Chapter 37

Screams echo through the night in Beijing.

Fires blaze everywhere, and bizarre creatures roam, their presence too surreal to comprehend.

Once peaceful Beijing now struggles in the greatest chaos in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

“The Ghost Gate has opened. Inside Beijing.”

Namgung Woo witnessed the strange events unfolding in Beijing with his own eyes.

His completely pale eyes caught sight of the Ghost Gate opening in the sky above Beijing. Though there was no strange aura like the one he had seen in Muan County, the sudden appearance of the gate was undeniably alien.

“Eun-gong! Open the city gates!”

Anyone with eyes and ears could tell that the situation in Beijing was far from normal.

Paeng Ha-ryeong quickly pulled out a token proving her direct lineage to the Paeng Family.

Made from ivory or animal bones, these tokens were sometimes crafted from wood or metal. In essence, they were the Ming Dynasty’s version of identification tags.

Paeng Ha-ryeong raised the obviously valuable token and shouted.

“Gatekeepers, listen! Beijing is in danger! We are from the Hapbuk Paeng Family! Open the gates at once!”

“Y-you’re from the Hapbuk Paeng Family?”

“Here, take the token!”

Paeng Ha-ryeong impatiently tossed the token. The flustered gatekeeper managed to catch it and, after a quick glance, immediately waved his hand.

“Open the gates! Reinforcements from the Hapbuk Paeng Family are here!”

The gates opened with surprising ease.

Namgung Woo caught a glimpse of the influence wielded by the Hapbuk Paeng Family, which had steadily built its power despite the Imperial Family’s watchful eyes.

“Eun-gong, are you planning to head to the inn where the Yopyeong Escort Agency people were last time?”

Paeng Mu-ho asked, his anxiety clearly showing.

“Yes. Paeng Dae-hyup always helps the people.”

“…I’m ashamed.”

Though they could open the city gates under the Paeng Family’s name, strictly speaking, the Paeng Family was not entirely free.

They had a duty, if not an obligation, to assist in quelling the chaos in Beijing.

“Ha-ryeong, you and the third generation of five will escort Eun-gong. The fourth and fifth generations will come with me to prioritize rescuing the civilians!”

“Be careful, Uncle.”

“You too. The level of the Ghost Gate opened in Beijing isn’t high. It’s barely blue. The Imperial Guards should be able to handle it once they fully mobilize.”

Paeng Mu-ho had fully recovered from his injuries after sufficient rest at the family estate. With his strength just one step away from the Transcendent Peak, a blue-level Ghost Gate shouldn’t be too threatening.

However, there was something Paeng Mu-ho hadn’t realized.

“Paeng Dae-hyup, it’s best to be cautious. It’s not just the Ghost Gate.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“There are mysterious figures mixed in. The ones who started the fires are probably them.”

The Ghost Gate had only just opened.

So why were there already fires?

There were people stirring up chaos within Beijing.

If the Ghost Gate was opened artificially, those responsible wouldn’t just retreat after opening it.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

As a direct descendant and deputy leader of the Northern Sky Unit, Paeng Mu-ho had honed his judgment. Understanding the warning from Namgung Woo, he led the Northern Sky Unit with even greater caution.

“Eun-gong, we should go too.”

“Of course.”

Even as he answered, Namgung Woo’s gaze was fixed beyond.

‘It’s still okay.’

First, the safety of the Yopyeong Escort Agency.

After organizing his thoughts, Namgung Woo quickly moved.

§

Boom! Kaboom!

The deafening noise felt like someone was pounding on his head, and Pyeong Choyul desperately wanted to cover his ears as he muttered to himself, trying to grasp the situation.

“What the hell! What’s going on? What kind of nonsense is this…?”

Crash!

“Boss! The door’s been destroyed!”

“No! Block it! Stack tables if you have to!”

Pyeong Choyul forced out a half-crazed shout.

It felt like being struck by lightning out of a clear sky. He had been sleeping soundly when strange noises woke him, only to find the inn in complete chaos.

Even Pyeong Choyul, who prided himself on having experienced everything, was momentarily stunned by the unprecedented situation.

“Dammit, dammit! What’s happening in Beijing… I should’ve just followed Namgung Woo to Tianjin…!”

Staying in Beijing to settle accounts with the Paeng Family had backfired.

No matter how attractive the Paeng Family was as a business partner, prioritizing existing relationships had been a grave miscalculation.

“Boss!”

“What now?!”

“We’ve used up all the tables! We should abandon the inn and head upstairs…!”

KABOOM!!

The loudest explosion yet shook the inn. It felt like a thunderbolt had struck.

“Ah, ah…”

One of the escorts slumped like a lifeless corpse.

Through the shattered door, a monstrous figure entered.

Resembling a giant ape, the creature was larger than a human.

Pyeong Choyul recognized it and muttered its name in despair.

“Great Ape Ghost…”

A monster said to emerge from blue-level Ghost Gates.

Though considered low-tier among blue-level ghosts, its combat prowess rivaled that of a Peak Master, and its relentless torment of humans was unmatched.

The Great Ape Ghost’s eerie, spinning eyes. Though its pupils were hard to discern, Pyeong Choyul instinctively knew those eyes were fixed on him.

‘This bastard… has it figured out I’m the leader of this group…?’

Thud!

As the Great Ape Ghost vanished from his sight, Pyeong Choyul instinctively shouted.

“Everyone, to me…!”

Too late.

There was only one Peak Master among them, and even he couldn’t match the Great Ape Ghost’s speed.

Pyeong Choyul realized his perception had slowed. He could even see the drool dripping from the Great Ape Ghost’s twisted mouth.

‘Is this… the realm of transcendence that masters speak of…?’

They say people see their lives flash before their eyes before death, but it seemed that wasn’t the case for him.

Pyeong Choyul, sensing his impending death, closed his eyes tightly, hoping it wouldn’t be too painful.

But perhaps the reason he didn’t see his life flash before him was because it wasn’t his time to die yet.

Swoosh! Slash!

The sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air snapped Pyeong Choyul back to consciousness.

Before his eyes could fully close, he saw the Great Ape Ghost’s body split in two.

“…Huh?”

Splat!

Hot blood sprayed into the air.

Yet, the blood streams avoided Pyeong Choyul, clearly a deliberate act.

Thud!

The Great Ape Ghost’s body fell lifelessly, like a severed puppet.

Steam rose from the blood flowing from its split body.

Beyond the disintegrating corpse, a swordsman stood before the torn gate.

Pyeong Choyul, overwhelmed with the joy of survival, strained his already hoarse throat, but it didn’t hurt.

“Namgung Woo! You came!”

Namgung Woo.

Dressed in the black martial attire of the Paeng Family, he looked slightly different from usual, but that didn’t matter now.

Pyeong Choyul, almost crawling in his haste, approached Namgung Woo, filled with relief at having escaped death.

“Namgung Woo, you’re here! What was that just now? Was that Flying Sword Energy? My god, I knew you were strong, but is this real or a dream?”

“I’m glad you’re safe, Pyeong Choyul.”

“Yes! Yes, of course!”

Namgung Woo appeared calm, but inwardly, he was greatly relieved.

Had he been even a moment later, Pyeong Choyul would have been trampled and torn apart by that monstrous ape.

‘It was a close call.’

Leaving the group behind to rush here had been the right move.

“Let’s get out of Beijing as quickly as possible.”

“But outside is like this…”

“The Paeng Family is with us. If we join them, we’ll have at least some safety. And a transport ship is scheduled to arrive via the Grand Canal. We’ll use that to escape Beijing.”

“The Grand Canal…”

The young master of the Hapbuk Paeng Family, Paeng Ja-ryeong, is heading north via the Grand Canal.

If he arrives, even if Beijing burns as foreseen, some can still be saved. The connections will be handled by Paeng Ja-ryeong, but the Yopyeong Escort Agency will be rescued thanks to their ties with Namgung Woo.

“Then, Namgung Woo, aren’t you coming with us?”

“I have somewhere else to be.”

Namgung Woo’s gaze turned north.

Like in Muan County, a strange aura was hiding its power. It wasn’t martial arts. It must be sorcery.

Others might be fooled, but not Namgung Woo’s eyes.

There, the mastermind behind this chaos lurked.

And if that person isn’t stopped, Beijing will fall before Paeng Ja-ryeong can arrive.

The Imperial Guards might handle it, but the power beyond the barrier far surpasses the Ghost Gate that unleashed the Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom.

Is there anyone in Beijing besides Namgung Woo who can stop this?

‘The Imperial Family has a Peerless Master, I heard. I don’t know how strong they are, but if they’re guarding the palace, they must be formidable…’

But what if they lack the ability to perceive sorcery like Namgung Woo?

When the energy gathering there finally takes full form, even Namgung Woo isn’t sure he can safely escape Beijing.

He’s already riding the tiger.

And he’s brought along everyone connected to him.

Namgung Woo considered this his responsibility.

Though his power came easily, he didn’t want to wield it carelessly.

“I have to go.”

Namgung Woo set his sights on the peak of Manse Mountain, atop the Forbidden City, where the power was converging.

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