The old mans face wrinkled a bit when he heard this. What? You came here without even knowing my name? Wait, how did you even get here, then? What a strange child. When the old man made a surprised face, Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks with a shrug. .There are no records of you. Right. Strangely enough, while there were plenty of records on the Heavenly Demon Technique itself, there was nearly nothing recorded when it came to the Shura Technique. Even if there was a lot, since the history of the technique was transferred to the heir orally, only a little of the information could be passed down. This is why you shouldnt get a dumb heir. Nothing ever works ording to your n. The old man satining for a short while. Then, he sat back down and opened his mouth. Child, you say you are curious of my name? Yes, elder. Who is he? The man was most likely an expert hidden by the great river of time and one of the greatest popes of all time. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the old man with an expectant gaze. The old man spoke with a sour face. Hong Sunwon. .What? My names Hong Sunwon. Hong Sunwon? It sounds a little familiar? At that moment, a single word struck Cho Ryu Hyangs head like lightning. Heavenly Demon (ħ)? Yeah. Im the creator of the church, Heavenly Demon Hong Sunwon. Cho Ryu Hyang became extremely surprised. The old man in front of him was more of a monster than he had thought. * * * There was nearly nothing known about the original Heavenly Demon. Although his achievements have been passed down through the ages, there was nothing on his personal life. There were only records written by passing observers. It was quite interesting, actually. Normally, there wouldve been all kinds of records about the man, ranging from how he affected the world, all the way to what his daily life was like, but the reality was different. When Cho Ryu Hyang asked why things were like this, the old man thought a moment before answering. Its all because my disciple was far too dumb. . He just couldnt make my ns progress. He developed quite an inferiorityplex because of that. He probably erased all records of me because of his feelings. That idiot. The old man. No, the Heavenly Demon swore at his disciple for quite a bit, then lit his pipe and turned to Cho Ryu Hyang. Child, do you know who my heir was? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He had memorized the names of all the popes in the past. The Ten Thousand Evils Emperor. Right. I had to change the Heavenly Demon Technique because of that idiot. Thats how the Shura Environment came into existence. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He remembered hearing something about this in the past. But the Ten Thousand Evils Emperor wasnt as dumb as the Heavenly Demon made the man out to be. That man was the person who expanded the influence of the church further into the nation after the death of the Heavenly Demon. The man just didnt meet the Heavenly Demons expectations. In truth, he was quite an amazing person. Cho Ryu Hyang, while thinking of all this, suddenly thought of a question, and carefully opened his mouth. Is the Heavenly Demon Technique better than the Shura Environment? The Heavenly Demon smiled upon hearing this question. An iplete question. After staring at Cho Ryu Hyang for a little bit, the man opened his mouth again. It all depends on the practitioners talent. Martial arts techniques are only there to assist. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. This was simr to what his teacher had told him in the past. When he thought about it, it really was a stupid question. You came here to be able to use the Shura Environment well, didnt you? Yes. So youre smarter than that Gongson Chun Gi. Do you know my teacher well? Of course I do. He learned the Shura Environment. Theres no way I wouldnt know about him. When the Heavenly Demon answered his question gruffly, Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face. Teacher said that there was a side effect to the Shura Environment. Do you know about this? Of course I do? After all, I was the one who created it. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes widened. You made it on purpose? Not exactly, but Im making the side effect particrly bad for Gongson Chun Gi. I dont like him. What does that mean? Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face. Do you not understand? Yes. It sounds a bitplicated. Its notplicated at all. The Heavenly Demon quietly looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and spoke with a low voice. I purposefully made it so that the side effect is particrly bad for Gongson Chun Gi. Cho Ryu Hyang became even more confused. You can choose who gets a worse side effect? Yeah. This was a new bit of information. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses and asked another question. May I know why you made it so bad for my teacher? Its simple. I dont like him. He has no respect for his elders. . It really was simple. And due to the nature of Gongson Chun Gis personality, Cho Ryu Hyang was only able to take it in without any resistance. The Heavenly Demon kept talking with a wrathful voice. Theres no need to even talk about the others. They were all useless. They didnt have the qualifications to meet me. Gongson Chun Gi was different. He had all the qualifications, but .But? He didnte to meet me. He only tried to work me like a servant. Wouldnt that make a senior like me mad? . Well I cant even do anything with him now since that guy passed on the Shuras Gem to you, I cant gue him with the side effect any more. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shone with hope. Does that mean that teacher would be able to get rid of his side effect? Yeah. Unfortunately. This was good news. He knew how hard his teacher had tried to get rid of the side effect. When Cho Ryu Hyang made a happy face, the Heavenly Demon only became more annoyed. Are you that happy? Yes. Teacher would finally be able to aplish his wish. The Heavenly Demon was a little taken aback by Cho Ryu Hyangs honesty. That arrogant idiot really did get a good disciple. How lucky, but why do you keep trying to anger me when you came to get rid of the side effect? I dont like Gongson Chun Gi. It would be bad if you take his side? Cho Ryu Hyang answered this with a smile. I know you arent that close-minded. You took care of your sessors very well if I recall. One of the few records of the Heavenly Demon stated that he treated talented people with great care. He had treated anyone, whether they be friend or foe, withpassion as long as they were talented. When Cho Ryu Hyang said this, the Heavenly Demon licked his lips and answered. It is true that I like talented juniors, but Gongson Chun Gis an exception. I just dont like him anymore. How about me, then? You are. After looking at Cho Ryu Hyang for a moment, the Heavenly Demon opened his mouth. You have talent as well as luck. Not bad. Too bad youre under Gongson Chun Gis guidance. Ill take that as aplement. When Cho Ryu Hyang said this with a smile, the Heavenly Demon threw the tobo in his pipe to the ground and spoke. What do you think is the side effect of the Shura Environment? I had heard that it was bloodlust. Thats what most people seem to think, but its wrong. Bloodlust isnt everything. What is it, then? Even Gongson Chun Gi thought that bloodlust was the side effect. Bloodlust doesnt even count as a side effect. In fact, its what a person who walks on the path of the demons needs. One would only be able to be powerful as they be charmed more and more by blood and violence. Was that how it was? Cho Ryu Hyang made a face of disgust, but the Heavenly Demon kept on talking. The real side effect appears when one bes too enamored by the power of the Shura Environment. When that happens, then the user would give up his body. To me. What? Give up his body? To whom? Did the Heavenly Demon read the confusion in Cho Ryu Hyangs face? The man struck his chest a few times and spoke. The practitioner would give up his body for me. As a sacrifice. Cho Ryu Hyang became even more confused. He wasnt quite sure what that meant. Dont you know of human sacrifice? Who is the god of the church? Its me, isnt it? .! This is the truth of the Shura Environment. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the Heavenly Demon with an astonished face. He was unable to say anything due to his surprise. The Heavenly Demon looked at this happily and spoke. Finally, we can talk more seriously. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded dumbly. Now, would you like to learn about the real Shura Environment? The real Shura Environment? Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes began to brighten. Well, you dont really have no choice, now that youre here. Try learning it, why dont you. Smash everyone outside after that. Show them the power of the demons. Conquest of the world. Right. Thats what I desire to see. Its also why I exist here. The Heavenly Demons eyes burned with desire. The same me began to appear inside Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes as well. tl;dr: Dont fucking support the thieves, support the trantor instead. Chapter 99. Cho Ryu Hyang Finds a Clue Chapter 99. Cho Ryu Hyang Finds a Clue ED: Chrysanthemum Pian Mu became quite bored as he waited for Cho Ryu Hyang. The boy really was taking his time. But at that precise moment, Pian Mus ears twitched. Cho Ryu Hyangs body began trembling for some reason. At the same time, a mysterious aura flowed from the boys body. Vuun- Hoh? Finally awake? The aura that surrounded Cho Ryu Hyang had a purple tinge and was extremely strange. Pian Mu looked at this with an interested face, but then Cho Ryu Hyangs trembling heightened even more. Something was wrong. Whats going on? It looked like Cho Ryu Hyang was waking, but something was different. A little whileter, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes. Pian Mu frowned when their eyes met. This wasnt the person he had been waiting for. What the hell? How did you get in here? . Cho Ryu Hyang did not respond. Instead, he looked around for a moment. His eyes emanated with a purple light. A glint of maturity and age could be seen from those eyes. I will ask you again, human. Zhuge Liang, was it? How did you get in here? Zhuge Liang did not respond. He simply looked at his own body with a curious gaze. Then, he smirked. I was wondering what you two were doing what a fun game youre ying, Pian Mu. Answer my question. How did you get in here? Pian Mu gripped his pestle with a big frown. He didnt understand. This was his world. The world he made for Cho Ryu Hyang. And he had specifically designed the ce to block out that old man. How did he get in? Pian Mus eyes were filled with surprise and suspicion. You must be quite surprised. Thats an understatement. You are a strange being. Not even gods can ignore the naturalws like you do. Who the hell are you? Theres no need for me to tell you. You should, if you dont want to die. This is my world, you know? How interesting. Zhuge Liang was taunting Pian Mu. Pian Mu grinned. There are those who only regret things after death. Pian Mu gripped his pestle even harder. Come to think of it, he had something to give back to this this man, didnt he? It would be good to pay the man back now. But at that moment, Zhuge Liang flinched and looked back at his body. He spoke with a regretful voice. Unfortunately, it doesnt look like Ill be able to y with you today. Why? Feeling scared now? Unfortunately, it looks like this child is about to wake up. Zhuge Liang pointed to Cho Ryu Hyangs body and smiled. Pian Mu, in return, made a disappointed face. Before he went back, Zhuge Liang opened his mouth. Is it alright to give you an advice before I leave? Pian Mu tried to wave him away. Just leave. Do I seem thatughable to you? I just lostst time because I underestimated you. Right. He only lost because he underestimated his enemy. The same thing wont happen twice. Zhuge Liang simply nodded in response and spoke. You seem to be misunderstanding something. I never looked down on you. Shut your mouth, human. He didnt like him. He didnt like how the man spoke as if he knew everything. Did this man even know how great of a being he was? As Pian Mu scrunched up his face and twitched his ears in annoyance, Zhuge Liang spoke. Arent you curious why you got chased out into the human world? ? Pian Mus eyes shook. He then glowered at Zhuge Liang with suspicion. How would you know anything about that? How dare a human try to talk of the matters of heaven. It was outrageous. Zhuge Liang simply smiled when he saw Pian Mus face of distrust. Be careful of your arrogance. You are only going through hardships like this because you have a great role in the future. You will ascend to the heavens ording to thews of nature, so you do not need be so rushed to return. . Pian Mus eyes shook slightly. At first nce, these words simply seemed nonsensical and fancy. But as these words strangely fit into Pian Mus current situation quite well, they had a great power of persuasion. This made Pian Mu confused. Who is this guy? What was this person? Pian Mu was extremely confused, and he did not know what to do. At that time, Zhuge Liang crossed his arms and spoke. Its time. You should be able to see what you have wanted once the child wakes. Pian Mu made aplicated face as Zhuge Liang left Cho Ryu Hyangs body. The man had left before he could confirm anything. And at that moment, Cho Ryu Hyangs body began to tremble slightly. This time, the trembling was extremely stable and seemedforting. Pian Mu opened his mouth when the boys eyes opened. Finally, he got the person he had wanted to see. You made me wait too long, child. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He immediately tried gathering power in his fingers and smiled. He felt a satisfactory amount of power from it. Im sorry for making you wait, Maksu. Damn it! I told you not to call me by that name! Im really pissed right now too! Pian Mu swung his pestle several times and opened his mouth. You might as well just serve to be my stress relief. Vuun- There were no warnings whatsoever. Pian Mus pestle simply cut through the wind towards Cho Ryu Hyangs skull. Baang-! An unfathomably deep hole appeared with a loud bang. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at this from afar andughed. Hes stronger than my teacher, in terms of physical strength alone. A small mutter escaped Cho Ryu Hyangs lips. At the same time, the boy took off his sses and put them in his pocket. He could see now. He could see how powerful his teacher was. He could see that Gongson Chun Gi had probably reached the limits of humanity. And once he realized that, he understood and gained something. The second state of the Moon Edge de Technique. He was about to figure out what the next state after Ryun, Tong (ͨ: connection), was. This in truth was a great gain. As Cho Ryu Hyang organized the newfound information in his brain, Pian Mu opened his mouth. A long time ago, someone high up in the heavens told me something. . There is only one reason why humans are so fearsome. Tuk- After putting the pestle on one side of his shoulders, Pian Mu spoke. Potential. I was told to be alert of humans and respect them at the same time because of that. The potential to be anything and achieve anything. Pian Mu was told not to underestimate humans because of that. But I dont believe any of that. Its all bullshit. A faint killing intent emanated out of Pian Mus eyes. Humans were weak and stupid. They were extremely greedy as well. Fear those things? No way. There was no way such a thing was possible. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt say anything. Prove to me that humans have potential; otherwise, youll just be a lump of flesh by the time Im done with you. Cho Ryu Hyang cracked his hands a few times and tilted his head. I dont understand why youre telling me all this, but I do want to tell you this one thing. What, yourst words? Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. I am thankful for you doing this. What? Thankful? Puhaha! Did you finally go crazy or something? When Pian Mu mockingly said this, Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks. Thanks to the world you made here, I was able to understand some things that I was unable to understand in all this time. This is extremely fortunate from me. Thank you. Pian Mus lips twitched when he felt the honesty from Cho Ryu Hyangs words. Be thankful when you get out, but do you even think that youd be able to survive here? Who knows. Before he understood a small portion of Tong, he was confident of winning. His power just felt that great. But now, he only felt powerless. He was now able to feel the immense power that Pian Mu possessed. It wasnt martial arts, nor was it a form of magic, but the difference between them based on pure power was far too big. For now. But that didnt mean Cho Ryu Hyang had given up. Its not like I cant win. Cho Ryu Hyang beckoned Pian Mu to attack. Pian Mu looked at Cho Ryu Hyang for a single moment, then struck out with his palm with extreme speed. Kuang-! Are you ying with me here? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Yeah. What? You told me, didnt you? Survive till it bes dawn. Just surviving seems easy enough. Crazy bastard. Pian Mu became extremely mad. Just what did he expect from humans in the first ce? Did he think that this particr one would be different or something? When Pian Mu unexpectedly found himself agreeing with the suspicion that just rose up in his mind, a wrathful me rose up. And this wrath naturally poured out to Cho Ryu Hyang. Ill kill you. If this really was someone who didnt even deserve his respect, it was better to kill that person off at once. When Pian Mu charged out in anger, Cho Ryu Hyang quickly moved back whilst punching towards his attacker. Kuangkuangkuang-! Nothing struck Pian Mu. To Pian Mu, Cho Ryu Hyangs attacks felt just like a little childs fists. Cho Ryu Hyang could do nothing but retreat. Kukakaka-! Babababang-! Everything that came out of Cho Ryu Hyangs hands were all high-ss moves of the Shura Environment as well as the Moon Edge de Technique. Each and every one of his attacks would render just about any martial artist speechless. But. None of these attacks reached Pian Mu. Pian Mu frowned whenever Cho Ryu Hyang attacked, and in the end, he put his hand up with a tired face. Is this all? Is this everything you have? . Cho Ryu Hyang was attacking as hard as he could. He was dodging and attacking skillfully, but this was only because Pian Mu was going easy on him. Both Cho Ryu Hyang and Pian Mu knew this. then Ill slit your stomach and take the Dragons Pearl. He had endured enough. When Pian Mu stretched out his hands, Cho Ryu Hyang suddenly began to get attracted to his opponent. Cho Ryu Hyang tried his utmost to resist, but it was of no use. It only slowed down his impending doom a little. The end. The moment when Pian Mu lifted his pestle and tried to smash Cho Ryu Hyangs head, Cho Ryu Hyang grinned. Thats my line. Pa- Pa- Paa-! Lights appeared from the surrounding area. At the same time, the floor shook greatly. A formation? You didnt even have a core though, so when? Pian Mu had known that the boy was creating a formation since a while back. In fact, this was the part he paid the most attention to, so how? Did you Pian Mu looked down at the light that spilled from the ground below him with an astounded face. Cho Ryu Hyang, who was trying to resist Pian Mus pull, suddenly jumped towards the man. This formation wasnt the only attack he had. Pian Mu was slightly surprised by this, but he immediately became calm. He was confident that no human could even injure him. At that time, Cho Ryu Hyang shot forward with his hands near his chest. At the empty space between the two hands was a white ball of light. Chapter 100. Theoretical Formation Chapter 100. Theoretical Formation ED: Chrysanthemum Sunwu Cho Rin decided to head out for once. She separated herself from her guards and went outside secretly. She was being extremely cautious of any followers. After walking in circles for quite some time, she entered a teahouse and immediately began to swear. Hey, you dogshit! Are you crazy? How dare an ugly person like you request an emergency meeting? Do you think Im your lover or something? Is that how it is? Ha, haha, sorry, little family head. The higher-ups wanted to get this done as fast as possible. Im actually under a lot of stress as well. Please understand with your merciful self. In the teahouse, a man in a workers clothes was profusely asking for forgiveness. Sunwu Cho Rin looked at the man with slitted eyes for a moment, then she smirked. Did my father tell you to tter me like that? .Yes. He told me or youd beat me to death otherwise. Hes right about that. The man, whose name was Sunwu Se Ok, was the leader of the Sunwu Familys darkness, the Earth Dragon Brigade. That man that was looking at Sunwu Cho Rin was being extremely polite. Their ss was different. Although they both used thest name of Sunwu, Sunwu Cho Rin was a direct descendent while Sunwu Se Ok was from a branch family. The four families of the church separated ranks ording to blood. Sunwu Cho Rin leaned back on her chair and spoke. There is a harmonious expert near the heir. Yes. I heard there were two, but one of them is severely injured, so why not attack now? Suwnu Cho Rin made a strange face. I had thought that it would be alright to attack as well but theres something that bugs me a little. Lets wait for now. Sunwu Se Ok frowned. Apologies, but may I know what is that thing that bugs you so much? It would help us a great deal. Do you really want to know? Yes. Do you really have to hear it? Is it something private? No, not really. Then tell us. Sunwu Cho Rin looked at Sunwu Se Ok with a discontent face. But not even her could do anything to Sunwu Se Ok. Not only was he her cousin, but he was also one of the strongest experts in the family. Hes a man, as well. It was infuriating, but a woman could not be the family patriarch. Just because Sunwu Se Ok was a man, he was higher than her in terms of bing the next heir. He was smart as well. Although he was handling the shadowy matters in the family. Once everything sorts itself out, he would be qualified to fight for the position of the heir. Of course, his chance of seeding would be extremely small. After thinking for a bit, Sunwu Cho Rin opened her mouth with an annoyed face. Its intuition. What? What did he hear just now? Sunwu Se Ok wasnt sure if he heard right. Its a womans intuition. The heir definitely is hiding something. A womans intuition? Yes. Sunwu Se Ok looked at his beautiful mistress with an astounded face. What the woman was saying was ridiculous. Did she expect him to just wait, because of her intuition? Did she really expect him to give up a perfect time to strike the heir? There was no way he would do that. Sunwu Se Ok sighed and opened his mouth. The people from the main house have moved, and it looks like people from the other families areing as well. Theres no way we can just wait without being given a proper reason. Sunwu Cho Rins eyes narrowed. At the same time, a cruel smile floated up her face. Its not my fault if you all die, ok? .Right, right, of course. When Sunwu Se Ok answered her with a bitter face, Sunwu Cho Rins smile just kept getting bigger. Do what you want, then. It doesnt matter to me what you do, but one thing is for sure. If you go by yourselves, you will fail, and there will be no second chance. The heir is quite smart, you see. At least a hundred times smarter than you. . Sunwu Se Oks eyebrows bunched up together. He was conflicted. He wanted to proceed with the n after taking into ount all the variables that might affect him. However it wasnt like he could wait to find the variables just because of Sunwu Cho Rin. What to do. As Sunwu Se Ok became more and more troubled, Sunwu Cho Rin became troubled as well. Why do I feel so cautious of the heir? Like Sunwu Se Ok said, it was a good time to attack the heir. But she hesitated. Why? Was it because of Cho Ryu Hyang is tactical genius? Sunwu Cho Rin shook her head. Theres definitely something else. Right. There was something special that Cho Ryu Hyang had. They couldnt just attack because he seemed weak. Well see what he has in time. Sunwu Cho Rin took a look at Sunwu Se Ok and smirked. This guy definitely wouldnt make his move especially when he became suspicious of something. Of course, he was thinking carefully to himself now, but in the end, he wouldnt do anything. He was overly cautious when it came to things like this. But even if the four families do not move, there were countless ces that sought the death of Cho Ryu Hyang. This was especially true, now that the four families went out to bait out these groups. I can find out what he has at that time. There would be no need to fear Cho Ryu Hyangs trump card after he shows it to the public. The four families werent weak enough to be defeated by something they knew. * * * Pian Mu wiped away the blood at his abdomen with a surprised expression. What was that? Cho Ryu Hyang inched backwards with sweat pouring out of his pores. He had seeded in using the powers of the Shura Environment and the Moon Edge de Technique together. But it had used far too much power. I need time. His body felt like it waspletely void of any energy. At the same time, it became heavy like a wet sponge. As Cho Ryu Hyang tried his utmost to gather more power, Pian Mu looked at the tiny hole in his belly and grinned like a child. He licked the blood on his fingers. This is the first time any human has injured me. I praise you for that. This time, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. Should I be thankful? Of course. Im a great person, you see. I mustve poked a hole in your brain by ident. Pian Mu casually put his pestle on his shoulder. Why dont you rest? Youre tired, arent you? . When Cho Ryu Hyang did not respond, Pian Mu smashed the pestle into the ground and leaned on it. That much power is too much for any human, but anyway, are you crazy? What kind of an idiot gets stuck in his own formation? Cho Ryu Hyang simply sighed. This isnt the first time I got stuck in my own formation. What? Yes. Im an idiot. Cho Ryu Hyang used his toes to begin to draw strange shapes on the ground. Pian Mu didnt interfere and just watched on with a curious face. Who did you learn how to make formations from thin air? I havent seen this even from where I lived in the past. Cho Ryu Hyang paused. His eyes shook for a moment as he turned to Pian Mu. From my teacher. Hoh? The pope of the Demon Church, was it? The father of that yellow-haired girl. Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. The person in his mind was the man who, after much experimentation and study, taught Cho Ryu Hyang much of what he knew today. It was Jo Gi Chun. .Its a different person. Really? What a talented person. Something like this is hard even for me. When Pian Mu praised Cho Ryu Hyangs teacher, the boy was able to immediately recover. Right. Even you would have a hard time getting out. It would be troublesome if it was easy. Just how was this formation made? How was this formation, the formation that even his teacher deemed impossible to make,e into existence? This formation only existed in theory. Strangely enough this theoretical formation didnt require much calctionpared to the amount of power it had. Formless Formation. The illusory formation that didnt have a form. There was only one reason why this formation was a theoretical formation. All formations in the world needed a core. Normally, formation experts use precious and special materials as a core. Cho Ryu Hyang did something simr, only that he used rocks to create cores. The formless formation was something that was even more advanced than his current form of formations. A formation that uses energy itself as a core. Once a person bes a harmonious expert, they be able to make use of the energy in their surroundings. This is the reason why they are able to kill experts from afar. And here, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to use power that rivalled those of a harmonious experts. Thanks to that, he was able to create the formless formation. But. Because it was a formation that used energy itself, the energy that it uses was tremendous. This was because he had to continuously exert energy into the formation till it came into existence. At the same time, he had to use the Shura Environment, as well as the Moon Edge de Technique, which made his body extremely unstable. Cho Ryu Hyangs body was in a very bad state. But he still had work to do. Finish what you were doing. Im looking forward to seeing what it is. Pian Mu was rxed. This child was not normal. Actually, the child had already exceeded his expectations at this point. His dislike for humans were almostpletely destroyed thanks to the child. After all, Cho Ryu Hyang had used multiple things that Pian Mu had never seen before, and he even managed to injure him. It made Pian Mu look at humans with interest. It was amazing, wasnt it? Just the fact that the child still had much to show him excited him. Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at the shapes that he was drawing, then sighed. Im telling you this now, but youll regret giving me this much time. Thats what Im looking forward to. When Pian Mu said this with a grin on his face, Cho Ryu Hyang steadied his breath and spoke. Ill show you how dumb it is to give me time. Not even Cho Ryu Hyang knew how dangerous his actions right now was. But this was the only way to win against Pian Mu. A formation inside a formation. He was about to perform that nonsensical formation the imugi showed him right now. Cho Ryu Hyangs thought process began elerating. Chapter 101. The Move of The Four Powers Chapter 101. The Move of The Four Powers Edited by: Chrysanthemum It was early morning. No Jin Nyung stood up from his spot as he stretched his tired body. As he stretched, he took a look at Cho Ryu Hyang right next to him. He seems to have slept more than before? Cho Ryu Hyang usually woke up at a regr time every day. He would wake up once he got enough sleep for himself. But something was different today. Is he tired? No Jin Nyung didnt think much of it at first. He only felt that something was wrong when his master didnt wake up even after noon. Rumble- Around the time when the No Jin Nyungs stomach began to rumble, No Jin Nyung, who didnt really know what to do, ended up turning a little mechanism above Cho Ryu Hyangs bed. Huu- With a small shake, some invisible presence that had blocked No Jin Nyung beforehand disappeared.. No Jin Nyung carefully walked right beside Cho Ryu Hyangs bed, and turned the mechanism back to its original spot. Whoosh- A hot wind surrounded the general area, and formed a circr barrier around Cho Ryu Hyang. It was a sort of a defensive formation Cho Ryu Hyang set up before sleeping. I never get tired of seeing this. The first time the heir showed him this formation, No Jin Nyung was surprised out of his mind. There was a way to separate the inside and the outsidepletely, just by fiddling with a simple mechanism? Moreover, not even he, a harmonious expert, was able to sense the formation. Only when he focused his senses to the utmost was he able to sense that something was there. If an outsider unknowingly went in, he would be trapped inside an invisible prison. Well No Jin Nyung frowned once he deactivated the formation and neared the bed. He could see that the heirs face was slightly contorted. Eh? Is he having a nightmare? Should he wake him up? Or should he let him sleep? As he contemted on what he should do, a small moan escaped Cho Ryu Hyangs lips. Mmm. Cho Ryu Hyang seemed extremely painful. No Jin Nyung decided to stop thinking, and just wake up his master. However. Chichichi- Uee? No Jin Nyung moved back, and shook off the electricity that coiled up his arm. Chuaa-! Electricity dissipated into the air, causing No Jin Nyungs hair to stand, but No Jin Nyung was unable to pay attention to that. A living person outputting electricity? Was this something that even made sense? No Jin Nyung was extremely shocked, but he had no time to dwell on his surprise. A warning bell was going off in his mind. Lim bro, you there? [What the heck was that?] No Jin Nyung looked somewhere outside the defensive formation as he heard the question from the leader of the Maras Wind Division. Looks like something happened to the heir. Well need a doctor. As soon as No Jin Nyung finished his sentence, a Lim Hak Gyum emerged from the darkness. I sent my subordinate. The doctor should be here soon. May I go in as well? Shoot, wait a second. No Jin Nyung disabled the formation, and let Lim Hak Gyume in. You should take a look as well, Lim bro. Im dumb, so I cant really see whats wrong here.. Lim Hak Gyum nodded as he listened to No Jin Nyung talk to him as if he was some old man next door. He had felt this multiple times before, but this No Jin Nyung was extremely immature, contrary to his power. Because of that, he had been distrustful of the man before, but it seemed that his worries were needless. No Jin Nyungs face was filled with fear and desperation right now. The man honestly was worried of Cho Ryu Hyang. Lim Hak Gyum made a serious face, and put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyang. Then.. Chichichi- Lim Hak Gyum got struck by the electricity and got repelled back. But because he had been protecting himself beforehand, the damage he took in was less than No Jin Nyungs. Mm. The electricity was stronger than he had expected. Lim Hak Gyum quickly used his inner energy to dissipate the electricity in his body. What do you think, Lim bro? Why is he sleeping for so long? Is he just tired? Even so, I never heard of anyone shooting electricity while sleeping, so whats going on? Lim Hak Gyum, instead of responding, carefully dissipated the electricity inside him. He let out a deep breath, and responded. There was a time when the heir became like this in the past. But he didnt show such a violent reaction like this. No Jin Nyung became confused when Lim Hak Gyum spoke uncertainly. Was this before I was there? Yes. How did he wake up then? He woke up a few days after the Pope took a look at him. Really? Then we just have to wait? Thats simple. No Jin Nyung smiled, as if he was happy with the unexpectedly simple method to cure his master. But Lim Hak Gyum shook his head. We cant be sure. After all, the pope himself was there. Do we have to get the pope here then? Thats quite difficult as well. Theres still a month till he woulde. Hm. No Jin Nyung began to stroke his chin with a frown. He was beginning to do something that didnt suit him at all, which was to think. Lim Hak Gyum made a difficult face as well. The current situation outside wasnt very good. Just the fact alone that the Alliance and the ck Moon Guild got into an alliance was problematic. But. Unexpectedly enough, the heir was quite calm about this. It was almost as if he had expected this. But Lim Hak Gyum knew that the heir did not know anything about this. Right then. Vuun vun vun- A purple energy began to flow from the heirs body. Whats this? When No Jin Nyung took a look at what was inside, he found a set of bracelets that emitted a strange light. They were bracelets that Cho Ryu Hyang received on the way to Sichuan, the bracelets that served to repress the Shura Environment. This bracelet was currently trembling whilst emitting a purple light. The heir really has a lot of strange toys. No Jin Nyung looked at the bracelet with an interested face, then turned to Lim Hak Gyum. He didnt know what to do. Bang-! Right then, Un Hui opened the door ran in with a pale face. Without saying a word, he ran towards Cho Ryu Hyang, and checked if his master was doing alright. Why are you here? No Jin Nyung looked at Un Hui distastefully. Un Hui didnt respond, and looked over Cho Ryu Hyang. I heard something happened to the master from the doctor. Man, word flies fast. But what happened to the doctor? Hesing. What happened? Cho Ryu Hyangs sweating body and his frown clearly indicated that he was in a lot of pain. But Un Hui couldnt figure out what was wrong. Therefore, Un Hui stretched his hand out. Chichichi- Un Hui flinched back the moment he touched Cho Ryu Hyangs forehead. He frowned as he felt the electricity flowed inside him, but he quickly redirected it all into the wall next to him. Just what is. Uhehehehe! I knew that would happen to you. Un Hui frowned, and quickly turned away to Lim Hak Gyum when No Jin Nyungughed at him. This guy really was useless. What happened? I dont know. But one thing I know for sure is that not even doctors would know much about this. The doctor rushed in as Un Huis face began to contort. Un Hui took a look at the doctor for a second, hesitated for a second, then turned to Lim Hak Gyum with a downcast face. Lim Hak Gyum seemed to have thought the same thing, and just nodded lightly. I, I will take a look, then. .. The doctor became confused for a second because of the silence in the room, but eventually went on to try to see what was wrong with Cho Ryu Hyang. And Chichichi-! Ahhh! Un Hui grabbed the doctor as the man flew away, and quickly let the electricity out. Are you alright? Hak, hak! The doctor looked at Cho Ryu Hyang, and then at Un Hui several times with a surprised face. Apologies, but please understand. We just wanted to see if you were able to do anything. No Jin Nyung sighed as he watched the doctor nod dumbly. Lets just leave him be. We cant do anything. Un Hui nodded with aplicated face. The moment he recovered, his master got in a bad condition. At that moment, he noticed the bracelets in No Jin Nyungs hand. Why do you have that? This? You know what it is? If Un Hui remembered correctly, these bracelets were given to Cho Ryu Hyang by Gongson Ahri. Wasnt it the thing that the Pope wanted to hand over? What seemed to be a normal bracelet in the past was now letting out a purple light. It was almost as if it was asking to be used. Come to think of it, the Pope wears a simr set of bracelets as well. The bracelets definitely must do something, seeing that even the Pope wears it. After thinking for a moment, Un Hui snatched away the bracelets from No Jin Nyung. There is something that I would like to ask you, chief Lim Hak Gyum. Speak. How is the current situation outside? Lim Hak Gyum frowned. Not good. Lim Hak Gyum refrained himself from saying it wouldnt be strange if they made their move. He realized that he could identally jinx it. Is it fine for the master to be staying like this for a long period of time? Lim Hak Gyum shook his head. It wouldnt be strange at all if the four powers attacked now. There was no way for them to be able to fend off the attacks from the four powers. It looked like misfortunes liked to pile up together. [Chief, theres trouble!] Lim hak Gyum frowned at the urgent voice from his subordinate. What happened? [The four powers are moving. Theyre making their way here right now.] What? What kind of a coincidence was this? Lim Hak Gyum made a dumb face. Un Hui looked at him with a cold gaze. Things dont seem to be going well. ..Yes. The four powers made their move. When Lim Hak Gyum shot out the words with a disgusted face, Un Hui calmly opened his mouth. Is there a way to stop them? Lim Hak Gyum shook his head. It looked like the Heir had a special n in mind, but I didnt get anything from him just yet. This was troublesome. Like this, they would have to give up on establishing the Sichuan branch. But doing that would be extremely bad. Just leaving behind all the things they put into making this branch was a problem in itself, but then the one thing that mattered even more than that was their pride. Their pride would be severely damaged if the four powers were allowed to take this ce. Their enemies were probablying because they knew that, and because of that, there was no way they could retreat. They had to protect this ce with their life. While Lim Hak Gyum thought this, Un Hui turned to Lim Hak Gyums subordinate. Where is the enemy? [..] When the subordinate looked at Lim Hak Gyum with a troubled face, Un Hui turned to Lim Hak Gyum as well. You can tell him. Once Lim Hak Gyum gave his permission, the subordinate opened his mouth. [They passed Jizhu, and are heading here right now. It would take them about half a day to get here.] Un Hui became confused. The way the subordinate worded the sentence was a little strange. Are they moving together? [Yes. The four powers are moving as a single group.] ! Lim Hak Gyum and Un Hui were surprised out of their minds. They knew the four powers would ally together, but they didnt think the powers would make it this obvious. Theyre going all out. Un Huis face turned even colder. Would you help me wake up the master? How? Chiruru- Un Hui held up the bracelets, and spoke. It would work with this. He was almost certain that this would work. He just remembered what Gongson Chun Gi said about these bracelets in the past. He said it was a tool that could be used to prevent ones powers from going berserk. Right now, there was some kind of a power that was going berserk in Cho Ryu Hyang. They just had to suppress that power. Are you confident? Un Hui nodded. He stretched out his hands, and grabbed Cho Ryu Hyangs arm. Pachichichi-! A huge amount of electricity went up Un Huis arm. Un Huis arms were screaming with pain, but he didnt even flinch. He just became calmer than ever, and put on the bracelets on Cho Ryu Hyangs arm. And. For the first time, something changed. Chapter 102. Nightmare Chapter 102. Nightmare ED:Chrysanthemum Koom- Kugugugung-! The surrounding area fell apart with a loud noise. At the same time, the floor shook dangerously. Pian Mu blinked. Cho Ryu Hyangs Formless Formation was finally beginning to make its move. But Pian Mu wasnt surprised or confused at all. He simply smiled casually as he slowly observed the changes. He was trying to find something. He then walked over the the center of the formation where the most amount of energy was condensed and sat downfortably. Kuhehe, this elder will personally teach you how weak your attacks are in front of me. . Cho Ryu hyang didnt respond. No, he couldnt respond. In order to create a formation inside a formation, he needed to create an extremelyplicated equation. An equation that couldnt logically be handled by a human being. He had to do the impossible. As he continuously drew several strange shapes on the floor, he ceaselessly solved something in his head. Then, in the middle of wandering in the mountain of equations, Cho Ryu Hyang paused. His eyes widened. Someone had suddenlye into his mind. Teacher The first man who managed to create a formation inside a formation, with his own body at that, was Cho Ryu Hyangs teacher, Jo Gi Chun. Cho Ryu Hyangs body trembled at the thought of his teacher. He looked down at the equations he had created on the ground with a huge frown. That frown soon turned to amazement the more he looked at the floor. And a different feeling arose apart from his amazement. It was sadness. Ha haha. Cho Ryu Hyang looked down for a second andughed tiredly. He had just realized how great of a person Jo Gi Chun was. You were able to solve such an equation in such an urgent time? The equation that Jo Gi Chun used for hisst formation. When Cho Ryu Hyang looked over that equation, he had trembled from awe. Jo Gi Chun was prepared to die from the very beginning. He was trying his best to protect his disciple from the very beginning. A formation within a formation wasnt something that could ever be created by a human. A human would die when trying to create one. What the hell? Kid, did you go crazy or something? Pian Mu became confused when Cho Ryu Hyang suddenly began tough. He didnt know why Cho Ryu Hyang had suddenly turned weird. Should I punch you awake or something before we start? Cho Ryu Hyang flinched at Pian Mus voice, and smiled. .Ah, I had forgotten about you. Dont worry. Everythings going ording to n. Cho Ryu Hyang lifted his head. His eyes had turned red. At the same time, cold air blew in. .Hoh? It was intense killing intent that caused ones skin to crawl. The amount of rage that emanated from Cho Ryu Hyang caused Pian Mu to smile. He was very familiar with this kind of rage. A painful memory, huh? Cho Ryu Hyang slowly nodded and shot out several words. Thanks to you. Hehe. Good. Very good. This will be fun. Pian Mus eyes got filled with intense joy. You see. Im not a person who cant get his hands tied over here by the likes of you. Last warning: stop here. Pian Mus lips twitched several times, then he burst into aughing fit. Kuhahaha! Just how could humans be this arrogant? You still have something to show me? Sure, show it to me then. Ill take anything you throw at me. Ill give you just that. Chuaa- Cho Ryu Hyang erased all the equations that he previously drew on the floor. He then tied his hair into a ponytail and smiled bitterly. This is a life I attained due to the sacrifice of my teacher. I cannot waste such a thing here. Kekeke, a humans life is like those of a bug anyway. Do you honestly think your life is worth anything? Youll see. Cho Ryu Hyang became enraged at himself as he spoke. He hadined to himself how much his life was worth all the time, but it seemed he was actually being proud of it. He had just gotten this life thanks to the sacrifice of others, didnt he? Even his teacher, Jo Gi Chun, died for him. For him, who had no talents nor strength, his teacher had to sacrifice himself. I have to live. Cho Ryu Hyang realized why he had to try to survive. My life is worth literal tonnes of gold. Cho Ryu Hyang, now that he realized the worth of his life, put his hands to. Do you know thest thing my teacher had taught me? Who knows? Does it rte to whatever youre doing now? Of course it does. This is my teachers formation, after all. A formation within a formation. If one wanted to create that, one would have to have a very strong nucleus for the formation. Something that wouldnt break under any amount of pressure. My teacher used his life as the nucleus, but He couldnt afford to do that. Because of that, he decided to take a different approach. After all, he had something that his teacher did not have at the time right now. Cho Ryu Hyang took a deep breath and cleared his head. I cannot die. Cho Ryu Hyang was nning on adding a new formation that waspletely different from the current one right now. Right then. Kururu- With a strange sound, the earth split apart, and hot steam began to blow out from it. A smell of sulfur came from the steam. Pian Mu looked down at the floor with a smile. Kuhahaha! Do you think you can get out of this alive, boy? You should worry about yourself. A ball of light began to gather between Cho Ryu Hyangs hands. He wasbining the powers of the Moon Edge de Technique and the Shura Environment. Pian Mus eyes shone when he saw that ball of light. It was something that had injured him before. It would be a lie to say that he wasnt interested in it. As expected Pian Mu narrowed his eyes. He could see what it was the moment he took a look at it. Two powers with different properties. The force that resulted from the extreme amount of resistance. It was something that was powerful enough to destroy anything in the world. Its too dangerous for a single human to have. Pian Mu waspletely enamored by the energy in Cho Ryu Hyangs hands. Meanwhile, Cho Ryu Hyang carefully nted the ball of energy in the floor. This is my solution, teacher. Cho Ryu Hyang had the weapon known as martial arts, which was something that Jo Gi Chun did not have. And this one thing would be the one to change everything. Kuaaa-! Cho Ryu Hyang quickly moved back after nting the energy. Pian Mu, however, did not move at all. He simply made a face of intense joy and enjoyment. He was curious of what the kid was going to do. The reason why he did not move was because of his pride. Although he only had half his power, it would be more than enough to deal with anything the kid threw at him. The kid seemed to have moved outside the formation at about this time. He could chase the boy, but he didnt. That just wouldnt be fun. He wouldnt be able to make the boy feel defeated if he did that. Pian Mu was about to make the boy beg for his little life at his feet. The injury that he had sustained from the boy before was alreadypletely healed. His self-recovery truly was outstanding. Pian Mu was definitely no human. But still, having a human injure me was surprising. Pian Mu did not move, even while seeing the sea ofvae at him. The sea ofva, the moment it touched Pian Mu, scattered away. Just his presence alone was able to inflict such arge effect on the surroundings. Now, lets break it. Pian Mu unsealed the power he had repressed inside him. Dududu- The area that Pian Mu controlled began to expand. Whatever touched his zone simply ripped apart to bits. The force that came from the zone was sorge, in fact, it was sorge that it seemed to be capable of destroying even thunders. Kuhahaha! Pian Muughed in joy. This was Pian Mus real strength. The power of pure destruction, hindered by nothing. The formation began to distort greatly. At the same time, The formation began to contract. Kuun- When the edges of the formation and Pian Mus area came into contact, a huge amount of pressure was exerted on Pian Mus body. Pian Mu frowned. But soon, that frown turned into a grin. Pretty good. But this wasnt enough. Once Pian Mu exerted a bit of strength, the energy that had been pressuring him was suddenly pushed away. Kekeke. Pian Mus area stretched out once again. And in the end, the formation was not able to take the energy from Pian Mu and broke with a bang. At once, Pian Mus senses got widened. Kuhahaha! Is this all, child? [Of course not.] The kids voice came from somewhere. Pian Mu searched for Cho Ryu Hyang for a second, then he smiled. You, you bastard. There was a giant stone buddha statue in front of him. A statue sorge, that Pian Mu actually had to bend backwards to see its face. And on its shoulder, there was Cho Ryu Hyang, who was staring down at him. Looking at Cho Ryu Hyangs rxed pose made Pian Mus eyes spark with rage. Who the fuck told you to look down at me? Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at Pian Mu and smiled. The formation begins now. Once the formation breaks, the next one would begin. The formation from the beginning was only there as a catalyst for the other one. This was thest teaching Jo Gi Chun gave Cho Ryu Hyang. Chain Formation (Bh). Cho Ryu Hyang thought up of his teachers face, then slowly stood up. Time to get punished, Pian Mu. .You will not die an easy death. You made me extremely angry. Whatever. Pian Mu gripped his pestle with so much force, that veins started to pop out of his hands. Cho Ryu Hyang ignored thispletely and made a smashing motion with his hand. Nn? The giant buddha followed Cho Ryu Hyangs movements and smashed down at the spot where Pian Mu was. Pian Mus enraged eyes turned to that of surprise at that time. Kuaaaaang-! The giant stone buddha moved with unimaginable speed. So you dodged. Pian Mu barely managed to teleport not too far away. He looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with eyes filled with suspicion. What the hell did you. A single fist was as big as a mountain. It was not easy to dodge. And it seemed that the buddha wasnt made of normal stone, either. Seeing how the fist that smashed the ground was shining with a blue light, it seemed that it was made of the Blue Hard Stone, which was said to be stronger than steel itself. Pian Mu was trying extremely hard to understand what the hell was going on. However, when Cho Ryu Hyang made his move, Pian Mu was unable to think anymore. The moves executed by Cho Ryu Hyang this time was much, much moreplicated than before. Shura Environment, First Chapter, Eight Line. Chasing Lightning Kick. Cho Ryu Hyang kindly exined the name of his move while executing it. He lightly jumped up and kicked multiple times. There was a frightening amount of energy that was stored within his toes, and this effect got transferred to the buddha as well. Vuun vuun vuun- The stone buddha imitated Cho Ryu Hyangs actions. And on the toes of the buddha, there was a frightening amount of red energy that condensed into that spot. Pian Mu turned pale when he saw just how much energy there was on the buddha. This was the beginning of his nightmare. Chapter 103. Ju Ho Yu Moves Chapter 103. Ju Ho Yu Moves ED: Chrysanthemum How interesting. You figured out something about the heir of the church? Yes. Getting ahold of the information was harder than I had thought, but it was worth it. Where did the informatione from? Surprisingly enough, the information came from the church itself. Hoh? So even the church, which had been famous for being so unified, is going through internal strife? It looks like it. Oh boy. Looks like this Gongson Chun Gi really wasnt much. How would you even be able to conquer the world without even being able to take care of your own home ground? Ju Ho Yu nodded when Chuk Gye Gwang made a disappointed face. It looks like the rumors were greatly exaggerated. Perhaps But it wouldnt mean to let our guard down. Even the Night Emperor was afraid of the Pope, and from my observations, the Night Emperor was the real thing. General Chuk Gye Gwang looked at Ju Ho yu ufortably. Well, thats that. Whats going on with the next n? Making the Church and the Four Powers fight each other was sessful, but right now, we need to assist the church. Huh? We need to assist the church? Yes. Right now, the church does not have enough power to stop the Four Powers. In order to achieve a proper bnce in power, we need to help the church. Ju Ho Yus eyes shone. But nothing is free in this world. If theres something that we can take from this, we need to take as much as we can. Are we going to do a trade with them? Right. Im nning on meeting this heir of theirs. youre going to do it personally? Isnt that too dangerous? I believe it would be worth taking the risk. Really? Isnt he just a child though? Is there anything we can take from this child? Do you actually think a kid who relies on his teachers fame can even do anything? Ju Ho Yu smiled. It would be bad to underestimate the boy. He was the one who took down Gal Mun Hyuk before I even noticed. Chuk Gye Gwang finally began showing some interest. Hoh? So that kid was the one who made Gal Mun Hyuk into a poor beggar? Yes. In just 10 days, the childpletely destroyed Gal Mun Hyuks forces and took over the salt market. Ten days After calcting something for a second, Chuk Gye Gwang narrowed his eyes. So that child is a tiger cub. Yes. He is already dominating the salt market. The merchants juste to him. The bnce of power had already been broken. That much is obvious. The Church really did earn a lot this time; however, we lost quite a bit in return. Chuk Gye Gwang put on a bitter face. On the other hand, Ju Ho Yu shook his head. But in doing that, the Church lost something quite important. Chuk Gye Gwang made a confused face. What in the world did they lose? The child known as the heir was exposed far too much. All the work they did to hide the kid is now useless. Chuk Hye Gwang noticed what Ju Ho Yu was trying to imply and grinned. I see, we get the chance to get rid of the Churchs future. This isnt so bad. Right. But the Four Powers made their move first. They have been waiting for far too long. Indeed. They waited too long. The Four Powers were strong enough to even make the Imperial Pce be wary. However, so far the Powers were moving ording to the expectations of the Pce. * * * Ju Ho Yu tightly wore his clothes as if he was suffering from the cold. Like this, he looked down the hill he was standing on. Behind him was Tai Gonggong, who was currently looking at Ju Ho Yu with a discontent face. Do you really have to do this? I dont get why you need to go through so much danger. Ju Ho Yu smiled. I need to see the heir myself. Aah, how reckless. The dogs of the Martial World will soon overrun this ce to destroy the Church. Not even I can protect you then. Dont worry, this will be quick. Tai Gonggong did not be calmed with just this. Yeah, say you actually managed to pull off everything quick, but theres still one thing that doesnt make sense. Mind if I ask? No, I dont. Why did wee alone? This is the entirety of the reinforcement? Arent you putting too much confidence in me? There would be many Harmonious Experts within the force of the Four Powers. And there would be many peak experts as well. Not even Tai Gonggong could manage to take them all. He wasnt Gongson Chun Gi after all. Ju Ho Yu shook his head after listening to Tai Gonggong calmly. You seem to be misunderstanding something. Misunderstanding? Yes. The one who would help the Church this time is just me. What? Ju Ho Yu pointed at himself, and opened his mouth. I can bnce everything just by myself. He didnt bother finishing the sentence by saying until both sidespletely run out of power. But Tai Gonggong didnt know exactly what Ju Ho Yu was trying to say. Because of this, he made a confused face. The man never exaggerated anything, and Tai Gonggong knew that the man was speaking the truth. Because he knew that, Tai Gonggong could only lick his lips. Fine. If youre a man, you should have at least that much pride in yourself. But how are you going to convince the Demon Church that you would actually be useful in battle? Youll see. Ju Ho Yu began to walk down the hill with a confident smile. Under him was the Sichuan Branch of the Church. * * * Un Hui looked carefully at Cho Ryu Hyang. Then, he lightly put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyangs chest. Eh? No Jin Nyung, who had been watching from afar, let out a surprised gasp and put his hand on Cho Ryu Hyangs shoulder. Theres no electricity? Lim Hak Gyum nodded as well. Right then, Cho Ryu Hyangs body began to tremble violently, and a white smoke began toe out of the boys nose. Un Hui, No Jin Nyung, and Lim Hak Gyum all simultaneously moved back a step. The white smoke bunched up in midair and with a small pop, it fell on Cho Ryu Hyangs stomach. .W, what the hell is that? No Jin Nyung stuttered as he looked at the rabbit on Cho Ryu Hyangs stomach. The rabbit with a small green leaf on his belly. That rabbit was currently lying down, huffing tiredly. The moment Un Huiid his eyes on the rabbit, he became enraged. You! Un Hui knew that rabbit far too well. After all, he had experienced the rabbits power firsthand. Was it because of this thing? It seemed that the prime reason the heir wasnt waking was because of this strange thing. Un Hui, upon thinking this, immediately grabbed hold of the rabbit by its legs. Maksu looked at Un Hui with an enraged and oppressed face. Goddamnit! I was the one that got beat up, you idiot! But he couldnt even bring himself to say it out loud. He was far too tired to even talk. In the dream, Maksu got horribly beat up by Cho Ryu Hyang. But of course Un Hui wouldnt know about that. Therefore, the man simply decided to chuck Maksu out the window. Shooo- Maksu closed his eyes as he flew out like an arrow. He was so tired and annoyed at this point that he just didnt want to think. Hey? What happened? No Jin Nyung did not understand why Un Hui was being so violent towards the rabbit. .The cause of the sickness is gone, so he should be waking up about now. The moment Un Huis words came out, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes. And once Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes opened, he looked at the three people in the room confusedly. .Whats going on? Are you alright, lord heir? Cho Ryu Hyang, still confused, responded immediately when Lim Hak Gyum asked a question. Yes. Im alright. Thats good. Nothing had really happened while you had been sleeping. Lim Hak Gyum and Un Hui both decided to close their mouths. They did not wish to talk about how much they worried for the heir while he had been sleeping. But there was a single man who always decided to talk about the smallest things. We were so worried because you werent waking up, hehe. What? Worried because he wasnt waking up? What was that supposed to mean? Cho Ryu Hyang put on his sses and stared at No Jin Nyung. No Jin Nyung let out a relieved sigh and spoke. By the way, what was that with the weird rabbit that came out of your nose? .There was something like that? Only then did Cho Ryu Hyang began to look around with interest. He was trying to find Maksu. After all, whatever the purpose of the rabbit was, Cho Ryu Hyang managed to gain a lot in the end. But there was no way Maksu would currently be here thanks to Un Hui. Lim Hak Gyum, at that moment, sighed and opened his mouth. Lord heir, there is a problem. Cho Ryu Hyang read the seriousness from Lim Hak Gyums voice and immediately stood up. They made their move, didnt they. Yes. Theyre only about half a day away from us. They movedter than I thought. Do you have a n in mind? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. When he did so?, the three other people in the room immediately made expectant gazes. Cho Ryu Hyang always had a revolutionary n at hand. Although the boys ns never really made sense, they worked extremely well, which made them curious. What is that n? In the end, No Jin Nyung couldnt help but ask the question. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled yfully in response. Youll see. Eeh?, cant you even tell us a little bit? I cant. This is something youd have to look at with your own eyes. When No Jin Nyung made a disappointed face, Sunwu Cho Rin bust into the room with some news. Theres someone who wishes to meet you. A guest? Cho Ryu Hyang was confused. Who was it? Who woulde here at such a time, especially when the Four Powers were attacking? Sunwu Cho Rin smiled, knowing that this was what everyone was thinking at the time. Theyre from the Imperial Pce. The Imperial Pce! Why did the people who had been avoiding theme here, all of sudden? Everyone in the room became very surprised. And the guests who came here today, especially Ju Ho yu, was getting extremely confused. Whats wrong? Ju Ho Yu came back to his senses once he heard Tai Gonggongs question. This seems to be a formation. Formation? Where? Ju Ho Yu continued as Tai Gonggong carefully looked around. If Im not wrong, it seems that this entire ce is inside a single formation. What? Is that even possible? Yes. It is, but it definitely wouldve taken a tremendous amount of money. Crazy bastards.. A formation this big? Ju Ho Yu was unable toe to his senses the moment he entered the area because of the energy from the formation. Just how much money did they use? The amount of money that wouldve been required to set up this formation would probably equal that of the one at the Imperial pce. Ju Ho Yu was slowly beginning to be more and more confused as he waited for the heir. Chapter 104. An Obvious Trap Chapter 104. An Obvious Trap ED: Chrysanthemum You can nt it in here. Understood. There was something Cho Ryu Hyang immediately began to do when he arrived at Sichuan. That something was to nt trees everywhere in the area. Strangely enough, the trees that Cho Ryu Hyang had chosen were all different in size and shape. No matter how busy he was, Cho Ryu Hyang always found some time to nt more trees. At the time, not even Un Hui and No Jin Nyung knew what Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to do. But they still silently helped their master, and their work was finally beginning to bear fruit. Ju Ho Yu liked sweet things. Even in front of the frightening Chuk Gye Gwang, he was unable to restrain his sweet tooth; however, right now, he was unable to touch the sweets that were in front of him. That was because he was in deep thought at the moment. The formation has not been activated yet? The giant formation that was set up in the Sichuan branch of the church. He didnt know who made such a thing, but one thing was for sure: the man who made this formation was an expert. But that wasnt the only thing that made Ju Ho Yu so surprised. This is amazing. The formation wasnt even activated. Even so, the energy that came from it was extremely unusual. Ju Ho Yu was able to feel the energy that others were unable to feel in an instant. After continuously rubbing his nose, Ju Ho Yu closed his eyes. The smell is just too strong. This formation had an extremely strong smell. A formation attained a unique smell based on its purpose. A formation made to kill had a smell of blood about it and one that was made to capture people had an earthly smell about it. But the formation here had a different smell from anything else. What in the world is this? A formation he never knew existed. Ju Ho Yu was stressed due to finding something he never saw before. He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. He had remembered something that someone told him a long time ago. Nothing is impossible in this world. The only man in the world who tried to create formations through calctions. And the only man in the world who tried to look at the world mathematically. Teacher Jo Gi Chun. The man who worked harder than anyone else in the Imperial pce. That mans advice floated up in Ju Ho Yus mind multiple times, allowing him to be calm. Jo Gi Chun, the man who no longer existed in the world, had managed to calm Ju Ho Yu quite a bit through his advice. Nothing is impossible, huh It seemed that he had been thinking that there wouldnt be any formation experts who were better than he was. Thinking that such a person might exist actually made him quitefortable. Ju Ho Yu stretched his hand out to the snack in front of him and calmed himself. Keep calm. His chaotic eyes immediately became calm again. He had to wait. If he waited, the person woulde. The person who made the formation. And a whileter, the person appeared in front of him. * * * Youre making it too obvious that youre in love with him, senior brother. A small, dry whisper was passed by between two people. Yeah? Thats good. Im doing it on purpose. I think Im in love. What should I do? The heir to the North Sea Ice Pce, Juk Hyul Myung, looked right and grinned. The person who he was looking at was Gu Hui, the heir of the Nanman Beast Gate, who was currently riding on a ck ox. Juk Hyul Myungs eyes burned with fighting spirit as he looked at Gu Hui. Trying to fight here Are you crazy? Are you actually trying to get beat up by our teacher? Juk Hyul Myung grinned for a bit, but after hearing Ju Da Hyes words, his grin disappeared. Hey, junior sister, your words are getting a little rough nowadays? Arent you being too harsh here? Youre forcing me to be like this. Juk Hyul Myung looked at Ju Da Hye with an annoyed face. In the past, he wouldve teased the girl, but he couldnt really do that now because of the mistake he made a while back. And. For some reason, the girls pride was going through the roof nowadays. It was almost too hard to handle. Juk Hyul Myung swore that he would take his revenge in the near future, but at that moment, his eyes met Ju Da Hyes. Then, the girl lifted her chin, making a what do you want? face at him, making Juk Hyul Myung awkwardly smile and turn away. I swear, youre going to try to hit me in the near future. Tch, its not like youre actually going to get hit though. Well, that would depend on the situation. Ju Da Hyes eyes sparkled when she heard this. Her senior had never been hit by anyone since his birth. Because his talent was so great, not even their master punished them. This kind of a person just indirectly said that he would allow himself to be hit. Is this a chance? Ju Da Hye began to look at the world more positively. However. Puhehe, Id be screwed the day I actually get hit by you. Id actually have to give up my position as your senior brother? . Anyway, Id have to fight that lump of muscle on some other day. The Church thinges first. .Right. Juk Hyul Myungpletely ignored Ju Da Hyes crestfallen face as he moved on his horse. There werent many people who actually came from the North Sea Ice Pce and the Nanman Beast Gate. The group was actually just under twenty people. The people from the Alliance behind them, however, numbered more than two thousand. Were just straight up asking to fight, huh. Well, that was what they were going to end up doing, but he still didnt like it. Juk Hyul Myung disliked winning by numbers. Just sending Gu Hui or him wouldve been enough to assassinate the heir of the Demon Church. That might actually be easier actually. But. Just what is teacher thinking. He would never have attended a fight like this if it wasnt for his teacher. This was probably the same for Gu Hui as well. The heir of the Church greatly let down Juk Hyul Myungs expectations. A child who just turned ten. This made him feel quite disappointed. He had been expecting a lot from the heir after all. But. The fact that the great Gongson Chun Gi sent a little child to Sichuan made him feel a little confused; however, it didnt change how Juk Hyul Myung was going to cut off any weeds that might be dangerous in the future. Two harmonious experts, was it? Having two harmonious experts as bodyguards showed how much importance Gongson Chun Gi put in his heir. But that was all. Unless Gongson Chun Gi himself came, there was no way Juk Hyul Myung was going to move back. I hope those experts are there right now. As Juk Hyul Myung thought this, a single man from the Allianceined to himself. How long do we have to follow them? This is getting annoying. Be patient. Im not used to such a thing. and why are they so arrogant? The representative of the Alliance, Qing Song Ja, sighed to himself inside. Is there anyone in this world whos as arrogant as you? The man who had beenining. Although this man was far younger than Qing Song Ja, it was hard to treat him normally. The disciple of the Dao King. This man, Kang Sebin, was someone who the great Lim Jaehak took in as a disciple in hister years. But Kang Sebins master wasnt what made Qing Song Ja act to respectfully. The fact that Kang Sebin reached the Harmonious stage in just twenty years, even when starting to learn at ate age, was what made Qing Song Ja act with great respect. This man would surely lead the next generation of martial artists. The man also happened to be a sworn rival of Yu Sul Bin. The reason for this was simple. Swordsmen are all just fancy weaklings. Due to the fact that Kang Sebin regrly uttered these words, he and Yu Sul Bin always got into a fight when meeting each other. So why did I be the representative? Qing Song Ja was feeling extremely stressed for bing the representative for the Alliance. He was afraid of what would happenter. What would happen after this battle? The Alliance should have a n for that. He could only subdue his panicked heart by telling himself this. Then, the person at the very front suddenly stopped. What is this? As Kang Sebin frowned and said this, Qing Song Ja sent out his disciple to the front. When the disciple came backter, Chun Songja asked a question. Whats going on? Well. I think youd have to see for yourself. Qing Song Ja frowned. To him, representatives were people who couldnt be moved that easily. Was that what they told you? No, but they seemed to be quite concerned. Concerned? About what? He knew the Church was quite strong. But this group wasposed solely of experts. There would rarely be a case where this group could actually be pressured. And the experts from the Nanman Beast Gate and the North Sea Ice Pce were extremely powerful as well. So why were they hesitating? Qing Song Jas disciple hesitated, then opened his mouth. The doors are open. What? The doors to the Church are wide open, as if they are inviting us in. Huh? As expected of the Church. What pride.. To this disciple, it looks like the others are hesitating to go in because of that door. Qing Song Jas eyes narrowed. Tch, how cowardly. They must be like this because they dont have enough experience. At times like this, experienced people like him should step up. When Qing Song Ja walked up with a mindset like such, Kang Sebin silently followed behind him. Whys this guying along? Qing Song Ja was about to say something to the man, but decided not to. It wasnt like the man was going to listen to him, and he needed someone to pressure the other side as well. And once Qing Song Ja walked to the front lines, he immediately approached Gu Hui and Juk Hyul Myung. Why are you hesitating? Juk Hyul Myung nced at the man, then turned back to Gu Hui. He wouldnt know even if we tell him, right? Probably Damn it, how troublesome. Qing Song Ja frowned when he realized the two were talking about him. But in this world, the strong ones had all the right to say whatever they wanted. Due to this, he simply tried to stop himself from bing angered. At that moment, Kang Sebin, who was next to Qing Song Ja, opened his mouth. Are you guys hesitating because of that? Only then did Gu Hui and Juk Hyul Myung turn towards them. Hoh? I had thought that the Alliance only had idiots, but that doesnt seem to be the case. Dont put me on the same level as them, please. Well, whatever. What do you think about all of this? Should we go in? Our side should be fine, but your side would suffer from a lot of casualties. I should be fine, but the others wont be. The three people began to talk amongst each other. Qing Song Ja, who had beenpletely ignored, turned red from anger. What in the world are you people talking about! Kang Sebin, please tell me whats going on! Kang Sebin nced at Qing Song Ja, sighed, then opened his mouth. Theres something dangerous in front of us. Something dangerous? So what was it? Gu Hui decided to answer this one. Its a formation. A big one at that. Formation? What the hell was this? These people stopped the entire group, just because of a single formation? You were hesitating just because of a mere formation? Just attack. Theres no need to hesitate over such petty things. Gu Hui and Juk Hyul Myung smirked when they heard this. Yeah? Well attack if you want, then. Kang Sebin thought about stopping Qing Song Ja, but decided against it. He didnt want to waste his time either. Juk Hyul Myung got off his horse with a grin and walked forward. Shall we go, then? I cant wait to find out what kind of a monster is inside. He knew that there was danger inside. It was extremely obvious. But thats what made things interesting. Juk Hyul Myungs grin widened. Chapter 105. Cho Ryu Hyang Meets Ju Ho Yu Chapter 105. Cho Ryu Hyang Meets Ju Ho Yu ED:Chrysanthemum Everyone had a scent of their own. From a young age, Ju Ho Yu was able to detect the unique smell that came off of different people. Some smelled like trees with delicious fruit hanging off of them, which could immediately make anyone happy. Those people were usually very kind and made everyone around them positive. But there were some people who simply smelled disgusting. The smellier these people were, the eviler they were. These evil people usually enjoyed hurting or even killing others. At first, Ju Ho Yu didnt know what this power was. But as time passed, he began to realize that this power was something that was unique to him. And he only realized how to distinguish personalities by smell when he became more mature. Its him. Ju Ho Yu realized something the instant a boy with sses walked in. This person, no, this kid was the one who created the formation that surrounded the entire Sichuan branch. Ju Ho Yu waspletely sure that he was right. After all, the smell of the formation was identical to the one emanating off from this boys. But this smell, to Ju Ho Yu, was something entirely new. Because of that, the way he looked at Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely calm. Calm down. When looking at new things, one must never get excited. There was a need to be calm, and inspect everything in detail. Only when he looked at something with a schrs mindset, would he be able to see something new. Cho Ryu Hyang flinched as well when he entered the room. There were two people in the room other than him; a seemingly average man and a man who looked more womanly than a woman. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes eventually fell upon the average-looking man. This person is. The eyes of Cho Ryu Hyang and Ju Ho Yu met. During that short time, Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes widened greatly. This was the same for Ju Ho Yu as well. Both of them were simply filled with the emotion of surprise. No way. Ju Ho Yu wanted to run out at that instant, but he tightly balled up his fists and prevented himself from doing so. He realized something when his eyes met with the kids. This kid was a monster. How could a smell of several peoplee out of a single child? This just wasnt possible. Ju Ho Yu lifted his trembling hand and touched his nose. The kind of smell he smelled wasnt something that he perceived with his nose. He was smelling something that was more like the smell of the soul itself. Because of this, Ju Ho Yu could only look at Cho Ryu Hyang with great confusion. Who is this man? Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was surprised when he saw the man. He touched his sses unconsciously, and made a serious face. 88. Disregarding Gongson Chun Gi, his teacher, this was the highest number Cho Ryu Hyang had ever seen. If this man studied martial arts, he would be a terrifying expert, and if he worked with schrly matters, it would not be wrong to call him a sage. Which one is he? There was a need to see what the man did. It didnt look like the man studied martial arts. That, however, made Cho Ryu Hyang feel even more ufortable. As Cho Ryu Hyang thought this. Tai Gonggong decided to break the ufortable silence between them. So youre the heir? . Hmm, you look smarter than I thought. Pretty as well. When Tai Gonggong said this as he licked his lips, No Jin Nyung flinched a little from behind Cho Ryu Hyang. This bastard, hes asking out the heir But even before No Jin Nyung moved, Cho Ryu Hyang raised his hand and stopped him. He then began to talk calmly. Apologies for being so rude. Like you mentioned just now, I am the heir of the church. Say your introductions after you sit down, wont you? How long are you nning on staying standing? I see. Apologies. He hadpletely forgotten about manners because of Ju Ho Yu. After sitting down in front of Tai Gonggong, he slowly touched the bracelet on his arms. He then smiled inside. Things are getting interesting. He had never expected this to happen. The Imperial Pce most definitely came here because the Four Powers were moving. There was no reason for them toe otherwise. Cho Ryu Hyang took a look at Ju Ho Yu for a moment and opened his mouth. Would you tell me what you came here to do? As you know, we are quite busy at the moment. I know. We came here because of that. Tai Gonggong said this and looked at Ju Ho Yu. He didnt understand why the man was being all dazed like this. Wasnt this guy supposed to be the person in charge here? He red at Ju Ho Yu for a moment, but the man still didnt move. In the end, Tai Gonggong sent him a very loud wake up call. [Come back, you idiot.] Ju Ho Yu came back to his senses when Tai Gonggongs message loudly yed in his brain. He blinked several times, realized what was going on, and immediately opened his mouth. Sorry for everything. Im Ju Ho Yu. I work as a mathematician in the Imperial Pce. .Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang told the man his name on instinct when the man said it. He then tilted his head a bit. He felt that he heard the name before. And it wasnt just the name that made Cho Ryu Hyang tilt his head. A mathematician? Cho Ryu Hyang realized something the moment he heard the mans job. He found out what kind of a man this person was. So it was him. This man was a professional mathematician, who dealt with things rted to calctions in the Pce. He was also the person who created the formation that trapped Un Hui. These two facts merged into a single thing in his head. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes became much more serious. A man who views the world through mathematics. He had wanted to meet this man. He didnt know hed meet the man like this, but perhaps this meeting was fate. He would use this chance to see just how strong this man was. Seeing it didnt actually take too long. Are you thinking of activating the formation here? When Ju Ho yu asked this, Cho Ryu Hyang blinked a few times. As expected, the man noticed the formation. But this was something that even harmonious experts couldnt detect? And It seemed that the man also knew that Cho Ryu Hyang was the one who create the formation as well. He was good enough to notice a formation that wasnt even active, and somehow, he was able to see who made it. This made Cho Ryu Hyang see that the man reached a considerable height in formations. But there was one thing that he had to confirm before he could make this conclusion. A formation? I dont know what you mean When Cho Ryu Hyang pretended to not know anything, Ju Ho Yu frowned. Are you trying to hide it? Or are you trying to see if I am truly skilled? Do I really have to tell you that you set up a giant defensive formation here? Formation? Theres a formation here? When Tai Gonggong said this with wide eyes, Ju Ho Yu frowned even more. Yes. Its as big as the one in the Pce. Its just not active yet. Really? Thats pretty good. Yes. It really is amazing. The size as well as its power.. depending on its owner, its possible to kill or save massive amounts of people. Ju Ho Yu said this as he looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. His eyes seemed to be saying are you still going to feign innocence? Cho Ryu Hyang could only smile in front of that gaze. If the opponent knew this much already, everything would actually be quite easy. How did you know? Is that important? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. It seemed that the other side did not know the purpose of his question just now. There was a need to be more specific. Yes. Its important. The Four Powers, or the Imperial Pce does not matter at the moment. . The objective of the Four Powers is just too clear, and I can already tell why you came here, and they do not matter to me one bit. The only thing that I care about at the moment is how you noticed the formation, and how you knew I made it. Cho Ryu Hyang calmly stared at Ju Ho Yu. This gaze made Ju Ho Yus eyes shake slightly. He had seen a glimpse of someone he respected in the boys eyes. So I ask you to answer. If you thought you could just take information from here, you are greatly mistaken. . The fact that theres a formation here, along with the fact that I made this formation, is a great secret. Now, you must give back something of equal value. Equivalent exchange. You gain something, and you lose something. The world was unexpectedly fair this way. Ju Ho Yu thought of the word and frowned. But it wasnt like he was going to take this lying down. He would never let himself get dragged around by his opponent. Especially when that opponent was a child. I figured it out myself, so you do figure it out by yourself as well. It wouldnt be easy. He definitely wouldnt be giving any hints. That was what Ju Ho Yus face was saying, but this only made Cho Ryu Hyangs smile get even wider. I knew youd say this. It would take a bit of time, but if youre fine with that, Ill do it. Cho Ryu Hyang knew. He knew that his opponent didnt know much about him. The man probably thought that he was a normal formations expert. Ju Ho Yu probably didnt know that he used mathematics as well. In that case, there was still something that he had to take from Ju Ho Yu. Would you bring me a brush and a piece of paper? When Cho Ryu Hyang said this, Lim Hak Gyum immediately issued a singlemand. And a whileter, someone appeared out of the shadows, gave Cho Ryu Hyang a brush, ink, and paper, then left. Tai Gonggong made an amused face when he saw this. Hoh? So the church really does have some useful kids? Yes. Cho Ryu Hyang lightly replied and looked at the paper in front of him. He pushed away the snacks on the table and grabbed onto the brush. After he dipped the brush in ink, he put the brush over the paper. However, just before he wrote what he had in his mind, a single information made him stop. Then, he trembled. The thing that bothered him from a while back. The reason why Ju Ho Yu sounded so familiar. The best mathematician in the world That was it. That was what was in his mind for so long. Jo Gi Chun had told him something once. The area that even he had never managed to reach in life. And the single mathematician who managed to reach that are. At that time, teacher definitely mentioned Ju Ho Yu. This was it. This was the person. Cho Ryu Hyang stopped everything, and looked at Ju Ho Yu. There was a mixture of emotions inside his eyes. He felt that there was something that tied them together. I have to confirm it. If this person really was as great as his teacher had said, there was one thing he had to confirm. Cho Ryu Hyang began to move his brush again, but this time, there was a different light in his eyes. Chapter 106. Tai Gonggong’s Suspicion Chapter 106. Tai Gonggongs Suspicion ED: Chrysanthemum Everything in the world was made of numbers. This was the truth, and Cho Ryu Hyang knew it. Because of this, he began to write a bunch of numbers on the paper in front of him. After a while, he handed the piece of paper to Ju Ho Yu. Shf- Whats this? Youll see when you look at it. Ju Ho Yu looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and thought for a second. Tai Gonggong made an annoyed face when he saw this. Right now, Ju Ho Yu didnt aplish a single thing here. Wasnt he supposed to be the person who impressed even the general? Tai Gonggong simply couldnt believe that Ju Ho Yu was currently being dragged around by a child. But I still gained something. Ju Ho Yu nced at Cho Ryu Hyang. Gongson Chun Gi really did get himself a good heir. He had to admit that. He didnt know much about martial arts, but regarding formations, this child was as skilled as he was, the strongest formations expert in the Imperial Pce. Thats why we have to get rid of him. Ju Ho Yu looked at the child in front of him with a saddened face. There was a very good reason to kill this boy. The Imperial Pce disliked beings that could be potentially dangerous to them. Once he thought that much, he nced down at the paper that the child had given him. Just what was the child trying to find out from him? He wasnt the type of person who could be yed by a mere child. He,ughing inside, began to observe the paper. Once he did, he was no longer able tough. Eh? He thought that he saw an illusion. But the more he looked at the paper, the more concerned he became. He couldnt turn his eyes away from the paper. This is. Crackle- Ju Ho yu gripped onto the paper. To others, what was written on the paper may be simple numbers, but Ju Ho Yu saw somethingpletely different. After looking at the paper for a long while, Ju Ho Yu let out a sigh, and looked up. His eyes held the emotion of confusion in them. .How do you know teacher? He said this with a confused voice. His previous calm attitude was nowhere to be found. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt mind it. He simply fixed up his sses a bit. This person is the real one. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded without knowing it as he looked at Ju Ho Yu. This person really was the real deal. The title greatest mathematician fit the man quite well. After thinking about what his teacher had told him about Ju Ho Yu, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. Is that the only thing that youre curious of? Ju Ho Yu shook his head. Was that the only thing? Of course not. He had so many things to ask, but he just couldnt organize them. I have to ask you something. But there was a single question that needed to be asked first. And the answer to that question would decide Cho Ryu Hyangs fate. Ju Ho Yus face, at this moment, was as cold as ice. Were you rted to teachers death? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. At this, Ju Ho Yus face turned even colder. But at that moment, Teacher passed away because of me. .! I am trying to take revenge for him. Ju Ho Yu made a dumb face for a second. He immediately came back to his senses and asked a question. Did you say teacher? You say you were a student of teacher Jo Gi Chun? Yes. He was my teacher. .! Ju Ho Yus face was filled with shock, then understanding. And in the end, it turned into a sorrowful face. What the hell is he doing? Tai Gonggong made an annoyed face as he watched Ju Ho Yus face change at an extreme rate. Ju Ho Yu was unable to contain his cries at this time. Kuh! Kuuh! Eh? Hey What are you. Tai Gonggong tried to stop Ju Ho Yu, but the man had already begun to cry and m the table with his fists. Kuheuheuk! Urk! Bastard, what the hell are you doing? Tai Gonggong sweat profusely as he tried to stop Ju Ho Yu, but tears kept flowing out of Ju Ho Yus eyes. Kuaaa! ..Son of a. Why are you doing this to me, huh? Dont be this way. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth as Tai Gonggong frantically tried to control Ju Ho Yus sobs. Do you know teacher? Hurk. Hik! Of course I do! Kuh! Ju Ho Yu, who turned into a slobbering mess in an instant, had surprised everyone except for Cho Ryu Hyang. Teacher Cho Ryu Hyang, too, was surprised by Ju Ho Yus extreme reactions, but as he already knew that Ju Ho Yu had known about Jo Gi Chun, he wasnt greatly surprised. It was just that he felt something in his heart react to Ju Ho Yus fiery sobs. Cho Ryu Hyang immediately set out to control it. But that wasnt as easy as he thought. The burning feeling in his heart spread to his entire body in an instant. The rage and pain that he suffered from when his teacher died was boiling up again. It was beginning to make Cho Ryu Hyangs mental state lose bnce as well. Things would get troublesome if I became unstable now. He did not forget the pain he had felt in the past. No, he couldnt. Because of that, he was nning on taking revenge for his teacher through the entire course of his life. As Cho Ryu Hyang tried his dest to control his emotions, Ju Ho Yu had wiped away his tears with the handkerchief that Tai Gonggong had given him and managed to talk. Teacher Jo Gi Chun was the only person in the world who truly understood me as a mathematician. Are you truly his disciple? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded with reddened eyes. Im his only disciple. Amazing. Haha. You had an amazing teacher. Ju Ho Yu grinned like a maniac, with tears and snot covering his face. As Tai Gonggong became disgusted by such a face, Ju Ho Yu remembered the handkerchief in hand and tried to return it. When he did so, Tai Gonggong stepped away in disgust. Throw it away, dirty bastard. Only then did Ju Ho Yu see the state of the handkerchief. He smiled embarrassedly and put it in his pocket. Just throw it away, would you? ..It seems expensive. I cant bear throwing something like this away. You already turned it into a rag though? Ill clean it and return it to you on ater date. Tai Gonggong looked at Ju Ho Yu with a defeated face and shook his head. Dirty bastard. Do what you want. Ju Ho Yu watched Tai Gonggong walk away from him, then looked back at Cho Ryu Hyang. We have much to talk about. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Ju Ho Yu was one of the few people who knew about Jo Gi Chun. To Cho Ryu Hyang, who wanted to know much about Jo Gi Chun, this was really a good opportunity. But this isnt the right time. Cho Ryu Hyang hadnt expected that he would meet a person like this while the Four Powers were attacking. He made a regretful face due to this. Ju Ho Yu, who understood Cho Ryu Hyangs predicament, thought a bit, then opened his mouth. Ill just ask you a single thing. Right. What is this? I can see what it was as soon as Iid my eyes on it, but who taught you something like this? Was it teacher Jo Gi Chun? Ju Ho Yu made a confused face as he lifted the paper that Cho Ryu Hyang gave him. To others, this paper showed numbers, but Ju Ho Yu was able to see its true form. Teacher. There was a picture of Jo Gi Chun drawn on it. Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a bit. How should I tell him? This was something that was drawn based on Zhuge Liangs picture that he saw in a book a long time back, but he didnt know how to use it. I have never seen something like this before.. Did teacher be that skilled while I didnt see him? Thankfully, it seemed that Ju Ho Yu thought that Jo Gi Chun was the one who came up with the idea. Cho Ryu Hyang thought about clearing things up, then decided not to. Ju Ho Yu looked at the paper for a while longer, then realized something and turned to Tai Gonggong. Tai Gonggong felt something from Ju Ho Yus gaze and looked away ufortably. Gonggong. .Dont call me that. Tai Gonggong. Im not a tool you can use whenever you want. It doesnt look like we can do much here. I can see that. They had originallye to stop the Four Powers. But the Church was already prepared. In that case, there was no need for them to do anything. But because of that, a problem arose. Tai Gonggong looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. By the way it looks like the heirs talent is through the roof? Even the greatest formations expert in the Imperial Pce was impressed. How interesting. Ju Ho Yu felt a chill run down his shoulders just then. Tai Gonggongs gaze was something that resembled a predator looking at its prey. I made a mistake. He had forgotten what this ce was like because of Jo Gi Chun. The Imperial Pce was nning on getting rid of all martial artist groups in the world. Tai Gonggong was one of the core members who were involved in the n. Ju Ho Yu revealed the talent of Cho Ryu Hyang in front of a person like that. Ju Ho Yus eyes shook. The boys name would now be on the Pces cklist. He wanted to beat the ground in regret. He showed too many things in front of Tai Gonggong. To Tai Gonggong, whose priority was always the Pce, Cho Ryu Hyang was someone who absolutely had to be killed. Shoot. Ju Ho Yu knew how powerful Tai Gonggong was. And that Tai Gonggong made Cho Ryu Hyang a target. Ju Ho Yu due to this made a regretful face. Cho Ryu Hyang, however, seemed calm. He knew what Tai Gonggong was thinking at the moment, but he didnt particrly feel anything from it. He simply took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. Ju Ho Yu and Tai Gonggong. Along with them, everyone in the room carefully looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. What the hell is he doing now? Tai Gonggong observed every one of Cho Ryu Hyangs actions. He knew instinctively that Cho Ryu Hyang was going to interfere with the actions of the Pce more than anyone else in the world. After a moment, Cho Ryu Hyang gave Ju Ho Yu a new piece of paper that was once again filled with numbers. This should be good. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up with a cold face, then he left. Ju Ho Yu and Tai Gonggong were both struck dumb by Cho Ryu Hyangs sudden actions. Ju Ho Yu came back to his senses and began to read the paper. Huh? After looking at the paper for a bit, a gasp of amazement came out. What? What is it now? Tai Gonggong made a curious face, but Ju Ho Yu didnt say anything. The paper had a sort of a nguage of numbers. [I understand that you may be worried for me, but I will not die that easily. As my teacher told me to survive during hisst moments, I n on doing just that. No matter who the enemy is, they cannot kill me, so please do not worry about me. Worry about yourself instead. The person next to you seems to be bing suspicious of you.] Ju Ho Yu sat dumbly for a moment. It felt like he was hit on the head with a hammer. The child had been looking at everything with a much wider viewpoint than he. I was misunderstanding things. At first, he was jealous of the child taking in Jo Gi Chun as a teacher. But not anymore. Now, he was jealous of Jo Gi Chun having such a good disciple. Ju Ho Yu bitterly smiled as he looked at Tai Gonggong, who was asking him about the contents of the paper. Looks like I was mistaken about something. What? I tried to be friendly with a disciple of a person I knew, and I got rejected brutally. I feel quite ashamed. .Idiot. I know something was wrong with you as soon as you broke down. At that moment, Ju Ho Yu felt something. He felt that the wariness that Tai Gonggong had towards him melted away just like that.. Cho Ryu Hyang, was it? The child was amazing. Ju Ho Yu praised the child multiple times as he looked at the spot the boy had been sitting on. Chapter 107. Entry Chapter 107. Entry ED: Chrysanthemum Come to think of it, the whole attack never really felt right from the start. The ck Moon Guild decided not to participate in the middle of the attack, and the group honestly wasnt prepared enough to attack anything. But those arent good enough reasons to make us stop the attack. The entire situation got far too big at this point. There were too many people watching. Juk Hyul Myung walked up to the doors, hesitated a bit, then lifted one foot. He slowly began to lower it down to the other side, but before he actually touched the ground, he turned to Gu Hui. Do you want to do it, or should I? Gu Hui replied calmly. It wouldnt work. Better than not trying. Well. Whatever, Im doing it. Juk Hyul Myung then smashed the ground lightly with his leg. Kuung- The moment his foot touched the ground, a wave spread out through the earth. The wave was big enough to be visible to the naked eyes. Ohh! The martial artists who had been watching shouted out in admiration. It truly was a powerful move. But Juk Hyul Myung and Gu Hui didnt seem happy at all. Damn it. It didnt work. Well, it is quite big. The formation did not break. Gu Hui stroked his chin and frowned. This is too much. The attack performed by Juk Hyul Myung was stronger than what the martial artists saw. There were probably only two people who noticed its true power. Gu Hui and Kang Sebin. But it wasnt shaken one bit Gu Hui had studied formations before. But he only knew a little about them. In front of a formation like this, none of the things he knew were useful. A formation that cant be broken from the outside That would mean that they would have to break the formation from the inside, but would that be easy? His head was beginning to getplicated. Right after he thought that, Juk Hyul Myung opened his mouth. Ill go first. As he said this, and he walked into the formation, his body disappeared after a few steps. Huh? W..what the?! While the experts from the Alliance all became shocked speechless, the experts of the North Sea Ice Pce walked in silently. They, too, disappeared. Interesting. Gu Hui looked back when he heard a voice from his back. He could see Kang Sebin look at this happening with an interested face. He turned back and looked at the formation again. Then, he looked at the sky for a few seconds. The deed was already done. There was no need to wait any longer. Follow me carefully. Understood. The Nanman Beast Gates people moved after the North Sea Ice Pces. Once they disappeared from sight, Kang Sebin began to move as well. But someone stopped him. It was Qing Song Ja. Where are you going? We have to stick together. Kang Sebin frowned. He looked into the formation and spoke. Would we be insulted if we decided to step back for a while? Whod dare do that? And its dangerous to enter without proper preparations. Kang Sebins eyes shone when he heard this. The man was actually smarter than what he had thought? Qing Song Ja made a face of relief when he found that Kang Sebin did not move and turned back. He faced the thousands pairs of eyes that were staring at him and coughed a few times. Nobody knows what would happen once we walk in. Kang Sebin nodded. Then, Qing Song Ja opened his mouth with fiery eyes. You may turn back if youre afraid. I will not judge you based on your decision. . Everyone became quiet and began to look at each other nervously. Ill count till three. You may turn back during this time. Kang Sebin sighed when he watched Qing Song Ja slowly count. What a joke. There was no way a martial artist from the Alliance would quit. They would rather die than do that. Qing Song Ja knew this better than anyone. He was just trying to create an escape for himself, just in case he got in troubleter on. So this is why my master told me to not get too close to the bastards in the Alliance. Kang Sebin shook his head as he thought of his master. He had originally joined just to take a look at the heir of the Church. After all, the person in question was the disciple of the great Gongson Chun Gi. If it really is a normal child. He was nning on leaving. Hum, hum, since no one left, lets all go in. Qing Song Ja slowly walked until he reached the door. Hoo He tried to not show it, but Qing Song Ja was actually trembling lightly. He was nervous. It made him nervous to think of attacking the Church itself. But he immediately shook off his nervousness and walked forward. Thousands followed after him. Kang Sebin walked into the formation along with the crowd. * * * Cho Ryu Hyang, who had been sitting on his desk for a while, slowly opened his eyes, and looked forward. In front of him, there were thousands of martial experts who were looking right at him. Theyreing. Prepare yourselves. Understood. Sunwu Cho Rin made a confused face as she bowed down. The only thing the heir did was to draw a circle with strange shapes in it and step into it. Then, he closed his eyes as if he was sleeping, and he tells her to get ready to fight. Should she trust him? A formation, was it? ording to what the heir said, there was a giant formation surrounding the Sichuan branch. That was why their enemies were so hesitant abouting in. ording to the information we have, the other side has up to three harmonious experts. Not even Sunwu Cho Rin could look down on the enemy this time. There were three harmonious experts this time. A single harmonious expert was able to take care of tens of peak experts. Just a single person was able to change the flow of an entire battle. And ording to their info even the experts they had were of a higher ss than theirs. They were outnumbered and outssed. But the heir seemed calmer than ever. He definitely had something in his sleeve. And that would be the formation, huh. Sunwu Cho Rin proceeded tomand her subordinates to carry out the heirs peculiarmand. Everyone Take whats in front of you and follow me. The subordinates followed hermands, but made a confused face as well. The tool that wasid out in front of them was the tool that was used to store fish when fishing. But the size of the thing is big enough to contain a single person. Sunwu Cho Rin had no idea what the heir was thinking. Why was he telling them to fight with such a cumbersome thing? Everyone was confused, but they didnt dare say a thing. Complete obedience. That was how the Church worked. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses. They have arrived at the first gate. Their enemy arrived at the first gate in an instant. Strangely enough, the very first person who came in was the most sensitive out of all of them. If hes not extremely sensitive, he must know a lot about formations. It had to be one of the two. No matter what type he was, Cho Ryu Hyang already had it calcted. As he watched the enemy outside the door, Cho Ryu Hyang narrowed his eyes. Then He needed to use a different method. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up, and looked at the circle on the floor. This circle was the diagram of the formation around Sichuan. Cho Ryu Hyang made a concerned face as he looked down at the circle. First, one. Cho Ryu Hyang carefully ced a gem in the middle of the circle. There was a need to separate the enemies. * * * Ah, seriously. Slow down, senior brother. .Dont you think youre the slow one here? Tch, cant you learn to adjust? Were you solo all your life or something? Juk Hyul Myung looked at Ju Da Hye with a confused face. Are you the boss here? No. you are. Then you should be following me. You have to learn to look out for weak people, senior brother. So why do I. Juk Hyul Myung was unable to talk any further. Ju Da Hye had cut him offpletely. Senior brother, this is the enemys base, right? Ri..ght? And were inside a formation, right? Juk Hyul Myung nodded without realizing it. Were inside a formation, yeah. Itd be dangerous if we get separated, right? The boss should take care of us and lead us, right? .. Juk Hyul Myung tried to say something but gave up. There was no time for him to argue with the girl. Then, he began to feel something strange ahead. Eh? What was that? He felt something huge move? Juk Hul Myung was about to say something but stopped and looked around. Ju Da Hye quickly caught up and gathered her subordinates. Think about us more. As Ju Da Hye puffed her cheeks and tried toin, Juk Hyul Myung grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. Be quiet. .. Juk Hyul Myung was being serious. Ju Da Hye nodded with a confused face. Juk Hyul Myung looked behind him and opened his mouth. Leader of the Frigid Wind Division. Yes, sir. Unfortunately, I dont think I can take care of you guys as well. The leader of the Frigid Wind Division looked at his subordinates and smiled faintly. You dont have to think about us, sir. Dont die. This ce is strange. There was something stranger than what he originally had thought. He felt something, but it immediately disappeared. And Mm? More presences? Juk Hyul Myung frowned because of the presences he suddenly felt. Crack- A blue me rose up around everyone. Chapter 108. Nine Flowing Army Formation Chapter 108. Nine Flowing Army Formation ED: Chrysanthemum After exiting the Sichuan Branch of the Heavenly Demon Church, Ju Ho Yu observed the changes in the formation for quite a while. He was curious of how that boy would use the formation. Thanks to that, Ju Ho Yu saw the Four Powers gather and quabble in front of the gates. And once they all entered the formation, he widened his eyes and pped his hands in admiration. He had realized what the secret of the formation was. * * * The fire was hot. In an instant, the air burned out and the heat quickly began to take over. The moment when everyones eyes were turned towards Juk Hyul Myung, the man stepped out and waved his hand. Kuaa- The cold energy that came out of his hands struck the area and subdued the mes for a moment. Seeing the people of the North Sea Ice Pce sighed in relief, Juk Hyul Myung looked at them and opened his mouth. Keep your guard up. This isnt the end. Just as Juk Hyul Myung had said that, copper statues appeared in the ce where the fire subdued. There were countless statues surrounding them. Juk Hyul Myung looked around for a moment and then smirked. Ive already passed the age which I yed with toys, though. Crack- As he cracked his fingers, Juk Hyul Myung opened his mouth. Frigid Wind Leader. Yes, sir. Get rid of those. Understood. 20 martial artists moved along with the Frigid Wind Leader. Kuakuakua-! With each stroke, a copper statue would broke apart. A white light glinted off from their weapons. This was the sword qi, which proved that these experts were peak experts. Where are you? As the Frigid Wind Brigade took care of the statues, Juk Hyul Ayung stretched out his senses in order to search for something. Where did you hide? Juk Hyul Ayung wasnt alerted by petty tricks like the statues. What alerted him was the giant presence he felt right before the fire. He was chasing after the giant presence that had touched the far edges of his senses. Shit. His senses werent normal. It was almost like he was trying to find something in a pool of mud. Around the time when he began to frown, he felt something grab onto his sleeves. When he looked back, he was able to see Ju Da Hye grabbing onto him with a stiff face. What is it? Your face is scary. Dont you mean handsome? Wow To think youd be able to joke at a time like this Amazing. I dont joke about stuff like this. After saying this, Juk Hyul Ayung tried touching his face for a moment. As he did so, he smiled. Ahh, youre right. I might get wrinkles at this rate. He didnt want to admit it, but he mustve seen to be anxious. When was thest time when he was anxious like this? He couldnt remember. This wasnt the way he operated, either. Juk Hyul Ayung managed to calm himself after Ju Da Hyes words. But right then. Kiing- Something had been caught in his senses once again. A small light glinted off from Juk Hyul Myungs eyes. Found you. At the same time, Juk Hyul Myung swung his sword. Chuaa-! In an empty space, a small crack appeared. A wound was created in the air. Juk Hyul Myung looked at this for a moment, then frowned. The wound had disappeared as if it had never existed before. I definitely struck something, right? It felt like he had sliced flesh. But that thing that he had sliced disappeared. What happened? Juk Hyul Myung tried to chase after the presence, but flinched before he actually did so. Oh, shit The members of the Frigid Wind Division hadpletely disappeared. After looking around for a bit, Juk Hyul Myung grabbed onto Ju Da Hyes hand. Looks like the formation tries to separate people whenever possible. If you want to live, dont move too far away from me. Ju Da Hye nodded. That was just what she had wanted, wasnt it? What the hell is that giant lump of muscle doing? Juk Hyul Myung stretched out his senses as he swore at Gu Hui. He would wait till the presence appeared again. * * * Ah. No Jin Nyung became confused when Cho Ryu Hyangs finger suddenly began to bleed. Un Hui quickly appeared from the shadows and patched up Cho Ryu Hyangs finger. Are you alright? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Im fine. I was a little surprised thats all. Right. Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely surprised at the moment. He didnt know who was in the formation. But that person just managed to do the impossible. The world inside the formation and the world outside are bothpletely separated, so how? This was extremely strange. After thinking for a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the small circle in front of him intently. Right now, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to see everyone who were trapped inside the formation. He was using the scrying formation in front of him to observe the Nine Flowing Army Formation that was surrounding the Sichuan branch. Through the use of the scrying formation, he was able to control the giant formation of Sichuan. But At the current moment, Cho Ryu Hyang was outside the formation. But somehow, the man inside managed to attack him. It wasnt a big wound, but this was something extremely new to Cho Ryu Hyang. Theres some kind of a variable that I failed to take into ount? This was a formation that was created after thousands of calctions, but he still managed to end up in a situation that he hadnt expected at all. He mustve underestimated the enemy quite a bit. Cho Ryu Hyang calcted for a moment. He just couldnt understand how the man attacked him. In a moment, he had found his answer and had be immensely surprised. He attacked the moment I controlled the formation? In the moment when he takes control of the formation. In that short timeframe, the man had attacked him this was something that Cho Ryu Hyang had never taken into ount. There was an immensely strong expert inside the formation. An unexpected variable Something didnt feel right. After taking a deep breath, Cho Ryu Hyang observed the formation even more carefully than before. He was able to find two people inside. Cho Ryu Hyang distanced himself away from them and observed. Then, he nodded. So its them. A handsome man and a woman who was hiding behind him. The man was looking straight ahead with squinted eyes. He didnt have a very oppressive aura around him or anything, but there was still something about him that made him seem quite different from others. Seeing the white dragon that was engraved into his clothing, he seemed to be from the North Sea Ice Pce. He must be the heir of the North Sea Ice Pce. Cho Ryu Hyangs prediction was correct. After looking at the man for a moment, Cho Ryu Hyang became quite anxious. He then bit his lips subconsciously. 87. The mans potential was extremelyrge. This was big enough for him to do something unpredictable. Cho Ryu Hyang exited the formation and sighed. His neck hurt. Cho Ryu Hyang made his decision as he rubbed the back of his neck. I need to control the formation as little as possible. It would be easy for that man to attack if Cho Ryu Hyang entered the formation more. But lessening the amount of times he controlled the formation was easier said than done. It would be hard to use the formation to its full potential otherwise. The formation in Sichuan was big and powerful, but the length of time it could be sustained was very small. Just a day. Within that time, he would need to take care of all his enemies. Cho Ryu Hyang loosened his muscles and focused on the formationpletely. * * * Gu Hui stopped in his spot as he rubbed his ear. He looked around with an annoyed face. Around the time when Juk Hyul Myung had been looking for him, he had been looking for Juk Hyul Myung as well. But Juk Hyul Myungs presence hadpletely disappeared once he entered the formation. How strange. He had maintained a certain distance from the North Sea Ice Pce when he entered. But then, those in front of him had disappeared. At the same time, an immensely cold air struck the Nanman Beast Gate. This is By the looks of it, the formation had just activated. The first change had urred, after all. After looking around for a bit, Gu Hui looked back at his people and opened his mouth. Well break through using pure strength, so you better be ready. Understood. Gu Hui breathed carefully and looked somewhere. So its there. Gu Hui had studied formations a long time ago. He had felt attracted to the subject as much as he was attracted to martial arts. But he gave up on learning it in the middle. There was never really a need to delve deeper into the subject, and he knew that he needed to focus more on martial arts. The formation here is amazing, but Of course, Gu Hui was unable to create nor destroy a formation like this. But he knew he could protect himself inside a ce like this. And If his prediction was right, this formation would notst long. This formation was definitely something that was created in a rtively short period of time. It wasnt made over a long period of time with extreme care. And the fact that something this big was made in such a short time must mean that there was a w in it. After all, nothing was perfect. This is a battle with time. Gu Hui decided that the biggest w of this formation was time. This was a won battle as long as they could endure. For now He needed to break through the first change. Gu Hui made a low posture and pulled his right arm backwards. He put strength into his belly and punched forward. Kwaaaa-! It was a simple punch. But the weight contained in that one punch seemed to rival even Mt. Tai. The air ripped apart, and a pathway big enough for a single man had appeared. Gu Hui quickly walked into the hole, and his subordinates followed. And Cho Ryu Hyangs focus immediately shifted from Juk Hyul Myung to Gu Hui. * * * This time, its the Nanman Beast Gate Cho Ryu Hyang smiled bitterly. Problems just seemed to be rising one after the other. It seemed that there was more than just one variable he hadnt ounted for. At least two. It was almost nonsensical. That punch just now was aimed right at the spot where the formation was the weakest. The first change was destroyed in an instant. The man here was definitely more dangerous than Juk Hyul Myung. He definitely knows about formations. His instincts were screaming warnings at him. That man who punched just now had to know about formations. Otherwise, it would be impossible to throw a punch at such a precise location. Cho Ryu Hyang focused at the spot where Gu Hui was. At that moment, he was able to see a muscr man who seemed to be exuded an oppressive aura. Nanman Beast Gates heir He knew the moment he saw. He knew that the man was Gu Hui, the heir of the Nanman Beast Gate. Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses and made his decision. I didnt want to control the formation, but Things would only get worse if the man managed to make his way here. That man was simply too strong. Cho Ryu Hyang steadied his breath and took out a single gem. He watched Gu Hui for a moment, then stuck the gem in the direction he was moving. This one will be hard to destroy. No matter how knowledgeable the Nanman Beast Gates heir was, there was no way the man found out everything about the formation. He wouldnt know how the formation was controlled, nor would he know what kind of traps were contained in it. The same went for Cho Ryu Hyang. A formation with an extremelyrge degree of freedom. That was what made this formation scary. The Nine Flowing Army Formation was a formation that changed ording to the circumstances. And for Gu Hui, who did not know about such a thing, this was the beginning of his misfortunes. Chapter 109. Everything’s Going According to the Plan Chapter 109. Everythings Going ording to the n ED: Chrysanthemum Gongs Ahri spoke as she pet the white rabbit on herp. Where were you all this time? I was worried. [] The rabbit, who was currently sleeping with its belly exposed, was Maksu. Gongson Ahri rubbed Maksus cheeks, then discovered that there was a tiny leaf poking out of its belly and poked it. Twitch- The leaf moved away from Gongson Ahris hand as if it was alive. When Gorgon Ahri made a surprised face, Maksu suddenly stood up from his spot. What is it, Maksu? Maksu straightened his ears to listen for a bit, then sniffed the air a few times. After this, he leaned left and right a few times, turned around, and began to run. Eh? Where are you going, Maksu? When Gongson Ahri followed Maksu, she realized they had arrived at the ce where Cho Ryu Hyang was. The drill hall of the Sichuan Branch. Once she arrived there, Gongson Ahri paused for a bit. That was because that child was there. Cho Ryu Hyang Maksu ran towards Cho Ryu Hyang while Gongson Ahri hesitated. Gongson Ahri turned the other way when she saw Cho Ryu Hyang. How strange. She didnt know why, but she felt the need to look at Cho Ryu Hyang, but her feelings were conflicting. She felt good when their eyes met, but her chest hurt at the same time. Why? The reason was simple. She liked the child. Gongson Ahris face reddened once she thought that much. She was feeling embarrassed. While that was going on, Maksu had already reached Cho Ryu Hyang. Gongson Ahri saw this but was unable to move. What shall I do? She wanted to talk to Cho Ryu Hyang by using Maksu as an excuse, but she couldnt really do that nowadays. Cho Ryu Hyang had be noticeably colder to her. He just nodded when she said hello, and he always acted as if he was busy. That made Gongson Ahri feel sad. Gongson Ahri looked down at her clothes and sighed. I shouldvee out in better clothes She hadnt thought much about her clothing because of Maksu. And there was one but person who was watching all this. It was Sunwu Cho Rin. Cho Ryu Hyang There was Cho Ryu Hyang at the end of Gongson Ahris gaze. Just what did she like about that child? Sunwu Cho Rin looked at Gongson Ahri with aplicated face, then turned around. Focus. She needed to focus at her task in hand. Sunwu Cho Rin tried her best to wait for the change that Cho Ryu Hyang had mentioned. * * * [What the hell did you do?] Cho Ryu Hyang turned when he heard a voice next to him. He knew that Maksu hade here from the start. He just didnt bother to talk to him. Cant you tell? [Why do you think Im asking?] Maksu frowned and looked at the formation in front of Cho Ryu Hyang with strange eyes. [Where did you learn this sort of thing? A formation that controls formations..?] Maksu asked Cho Ryu Hyang a question with a shocked voice, but the boy chose to ignore the rabbit. It would just be a waste of time to try and exin things now. Lets talkter. Cho Ryu Hyang waved the rabbit away and focused on his formation once again. Maksu looked at this dumbly, then turned to the formation as well. Is this how he looks at the bigger formation? But no matter how much he tried to look, he was unable to see anything. He decided to step in out of curiosity. Then Vuun- Eh? He could see. He was able to see multitudes of dots flowing in front of him When Maksu made a surprised face, Cho Ryu Hyang pulled the rabbit back with a frown. Dont watch without permission. [You Just that Were those dots all human?] Cho Ryu Hyang paused when he heard this. He brought the rabbit to his eyes and spoke. You could see those? [I managed to see dots, arrogant human.] Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Maksu with an annoyed face. So he really is special? A being that was not human. This rabbit really must have something special going for him. There was no way one could see dots inside the formation with normal eyes. Even Cho Ryu Hyang had to use his Godly Eyes to see in the formation. Maksu seemed to possess an ability to see things like this on instinct. He isnt normal, is it? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Maksu with a curious gaze. Maksu began to twist and shake as if he was getting tired of being hung in midair by Cho Ryu Hyang. The boy put the rabbit down carefully. Maksu huffed and puffed angrily once he was put down. [Do not treat me lightly, human. Do you even know what position I have in heaven? I may look like this now, but once I ascend, all beings will look at me venerably.] The rabbit spoke arrogantly out of anger. Looking at this, Cho Ryu Hyang smirked. Cute. [!] When Cho Ryu Hyang said this and turned away, Maksu began to shout in outrage. But the boy just decided to ignore all this. The reason why he had turned away wasnt because of Maksu, though. Gongson Ahri He had felt her standing far behind him. The moment he saw her, he turned away. Why? He asked himself why he was like this, but he didnt really have an answer to it. Everything he came up with seemed no more than a poor excuse. How annoying. He felt annoyed when he thought that he was just being an idiot by himself. Gongson Ahri was acting normal to him, but he wasnt. Cho Ryu Hyang cursed his own cowardliness and went back to work. He was afraid that his thoughts would begin turning into audible words otherwise. * * * Gu Hui made an astounded face when he saw the ocean in front of him. Chuaa- The waves struck the coast and created white bubbles. At the same time, a salty smell struck Gu Huis nose. Wait. Gu Hui looked forward after speaking to his subordinates. Right now, he was extremely confused. From what he knew, there werent supposed to be formations that changed so drastically like this. This was why he did not know what he was to do as of yet. There is no weak point? The only reason why he was able to pass the first change so easily was because there was a weak point in the formation. But things were different now. There was no weak point. Gu Hui slowly moved along the coastline and tried moving his toes in a certain way. After doing so, he frowned. This isnt it either? Normally, a formation would reveal a part of its true form once a person used either the Mountain King Steps or the Heavenly Master Steps. These two steps were two of the many techniques to destroy a formation. Gu Hui tried using other techniques, but he didnt get anything. The formation refused to react. Not reacting This was strange. Gu Hui looked forward at the sea with squinted eyes. This formation was indeed very powerful. But it didnt even harm anyone. What is their n? Gu Hui would be the one to benefit the more time was spent. This should be something the creator of the formation should know better than anyone Did he have a different n? As Gu Hui and Juk Hyul Myung thought this to themselves, The experts of the Alliance were being slowly disintegrated by Cho Ryu Hyangs trap. * * * The woman who seemed to be a leader amongst a group of female experts spoke once a red light shed ahead. Put them in. With themand, the 20-30 experts in the group inserted thes in their hands deep inside. They seemed to be trying to catch something in midair. A few people brightened once they seemed to have caught something. Got them. What are you doing, then? Pull it up? The experts quickly pulled up theirs. Something big seemed toe out with a little bit of resistance. It really worked? This was something that even themander was unsure of. What these experts were catching with theirs werent fish. They were humans. Themanders quickly brought the shocked subordinates back to their senses. Subdue them and keep capturing more. Understood! The subordinates seemed much more lively than before. This was because they now understood what the heirsmands meant. A fisher who fishes men This was what the heir called this tactic. Because of the strange name, Sunwu Cho Rin smiled. She hadnt realized what the heir was talking about back then. No, the tactic was so obvious that she didnt know what it was. To think I would actually end up fishing people Sunwu Cho Rin could only be astounded when she saw enemies being dragged out and being suppressed immediately. Just how would a formation have to work in order to make something so strange like this happen? Against experts at that Not even she had expected to be able to take down experts as easily as this. But as time passed, problems began to arise. Did the heir expect something like this to happen as well? Sunwu Cho Rin clicked her tongue at the experts that began to resist. The heir most definitely expected this as well. Do not look down on the Alliance! It was Qing Song Ja. Even when exhausted, he was able to fight like a peak expert. And because of that, several experts were able toe under his wings to fight. Did he send me here to fight people like that? Indeed, the heir was smart. Sunwu Cho Rin had to admit that. Her job was to take care of experts like those. But as she ran towards Qing Song Ja, she paused for a second. Wouldnt it be easier to kill everyone using the formation, not them? Wouldnt that cost less people and be easier as well? Did the heir just not think that far? For now Sunwu Cho Rin quickly shook her head when suspicion rose up in her head. For now, getting rid of the old expert was the most important. She shouldnt get the order mixed up. After taking a deep breath, Sunwu Cho Rin tightened the grip on her whip and narrowed her eyes. Then she carefully looked at Qing Song Ja, who was spraying sword qi everywhere. In a few moments, Sunwu Cho Rins eyes widened. At the same time, a mad smile appeared on her face. Sunwu Cho Rin moved like lightning. Ill take you out with a single blow, old man. She needed to beat him as fast as possible. After all, the other side was as strong as her. Sunwu Cho Rins smile deepened as she neared the old expert. Her murderous aura got stronger as well. Shuiiii-! Qing Song Ja began to shoot out sword qi at her as he began to feel danger. But Toote. Chuaa-! The whip in Sunwu Cho Rins hands dodged the sword qi and prated towards Qing Song Ja. It was a perfect attack executed at the perfect time. Stab- The tip prated itself deeply inside Qing Song Ja. K, kuh! Qing Song Ja looked at the whip incredulously. And as he tried to grab onto the whip. Chuaa-! Sunwu Cho Rin took it out with a grin. There was some blood, but she didnt care. This is the beginning. This was only the beginning. Chapter 110. Resolution Chapter 110. Resolution ED: Chrysanthemum Shit, I fell for it. Fell for what? Is there a problem, Senior Brother? Yeah. A big problem. Juk Hyul Myung chewed his nails as he became angry at his own stupidity. To strike at the weak points Damn, so hes pretty smart, huh? It looked like the enemy had taken care of the weak ones around him first. Whyd I realize this now? Juk Hyul Myung frowned, and looked around. The huge presence from before had disappeared. The enemy seemed to be extremely careful in his actions. He had felt something move slightly, but since it was far away, Juk Hyul Myung couldnt move. It wasnt like he could leave Ju Da Hye alone. Shit. Shit! He was frustrated. He knew what the creator of the formation was trying to do, but he didnt know how to stop the bastard. Is there really no way? After thinking a bit, Juk Hyul Myung shook his head. There was always a way to solve something. He just hadnt found it yet. Juk Hyul Myung grabbed onto Ju Da Hyes hands that had gotten themselves tightly woven around their waist. Let go, its annoying. No! Im telling you, you dont have to do this? I wont run away? Still, no! Juk Hyul Myung was unable to understand why the girl was doing this. He didnt understand with his current understanding of a females mind. Its hot. Just endure it. Why the hell are you like this? Ju Da Hye grabbed onto Juk Hyul Myung even tighter than before instead of responding. Juk Hyul Myung was annoyed by this, but he didnt do anything. He just didnt want to solve things by force. Damn it, do what you want. You cant run from me now, Senior Brother. Im telling you, I wont run. Really? Yeah. What am I going to do if I leave you behind? Teachers going to kill me if I do that. Ju Da Hye smiled after hearing this. But that smile was not one of happiness, but rather one of bitterness. Eh? Why are you smiling? Although Ju Da Hye smiled behind Juk Hyul Myung, Juk Hyul Myung didnt miss her smile. He was an expert, after all. You dont need to know. Ju Da Hye forced herself to smile brightly. She needed to look happy. At least in front of Juk Hyul Myung, she needed to look happy. That was what he liked of her. She didnt want to look sad and depressing in front of him. You seem to have a lot of secrets nowadays? I had a lot of secrets from the start? Really? Youre actually kinda stupid, you know? No way. Juk Hyul Myung scratched his head in confusion. Come to think of it, this girl was the only senior sister who would talk to him for a long time. Was it because he teased her a lot, as she felt like a younger sister? It seemed that she was scared of him leaving her behind. I would never do that. Juk Hyul Myung had merely teased the girl all these years. He would never do something like leave her behind when things got a little hard. He said he wouldnt run. Ju Da Hye understood Juk Hyul Myungs words a little differently. And she then sighed inside. Please understand my actions. I cant help but do it. Honestly, Ju Da Hye wasnt interested in how dangerous their current situation was. As long as the Senior Brother was there, everything would work itselves out. But He wouldnt know how I feel about him. Juk Hyul Myung definitely wouldnt know of how she was feeling. He probably wasnt even interested. It made her feel hurt. It made her feel sad. Since when was it all like this? From the start, she had always liked her Senior Brother. But the Senior Brother was so amazing that she couldnt even approach him easily. Ju Da Hye strengthened her grip even more on Juk Hyul Myungs waise. Let me be like this for just today. A person who was like a sparkling star in the night sky. It was just for a single day, but Ju Da Hye was able to think of this person as hers. Her Senior Brothers back wasrge, and warm. Juk Hyul Myung felt his Junior Sister behind his back, and sighed. He didnt know what the enemy was doing, but he could not move. But he wouldnt be able to do anything like this. It wasnt like he could wait for death either. Juk Hyul Myung looked around, and steadied his breath. Now wasnt the time to try to restrain himself. A huge amount of energy began to move around Juk Hyul Myungs body. * * * Well charge through. Around the time when Juk Hyul Myung began to gather strength, Gu Hui was trying to do something simr. Thankfully, his situation was better off than Juk Hyul Myungs. He still had his subordinates, and he knew of what would happen. Because of that, the Nanman Beast Gate was able to maintain a safe position without suffering from any damages. But that would reach an end soon. Gu Hui knew this, as he had realized what the enemy was doing. Hes taking care of the Alliance. Leave the body be, and cut off the limbs. It seemed to be a nice n. Seeing how he was like this, Juk Hyul Myung was probably imprisoned somewhere as well. But this wasnt very good for Gu Hui. Gu Hui immediately calcted the amount of time he spent in here. About 2 hours. He wasted quite a bit of time here. He had no idea how much the Alliance suffered, either. Gu Hui looked around a bit, sighed, and gathered strength. KrrrC A hot energy appeared everywhere, but it did not spread. Instead, the energy gathered to a single spot. That energy gathered onto Gu Huis right leg. Crimson me Kick. A light as bright as the sun poured out of Gu Huis leg. Kuaaa-! The sea in front of them boiled away in an instant. And in that same instant, more water poured in. Seeing this, Gu Hui nodded. It was for but a moment, but Gu Hui had seen a path. Follow me. After saying this, Gu Hui walked into the seawater. The experts of the Nanman Beast n followed in without any questions. In the dark sea, Gu Hui stared at the huge stone in front of him. He punched the stone after approaching it. Crack- Something broke. And with that, the pressure on Gu Huis body disappeared. We were lucky. It looked like the enemy had no time to focus on them. Thanks to that, they were able to get through easily. But this result was actually quite obvious. There were huge amounts of people in the formation. There was no way for the enemy to be focused on everyone. Trying to do that would be like suicide. Gu Hui thought this as he walked through the path. It was now time to kill the enemy. * * * He broke through now. Cho Ryu Hyang knew immediately that Gu Hui had passed through. He had seen the gem that was used as the core for Gu Huis prison break. This is the start. Unlike what Gu Hui had thought, Cho Ryu Hyang was actually focused more on Gu Hui than anyone else. His subordinates would take care of the others. This thought was what allowed Cho Ryu Hyang to do this. My job right now would be to hold back that man. He needed to do this untill the people of the Alliance were taken care of. Cho Ryu Hyang took out another gem from his sleeves. Then, he hesitated. It wasnt hard to modify the formation now. But the heir of the North Sea Ice Pce was waiting for him. That worried Cho Ryu Hyang. What should I do? If he was unable to stop the Nanman Beast Gate because of the North Sea Ice Pce, all his preparations till now would be for naught. But if he tried to modify the formation now, the heir of the North Sea Ice Pce would surely attack. And if Cho Ryu Hyang allowed that to happen, the formation itself could potentially break apart. After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang came to a conclusion. Theres no choice. He couldnt afford to have the formation fall apart, nor could he afford to have the Nanman Beast Gate get out of the formation. Right now, it was difficult to deal with Juk Hyul Myung and Gu Hui, as both of them were going all out. If they were being like this, Cho Ryu Hyang would have to embrace danger as well. Cho Ryu Hyang stood up. He walked out of the formation he had been sitting in, and opened his mouth. Im going to have to go in there. Ehh? Isnt that dangerous? When No Jin Nyung said this in rm, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Its dangerous. But theres no choice. Right. There was no choice other than to do this. He need to take drastic measures. No Jin Nyung needs to stay here and take care of something. I will be entering the formation with Un Hui. [Understood.] When Un Hui appeared out of the darkness and nodded, No Jin Nyung violently shook his head. Ehh? Why are you leaving me like this?! That guy cant even fight? I can take that weakling down with just my breath right now? . When Un hui tried to say something in anger, Cho Ryu Hyang stopped him. Then, the boy turned to No Jin Nyung. No Jin Nyung seemed determined to go with Cho Ryu Hyang. And that determination seemed to work on Cho Ryu Hyang. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, and opened his mouth. Alright. If you want to go that much, Ill take you with me. Waah! Yay! When No Jin Nyung smiled in satisfaction, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke. First off, you need to memorize the steps that Ill teach you when entering the formation. Theres 133 types of steps you will need to know, and youll need to apply them differently. Youll need to move ording to the changes in the formation. Eh? Ill tell you about them now. When Cho Ryu Hyang tried to speak, No Jin Nyung quickly stopped the boy with his hands. S, stop! Yes? What is it? I think Un Huis more suitable for this operation. Hehe, Ill just wait here in case of any danger. Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the man in front of him, then nodded. Understood. Do what you want. Right. Hehe. No Jin Nyung stepped back as he scratched the back of his head. He wasnt confident with these kinds of things. Cho Ryu Hyang turned to Un Hui, and spoke. Ready? Yes, sir. Ill tell you about the steps now. Un Hui nodded as Cho Ryu Hyang taught him about the steps. By the time Cho Ryu Hyang told him again just to be sure, Un Hui had already memorized them. Un Hui. He truly was a genius. After telling Un Hui the steps twice, Cho Ryu Hyang walked into the formation. It was time to face his enemies. Once he entered the formation, Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes turned colder than ever. Chapter 111. Gu Hui Meets Cho Ryu Hyang. Chapter 111. Gu Hui Meets Cho Ryu Hyang. ED: Chrysanthemum Did things progress faster than I had expected? I didnt think wed be able to leave so soon. The middle-aged man who said this as he walked out was Gongson Chun Gi, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Church. So theres about ten days left till we get to Sichuan? Yes. Well arrive in about ten days. How exciting. You also worked hard to speed things up, Guardian Jeon. Jeon Bak shrugged as he opened his mouth. I didnt do much. Actually, the heir did most of the work. Really? Since he managed to take care of such immense amount of salt in a remarkably short time, things became very easy for us. Right Well, the kid is pretty brilliant. His ideas were really something. Yes. Thanks to this, we were able to go to Sichuan ourselves along with the extra supplies we were going to bring. This alone is a huge profit. Im almost tempted to kowtow towards the heir right now. Gongson Chun Gi looked at Jeon Bak fiddle with his abacus and smiled. You seem to have taken a liking to my disciple? Of course. The heir is a saviour to the church in many ways. Jeon Bak was thankful towards the heir for taking care of the salt issue, as well as for bing the heir of the church. In his eyes, Cho Ryu Hyang was a savior. Im d you think that way. There are a lot of people who are quite jealous of the boys talent. After all, doing too well is a problem in itself, dont you think? . Despite what he said, Gongson Chun Gi had a proud grin on his face. Because of Cho Ryu Hyangs achievements, he had been hearing all sorts of praises for his disciple from his peers. Gongson Chun Gi acted like it was nothing every time he heard it, but he was secretly enjoying all the praises. Jeon Bak looked at the Pope for a moment, he put down his abacus, and opened his mouth. The Four Powers are making their move. I know. Theyre probably attacking the heir by now. They are? It is about time, after all. ..Arent you worried? Jeon Bak made a confused expression. ording to his sources, the power that the enemies possessed was far greater than the one the church possessed. It would be stupid to fight them head-on. But Surprisingly enough, the heir decided to confront them. It was a stupid illogical decision. Gongson Chun Gi realized what Jeon Bak was thinking and smirked. You think its strange that Im not worried about the boy? . Worries are only reserved for people that you dont trust, or for the actions that these people do. Gongson Chun Gi sat down on a boulder near the carriage and continued talking. You see, Im not worried about the boy, not even one bit. The boy himself might not know it, but in order to kill him, an expert as strong as me would need to take part in the battle. Jeon Bak made a face full of disbelief. Who was Gongson Chun Gi? He was the person who reached a level that no one else in this world could reach. And to think that a person like this would have to make their move to kill the heir But as Gongson Chun Gi wasnt a person whod lie about such things, Jeon Baks face was again filled with confusion. Gongson Chun Gi put a cigarette to his mouth as he watched this and smiled. You say that the Four Powers made their move? Tsk tsk, they made a foolish decision. The kid cant be killed with mere numbers. Gongson Chun Gi chewed on the cigarette while he grinned yfully. Hehe, and the fun thing is, not even the boy knows how strong he has be. Can you believe it? ..Is that so? Gongson Chun Gi nodded. You see, the boy grew so fast that he couldnt even sense what happened. Well, that would probably cause a few side effects, but that can be ignored for now Anyway, this would be the perfect chance for the boy to check how strong he has be. Kehehe Jeon Bak shook his head as he watched Gongson Chun Gi grin evilly. It didnt really matter whether or not the Popes words were true. Lets just say that Gongson Chun Gi was exaggerating a little at the moment. Even if that was the case, the heirs power should be enough to block off an attack from the Four Powers. If that were to happen Many things would change. First, it would announce the heirs presence into the martial world. This would be an event big enough to shake the entire world by its roots. And so, the event that was to be known as the Second Alliance-Demon War would begin. * * * How strange. Gu Hui stopped walking and began to look around himself. He frowned, put his right hand up into the air, and balled it up into a fist. With that signal, the martial artists of the Nanman Beast Gate came to a stop behind him. We passed this ce before. How did he not realize it? It was strange. It was strange for him to not recognize a path that he had just walked through. He had never made such mistake before. Gu Hui closed his eyes. After a moment, Gu Hui opened his eyes into small slits. As I thought, I made no mistake. He went back the path he walked through multiple times in his head. But no matter how many times he did so, he could not find any mistakes in the paths he chose to go through. Then, there was only one exnation for this phenomenon. Gu Hui looked around himself with bright eyes. So its him The person who made the formation. This might be possible if this was done by the person who made the formation. This must mean that the creator of the formation was paying attention to him the most, but wouldnt that be a huge risk? So he chose me amongst all the others? Gu Hui made a concerned face. He decided to review the invisible enemy in front of him once again. Was it because he was being too obvious in getting through the formation? Things would be annoying if the creator of the formation became wary of him. Gu Hui clicked his tongue. How annoying. If he had a bit more time, he probably could have gotten through the formation. The formation that he was currently in was indeed amazing. Well, the formation by itself is amazing, but.. But as Gu Hui had an immense power that stemmed from his martial arts skills, he should be able to break through the formation sooner orter. After all, he already passed through two of the barriers of the formation, did he not? I must find him. Perhaps this was good. If the creator of the formation involved himself with Gu Hui, it would make things much easier. Just catching the creator would change the flow of the battle entirely. Ill have to check first. He needed to confirm his thoughts. The way to do this was simple. If the creator was watching him, then Gu Hui would just have to create a situation where the creator would have no choice but to move. March. When Gu Hui said this, the martial artists of the Nanman Beast Gate began to walk forward. Gu Hui got in the middle of the group, and kept his guard up; he was looking for a chance to attack. He put down his hands and slowly walked with the rest of the group. Ch, chiiiC The fingers of his hands began to let out tiny strings of energy that scratched the ground softly. Gu Hui looked at this carefully, and whenever the strings changed direction, he directed the group towards the way the strings were going. Cho Ryu Hyang became amazed as he saw this. He found me. Cho Ryu Hyang pushed his sses up as he observed Gu Hui. It seemed that the other side had noticed his presence. Just how? Cho Ryu Hyang was a little surprised to be found out like this. But what was even more concerning at the moment was the way that this person was trying to get through the formation. He was trying to use the simplest, but the most reliable method of breaking through formations. Should I make my move? If he did, he would just prove to the other side that he was watching. After thinking, Cho Ryu Hyang made a decision. It was hard to hide his moves like this anyway. Plus, the situation might worsen if he let someone like this be. Therefore, he needed to fight the man now. Cho Ryu Hyang took one of the stones on the ground, and pulled it up. Vuun- The view around him shook for a moment, and he, along with Gu Hui, began to fade from the scene. I cant let him pass just like that. Around the time when Cho Ryu Hyang thought this, Gu Hui hade to a stop in his tracks. His eyes, along with that of the martial artists, all pointed upwards. Gu Hui had a slight smile on his face. How interesting. A giant door had appeared in front of them. If this wasnt a challenge for them, then what else? He could feel the other side taunting him to get inside. This made himugh. If he didnt ept a challenge like this, he wouldnt be a man. Were going in. The only way one could catch a tiger was to get into itsir. Gu Hui opened the door and walked in. He was greeted by two people inside. Hoh? Inside the gate was an empty space filled with mist. Within this mist was a boy in sses and a man wearing a mask. He is The masked man was a harmonious expert. A strong one, at that. Gu Hui smiled. But he is not my match. The man wasnt mature enough yet. Things might change given time, but right now, the man was weak. Gu Hui turned to the kid. It was strange. This wasnt a ce that anyone could get into, and yet Could it be? Gu Hui opened his mouth. Are you the heir of the church? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded without saying anything. As he had thought, the boy was the heir of the church. Why did the boy reveal himself? No, thats not important right now. The intent of the other side wasnt important. The battle was already over, after all. I came here to kill you. It was an honest, and straightforward situation. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt seem intimidated at all by this, however. He simply responded dryly back to the man. You think you can kill me? Of course I do. The boy couldnt run. Not anymore, now that he was within Gu Huis sights. Whoosh- Gu Huis presence began to get stronger. At the same time, the mist around him disappearedpletely. Shuaaa- Un Hui flinched at this time. Dangerous. His instincts were going wild. Right now, this entire area was within Gu Huis control. It would be impossible to ensure the safety of the heir if they continue there. They needed to run. But Un Hui was unable to move. This was because Cho Ryu Hyang had given him a mand before they came in here. [Dont run, no matter what happens. Only run when I tell you to do so.] Because of thismand, Un Hui wasnt able to do anything. How amusing. If he just extended his hand now, the boy would die. The mission would end that easily. No, the mission wasnt that easy, huh. It was pretty hard to get here, even with this many martial artists. The battle wasnt that easy when he took this into ount. Cho Ryu Hyang, who managed to read a bit into Gu Huis mind, smirked, and took off his sses. Does he think Im already caught or something? Does the man not know that he still had plenty of cards on his sleeve? Cho Ryu Hyang expected something like this to happen, but it was still annoying. Ill make him realize his mistakes properly. After putting his sses in his sleeves, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. I, too, have no intentions of leaving you alive. But if you apologize right now and promise to leave, Ill let you go just this once. What? Gu Huis eyes began to tremble. Was this kid serious? Was he even aware of who he was talking to? When he stretched out his hand to take away an arm from the boy out of anger, Cho Ryu Hyang spoke. You must be Gu Hui, correct? ..You said that even when you knew who I was, boy? ..Eighty-five. What? Cho Ryu Hyang drew a line on the sandy floor under him. Gu Hui observed this and looked back at Cho Ryu Hyang. To be honest, Ive never faced someone this strong. But Cho Ryu Hyang thought of something that was far from being a human and smiled. I have faced a monster stronger than you before. Right. He had fought to death with a monster that was worse than Gu Hui in the past. Gu Hui looked coldly at Cho Ryu Hyangs smile. He was absolutely full of killing intent. Chapter 112. Gu Hui, The Tooth of A Beast Chapter 112. Gu Hui, The Tooth of A Beast ED: Chrysanthemum Gu Huis shoulders shook lightly. His actions had no warning whatsoever, and when Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes began to widen from surprise, Un Huis body moved like a shadow in front of Cho Ryu Hyang. Tukakaka-! A cloud of dust rose up, and a huge movement of inner energy blew Cho Ryu Hyangs hair upwards. Your body is injured. . Un Hui was unable to say anything. He was right. His body was still recovering. How interesting. Just how long do you think you can hold on? . Un Hui desperately tried to manage the injury inside himself. He had expected the attacks trajectory and prepared himself to take it, but the energy that flowed into him from the attack was even more massive than he had thought. To think a light attack would be like this Even for experts in the harmonious stage, the difference in power existed. The man in front of Un Hui wasnt someone he could take on, even when he was in his best condition. Right then, Cho Ryu Hyang, who was standing behind Un Hui, stepped sideways, and opened his mouth. So, a refusal, then? Gu Huis lips twitched. What? Was this boy a madman? Did he really not realize what kind of situation he was in? Right then, the little boy opened his mouth and had a chilly gaze in his eyes. Dont you regret your decision. . It almost seemed like the boy spat out his words. Gu Hui, at this moment, felt ufortable for an unknown reason. What was this feeling? The moment he thought about this, he realized why he was feeling like this. His eyes, huh? The eyes that the kid had wasnt that of a madmans. They are the eyes of someone carefully analyzing the situation avoid of any emotion. Those eyes were those of someone who was far above somebody else. Cho Ryu Hyang drew another line across the one he drew already on the floor, forming a cross. Gu Hui, after seeing this, made a surprised face. That kid was the one who made the formation? Now that he thought about it. this situation in itself was peculiar. There was no reason why the heir would just appear, was there? And just who would have the gall to be so calm in a massive formation like this? After thinking this far, Gu Hui began moving. He realized that this was not the time to fool around. There was a powerful warning signal going on in his mind. Kill. Gu Huis hands began to turn red like the sunset. Un Hui, upon seeing this, took out his sword and lowered his posture. Block. He had to block. He had to prevent the man from even touching the heir. As long as he, Un Hui, was alive, Gu Hui wouldnt be even able to get near the heir. Grit-! Un Hui bit down on his teeth and prepared himself to receive the strike. You think you can block it? . You dare think you had even the qualifications to block the attack? Gu Hui was nning on using his most powerful move right from the get-go. It was unfortunate that he would not be able to y with the man in front of him right now, but there was no choice. He had to kill the boy before anything strange happened. If he didnt do that, things would quickly be extremelyplicated. Loyal me Fist. Once the amount of red energy on his fists reached its peak, Gu Hui charged at Cho Ryu Hyang. Kuauuuung-! (The sound of piercing wind) With it, the air around Gu Hui burned away with a reddish light. The man was charging like a cannonball with an appearance that resembled a giant sun. Hoooo. Un Hui caught his breath and exhaled slowly. Then, he drew a circle in front of him using the sword in his hand. A grey light appeared on the path of the sword. This was the strongest move that Un Hui knew so far. The move that he created using everything he had seen and learned so far. Joyful Dance of The Demon Sword. From the circle came an immense amount of power, and Un Huis body began to get sucked into the circle. And the moment the two collided, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. You can stop now. Un Hui smiled bitterly. This wasnt something that the boy could stop right now. After all, neither of them were able to stop their attacks at this point. But.. Un Hui was starting to feel a little confused. Some time had already passed since the two used their moves, but they still hadnt collided. The same face of confusion was on Gu Huis face as well. This is. No matter how much either of them ran, they didnt get nearer. Gu Hui stopped walking and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. He frowned. A feeling of danger passed by behind his back. Could it be When he slowly turned back, he could see that his subordinates had disappeared. The formation changed. Just a single moment. It was just a single moment when he separated from them, but that moment was enough to separate him from the group. Gu Hui was filled with a feeling of desperation. Whoosh-! The boiling energy inside him disappeared. So he was going for this from the beginning. The boy provoked him in order to get him to move. And the moment he made an irrational move, the boy separated him from everyone else. How scary. Gu Hui took a look around himself. The formation, as he expected, had no holes in it. That boy had been controlling the area this entire time. Im useless. Grit- Gu Hui bit down on his teeth. He was getting angry at himself for being such an idiot. He had made a huge mistake. The boiling emotions inside him exploded for an instant, then faded away just as quickly as they came. Gu Hui was furious. He was furious at himself for being yed by a child. After pushing away his rage into one corner of his mind, Gu Hui attempted to analyze the situation calmly, and he reached a conclusion immediately. I cant fight him in the formation. Then what should he do? There was only a single way to get out of this situation. Theres not much time. The people he brought were elites from the Nanman Beast Gate. Each one of them was powerful, but there was no guarantee that they could survive the formation. It would be very hard for them to survive in a formation made by someone like this. Where did you send them? Cho Ryu Hyang put on his sses and responded calmly. Here and there. Youve separated them? Yes. Then, what are you going to do to me? Im thinking about it. Cho Ryu Hyang responded honestly. It was impossible to get someone like this with a formation he had now. The best he could do was to tie the man down. This made Cho Ryu Hyang feel very troubled about his next moves. Do you think that I wouldnt be able to kill you? Cho Ryu Hyang tilted his head. He was calcting if Gu Hui could do any harm to him. Soon enough, he reached a conclusion. Of course. Cho Ryu Hyang was certain of his conclusion. There was no way Gu Hui would even be able to touch him. As long as Cho Ryu Hyang was focused, Gu Hui had no way of touching him. You are not a martial artist. ? A sudden, seemingly random statement. Is he trying to provoke me? There was no way Cho Ryu Hyang would be provoked by something like this. Gu Hui looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with calm eyes and smirked. You constantly think about costs and benefits, and you try to calcte the future as best as you can. You are better off as a merchant. Cho Ryu Hyang twitched after hearing this. The man was right. But that was it. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Correct. I am better off as a merchant, but does that change anything? Does knowing this help you get out of your predicament? . Cho Ryu Hyangs face didnt change one bit despite having heard an extremely insulting statement. And with a tone that implied whats the problem with that?, Gu Hui lost his ability to speak. He had nevere across anyone like this before. After thinking for a moment, Gu Hui opened his mouth with a determined face. There seems to be a need to break open your stubborn skull. You think thats possible? Gu Hui nodded without hesitation. Cho Ryu Hyang, seeing this, reviewed the situation Gu Hui was in once again. Like before, he reached the conclusion that it was impossible for Gu Hui to get at him. Right then, Gu Hui spoke. Ill show you myself. Go on. Cho Ryu Hyang was standing with his arms crossed. ording to his calctions, Gu Hui could see him but could never reach him. After all, the distance between them, while seemingly small, was actually extremelyrge. The Sichuan branch of the church was a ce containing thousands of people. The distance between Gu Hui and Cho Ryu Hyang was close to the size of the perimeter of this Sichuan branch. As such, it was impossible for Gu Hui to get near him. But he says that its possible? If it was, then he wanted to see it. He wanted to see a variable that could exceed the calctions. Gu Hui looked at this Cho Ryu Hyang quietly. Even now, Gu Hui was considering if what he was doing was right. This is a foolish act. Honestly, it would be good to just waste the boys time here. After all, there were people other than him here. Plus, he trusted Juk Hyul Myung. That guy was sure to do something. There was, in all honesty, no need for him to make a move. But He was worried about his subordinates. He didnt know in what situation they were, and that worried him. I dont want to stress myself too much, but Since a new variable came up, he no longer had a choice. Gu Hui lifted his right arm. Then, he began to gather his strength into it. A red energy simr to the light of the sun began toe out of his body, then concentrated onto the tip of his fingers. Wuun- The air began to tremble violently with a dangerous sound. Stay calm. Cho Ryu Hyang wasnt afraid, even as he looked at Gu Huis movements. He trusted his formation. No matter how great the mans move may be, there was no way the attack woulde his way. Cho Ryu Hyang trusted that. Gu Huis eyes met with Cho Ryu Hyangs. Both of them were confident in their weapons strength, and soon enough, the value of their weapons would be proven. Gu Hui, as he sweat profusely, lifted his right hand carefully. Then, the energy in his hand turned into a red bead in front of him. Un Hui, upon seeing this, widened his eyes. That bead was the Gang Bead, a form of inner energy that one could only used by an extremely powerful expert. Surprisingly enough, Gu Hui was almost as strong as the Three Emperors. Eat this. Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the red bead carefully. The original speed of the Gang Bead was almost blinding. But right now, it seemed to crawl towards Cho Ryu Hyang at a snails pace. Dangerous. Cho Ryu Hyang continuously calcted in his brain. And he did all that he could to move himself further away from the bead. Even so, the bead slowly moved closer to him. This really is dangerous. Cho Ryu Hyang began to sweat. The distance between he and Gu Hui was huge. But that bead was crossing that gap between the two like lightning. Around the time when Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shook from fear, The bead came right in front of him. And. Crack- Craack-! Something like ss broke in front of Cho Ryu Hyang. At the same time, the beads speed began to speed up. Despair floated into Cho Ryu Hyangs mind when he saw this. There was no way to dodge that thing. Baaang-! Cho Ryu Hyang was sent flying back with a huge explosion. When he fell down on the ground, he made a confused face. He was too fine. When he looked up, though, he managed to see that somebody had blocked the blow for him. It was Un Hui. Un Hui had blocked the blow for Cho Ryu Hyang. This made Cho Ryu Hyang feel extremely thankful. He had the strongest bodyguard, didnt he? This made Cho Ryu Hyang smile. Thank you, Un Hui. Strangely enough, he didnt get a response. This made a feeling of frighte over him. Cho Ryu Hyang quickly stood up and grabbed Un Huis arm. And his eyes widened. Chapter 113. The Time To Choose Chapter 113. The Time To Choose ED: Chrysanthemum Un Huis back bent without resistance when Cho Ryu Hyang caught his fall. Cho Ryu Hyang felt his heart drop when he saw how powerless Un Hui was. Un Hui? Un Hui opened his eyes slowly when he heard Cho Ryu Hyang say his name. Are you hurt? .. Cho Ryu Hyang couldnt say anything. He could only nod. Un Hui smiled after seeing this. Thats good. Un Hui closed his eyes again. Cho Ryu Hyang tried shaking him a few times but it was all in vain. The man was dying. Cho Ryu Hyang trembled as he looked at this. Its my fault. I was too arrogant. Right now, Un Hui was spewing blood out of his nose and mouth continuously. When Cho Ryu Hyang saw this, he was instantly reminded of Jo Gi Chunsst moments. The same thing that was happening with Un Hui urred at the moment of his teachers death, which resulted in causing Cho Ryu Hyangs heart to beat faster and faster. Dokun- Dokun- It was beginning to get hard to breathe. It felt like he was falling to the deepest part of hell. And when Cho Ryu Hyang was about to hit the bottom, The word that his teacher said to him rang in his mind. [Live!] Cho Ryu Hyang responded sharply to this voice. Even whilst trembling violently from shock, he tried his utmost to check Un Huis condition. Hes sustained heavy internal injuries. But more than that What truly made Un Hui this sick. It was the injury in his waist. Anyone could see that the wound was fatal. Cho Ryu Hyangs normally calm eyes began to redden. He looked back up and red. In front of him was Gu Hui. Their eyes met once again in the air. Surprisingly enough, the one to speak first was Gu Hui. How is it, child? Does it feel good to have your pride shattered like so? Gu Huis entire body was filled with sweat, and this sweat all turned to steam as soon as it came out. He, too, had expended an immense amount of energy from this. But he was satisfied. After all, he managed to shatter that little boys pride. If they were just a bit further away. If that were the case, then Gu Hui wouldve been the one to fall first. Gu Hui pushed that thought aside for now and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang. What will you do now, boy? Cho Ryu Hyang turned away from Gu Hui, then immediately looked to Un Hui. He was trying to find something. This is the Golden Prism pill. this is. He was able to find the pills he needed for emergency care immediately. Un Hui had carried many pills with him at all times out of caution. Cho Ryu Hyang remembered this, and he also remembered what types of pills Un Hui carried with him. This is it. Cho Ryu Hyang opened the container Un Hui had treasured most and took out a small pill from it. The pill of the undying, was it? It was a pill that Un Hui had kept for Cho Ryu Hyangs personal use. Cho Ryu Hyang took it out immediately and put it into Un Huis mouth. I wont let you die. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lower lip. He kept his fingers in Un Huis mouth, holding the pill down in case Un Hui tried to cough it out. After a moment, Cho Ryu Hyang took out his finger and ripped a bit of his cloth off. Rip- Riip-! Gu Hui was watching him from a distance, but that didnt matter. Right now, Un Huis life was what mattered most. It didnt even matter if Gu Hui were to use this time to destroy the formation. Not twice. I wont see anyone die under my watch twice. The first time. The first time Cho Ryu Hyang saw someone die, he couldnt do anything about it. At the time, he was powerless and didnt have the ability to do anything. In fact, did he not almost go insane from his powerlessness? Not anymore. Right now, he was different from his past. Right now, he actually had the power to do something. Because he knew this, Cho Ryu Hyang worked like a madman. His body became dyed in Un Huis blood as he worked, but that did not matter. I need to stop the bleeding. Cho Ryu Hyang applied the medicine on Un Huis injury and wrapped the wound with the fabric on his hand. Then, he carefully observed Un Huis situation. Please He was desperate. At the same time, he was afraid. He had done everything that he could. He could only wait now. But if that didnt work? Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shook with fear. This is all because of me. If something happened to Un Hui as a result of his arrogance, Cho Ryu Hyang wouldnt be able to bear his regret. Cho Ryu Hyangs face became painted with impatience. How much time passed? Cho Ryu Hyang carefully put his finger on Un Huis nose. And after a moment. Cho Ryu Hyang fell down on the floor. Ha hahaha. Thankfully, the medicine did have an effect. Un Huis breathing had gotten much smoother than before. After checking on Un Hui several times, Cho Ryu Hyang put his hands down on the floor with an exhausted face. He then turned to Gu Hui and shed his eyes. Gu Hui made a regretful face. He had tried to break through the formation while the child was distracted, but he had failed. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. I had almost lost a person precious to me due to my idiocy. Its good that you have recognized your stupidity, boy. Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses. His fingers that were on his sses were trembling slightly. Gu Hui, was it? Yes. Ill remember you. Thanks to you, I wont be able to do stupid things ever again. Cho Ryu Hyangs words had a different meaning to what he had said just now. Gu Hui became curious of what the boy meant. What does that mean? Youll see, Gu Hui. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt respond any further and put his outer clothes down on the floor. He then put Un Huis body on those clothes. Once Cho Ryu Hyang disappeared from in sight, Gu Hui began to carefully search the area around him. He didnt have a good feeling about this. * * * Lim Hak Gyum showed himself from the shadows and approached Gongson Ahri. Miss, you shouldnt be in a ce like this. Gongson Ahri became extremely surprised by Lim Hak Gyum but sighed once she realized that it was a familiar face. Oh, its you, Mr. Lim. Yes, miss. Gongson Ahri walked over to Lim Hak Gyum and asked him a question. Whats Cho Ryu Hyang up to? Where did he go? Lim Hak Gyum grinned when he saw Gongson Ahri ask about Cho Ryu Hyang and opened his mouth. The young lord went into the formation to face his enemies himself. Is he fine? Is he in any danger? Of course hes fine. Lim Hak Gyum spoke with a smile on his face, but in reality, he was a nervous mess. ording to his sources, the people inside the formation were all the real deal. Nanman Beast Gate, North Sea Ice Pce, and Kang Sebin. The ones that were actually hard to take out werenting out of the formation. It would be much better if the strong ones got out one by one so that they could take them out, but it wasnt easy. Plus, the ones that got dragged out of the formation were all from the Alliance. They were plenty annoying as well, butpared to the ones that are still inside, they were a childs game. Lim Hak Gyum let out a sigh. At this time, No Jin Nyung, who had been roaming the edges of the formation with a nervous face, felt a presence near him and turned around. Nn? It was a rabbit. A white rabbit was dipping one of its feet into the formation. The rabbit seemed so focused that No Jin Nyung forgot about his worries for Cho Ryu Hyang. What the hell is this? Come to think of it, this rabbit was suspicious. Didnt Cho Ryu Hyang talk to it every once in awhile as well? In the past, No Jin Nyung had thought that there was nothing weird about Cho Ryu Hyang talking to animals since the boy had done pretty strange things in the past. After staring at the rabbit for a while, No Jin Nyung tried touching the rabbit with the tip of his foot. He really didnt have any reason why he did this. Tok- The rabbits body got pushed away, and it got disconnected from the formation. This bastard? The rabbit, Maksu, shot a vicious look at No Jin Nyung. What the hell was the idiot doing? He calmed himself down and put his leg back in the formation. When he did this, he was able to see the insides of the formation. Ohh, this is. Maksu was excited. Formations were not his strong point. Actually, he wasnt even interested in it till now. Cho Ryu Hyang had awakened his interest in formations, and only now was he beginning to explore this new area of study. But then. Tok- Eh? The picture in his mind disappeared and turned ck. Maksu was soon able to find out why. This bastard? The idiot in front of him. The idiot called No Jin Nyung was looking at him with a dumb grin. Maksu flicked off the dust on his back and stood up. Really, the man was an annoying fellow. Then. Ehh? Maksu made a strange face when he saw his entire world flip. This is He had experienced a simr thing before. It was the thing that the annoying girl called Sunwu Cho Rin did to him in the past. When he came back to his senses, he could see that this No Jin Nyung was humiliating him by rubbing his stomach. T, this guy? Just what did the man thought he was? Maksu tried to stand back up frantically, but No Jin Nyung stopped him from doing so with augh. When he tried to stand, No Jin Nyung put him down, and when he tried to roll, No Jin Nyung would roll him back over. Maksu red at No Jin Nyung fiercely. Seeing this, No Jin Nyung flinched. Oops! Did he use his strength by ident? That would make him break his promise with the kid? Maksu stopped for a second. When he did this, a childlike smile came on No Jin Nyungs face. Uhehehe, how cute. No Jin Nyung tapped Maksus nose and got back to rubbing the rabbits stomach. The leaf on Maksus stomach was intriguing him greatly. Ueeeeh! Maksu frantically tried to run, but it was pointless. The fact that he was unable to show himself pained him. T, this son of a bitch The more Maksu struggled, the more No Jin Nyung bothered Maksu. And how long did this go on? After a certain time, No Jin Nyung stopped all movements to look at a ce next to him. Vuun- A part of the formation ripped open, and a bloody Cho Ryu Hyang walked out. The smile on No Jin Nyungs face disappeared in an instant. He moved to Cho Ryu Hyang with a shout. W, what happened, young lord? No Jin Nyungs face was colored with rage. How had he got so hurt? How did he get like this even with that creepy dude next to him? No Jin Nyung, who looked around trying to find a way to let out his anger, made a dejected face after seeing what was on Cho Ryu Hyangs back. Why is this guy.. It was Un Hui. The man was extremely injured. Cho Ryu Hyang passed Un Hui to No Jin Nyung. He then opened his mouth with a chilly face. Please take him to the doctor. I need to do something here. Understood. No Jin Nyung disappeared like the wind with Un Hui in his arms. Cho Ryu Hyang watched No Jin Nyung leave, then turned to the formation after taking out a small pouch. This is my time of revenge, Gu Hui. If one sinned, it was only fitting that he got punished for it. That was thew of the world. Cho Ryu Hyang carefully took out the gems in his pouch. Chapter 114. The reason why the Black Moon Guild didn’t make its move. Chapter 114. The reason why the ck Moon Guild didnt make its move. Things are getting interesting. A girl was looking over the Sichuan branch of the Heavenly Demon Church from a cliff. The girl pulled back her red hair and smiled. Neng Ha Young. She had finally be a strategist of the ck Moon Guild. Behind her was a nervous old man. It was the Chasing Blood Demon, Sang Dong Ha. He was the only harmonious expert within the ck Moon Guild. This was only because the existence of Shi Yup hadnt been revealed to the world, yet. Is it really alright to step out of the alliance just like that? Yes. A simple answer. But Sang Dong Ha was clearly not pleased with her answer. We may be able to deal with the Alliance, but it will be hard to fight the North Sea Ice Pce and the Nanman Beast Gate. We wont be able to win! Neng Ha Young nodded. The old mans words made sense. But. I know well about that, but you dont need to worry, elder. Sang Dong Ha flinched after hearing Neng Ha Youngs words and kept talking with a nervous face. Why? If we make ourselves enemies out of those people, we wont ever be able to stop the Heavenly Demon Church. We need to take this time to strike the church while we still can. No need. I have a n. Neng Ha Young cut the man off and grinned. That grin seemed somewhat unpleasant for some reason. If we get in the fight here, the bnce of power would break. If this happens, the ones behind the shadows would be immensely happy. The ones behind the shadows..? Neng Ha Youngs smile widened. You should know about them better than me, elder. .. Sang Dong Has face stiffened for a second. He immediately straightened it, but the damage was already done. Neng Ha Young, who had been staring directly into his face, opened her mouth. I thought it was strange from the start. We created an alliance called the Four Heavenly Powers to fight the Heavenly Demon Church, but it was inefficient and stupid. It shouldnt have been created without the help of someone behind the scenes. I have no clue of what youre talking about. When Sang Dong Ha feigned ignorance, Neng Ha Young put her hand on an essory on her head and opened her mouth. The Four Heavenly Powers isposed of groups that used to be at each others throats just yesterday. No matter whatmon enemy appeared in this world, it would be impossible for these groups to suddenly get together like nothing ever happened. Neng Ha Young looked straight into Sang Dong Has frowning eyes. That is unless someone controlled everything behind the scenes. ..Stop! What did the imperial pce promise you, elder? Sang Dong Ha thought a bit, then made a bitter smile. ..You should stop there. If you keep talking, I really would have to kill you. A dangerous aura began to float out of Sang Dong Has body. Neng Ha Young took on the pressure from the aura directly and opened her mouth calmly. My soul is expensive. You have no ability to purchase it. Are you being like this because of your grandfather? How amusing. Neng Ha Young stared directly into Sang Dong Ha. Her transparent gaze immediately caused Sang Dong Ha to feel pressured. Just because of a little girl.. Sang Dong Ha forced himself to calm down and gathered his strength into his hands. Just one hit. She was just a little smart, and thats all. Her grandfather was a force to reckon with, but he could always cover this incident up with something else. Dead people cant speak, after all. He should be able to make something up. Plus, didnt he promise the imperial pce that hed do something important? I just have to get over this well. Every mission had a crisis that followed with it. One had to ovee this crisis if he was to reap the rewards of the mission. He tried to console himself this way as he prepared to attack, but Neng Ha Young opened her mouth first. Humans are such simple creatures, arent they? . They always move after seeing whats in front of them. They never think of looking back. Back? Sang Dong Ha looked back with a spooked face. Is Neng Mu Gi here? A tremble of fear shook his body. If Neng Mu Gi made his move, he wouldnt be able to execute his ns. But when he looked back, he did not find Neng Mu Gi. There was a young man. A young man with a sword in his hand. The man was looking directly into Sang Dong Has eyes. Just when? When could anyone fool his senses and get this close? The fact that the man was able to do that signified that this person could be stronger than him. Neng Ha Young quietly opened her mouth. Whats more important is usually at the back. Isnt that right, elder? Who is this? A frightening aura wasing out of the young man. It was truly a force to be reckoned with. This aura that was akin to a giant wall made Sang Dong Ha think of someone. When he thought this much, Sang Dong Has eyes widened. The Night Emperor! It was Neng Mu Gis technique. It had the sharpness and the strength of Neng Mu Gis power. The young mans aura was very simr to that of Neng Mu Gis. This man is my bodyguard. Sang Dong Ha dissipated his strength after hearing this andughed. So he had an heir? Why did he hide it? Thats a difficult question. He wouldnt have aimed to be the leader if he knew that Neng Mu Gi had a disciple. It was all a foolish act, wasnt it? He could only pay for his foolishness, now. Would you prefer to be arrested now on the spot, or would you rather see blood? What would you want? Life? Or death? Neng Ha Young responded without hesitation. I would live, of course. After all, Id always be able toe back as long as Im alive. Sang Dong Ha nodded. You are young. This may be possible for you, but not for me. This is myst chance. Neng Ha Young closed her mouth. She could understand why Sang Dong Ha schemed to do something with an outside power. Sang Dong Ha looked down at his hands and opened his mouth. I invested most of my youth into the ck Moon Guild, but the one who had grown this organization with me chose to give it all to his useless son. Would you follow a useless leader, especially when you are more capable? Of course I wouldnt. I understand. Im saying that your father is useless. I know. I acknowledge the fact that hes useless. You know it, I know it. In fact, most people know this already. Neng Ha Young shrugged as she said this. Sang Dong Ha became speechless after seeing this but nodded in the end. How cold. Youre just like your grandfather. You cant live in this world without being cold. This was the martial world. If you couldnt be strong, or eviller than anyone else, you couldnt live. I wouldve understood if he made you the leader. Its toote for regrets. Neng Ha Young smiled. But its good that you admitted your mistake. I thought youd have disappointed me till the end. There was no choice, was there? You trapped me perfectly. Neng Ha Young smiled bitterly. She didnt hate Sang Dong Ha. After all, the man always did his best in everything. But he was far too greedy this time. Involving the imperial pce in this matter was akin to bringing in a tiger just to chase out a little fox. His actions were too dangerous to be forgiven. You went too far this time. You shouldve known that they are a force that shouldnt be reckoned with.. Sang Dong Ha smirked. You could control them, no? Why are you so afraid? I wish you couldvee to me instead of father. The ck Moon Guild in the future would change. Sang Dong Ha shook his head. He smiled proudly and spoke. Change is good. And such things are always for the younger generation. This is not my stage. Elder. Dont make me feel worse than I already do. This is enough. Neng Ha Young gave up. She looked at Sang Dong Ha with a regretful face. Sang Dong Ha left Neng Ha Young behind and looked straight at Shi Yup. I made you wait far too long, young friend. Careful not to look down on me just because of my age. . Shi Yup nodded quietly and lifted his sword up in the air as a sign of respect. It meant that he would use his full strength in this battle, and it also signified that he was showing respect to one of the strongest experts of his time. I have no intention of dying easily. I havent lived an easy life, after all. Youll really have to do your best here. Since I can gain everything by killing both of you here, I n on doing my best as well. An extremely powerful aura began toe out of Sang Dong Ha. He was prepared to fight. Shi Yup raised his sword with a careful look. He realized something a while back thanks to his bout with Juk Hyul Myung. This would be a great ce to test that. My sword was fast but weak. He needed a power that could pierce everything. Only then could he properly help Neng Ha Young. And once Shi Yups eyes got filled with a clear light, Sang Dong Ha made his move. * * * Neng Ha Young looked down at Sang Dong Has corpse, then turned away. She didnt feel good. It was an expected death, but Sang Dong Ha was still a person who had looked after her from a young age. He was almost like her actual grandfather. Neng Mu Gi, who led the ck Moon Guild. Sang Dong Ha, who supported Neng Mu Gi from the back. After thinking of the past, Neng Ha Young let out a sigh. Everything changes. Everything changed after Neng Mu Gi left. Neng Ha Young knew better than anyone why Neng Mu Gi had left, but this was still very hard on her. She stroked back her hair and turned her gaze. She was looking at the Sichuan branch of the church. I wonder how hes doing. The heir of the church. She had done everything to dig information about him. No, just about everyone in the martial world was doing everything to dig information on him. The reason was simple. He was the person who wouldter be the leader of the martial world, was he not? That was why everyone did all they could to gather info of the heir. The ck Moon Guild was a little slow in this regard. They had jumped into the search after everyone did their research. But the ones who found the heir first was the ck Moon Guild. So it was you The first time Neng Ha Young found info of Cho Ryu Hyang, she was confused. The information department of the ck Moon Guild could not fetch arge amount of information like the other powers. They had far too few people to do that. But they were good at digging in far to find specific information. But even they took an extremely long time to find out anything about Cho Ryu Hyang. The boy was only eleven. But it took the department an entire month to find any info on this boy. Neng Ha Young was only able to realize why this was the caseter on. The heir It was truly an amazing position. Especially in the martial world. She could understand why it took so long to gather information on him. And Neng Ha Young. When shebined information on Cho Ryu Hyang and of the heir together, she found out something entirely new. It hasnt been a while since Cho Ryu Hyang became the heir. Just about five months. It hasnt been long. This meant that it would be easy to kill this child. At least, this was the case for Neng Ha Young. But She didnt feel like killing the boy. In fact, she wanted him to live as long as he could. That was what she wished. We need the church to fend off the imperial pce. The church could not fall, especially now. That was why the ck Moon Guild exited the Four Heavenly Powers. To stop an even bigger enemy Neng Ha Young looked down at the Sichuan Branch as she organized her future ns. Chapter 115. Kang Sebin Chapter 115. Kang Sebin There was a single man in the entire formation who was actually doing wellpared to others. Kang Sebin. Kagaga-! He looked at the copper giant quickly charging towards him, then spoke as he cut it down to pieces. How interesting. He had thought he experienced all sorts of strange things in this world, but that clearly didnt seem to be the case. There were still new things to experience. Kang Sebin shook off the dust of his sword and smiled faintly. Looks like everyone who was with me got dragged somewhere else, though The people of the Alliance who was with him beforehand. Right now, every one of them had disappeared. The only thing Kang Sebin knew at this moment was that whenever a red light shed, the number of presences around him decreased significantly. Kang Sebin got rid of all the statues around him and looked around. Its about time Soon after he said this, A red light shed in front of him. A giant suction force came from this light, which threatened to pull Kang Sebin inside. Im not usually the one to be forced inside anything, but Kang Sebin let out augh and stopped exerting force. Right now, he didnt have much of a choice. Plus, he was pretty curious about what was inside. Shhr- When Kang Sebin stopped resisting, his body got pulled inside the light. * * * Itsing, get ready. A red light shed, and the experts of the church readied themselves. How many times had they repeated this operation? Soon enough, the number of experts being pulled in began to dwindle, then they seemed to disappear altogether. But around the time they began to think that no one was left in the formation, a red light shed. Probably just one or two people. Whilst everyone was thinking this, They realized that the trap they had set beforehand waspletely empty. Hm? Whats this? The experts all looked into the trap with a surprised face. Their faces stiffened right after they saw what happened. Careful. This ones strange. The traps had all been cut cleanly. Tens of them, at that. Such a thing hadnt happened before. The leaders of each toon quickly turned to look for someone. What is it? Sunwu Cho Rin. When the woman walked into the scene with a bloody whip, one of the toon leaders opened her mouth. The traps are all broken. Is that so? It seems that someone unbelievably strong is waiting for you inside. Sunwu Cho Rin stroked her chin. ording to the heir, there was supposed to be a pretty strong expert inside. The problem is that I dont actually know the experts true strength. The stronger experts who came out of the red light so far were able to be taken care of by Sunwu Cho Rin and her subordinates. But there were experts that not even peak experts like her could take. If theres a harmonious expert inside, things would get troublesome. Sunwu Cho Rin thought for a moment. ording to the Hidden Demon Corps, there was still three harmonious experts within the formation. Perhaps now was the time to hand the things over to the heir? But when she looked over to the heir, though, she could see him looked carefully into the formation modifying several things. It didnt look like she could bother him with anything anytime soon. Should I just go for it? After thinking a bit, Sunwu Cho Rin nodded. Even if a harmonious expert was inside, she wouldnt die easily. Before she decided to make her move, however. A red light spilled out of the formation. Eh? When the experts nearby made a surprised face, Pshhh-! A part of the formation got sliced off, and someone walked out of it. A man was calmly walking with an excited expression. Kang Sebin! A warning signal immediately went off in Sunwu Cho Rins head. At the same time, she moved like lightning in order to stop Kang Sebin. Her body was covered with blood. Kang Sebin stopped when he saw her appear. After looking at her from bottom to top, he sheathed his sword. I do not wish to fight a girl. Bring me your master. Sunwu Cho Rins eyes shook after hearing this. It was a sign of her getting enraged. I see people like you from time to time. The type of people she hated the most. When it came to strength, gender didnt matter. Talent and hard work did. Sunwu Cho Rin bit her lips as she red at Kang Sebin. Unfortunately, the man was leagues ahead of her in terms of strength. Perhaps she will get as strong as he is within a given amount of time. But this was simply a conjecture and not reality. Right now, the results of them fighting could be seen too clearly. I said I didnt want to fight, not that I wasnt willing to kill, girl. Dont test me. Kang Sebin said this in a mocking tone. The moment before Sunwu Cho Rin exploded in anger, someone stepped up behind her. It was a boy wearing sses. Cho Ryu Hyang. Are you Kang Sebin? And you must be the heir? Indeed, I am. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He looked at Kang Sebin for a moment, then opened his mouth. Youre quite lucky. What? Cho Ryu Hyang fixed his sses and opened his mouth with a cold face. You should be thankful that youll leave here today alive. You must be crazy. Kang Sebins lips twitched. This kid was mad. At this moment, a bright red light appeared from Kang Sebins sword. Bang-! Cho Ryu Hyang stood unflinching, even after a red gang qi sted past him. A man had blocked the gang qi for him. It was No Jin Nyung. The usual yfulness waspletely gone from his face. He was looking at Kang Sebin with a maddened look. Who the hell do you think you are to try and touch him? Hm? You bastard, Ill test the strength of your bones personally today. Craack- When No Jin Nyung made a threatening face as he cracked his fingers like a backstreet thug, Kang Sebin made a surprised face. Someone like this dumbass blocked his attack? A harmonious expert? Kang Sebins cheeks began to tremble lightly. Wasnt this nice? It was exceedingly rare toe across a harmonious expert. Of course, this meant that the chance to have a fight with these people was low as well. Plus, Kang Sebin was a man who thirsts for battle. Meeting No Jin Nyung here was like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. Come and get me, idiot. Kang Sebin straightened his posture and gripped his de. It looked like the man was about to charge in at any moment. A ck aura began toe out of No Jin Nyung at this time. The aura seemed to pressure everything in its surroundings. No Jin Nyung had taken his iplete technique to its limits. He let out a snort and walked forward. Boom-! Ill rip your spine right off. When No Jin Nyung punched after saying this, Kang Sebin smiled a toothy grin. * * * A chance. There was a woman hidden amongst all the experts of the church. Due to her average face, she seemed a little hard to recognize out of the crowd. The womans name was Hwaryeong. She was an assassin nted by the Four Families. She, who had managed to sneak in even under Sunwu Cho Rin, had but one goal. Cho Ryu Hyang. She was aiming for the heirs life. Hwaryeong was very confused when she first got her mission. The heir of the church the future pope it was an extremely powerful position, but that wasnt important. The person she needed to kill was a child. Why couldnt the Four Families kill someone like that by themselves? Well, after watching him for a bit, she could see that the boy was pretty talented. But thats it. Talented or not, the boy was still human. A single stab should finish him off nicely. Death is fair to everyone. Hwaryeong moved quietly to the heir. This was the perfect chance. Everyones attention was drawn to the current battle. Hwaryeong looked around Cho Ryu Hyang quietly. One, two three, four. There were about twenty people stationed around Cho Ryu Hyang. Maras Heavenly Wind Division. The strongest troop within the church, who acted as the popes direct bodyguards. They, too, were drawn to the fight in front, which made their guard at the back a little weak. She could see them catching any debris that was about to fly into the heir. Hwaryeong suppressed her smile. Im sorry, heir, but youll have to go with me. She was dead anyway, no matter what she did. She was absolutely certain that shed die before confirming her kill. But its not that bad if its now, is it? Assassins like her were tools. It would be pretty good to take herself out with someone as tremendous as the heir. Hwaryeongforted herself while saying this and moved. She had found her chance. Now! She could see Cho Ryu Hyangs neck. Once she took out a knife, however. Cho Ryu Hyang turned to look at her. He seemed exceedingly calm. Eh? Something was weird. She had never anticipated this happening. At this moment, a warning went off in her brain. And once the heir put something down on the floor, her vision went dark. Lord heir! Lim hak Gyum quickly emerged from the shadows to protect Cho Ryu Hyang. He made a confused face when he saw what had happened. Somebody who was approaching Cho Ryu Hyang had just disappeared. Im fine. .Yes. When Lim Hak Gyum looked around a little longer and tried to leave, Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. Not that way. I trapped her there. Ah! It was a formation. Lim Hak Gyum looked at the heir as if he was looking at a monster. Even he felt threatened when he felt somethinge closer to him, he could not react on time. Someone who learned assassination all her life had tried to kill the heir. He reacted far toote to her movements. But the heir seemed to anticipate all this before it even happened. Just what is he It seemed that the heir had something other than just formations. Just as Lim Hak Gyum was thinking this, A red eye blinked once above Cho Ryu Hyangs head, then disappeared. Chapter 116. A Burning Flame Chapter 116. A Burning me Humans are very weak things. The creator of the Shura Environment. The Heavenly Demon, Hong Sunwon, put a cigarette in his mouth and spoke loudly. The weakness of the human body? This is another matter altogether. Mentally, humans are very weak things. Cho Ryu Hyang listened quietly. The usage of the Shura Environment was already in his head. If he was right, this man would teach Cho Ryu Hyang something entirely new entirely. Gongson Chun Gi, was it? Hong Sunwon rubbed his chin as he smiled. He should know. After all, its something that you only get to see once you be that strong. A red eye appeared above Hong Sunwons head. That is He had seen it in the past. It was the same thing that Gongson Chun Gi had used. When Cho Ryu Hyang stared at the eye dumbly, Hong Sunwon opened his mouth. So you can see it. Did you want to know the true form of the Shura Environment? This is it. The superhuman area. The ability to make an area around oneselfpletely his. It was an ability to absorb all information of a surroundingpletely into ones head. The ultimate form of using ones senses. I dont like to admit it, but the ability that Gongson Chun Gi uses is probably simr to this one. Since hes quite talented as well, he probably figured this out on his own. But hes way too crude in his ways. And since his ability has a bunch of random things mixed into it, its not pure either. That man is just disappointing in every way. The Heavenly Demon continuously insulted Gongson Chun Gi. At the same time, the red eye above his head slowly descended downwards. The Shura Environment is powerful, but it is onlypleted once its user opens up the superhuman area. Once this ispleted, the user bes something akin to a god. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Theres nothing scarier than someone being in total control of an area around oneself. Since your body is weak, youd only be able to imitate it, but theres no going around it. Youll have to get more and more experienced as time passes. What Cho Ryu Hyang learned from the Heavenly Demon would save his life in the near future. * * * Hwaryeong, the assassin. Once she felt her vision go dark, she gave up on everything. She realized that she had failed. Her mission waspromised, and now that she was caught, shed have to kill herself. After all, it was entirely possible that she could be tortured for information. That cant happen. As she tried to bite down on the poison pill in her mouth, She suddenly realized that her body could not move. Not even a hair on her body could move. She couldnt even close her eyes. All of the sudden, a white hand appeared amongst the darkness. And for some reason, the white hand was the only thing she could see clearly. The hand searched the area carefully, then grabbed onto her clothes. She was dragged outside and was rendered immobile immediately. You mustnt kill her, young lord. I know. Hwaryeong despaired after seeing the young boy in front of her. Her target had neutralized her himself. Well interrogate herter. Cho Ryu Hyang left Hwaryeong to Lim Hak Gyum and stood back up. Kang Sebin and No Jin Nyung. The twos fight was reaching a climax. Kugagaga-! The two closed in and immediately moved back out after each attack. Screen Shot 2017-04-15 at 6.50.43 PM.png The twos speed were increasing as more time passed as well. If I get pressured here, I die. Both of them were thinking the same thing. Tukakaka-! Cho Ryu Hyang watched the two fight, then turned back. Its beginning. The formation was beginning to beat rhythmically. The formation, which had been working slowly like a newborn baby, was suddenly picking up its pace. The final form of the formation. The form that was made only to kill. Heaven-killing fire. As Cho Ryu Hyang thought of the word in his head, The dark aura that came from No Jin Nyungs body darkened further. At the same time, ck lightning bunched up in his fists. This is it. Things were finally escting. Kang Sebins face turned serious as well. Krr- A red light spilled out of his sword and began to vibrate. This would decide the result of the battle. The moment a red gang qi appeared from Kang Sebins sword, No Jin Nyung made his move. He was moving straight forward. Regardless of what the enemy was doing, No Jin Nyung was charging straight in. Cho Ryu Hyang knew this move well. The Steps of The Heavenly Demon. Cho Ryu Hyang could immediately tell why No Jin Nyungs Heavenly Demon Technique was iplete from the mans footwork. Kang Sebin grinned as he looked at No Jin Nyungs aura and stabbed. No Jin Nyung did not dodge. Instead, he began to move even faster. Kang Sebins eyes narrowed. Stab- Kang Sebins sword struck No Jin Nyungs hip. It was undoubtedly a critical wound. But No Jin Nyung didnt slow at all. This man No Jin Nyung wasnt nning on dodging from the start. Sacrifice the flesh and strike the bone. As Kang Sebins eyes widened, No Jin Nyungs fist hit his stomach. Baaang-! A heavy impact sounded. Kuh! He couldnt even scream. Kang Sebins legs turned weak, and his vision shook. Krrr-! His spine made a horrifying noise as it bent forwards. No Jin Nyung saw Kang Sebin fall powerlessly on the floor and grinned. I told you, didnt I? That Id pull off your damn spine. If you act like a coward in a fight like this, this is what happens. No Jin Nyung grinned once more and turned around. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled when he saw No Jin Nyungs face that practically asked for a praise. You did well. Hehe, it was nothing. No Jin Nyung tapped Kang Sebin with the tip of his foot and smiled. He was hurt, but the fact that he won made him happy. When he raised his hand to finish the man, Cho Ryu Hyang stopped him. Well let this one live. What? Why? Cho Ryu Hyang opened his mouth. I need someone to spread a rumor. Rumor? Yes, a rumor. The moment Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses, the formation shook, and a giant crack spread on the floor. Craack-! Hah?! When everyone stepped back in surprise, Cho Ryu Hyang calmly spoke. We need someone to spread the fear. We need someone powerful to spread that word. The formation began to burn with mes. It wasnt hot, but the illusion of having the me near made one feel hot. Get all the people of the Alliance here and wake them up. They need to see this as well. The churchs experts moved quickly. They moved the experts of the Alliance to a ce where the formation could easily be seen and woke them up. They watched the formation with a delirious mind. There was only one thing in their heads. Fear. They could see the experts of the North Sea Ice Pce and the Nanman Beast Gate burn in the mes of hell. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shone when he saw this. There were those who were actually getting through the formation in this time. Gu Hui and Juk Hyul Myung? They were truly amazing people. It was possible to go through the formation, now that all theplexity of it was disappeared. But one needed immense power to do so. Otherwise, one would just die a horrible death. Cho Ryu Hyang walked slowly. He had let go of those he was supposed to kill, but he was calm. The ce where he stopped was in front of the experts of the Alliance. Cho Ryu Hyang took off his sses. I am the heir of the Heavenly Demon Church, Cho Ryu Hyang. He was a seemingly weak child. A child who seemed extremely fragile was standing in front of tens of experts, but they could not even dare say anything. After all, the boy was the disciple of the feared Gongson Chun Gi himself. I know you came here to do something unpleasant. Normally, youd die for attempting something like this, but Ill let you go only for today. ..! But I still need you to pay the price of your soul. Soul? What did the boy mean? Could a soul even be given a price? Once everyones faces stiffened, Cho Ryu Hyang looked over them carefully. I will look forward to seeing how much your n would be willing to pay for you. The voice that said this was quiet. But the response this brought was great. After all, this would tell each and every expert here how much their own families cared about them. Once the experts realized this, they became enraged. Just kill me, you damn dog! When one of the experts said this, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. If thats what you want, then sure. But youll have to pay the price for saying that. Pay? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the expert carefully. His eyes were as cold as ice. The expert trembled when he looked into those eyes. If you wish to die, I shall kill all of yourrades from your n with you. Killing one or killing all would give us the same amount of disdain from the society anyway. ..! The surroundings turned quiet. The child in front of them was beingpletely honest. I only want one thing from you. Stay dead. Dont do anything until your ns try to contact you. In fact, it might be better for you all to just act dead. After all, Im doing my best not to kill you right now. It was a straightforward threat. But no one could say anything in response. The heir of the church. The boy had the power to back his words. And in this world, power wasw. Cho Ryu Hyang looked over at the mes and spoke quietly. This is only the start. He endured too much. He refrained from killing, just because he didnt want to see blood. But now, things have changed. Chapter 117. A Purposeless Meeting Chapter 117. A Purposeless Meeting Now that I think of it, I seemed to have been enjoying that time back in the day. Having thousands of people move under mymand. Having thousands of enemies move ording to my will. Walking along the fine lines of both as I adjusted the bnce of power ordingly. Because I was young and inexperienced at the time, I seemed to have regarded a battle where thousands were at stake as a sort of a y. The time when I stopped regarding this as a y was when Un Hui got injured. Thanks to this, I came back to reality, and killed someone for the first time. You might say that this was my very first murder. C Neng Ha Young. Found in the letters of King Shura, Cho Ryu Hyang. * * * The Sichuan branch of the church. In the gardens located here, a boy and a middle-aged man were sitting togetherfortably. The middle-aged man was leaning back on a tree as he looked amusedly at a boy, and the boy was looking at the man with a troubled expression. It was Cho Ryu Hyang, and Gongson Chun Gi The two didnt speak for a bit. In the end, the one who opened his mouth first was Gongson Chun Gi. You made quite a scene, didnt you. Somehow it all ended up that way. It really did end up that way. There was no other way of putting it. When Cho Ryu Hyang closed his mouth, Gongson Chun Gi asked a question. Did you learn anything? After thinking a bit, Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Yes. I learned much. When one needs to be cruel, he must be cruel. Was there anything more important than that? Gongson Chun Gi, after looking at Cho Ryu Hyangs face, grinned. Thats good. You can leave the rest to me, now. Cho Ryu Hyang attempted to say something, stopped, and turned to his teacher. He smiled, and spoke. You seem to be an amazing person. Hm? How did you reach such an obvious conclusion? You just keep saying all the words I needed to hear. Is that so? Yes, that is so. Gongson Chun Gi put his hand on his young disciples head, and grinned. I too had to go through what you went through. After it all passes, it feels like nothing significant, but while it happens, it feelsplicated and harsh. I know you well. And youre doing much, much better than I expected you to. So dont worry about what others think of you. Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes trembled. Despite looking a bit too rxed at times, Gongson Chun Gi was an amazingly wise man. This strangeness was only one of his many charms. You did well to leave your enemies alive. Keeping alive your enemies is harder than killing them, after all. You dont have to worry about what others say about you behind your back. Cho Ryu Hyang paused for a moment, and nodded. The thing he had been worried about. His teacher already knew what it was. I heard something like this had never happened before. Gongson Chun Gi stroked his chin, and nodded. Well, that is true. We never left our enemies alive. We killed both our allies and enemies. ..How frightening. Frightening I suppose you can look at it that way. After thinking for a moment, Gongson Chun Gi slowly opened his mouth. We had to do this back in the day. Our enemies multiplied if we left them alive. Sometimes, we need to be cruel for the sake of survival. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He, too, knew of the churchs history. He could only bitterly smile. The church is constantly surrounded by enemies. The church never held hands with anyone, and constantly fought all those who were different from them. They needed to be strong in order to survive in such an environment, and had to be cruel as well. After surviving for so long, the church had finally gained enough power. And in this church, weaklings were not epted. They simply killed all those in their way. Because of this, the event of Cho Ryu Hyang letting his enemies live sparked much controversy within the church. After all, this was not what they did. No matter what anyone says, Ill support you. I dont like seeing death either. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his head. Thats what I thought as well, but I didnt think things would be so troublesome. Tsk, so youve misunderstood. This wasnt supposed to bring trouble in the first ce. What? So why was there a meeting about it right now? Gongson Chun Gi smiled yfully. Youve been doing so well that some old men got very annoyed. This is something that theyve started, so you dont need to worry about it. Just watch. He couldnt understand. And that emotion reflected directly into his face. Gongson Chun Gi smiled, and kneeled down to Cho Ryu Hyangs eye level. And if you think about it, arent all these people basically money? Youve done something great. Being criticized for doing something good is kind ofical, but youll see why this is happening soon enough. You get what Im saying? Yes. When Cho Ryu Hyang nodded energetically, Gongson Chun Gi smiled yet again. Right. Plus, wasnt the reason why we came out to Sichuan to get money in the first ce? We got a bunch from this battle. These old men are the strange ones here. The fact that theyre doing strange things for their own greed annoys me quite a bit. But theyre needed asionally, so Ill let them off. Gongson Chun Gi lightly tapped Cho Ryu Hyangs back and stood up. I prepared everything in advance, so dont worry about it. Understood. As Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheek, Gongson Chun Gi asked a question. So I heard you caught an assassin? Yes. You want to know about the people who wants to kill you? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Gongson Chun Gi silently. What was that question supposed to mean? Of course hed want to know. But there must be a reason why hes asking this question. The people who are trying to kill you are people who you will have to take care of. Theyre quite annoying at times, but you cant go without them. Cho Ryu Hyang finally understood what Gongson Chun Gi was trying to do. You might not like it, but thats what you have to do. So just ignore them. If you try to find out who they are, I wont stop you. Cho Ryu Hyang thought. At first, he was just curious. He was curious about the ones who wanted to kill him. But it was obvious, wasnt it? A member of the four families. The families known as the pirs of the church. One of them had to have sent an assassin. So if he wanted to find out who did it, he could easily do it. He could torture, or resort to other methods. He could think of many ways to do it, but in the end, he shook his head. I wont try to find out who they are. Good. Thats what your enemies would want as well. They probably cant even sleep right now. Gongson Chun Gi smiled, and rustled Cho Ryu Hyangs hair. Youll experience simr things in the future. Your position as an heir will challenge you greatly. If you respond to all your challenges emotionally, you will feel good, but youll end up worse than you were before. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He could understand. Plus, this was something that came from Gongson Chun Gis wealth of experience. After taking all of that in, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at Gongson Chun Gi with amazement. The more he knew of his teacher, the more amazing he seemed. Now then, lets go meet the old men, shall we? Right. The two walked into the meeting room inside the Sichuan branch. Once Gongson Chun Gi entered the room, every one of the guardians in the room stood up and bowed. They were showing him their respect. To them, he was the greatest being under the heavens. He was the pope. Gongson Chun Gi scanned the guardians, and smiled. Thank you foring all the way out here. Its nothing. Please, make use of us as much as you see fit. When Guardian Wu said this excitedly, Gongson Chun Gi smiled once again. Still energetic as ever, eh? Doesnt even get old. When Guardian Ju said this with a pointy lip, Guardian Wu red at him. As the two both red at each other furiously, Gongson Chun Gi sat down on his seat, and pped his hands. p-! Now now, we can get to all thatter lets get talking about what we came here for in the first ce. Were all busy people, now. Everyone nodded. Except one. Im free, your holiness. Gongson Chun Gi couldnt resist smiling. Thats nice. I cant help but be jealous of you sometimes, Guardian Wu. Guardian Wu just stared at the pope confusedly. Gongson Chun Gi moved Guardian Wu to the side, and called Cho Ryu Hyang over. As you may all know, this is my disciple. From now on, hell be with me during our meetings. You understand what this means, dont you? Of course we do. You shouldve done so from the start. Sunwu Jo Duk and Jeon Bak both said this, which caused Gongson Chun Gi to put on a faint smile on his face. Right. No objections? All the guardians in the room nodded. This meant quite a lot of things. Cho Ryu Hyang, the heir, was now able to observe the inner workings of the church personally. He could now use his power to its full potential. Good. Sit here. A seat right next to Gongson Chun Gi. When Cho Ryu Hyang sat down, the pope opened his mouth. Now, lets get on with the meeting. You all know why were here, yes? Yes! I originally called you here to punish the buddhist fools in maind, but Gongson Chun Gi looked at his disciple strangely for a second, and opened his mouth. The thing is, this kid here did his job a little too well. We need to see how we can clean up the mess. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded apologetically. Thats right. Cleanup. That was exactly what it was. After all, he did something that was never done before. You probably heard of it, too. The kid beat the enemy with no casualties whatsoever. Amazing, isnt it? Anyone disagree? Everyone was staying quiet. Then, suddenly, an old man in the center decided to open his mouth. Were not denying his achievements. Certainly, he did an amazing thing. The problemys in the fact that there are hostages. A seemingly quiet old man. His hair had all been brushed backwards. About half of the guardians nodded at his words. Gongson Chun Gi, too, nodded. Havent heard a good point from you in a long time, Guardian Tian. Good job. Thank you. Tian Zhongpae. The guardian from the Tian family. When the man nodded with a slight smile, Gongson Chun Gi took a look around. Yes, this is something that had never happened before. After all, the church always killed all its enemies. Everyone nodded. New things always getpared to old things. Because the guardians here were used to murder, they were foreign to the concept of mercy. This didnt seem like something the church would do. Hostages take up a huge amount of food, they have injuries you have to do a ton of things to maintain them. Its quite annoying. . About the time when Cho Ryu Hyangs face reddened from embarrassment, Gongson Chun Gi smiled. But heres the thing thats nice about this. What would that be? When guardian Tian asked this seriously, Gongson Chun Gi whispered out his answer. This should be done by an expert, I think. Jeon Bak immediately stood up with an abacus. This was his specialty. Jeon Bak was the backup n that Gongson Chun Gi had. This meeting would eventually change the church slowly. Chapter 118. The Price of A Human Chapter 118. The Price of A Human Was it possible to put a price on a human being? While most people in the room were tilting their heads in curiosity, there were some who were nodding vigorously. Merchants or assassins. These were the people who often put prices on the lives of humans. Out of all these people, there was one man who was more experienced than the rest. Jeon Bak. The man who was called the money-grubbing ghost in the church. He stood up, looked over the people in the room, and opened his mouth. All of those who have a problem with leaving the experts of the Alliance alive, raise your hands. A few people in the room shifted ufortably. Wasnt this too direct of a question? Just how many people would be able to voice their opinions outright? Did Jeon Bak even know where they were? There was no way theyd let out their feelings in front of the Pope. Just when everyone thought this, Shf- Someone dared to raise his hand. Tian Zhongpae. A member of the four families. Those of the Tian n had an unusually strong attachment to their bloodline. The reason for doing so was simple: they produced the most amount of Popes in the history of the church. Rather than a problem, its more of a worry. Is it alright to put it this way? When Tian Zhongpae said this politely, Jeon Bak nodded. I suppose you can twist your thoughts that way, yes. I am honestly a little worried? It has to be the same for the others. I am only this worried because the heir did something so massive. Jeon Bak heard all this, nodded, and opened his mouth. I get what youre saying. But heres the thing. Do you guys know how much your bodies are worth? Just what are you He was about to say trying to say until he got cut off by Jeon Bak. I was asking if you all knew how much your bodies cost. Everyone made a peculiar face. Did they know how much their bodies were worth? What was the point of this question? Around the point when everyone at the table made a simr expression, Jeon Bak opened his mouth again. Ive been in charge of the churchs finances for a long time now. Most of my work often involved me putting a price tag on human beings. Put a price tag on humans? When everyone made a dumb face out of surprise, One of the old men in the corner grinned. Put a price tag on humans? Hah! Youve been doing quite an interesting thing all your life, havent you? Then say, how much am I worth, Jeon Bak? The old mans name was Jin Chunak. When he, who controlled one of the ten battalions of the church, asked this question, Jeon Bak stopped all movements to take a look at the man. Jin Chunak, seeing this, smirked. What? Is it a hard question? Do you need a lot of time? Everyone in the room looked at Jeon Bak with a face filled with curiosity. Jeon Bak twitched one of his fingers lightly and pointed at Jin Chunak. Hundred twenty gold coins. What? Your bodys worth at least a hundred and twenty gold coins. Jin Chunak frowned. Just one hundred twenty? Was he worth that little? It was arge sum of money, but this amount wasnt enough to satisfy anyone. After all, werent they the top brass of the church? Everyone in the room made a conflicted face. Are you for real? Why would I lie in a ce like this? I mean, do you legitimately think Im worth that little? Me, Jin Chunak, worth only a hundred and twenty gold coins? Jeon Bak nodded unhesitatingly. To him, the emotion of the other party did not matter at all. After all, he had calcted the amount correctly using the data he had collected. Thats right. A hundred and twenty. The moment Jin Chunak was about to go into a fit, Someone put a hand on his shoulder. It was Chun Zhongpae. [Dont get flustered. Did you forget who was in this room?] Jin Chunak cooled down immediately. The Pope was here. Who would dare act out in front of a man like this? How fun. Gongson Chun Gi had an excited expression on his face. He had allowed Jeon Bak to take charge of the meeting but seeing how the man was talking about something he had never expected, his interest had been aroused greatly. Guardian Jeon, just what makes youe up with a number like that? Jeon Bak bowed once towards Gongson Chun Gi before opening his mouth. Screen Shot 2017-04-20 at 3.07.42 PM.jpg Its all just simple algebra in the end, but if I were to dig deeper Ive always thought that you could put a price on humans, and Ive put countless hours into researching the matter as well. Interesting thought. Go on. For the case of Guardian Jin Chunak, Ivee up with that number based on his age, ability, and capabilities. Is that so? Yes. In order toe up with this result, it is a given that one would have to do a significant amount of background research on a person. Since I possess information of all the guardians here, it is easy for me toe up with a number quickly. The more information I have, the more urate I would be. So ording to your data, Jin Chunak is worth a hundred twenty? Yes. After all, age does y a big part in all this. Hehe, how interesting. Quite easy to understand, too. Makes a lot of sense as well. Gongson Chun Gi smiled at Jin Chunak, who was currently trying his utmost to calm himself. Dont get so mad. Just think of this as one of those fortunes you can get from the streets. Kuh Jin Chunak couldnt do anything other than calm himself. After all, the Pope had spoken. But it was impossible to hide his reddened face. Cho Ryu Hyang, who had been observing the meeting room carefully, touched his sses as he thought to himself. Its usible. Cho Ryu Hyang, too, had understood what Jeon Bak had said. After hearing it, he nodded. He took data from a certain group and analyzed it. In the modern day, this was known as analytics. However, during the time, such a term did not exist. Because of this, even though Cho Ryu Hyang understood what Jeon Bak was speaking of, he could not exactly pinpoint what it was. He could only be amazed by the things that mathematics could achieve. Setting a standard by finding an average between countless information After that, one would use that standard to judge people. In any case, using all the things that I have done in the past, I can say this one thing. Jeon Bak began fiddling with his abacus again as he opened his mouth. We can earn three million gold coins using the people we have captured? T-three million? Expressions of surprise floated up on everyone in the room. Three million gold was much, much more than the amount a rtivelyrge n could make in a year. Jeon Bak disregarded all of them as he continued to talk. This is the least amount of cash we can get from them, by the way. ..! Everyones faces turned into that of absolute shock. This was hard to believe. At this time, the Pope nodded lightly at Jeon Bak. Gongson Chun Gi already knew of what Jeon Bak was about to say. Personally, I would like to just bow down to the heir for what he had done, but if you feel that killing them is the right thing to do, I shallply. Jeon Bak calcted something some more and opened his mouth. But if we kill our hostages now, wed be suffering a loss of ten thousand gold coins. Everyones faces stiffened. They didnt have much of a choice, did they? When the guardians faces turned grim, Gongson Chun Gi stepped forward. p- After pping his hands loudly, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Right, lets just look at the results here. Just look at the results? Things would be extremely simple, then. The people of the martial world were already praising Cho Ryu Hyang and also referred to him by the name, Transcendent Evil Prince (ħ). Cho Ryu Hyang, without his knowledge, had be quite famous already. Adding to this, he not only suffered minimal losses on his side but also captured a huge number of hostages. He created a way for the church to receive a huge sum of cash. He beat the enemy under ridiculous terms. That alone is somethingmendable. This isnt something you should be criticizing. You should be praising him instead. . Everyone nodded. In the first ce, what they hadined about was something very insignificant. The boy had done something unprecedented. That was the only reason they used to start this meeting. We didck reason, that is true. Tian Zhongpae smiled bitterly. In reality, this meeting was held only because of the four families. They were worried about Cho Ryu Hyang taking too much power for himself. Gongson Chun Gi knew of this but decided to let it go for now. After all, these people were those who Cho Ryu Hyang had to take under his wing. Its usually the case that when you decide toin about something bad within someones good achievements, you will never stop. Lets all take this event as an exception. Anyints, Guardian Tian? None, your holiness. You, Guardian Jin? Of course I dont, your holiness. The other guardians couldnt dare to say something. Plus, this matter wasnt even supposed to get anyints from anyone. The heirs achievement was just that big. It would only be strange if the meeting was dragged out longer than this. Thank you for your opinions. Well adjourn the meeting here. Go rest, now. Understood. Everyone bowed towards Gongson Chun Gi and exited the room. Now, only Sunwu Jo Duk, Jeon Bak, Wu Gyu Ho, and Ju Sang San were left. Gongson Chun Gi looked over these people and smirked. Looks like the other side was quite anxious. Looks like it. To think theyd hold a meeting over something so trivial how troublesome. When Ju Sang San said this, Wu Gyu Ho chipped in with his ownints. Why do you leave these people be, your holiness? Cant we just sweep them away? Now should be a good chance to flush out the bad parts of the church. Wu Gyu Ho seemed ready to fight at any moment. Gongson Chun Gi looked at him with a smile. Dont be so angry. Fighting would be a bad move right now. Wu Gyu Ho twitched when he realized that Cho Ryu Hyang was staring at him, then opened his mouth apologetically. Please dont look at all of us like those who were in the meeting. There arent many in the church who are willing to be that dirty. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled. He, too, could differentiate between friend and foe in this meeting. There were a few that I couldnt judge, though. Those people shouldnt be quite relevant, however. In this aspect, his teacher was an amazing man. The fact that he had someone who was willing to be angry and worried for him was enough to make him respect Gongson Chun Gi as a teacher. In any case, you all did well in staying quiet. These are the people who still work with us, after all. We just need to persuade them a bit in the future. Even so.. Silence! Wu Gyu Ho immediately scrunched up hisrge physique when Gongson Chun Gi looked at him threateningly. Gongson Chun Gi looked at the mans polite(?) posture and opened his mouth. Dont try to butt in into this any further than this. Let the child handle it. The other side shouldnt try to make a move after this point unless theyreplete idiots. After all, they expended quite a bit of energy in trying to pull this off. Gongson Chun Gi turned around to look at Cho Ryu Hyang. How was your first meeting? Cho Ryu Hyang touched his sses for a bit, then put down his hands and spoke. Ive seen some good things. As I thought, this ce is just as chaotic as the outside world. It was fun. Gongson Chun Gi grinned. Correct. This ce isnt that different from the outside. Its good that you saw through this. Its nice that you had fun. Where else would you get the chance to sit peacefully with your killers? Gongson Chun Gi nodded. Youll have to keep doing that for quite a while from now on. The man was right. Like Gongson Chun Gi said, Cho Ryu Hyang had to work with his killers quite a bit in the future. Chapter 119. A Violent Change Chapter 119. A Violent Change A message came from the Heavenly Demon Church. In the headquarters of countless ns in the Sichuan area, The heads of each n had a dark expression draped over their faces. Oh dear, this feels almost like a funeral. The Beggars Sect. Wi Gul Gae, the leader of the Sichuan branch of the Beggars Sect, clicked his tongue. Of course, no one in Sichuan had actually expected the church to win. Were we too greedy? Greed was always the problem. At first, the goal was to drive out the church, but Somehow it all turned into an all-out confrontation. The process of it was so natural that they had preparedpletely for the second alliance-demon war without even realizing it. And the end of this second war was aplete loss. Where did it all go wrong? He couldnte to a conclusion, no matter how much he thought. Wi Gul Gae thought a little more and then shook his head. What was important right now was fixing all this mess. Finding the initial problem couldeter. To be honest, we were pretty much robbed of all we had, but its not like we lost all hope. Sigh Amitabha. (Remember that Amitabha is part of a Buddhist mantra and not a specific person) Wi Gul Gae looked around the meeting room and spoke. Those of you who are willing to pay for the hostages, raise your hand. The head of the Emei sect wrinkled her forehead and sighed. Everyone in the room here was feeling the same emotions as her. In the end, everyone will pay. This was what Wi Gul Gae thought, and everyone thought the same as him. After all, it was impossible for these ns to just leave their people to die. That would hurt their reputation too much. Plus, they had put in far too many people in this battle. If they refuse the churchs offer, the ns would all have to disband. And the money the church wanted for the hostages was a fair price as well. A sweet offer. It was almost like the heavens sending down a rope to help them. The representative of the Emei sect, after thinking for quite a while, opened her mouth. We will pay. Wi Gul Gae nodded. It was an obvious move. The temporary head of the Qingsheng n, Taehu, was nodding as well. Same for us. Wi Gul Gae confirmed everyone elses decision and opened his mouth. I shall deliver our decision to the Heavenly Demon Church, then. Wi Gul Gae stood up. Right then, someone whispered to himself quietly. Would those folk at the Demon Church return our people whole, though? Wi Gul Gae paused for a bit after hearing the words of the temporary head of the Qingsheng n. It wasnt like he hadnt thought of this, but it was precisely because it was the church he trusted this. Theyd have killed the hostages already if they were nning on doing that. After all, doing something like that is their tradition. Right. That would be more like the church. So why was the church offering to let the hostages live? Wi Gul Gae answered this question for everyone. Are you all curious? Well, its simple, really. Wi Gul Gae formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger and grinned. Its for money, of course. They just happened to find a better way to make it. Thats why you dont have to trust them. Just trust the money. Im certain that the hostages are safe. In fact, theyll probablye back healthier than ever. Everyone lost their ability to speak after hearing this. Money is very good. Makes someone like me go absolutely mad for it. Those guys have been ignoring how to make money because of their pride till now. So they turned realistic When Tang Munhyup, the leader of the Sichuan Tang n, said this, Wi Gul Gae nodded. Theyve just made use of the most effective way to make money that they had. Taehu gulped. Wi Gul Gae thought for a second, then opened his mouth. This made me see the church in a very different light. Different light? When Tand Munhyup made a curious face, Wi Gul Gae nodded. The ones who used to kill our people to no end are now asking for money. This is a great change. How was this great? Wi Gul Gae looked over the group in front of him and grinned. It means we can save those we couldnt save before with money. That was true. Even Taehu had to agree to that. Wi Gul Gae decided to leave after saying one more thing. In any case, theyve changed. This is good, but also something to be feared. He didnt say why it was scary. Wi Gul Gae left the building and looked up at the sky. He spat on the ground andined to himself. Too damn clear today. The church had changed. This came strongly to Wi Gul Gae. * * * Bang bang bang-! Senior brother, please open the door. Just leave me be. Dont be like that. You need to eat. Dont wanna. You havent eaten since yesterday. Just eat already. Silence. Ju Da Hye twitched her cheeks a few times, then took a deep breath. She looked at the door in front of her and shouted. Haah~! Baang-! The door smashed to bits after facing a single punch from her. A dark room was revealed, and inside was a young man who was staring into the mirror with a depressed expression. Juk Hyul Myung. Screen Shot 2017-05-19 at 4.22.28 PM.png He looked at Ju Da Hye with a shocked face for a moment. Then, he turned his face. Dont look at me. Hmm, why? Get out, Im tired. Stop acting. Ju Da Hye twitched a few times as she watched Juk Hyul Myung try to avoid her. Get out and eat already. Foods getting cold. Im tired? Are you deaf? Ju Da Hye made an astonished face and put her hand on Juk Hyul Myungs shoulder. Are you trying to make a joke? Im not in the mood. Ju Da Hye ended up exploding. Dear god, why in the world are you like this over some hair? Are you a girl? Some hair? Juk Hyul Myungs eyes began to burn with rage. SOME HAIR?! My precious hair that I grew and took care of for so long?! Of course! You should consider yourself lucky to be alive, and youre sitting here going like this because you burned some hair! Youre speaking a little too rudely, junior sister? God damn it! Anyone else would think your parents died or something! Juk Hyul Myung formed a fist and began to tremble. You Ive treated you too well recently Hmph! How funny. Well? You always teased me. Ju Da Hye was asking to be hit. She red defiantly at Juk Hyul Myung. Juk Hyul Myung returned a simr re at her. But soon enough, Juk Hyul Myung lost all his power and slid down onto the chair behind him. Im finished, junior sister. Finished? I dont feel moved when I look at myself in the mirror anymore. You actually felt moved by that? Juk Hyul Myungs eyes as he nodded became darker. Ju Da Hye looked at this with surprise, then immediately realized how much Juk Hyul Myung cared for his looks. She sighed and opened her mouth. You still look good, senior brother. True, true. But my perfect looks are now wed. When they escaped thest trap from the Heavenly Demon Church, Juk Hyul Myung was forced to sacrifice a bit of his hair to save Ju Da Hye. Ju Da Hye, upon thinking of this, reddened a bit and shook her head. She opened her mouth. By the way, wouldnt a normal heir of the North Sea Ice Pce mourn the deaths of his subordinates from battle? Juk Hyul Myung looked at Ju Da Hye confusedly. Mn? Why should I mourn them for being weak? Well, thats normally what happens. Hoho, theres nothing to be said if you died because of your weakness. At least, thats what my teacher taught me. Yes, yes, of course. I havent really been liking your tone for a while now, junior sister? Ive been really polite, though? When Juk Hyul Myung red at Ju Da Hye like a snake, Growl- His stomach rumbled, signaling his hunger for food. Ju Da Hye grinned. Hungry, huh? Lets go down and eat. We have meat. I..I said Im not hungry! Your body doesnt think so, though? Juste here. Juk Hyul Myung resisted a bit, then pretended to give in as he stood up from his seat and followed. Juk Hyul Myungs neck and arms were covered in bandages. He had suffered from minor wounds as he escaped that hell hole. At least I protected my face. Juk Hyul Myung bitterly smiled as he looked into the mirror before leaving the door. He was bitter for having to cut his hair short. * * * Youve disappointed me very much. Gu Hui wasying in his bed with a light burn on his body. His surface wounds werent much. Internal wounds, however, were a different story. He used too much internal energy even when he had run out of it, which injured his muscles in the process. His dantian, too, was extremely damaged. But the gaze of the man in front of Gu Hui hurt more than anything. Gu Ma Byuk. The leader of the Nanman Beast Gate. He looked at his son disappointedly, then left. Before leaving, he said one thing. Head back to Nanman when youve healed and rest there. Gu Hui couldnt say anything. He had never thought of failure before. He only had confidence that he was perfect. How disappointing. This was all his fault. If he had been calmer when he met the heir of the church, this wouldnt have happened. Grit- Cho Ryu Hyang Gu Hui grit his teeth. He would never forget the boys name. Gu Hui closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. Right now, recovery was his top priority. Revenge woulde after. He had no intention of going back to Nanman. Chapter 120. Monster and Monster Chapter 120. Monster and Monster What the hell is that inhuman thing? Maksu. Right now, he was keeping his breath as low as possible. At first, he thought he was mistaken. But he wasnt. Gongson Chun Gi, was it? From the information he had gathered from the humans, the man seemed to be the father of the yellow-haired girl that treated him like a pet. That much wasnt a problem. The real problem stemmed from the fact that the man carried inhuman amounts of energy with the shell of a human. Hadnt he passed the limits of the human body a long time ago? Is he a god in disguise? That wasnt the case. Unbelievably enough, the man was actually human. Maksu suppressed his energy as much as he could and began moving. He honestly did not want toe in contact with this, Gongson Chun Gi, fellow. He didnt want to admit it, but that man was able to see through Maksu in an instant at this point in time. I should be careful. It would be better for him to stay away from the yellow-haired girl for a while. After thinking this much, Maksu prepared himself to leave the garden. At that point, however, he felt someone approach him and turned around. When he did so, his already white face became even paler. Why is that bitch here? That girl who loved to use a whip wasing his way. He froze, almost like a deer in the face of a tiger. He was hoping that the girl would just ignore him. But Found you, damn rat. It seemed that Sunwu Cho Rins intent ining here was to find Maksu in the first ce. Sunwu Cho Rin red at Maksu for a good second, then opened her mouth. So you ran away again? I thought I clearly told you that Id educate you if you did something like this again? [..] Maksu looked at Sunwu Cho Rin with the most pathetic eyes he could muster. It was embarrassing, but this was the only way for him to escape for now. But it was useless. Corporal punishment is fitting for animals like you. Sunwu Cho Rin grinned evilly, and began to spin Maksu around by his leg. Then, at some point, she threw him far up into the air. Shuu-! As he flew in the air, Maksu began to consider something seriously for a second. He thought of just giving up on the dragons pearl and just screw with the promise he made. But a promise was a promise. His anger was almost painful enough to get his intestines twist, but he had to endure. Maksu, after spinning through the air and falling on the ground, widened his eyes in surprise. What he had feared would happen the most had just happened. Hoh? Whats this? The being who tamed the crazy cat known as Sunwu Cho Rin was in front of Maksu. Gongson Chun Gi. He had been returning to his home after meeting Cho Ryu Hyang. The Pope meeting Maksu right now was aplete coincidence. But thanks to this coincidence, Gongson Chun Gi was able to meet Maksu. Well, of course, he didnt really think much of this at first. But, as more time passed, a feeling of surprise began to take over Gongson Chun Gi. When he used his godly eye, he could only see the space Maksu was in, and not Maksu himself. Interest began to creep up Gongson Chun Gis face. At the same time, a giant red eye that people normally couldnt see rose above his head. Sunwu Cho Rin felt the area be colder for some reason. After thinking about it for a second, she opened her mouth. Its a pet the miss has brought in. Thats a pet? A strange face. Sunwu Cho Rin saw this look on Gongson Chun Gis face and opened her mouth yet again. Yes. Its been misbehavingtely, so I have been educating it. Is there a problem? Sunwu Cho Rin made a confused face as she grabbed onto Maksus leg. Gongson Chun Gi stared silently at the upside-down Maksu for quite a bit. Maksu could only sweat nervously from this. Damn it! Damn it! He found out. That third eye of his. In front of something like that, not even Maksu could hide. This is why I tried to avoid him All sorts of curse words popped up in his head. The reason why Gongson Chun Gi couldnt find him until now was because he was hiding his power. But at this distance, hiding his power didnt matter. Gongson Chun Gi slowly began to grin. He almost resembled an evil child who had just found a toy. A chill ran through Maksus body. Would you mind if I gave that to my daughter? This thing? Yes. That. The pet. When Gongson Chun Gi pointed at the rabbit with an evil face, Sunwu Cho Rin didnt hesitate in handing over the rabbit. Gongson Chun Gi carefully received the rabbit and smiled. Thank you, you may leave now. Sunwu Cho Rin didnt understand why Gongson Chun Gi seemed so happy but decided to leave anyway. Once Sunwu Cho Rin left, Gongson Chun Gi looked down at Maksu and grinned. Pretty good, arent you? Didnt think that someone like you would be hiding from me so well Ive experienced something new. [.] Maksu couldnt move. He had no idea what to do from this point. Gongson Chun Gi continued to whisper into Maksus ear. I almost didnt recognize something like you. To think that someone was doing something like this in my area I thought my area wasplete, but I guess Im still pretty weak at some parts. [.] Moon rabbit, do you actually imagine that I havent seen through your disguise? Craack- [..!] Maksu grit his teeth at the sudden pressure that was exerted onto his body. Damn it This human was very sly. He was carefully applying more and more force, just enough for Maksu to not die. In the end, Maksu had to release his strength. Bang-! Gongson Chun Gi smiled after seeing this. Shouldvee out like this from the start. It was exciting. How did a monster like this appear without him even recognizing it? And why was it near his daughter? Did Cho Ryu Hyang not realize this for what it was either? No, that child shouldve realized it from the start. Crack- Gongson Chun Gi shook his head as he cracked his fingers. His disciples eyes were special. It seemed to be simr to the eyes that Gongson Chun Gi had, but they were slightly different. In any case, Gongson Chun Gi pushed away from the questions in his head and walked forward. Maksu walked back with a frown when he saw this. Even now, he didnt know what to do. Damn it. But as soon as his eyes met with those of Gongson Chun Gis, he grits his teeth. The other side had no intention of peacefully resolving this. [Damn it! Are you even human?! Speak truthfully!] Gongson Chun Gi responded with enthusiasm. Kuhehe, a talking rabbit, eh? Youd sell for quite a bit in the market, I reckon. [Crazy bastard.] Maksu dug his feet into the ground and red at Gongson Chun Gi. Come to think of it, it didnt seem like a being like this was included in the promise he made with the sses kid. [Other people just couldnt see my power, right?] Maksu looked around a bit to check if anyone else was around. There wasnt. And since the person in front of him wasnt even human at this point anyway, he wasnt breaking his promise. At least, that was the case to Maksu. It would be a cheat if the boy tried to argue that the thing in front of me was human. After reaching this conclusion, Maksu released his powerpletely. Kugugu-! There was enough energy to make the air itself tremble. Visible shock appeared in the eyes of Gongson Chun Gi. He observed Maksu for a few seconds like a piece of art. His mouth opened by itself subconsciously. ..Amazing. How long had it been since thest time he felt this much excitement? He never felt this excited even when he met Baek Mu Ryang or Neng Mu Gi. But a momentter, he realized that instead of excitement, he was feeling a threat to his life. His eyes narrowed. It has been a while, indeed. The ce is a little too small for the both of us would you like to move to somewhere bigger? Maksu couldnt refuse this offer. [What a good idea, you son of a bitch.] Oh my, what potty mouth you have. [Kehehe, Ill see how long you can stay that arrogant in front of me.] Gongson Chun Gi grinned. Youd have to look at me for quite a while for that? [Ill make you crawl like a worm.] Puhehe, try it, why dont you? Maksu was intent onpletely subduing Gongson Chun Gi. Staying silent for a long time had made quite a lot of trash look down on him. Gongson Chun Gi felt intense heat spread across his body and smiled. His body had been feeling a little heavy for quite a bit. It was somethingpletely different from fat or age. It almost felt like his physical body itself was bing heavier on its own. That wasnt all. Nowadays, it felt like he wasnt even alive anymore. Just what is this feeling, I wonder? He had reached the peak of his power. He had found a disciple he was satisfied with. There was nothing he shouldve been dissatisfied about. But for some reason, time seemed to flow extremely slowly. Almost like there was no fun in living anymore? And at a time like this, the rabbit appeared To Gongson Chun Gi, the rabbit was almost like a blessing. He had needed something like this. Gongson Chun Gi lifted his body in the air and opened his mouth. Be sure to follow me well, monster. [To think Id be called a monster by a monster what a day.] Maksu followed Gongson Chun Gi well, even as heined to himself. Kuaa- Gongson Chun Gi flew across the sky at an inhuman speed. As Maksu had thought, this man was not even human at this point. Afternding on a nameless mountain somewhere, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. By the way, just what were you doing back there? What was your n? [You think Id tell you?] Gongson Chun Gi smiled. This was what he had wanted. After all, it wouldnt be fun if the rabbit had told him from the start. Well, I suppose Ill be beating you up until the answeres right out your mouth. Crack- After loosening the joints in his body, Gongson Chun Gi took off the bracelets in his arms. He was nning on going all out from the start. Maksu looked at this from afar andughed at Gongson Chun Gi. [Do you even know who youre acting like this too?] Nope, not interested. Im just happy that youre here right now. Right. He was happy. He finally met someone he could go all out on. When was thest time this was the case? Probably decades ago, when he was still weaker than his teacher. But it had truly been a while since he met a match he couldnt predict the oue of the battle from. Kuuuuooooo-! A dangerous aura bloomed out of Gongson Chun Gi. His body expanded and his aura became denser than ever before. The smile on Maksu slowly disappeared. [Damn it! Damn it! No matter how I look at it, this is seriously a cheat.] Maksu mustered all the power he had in his body. In his current state, he really had to do his best. Gongson Chun Gi was much, much stronger than he thought. Chapter 121. Demon Eyes Chapter 121. Demon Eyes Gongson Chun Gi had secretly visited Cho Ryu Hyang just before he met Maksu. He had been thinking about something. After sitting with Cho Ryu Hyang for a few minutes, Gongson Chun Gi grinned and opened his mouth. Youve managed to make a pretty shabby Demon Eye, huh. You managed to copy me quite well. Cho Ryu Hyang scratched his cheeks and opened his mouth. You saw? Of course. I was thinking of not saying anything about it, but I really couldnt. After all, itd be better for you if I just taught you how to create the real thing. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He had only managed to barely imitate the Demon Eye that his teacher had used. Gongson Chun Gi hadnt taught him how to use it, and the man himself didnt seem like he wanted to teach it. The Demon Eye would simply act as your third eye if you used it like you did before, but once you get better at it, you can do much more with it. That was why I really didnt want to teach you about how to use it. Other uses? When Cho Ryu Hyang made a curious face, Gongson Chun Gi opened his mouth. Curious? Yes. Because you used your Demon Eye in such a shabby way, youve attracted all sorts of weird stuff around yourself. The problem is, you dont have any ability to even see those things around you. What are those things? Gongson Chun Gi grinned creepily. Im getting a little off topic, but I think I can see why my master said talented students are always a pain to deal with. I didnt really want to teach you about this, but since you opened this door yourself, not teaching you would just end up bing a poison. Those things are more tenacious than one might expect. Gongson Chun Gi rubbed Cho Ryu Hyangs hair. Disciple. Yes, master. I was hoping that you wouldnt have had to learn this. ..May I ask you why? Gongson Chun Gi smiled faintly. Youll see soon enough. Are you ready? Cho Ryu Hyang let out a smallugh. Thatugh resembled Gongson Chun Gis very much, for some reason. Was there ever a moment I had the chance to be ready for something? Ill just take it as ites. Gongson Chun Gi let out a uproariousughter. Kuhahah! Very good. I was worried for nothing. Shf- Cho Ryu Hyang could feel Gongson Chun Gis hand on his head cool rapidly. He was beginning to feel quite wary at this point. But Cho Ryu Hyang decided to wait and see. His teacher wasnt one to harm him. Gongson Chun Gi saw this and grinned. This will hurt a bit. When Cho Ryu Hyang scrunched up his eyebrows. Crack- His vision turned white. Kuh! It almost felt like an icicle had pierced his head. At the same time, his eyes felt like they were going to pop off. Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to do anything but to tremble in pain. Gongson Chun Gi returned to his seat and put a cigarette in his mouth. Watch. It isnt something that I really wanted to show you, but you should have some fun experiencing it for the first time. Cho Ryu Hyang endured the pain in his eyes and turned slowly. His eyes widened instantly. Ah The sight he saw was almost enough to make him forget about his pain. There were numerous stains surrounding him. Whats this? It almost felt like he saw something he shouldnt have seen. At the same time, curiosity bubbled up inside him. The stains resembled humans. When he observed them even more, his eyes met with one of the stains. He could feel them watching him. When he felt this, Cho Ryu Hyang felt a chill run down his spine. He stepped backward in fear and stuttered. A-arent these ghosts? Gongson Chun Gi smiled. Correct. Wee to the swamp of darkness, disciple. This was the moment Cho Ryu Hyang got connected with the world of the dead. Screen Shot 2017-06-05 at 3.08.01 PM.png * * * Cho Ryu Hyangy down on his bed with his eyes closed. But it was useless. Despite having his eyes closed, he could still feel the ghosts watching him. And the ghosts were even whispering amongst themselves. So this is why master didnt want to teach me about this. Hearing the voices of dead people was something truly horrifying. It was almost like torture for martial artists. Having your victims appear in front of you was really different than from simply seeing a ghost. Am I supposed to get used to this sooner orter? Something like this? Cho Ryu Hyang frowned after pondering a bit on his masters words. It didnt feel like hed get used to this at all. Cho Ryu Hyang, after rolling on the bed for quite some time, almost bounced into a standing position. Kii-! A giant amount of energy passed through his body. Cho Ryu Hyang ran to the door immediately. He frowned and muttered to himself. This is He had felt this kind of power before. Maksu? The power of that arrogant rabbit. This made him nervous. Did that rabbit had the gall to break the promise with him? When Cho Ryu Hyang ran out the door, No Jin Nyung followed. He, too, had felt the immense wave of power that just passed. Allow me to carry you, my lord. No Jin Nyung kneeled down to Cho Ryu Hyang. But Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. He had a better idea. An idea he just didnt make use of much. Ill be seeing you there. Shhhh-! Cho Ryu Hyangs body began to fade and shot forward. He was walking forward at an unbelievable speed. No Jin Nyung widened his eyes. Heavenly Demon Steps? Was that not simr to the Heavenly Demon Steps that he was practicing? Something was off about it, though. Cho Ryu Hyangs version seemed a lot more stable. After looking dumbly for a moment, No Jin Nyung came to his senses and began to chase after Cho Ryu Hyang. He needed to ask what had happened. * * * I was one stepte. Cho Ryu Hyang frowned after reaching the ce where Maksu had released his energy. He couldnt find the rabbit. Instead, he found someonepletely unexpected. Sunwu Cho Rin. What happened? Sunwu Cho Rin looked at Cho Ryu Hyang strangely. She had recognized it as well. Cho Ryu Hyang was using the Heavenly Demon Steps. This kid learned the Heavenly Demon Technique? The Heavenly Demon Technique was an iplete martial art. The art was famous for having numerous side effects, but the heir was managing to learn the Heavenly Demon Technique. Sunwu Cho Rin stopped thinking about such things the moment No Jin Nyung appeared. I felt something strange where his Holiness used to be, so I came immediately. Cho Ryu Hyangs face stiffened. His master was here? Master was here? Did you happen to see a white rabbit as well? Yes, I did. Damn it! How did he miss it? Cho Ryu Hyang tried thinking of his teachers encounter with Maksu. No matter how much he thought, he couldnt see their exchange going the right way. I need to hurry. Even his teacher would have a problem with Maksus power. Maksu was a monster, after all. There was no way to beat the thing with pure strength. Cho Ryu Hyang looked around in agitation. He could feel the ghosts around him stare at him silently. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips. Nows not the time to think about these. Cho Ryu Hyang activated his Demon Eye. The eyes that were redder than ever before flew up high into the sky. The ghosts around him began to react strongly to this red light. They immediately rushed towards Cho Ryu Hyang. Uoooh-! The stains began to stick to Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Cho Ryu Hyang didnt dodge them. Rather, he couldnt dodge them. Stick- Ghosts began to stick to Cho Ryu Hyangs body. Cho Ryu Hyang shuddered at the disgusting feeling and raised the eye ever higher. His body began to tremble. He could feel ghosts trying to dig into him. But Cho Ryu Hyang endured. Nows the important part. He had never tried to lift the Demon Eye this high up before. Around the time when Cho Ryu Hyangs face turned pale. He could see. An eye simr to his that was spewing out red light. The moment his eye met with those of his masters. Cho Ryu Hyang canceled his Demon Eye and fell on the ground. The strength in his body had left himpletely. Hah, hah Are you alright? When Sunwu Cho Rin tried to support him, Cho Ryu Hyang waved her away and stood up by himself. The annoying things stuck to his body dissipated. What the? Sunwu Cho Rin watched as Cho Ryu Hyang brushed his body. She couldnt see the ghosts, making the entire scene extremely strange. No Jin Nyung opened his mouth. Are you alright? Cho Ryu Hyang nodded silently. No Jin Nyung opened his mouth. If I wasnt wrong, what you have just shown me was thepleted form of the Heavenly Demon Steps. Cho Ryu Hyang turned to look at No Jin Nyung. He could see a me burning in the mans eyes. Desire. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Youre right. This is thepleted form. Thepleted form of the Heavenly Demon Steps? Didnt this mean that Cho Ryu Hyang learned thepleted Heavenly Demon Technique? Is that even possible? When Sunwu Cho Rin made a suspicious face, No Jin Nyung grabbed onto Cho Ryu Hyangs hands desperately. W-would you teach it to me? Sunwu Cho Rin looked at No Jin Nyung as if she was looking at a crazy person. It was the unspoken rule of the martial world to not ask others to teach them their techniques. How does he not even know of something so basic? Sunwu Cho Rin didnt know if Cho Ryu Hyang knew thepleted form of the Heavenly Demon Technique. But regardless of that, asking a person to teach was just wrong. Cho Ryu Hyang thought for a bit, then opened his mouth. Ill teach you. But before that, I must go somewhere. No Jin Nyung nodded. Ill wait. He could wait as long as Cho Ryu Hyang wanted. As long as he could learn thepleted form of the Heavenly Demon Technique, he could wait. Cho Ryu Hyang moved away, leaving the dumbfounded Sunwu Cho Rin behind. His body was lighter than ever before. He needed to save his teacher. Chapter 122. Abyssal Magic Chapter 122. Abyssal Magic The man in the cave looked extremely messy. His clothes had turned yellow with time, and the beard on the mans face was extremely messy. ck- The entrance of the cave opened up. The man inside didnt even bother to look back; however, So you wont even acknowledge me anymore, junior brother? The person who stepped inside the cave was, surprisingly enough, the man who once was called the strongest of his time. One of the three sovereigns. Baek Mu Ryang. He looked at the dirtied man inside the cave and opened his mouth. Are you even eating well? Youre getting me quite worried. The dirty man didnt say anything and continued to stare at the wall in front of him. Baek Mu Ryang walked up and sat next to the man. We need you. The man still did not move. Baek Mu Ryang slowly opened his mouth. The Demon Church already made their move. The Pope himself is out this time. Sichuan has already fallen to them. Twitch- The mans shoulders twitched slightly. Baek Mu Ryang saw this and continued to talk. I made you go into secluded training because you begged for a punishment, but by doing this wont bring back someone whos already dead. You should stop. The mans eyes shook at Baek Mu Ryangs words. His mouth opened for the first time. When? Hm? It was a dry, crackly voice. But his voice carried some sort of heat within it. When did the rats of the Demon Church dare crawl out of their hole? Paa-! A powerful aura exploded out of the mans body. A seemingly impossible amount of power came out of the skinny man. Baek Mu Ryang nodded. You grew. Good. The dirty man. Was Yu Sul Bin. The man who used to be called the Lion Sword King. The man who killed Cho Ryu Hyangs first teacher, Jo Gi Chun. Will you go out and face the Demon Church in Sichuan? Demon Church! Those words intensified the emotions in Yu Sul Bins eyes. Hate. Ju Sang San Is that demon that killed my teachers there? Hes there with the Pope. Ill go. Baek Mu Ryang nodded. You cant go alone, though. You need to prepare. How long? A year. Too long. We need that much time to gather up the forces of the Nanman Beast Gate and the North Sea Ice Pce. ! We decided to take down the Demon Church together. I, too, am nning on moving then. Yu Sul Bin showed a face of surprise. Baek Mu Ryang smiled at this. Unfortunately, I dont think I can take on the Pope alone. I needed help. Yu Sul Bin looked at Baek Mu Ryang confusedly. To think that his confident senior brother would be like this. He was surprised. This was the first time he saw his senior brother try to borrow someone elses power. Dont look at me like that. This was hard for me as well. Yu Sul Bin calmed himself and asked a new question. Have you finished talking things out with the others? Kind of. Theyre afraid of the church as well, and Baek Mu Ryang seemed to wonder if he should tell Yu Sul Bin this, then ended up opening his mouth. This is a secret, but one more person is nned to assist us when we hunt the Pope. Yu Sul Bin became curious. The person who would be of any help was someone above the harmonious level. In fact, it had to be a person who was almost at the peak of this level. Someone from the pce. Chuk Gye Gwang. You probably heard about him before. You mean the great general? Yes, thats him. Yu Sul Bin made a dumb face. While he had been hiding inside this cave, the world had changed greatly. * * * What is strength? What is power? The answer to this primitive question had been answered a long time ago. Baaang-! Young Gonson Chun Gi. His youthful body rippled violently and made the air scream in pain. The earth that he kicked shattered away as if a meteor had just hit it. [Damn monster] Gongson Chun Gi grinned at the pestle-wielding rabbit from afar. He didnt go crazy now despite going all out. His only weakness was gone. Hey, Mr. Rabbit. Stop ying around, will you? Im getting tired trying to match with you. Maksu, the white rabbit,ined loudly to himself. [I had thought that the sses kids teacher would be quite a monster of his own, butthis is too much, isnt it?] Gongson Chun Giughed as he looked down at himself. He pped his chest a few times. I had this body when I was young but was unable to fully mature at that time. I was a bit unrefined. Only that when I finally perfected my skills, my body had be weak. Now that is no longer a problem for me anymore. He didnt even need to restrain his power with the bracelets. The reason for the existence of the rings was to stop him from going insane by his own art. But that side effect had disappeared. He didnt need the rings anymore. The reason for those rings in the first ce was The reason was fairly simple. He just had too much power. (E/N: No, you just were disrespectful to the first Pope) He needed something that could restrain it. If he didnt, his power would destroy everything near him in his sleep. [By the way, why are you still here?] Hm? What might you be talking about, Mr. Rabbit? [Someone like you should have gone up already Why are you suspending your ascension?] Gongson Chun Gi made a confused face. Momentster, however, his face brightened. Ah, are you telling me to ascend right now? [Yes, you crazy son of a bitch. You shouldnt be here.] Gongson Chun Giughed. Lifes just got better for me, and I have to go now? Youre a bit too much, Dont you think? [You Do you even know about thews of this world? Your existence itself breaks thesews.] Gongson Chun Gi smiled. Not interested in that Buddhist-type of things. I just want to know one thing right now. Gongson Chun Gi pointed at Maksu after saying this. At the same time, Maksu disappeared from his spot. Bababang-! A small hill disintegrated with a loud bang. Maksu appeared on a different hill. [You crazy brat Control yourself.] He had managed to get away with teleportation, but the mans attacks were something else. Taking on those attacks with his body like this would injure him greatly. Maksu looked around for a second, then became confused. Eh? Where did he go? The moment he lost Gongson Chun Gi from his sight, his hairs stood on end. At the same time, he swung his pestle back full force. Bang-! Maksus body flew back like a kite. Hoh, that was pretty good. Gongson Chun Gi disappeared after saying this. He was chasing down Maksu to finish the rabbit off. But once he got to the impact point, he couldnt do anything but raise his eyes. Maksu wasnt there. When he slowly turned his head, he could see a muddy rabbit. Maksu had teleported away at a critical time. [Damn it] His whole body hurt. Blocking that one hit had damaged him greatly. He had lost to a human in a contest of strength. Damn it! Damn it! He wouldnt have been humiliated like this if he had his main bodys strength He was angry. He had used thest bits of power facing that sses kid before. Maksu thought of excuses in his head and ground his teeth. He was ashamed of himself for thinking of excuses. Maksu calmed himself forcefully and looked around for a second. In an instant, he lost sight of Gongson Chun Gi. That moment. Teleportation sure seems convenient. He could hear a voice behind him. Maksu slowly turned back with a frown. Again, Gongson Chun Gi was looking down on him from behind. [Did you just use teleportation?] Gongson Chun Gi shook his head. Dont know stuff like that. [Dont kid me! How did you catch me, then?!] I dont know? Martial arts has something simr to teleportation. You probably dont know about it, though? [Bastard Ill kill you.] Maksu distanced himself from Gongson Chun Gi and mmed his pestle into the ground. He realized how he could deal with Gongson Chun Gi. It was shameful to admit it, but right now, Maksu couldnt beat Gongson Chun Gi in terms of power. Fine, I admit; I cant beat him with strength, but Maksu didnt have just strength. When he began to prepare for something big by making all sorts of hand and leg motions in front of the pestle, Gongson Chun Gi smiled evilly. Oho, magic, is it? Im down for that. He didnt interfere with Maksu. Gongson Chun Gi was confident. Confident in his strength. He watched Maksu from afar and mumbled to himself. Magic, martial arts, theyre all the same thing once you reach the peak with it. What matters most is how much of it you understand. They both yield the same result at the end, after all. Vuun- Maksu didnt hear Gongson Chun Gis words. He could only focus on his spell. The pestle in the ground began to send out waves of power out of it. At the same time, Maksus body started to glow purple. Maksu spoke while grinding his teeth. [This isnt my specialty, but this should still work pretty well against humans.] Gongson Chun Giughed. Didnt you just call me inhuman, Mr. Rabbit? You arent making any sense here. [Shut the hell up.] Kuaaa-! A purple mass of power engulfed Gongson Chun Gi. Maksu looked at this with gleaming eyes. Sess. Chomp, chomp- The purple energy around Gongson Chun Gi fluctuated in size. Inside the cloud of purple energy, the demons of hell were munching on Gongson Chun Gis body. Unless one had an unbreakable body, no human would be able to survive within that cloud. Not even bones would be left in there. Maksu made a satisfactory face as he thought this. But then. The cloud of purple rapidly began to shrink. [Eh?] Maksu made a confused face. And. Huff! Gongson Chun Gi inhaled all the purple cloud around him and smiled at Maksu. It has quite a dangerous taste. Got any more? [] Then I guess its my turn, then? This actually happens to be my specialty. A red eye appeared above Gongson Chun Gi. This is an improved version of the Demon Eye, called the Abyssal Eye. I made it myself. [Are you sure youre human?] I dont even know anymore. The smiling eye began to drip with blood. This eye immediately turned into a giant mouth and swallowed Maksu. Chapter 123. Gongson Chun Gi’s True Strength Chapter 123. Gongson Chun Gis True Strength Cho Ryu Hyang managed to get there at around the middle of the fight. Gongson Chun Gi. Cho Ryu Hyang managed to see how the man destroyed the rabbit. He also managed to see his master swallowing the rabbit with the giant red eye, then spit it back out. Cho Ryu Hyangs lips twitched. Even something like this was possible? He knew his master was strong. After all, the man had the highest number Cho Ryu Hyang had ever seen. A person like that defeated Maksu that easily? It was quite shocking. But he was still able to ept it. After all, Maksu was far weakerpared to the time he was in his humanoid form. He could understand that much. But there was something else that greatly confused Cho Ryu Hyang. The existence of Gongson Chun Gi. That itself was the problem. The number changed. Cho Ryu Hyang made a confused face as he readjusted his sses. Normally, the number above Gongson Chun Gis head is 96. The number had never changed before. But 97? The number Gongson Chun Gis had changed. Cho Ryu Hyang was honestly surprised. Are these numbers not fixed? The strange numbers above the head. These were numbers that described the limits of a persons power since birth. Could something like that be changed? Cho Ryu Hyangs head was instantly filled with chaos. But right then. [Dont think of such useless things, child.] A voice sounded in his head. Cho Ryu Hyang opened his eyes widely. It was Zhuge Liang. For the first time since forever, the man had finallye to speak. Cho Ryu Hyang focused on his words carefully. He was curious about what Zhuge Liang had been doing up till now, but for now, he was just happy that the man was talking to him again. [I wasnt trying to interfere with your life if possible, butsince this is really a peculiar case, Ill have to exin things to you a bit.] Cho Ryu Hyang could feel Zhuge Liang looking at Gongson Chun Gi from inside his space. Zhuge Liang smirked. [Some oddballs like that asionally appear. Ive only seen something like this happen twice in my life It is only a temporary effect.] Its temporary? [Thats right. Itll go back to its former numberter. Dont worry too much about that change.] Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. Not all questions were answered, though. He wanted to know why this happened. Zhuge Liang answered this immediately. [Talented people who work much harder than others asionally show something like this. They ovee the limits that the heavens had set for them and bust right through it. He probably got rid of a problem that he had all his life.] A problem he had all his life? Cho Ryu Hyangs eyes shone. So he finallypleted his technique. [Technique?] Yes, that was his biggest problem. His teacher had suffered all this time due to the Shura Environment. The moment Cho Ryu Hyang listened to Zhuge Liang, he realized that his teacher had ovee the side effect that had existed for a long time purely through strength. [It is definite that he achieved something; however, I do not know if this is a result of a martial technique.] Its probably that. It was masters biggest problem for a long time. [Is that so?] Zhuge Liang looked at Gongson Chun Gi a little strangely. There was one thing that the dared not tell Cho Ryu Hyang. Zhuge Liang hid his thoughts in the darkest parts of his mind. In both of the situations Ive seen in the past, things didnt end well for the two individuals. There were rules that the heavens had set in this world. It was unknown who came up with these rules, but they wereplex and had absolutely no loopholes. Zhuge Liang had known about what happened to the two people who broke these rulester in life. This is where I stop, kid. Zhuge Liang closed his eyes as he watched the child attempt to ask him more questions. He would not interfere. He would watch. And that would be what he would do. * * * I didnt have this much fun in a long time. Gongson Chun Gi said this as he tapped the rabbit below him a few times with his foot. Your bodys too hard. It would be quite difficult to kill you. It wasnt like he couldnt do it, but he didnt really want to. Gongson Chun Gi put on his bracelet as he whistled lightly. He had managed to st away all the excess energy in his body with this one fight. How long had it been since he used his power like this? It was the first time he did this after getting rid of the Shura Environments side effect. He felt great. It felt like he got rid of the poison that his body had. Gongson Chun Gi lifted Maksu up by the ears and spoke. I knew your body wasnt in the best of conditions when I saw you in the first ce. That just makes me more excited. How strong would you be when you recover? I want to fight you again. [] Maksu was just catching his breath up till now. But he couldnt help but narrow his eyes when he heard this. He wasnt speaking, but his eyes clearly seemed to say this. [Dont be so arrogant, kid. Youre nothing if I recover.] Thankfully, Gongson Chun Gi seemed to understand Maksu well. He grinned widely and put Maksu next to his chest. Can you hear my heart beating? I dont think I was this excited even when I met my first love. Keke, Ill wait for you to recover very dearly. Maksu scrunched up his nose. In order to crush a man as powerful as this, he had to recoverpletely. Honestly, Maksu wasnt confident of winning even when he goes throughplete recovery. Both the master and the disciple makes me look at humans in a different light. Humans were greedy but so weak at the same time. His thoughts hadnt changed. But he had to admit that there were exceptions. As Maksuined to himself inside, he sses boy approached from far away. The boy was looking at Maksu carefully. Dont look at me like that, kid. The boy probably realized by now. That he was much weaker than the time he was fighting in his dreams. May I take him, master? Sure. Gongson Chun Gi gave away Maksu without a second thought. He was done with the rabbit. But he was curious about one thing, though. Did you put this rabbit next to Ahri on purpose? Yes. I thought hed do nicely as a bodyguard of sorts. Bodyguard? Well, it was a pretty nice idea. Does she know? About the rabbit? Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head. She doesnt. She just thinks of it as a rabbit. That was the promise I made with him. Promise? Promise Gongson Chun Gi smiled mysteriously and nodded. I get it now. Right. Cho Ryu Hyang smiled faintly. As he thought, his master understood everything in an instant, and to be honest, Gongson Chun Gi knew more about Maksu than Cho Ryu Hyang already. These types of things treat promises very carefully. They lose their power if they break it, after all. What? Lose power? He hadnt heard of this before. He just thought that they were beings who kept their promises well. Gongson Chun Gi made a surprised face. Mm? You didnt know? Cho Ryu Hyang smiled awkwardly. He hadnt known. To be honest, he should have tried to find out why Maksu was so intent on keeping his promise, but he hadnt thought of it before. Gongson Chun Gi messed up Cho Ryu Hyangs hair as he continued to talk. These things dont make promises because theres a chance that theyd lose their power. They only make promises when they feel that they can keep it. I felt that you had formed some kind of a connection with it when you told me you made it promise something. Connection? Was that what it was when they made the promise a long time ago? It didnt really seem like it. Cho Ryu Hyang looked down at Maksu awkwardly. He hadnt realized the weight of the promise was so heavy on Maksu. He felt a little sorry for Maksu because of this, so he held Maksu a little more carefully and spoke. He clearly became a lot weaker than before. Of course. Gongson Chun Gi was able to see just how much power the rabbit had from the start. The rabbit was supposed to be ten times as strong as it currently was, from what Gongson Chun Gi saw. Thats what makes this so sad. Gongson Chun Gi thought for a second before speaking again. A long time ago, I met a strange old man in a dream who told me about the heavenly rules in the world. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. It was something that Buddhists often spoke of. He was an arrogant old man. What was it? Causing something will always lead to results? I suppose hes right, but thats not exactly how the world works. Was there something else? Gongson Chun Gi grinned yfully. There also needs to be the process that needs to be included. The world doesnt work with causes and effects alone. That is a very dangerous thought. Process. This came very strongly to Cho Ryu Hyang. Ipleted my technique. Well, I did that a long time ago, in fact, I just got rid myself of that side effect. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. His master was nowplete. Free from the side effect. There should be no one who can ever beat me in the martial world. This is the effect I got. Gongson Chun Gi opened his hands and smiled. The process I had to go through beforeing here it was extremely difficult. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. He could tell how much work Gongson Chun Gi had gone through to get here. Disciple. Yes, master. Strength is always right no matter how evil or unjustified it is. This is the result of the monster called the Martial World. I hope you think of the process of your journey before youplete it. Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. I shall remember that. Good. Thats my disciple. Cho Ryu Hyang blinked. At this moment, Gongson Chun Gi seemed to be transparent for a second. Am I seeing things wrong? Cho Ryu Hyang looked at his sses carefully in surprise. 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