Chapter 51

A temporary shelter woven from thick fabric is called a 전막.

As I pushed aside the entrance curtain of the 전막, a man walked in.

“Captain! The candidate site number eighty-seven!”

“Oh, Dabulri. Did you dig it? Did you find anything?”

The captain, lying on a makeshift bed and picking his nose, sprang up and asked.

Dabulri shook his head with a regretful expression.

The captain exploded with anger.

“What the hell! This treasure map is nothing but a scam! We’ve been digging for eight months and found nothing!”

The treasure map—just a map showing where the treasure is buried.

“But by tomorrow, we should finish candidate sites eighty-eight, eighty-nine, and ninety. Let’s dig only up to one hundred and head back. Who’s going to say anything about that?”

“Damn it!”

The captain swore and flopped back down.

Then, at that moment—

“Captain!”

Another subordinate rushed into the 전막, panting and flustered.

Though the captain saw the urgency on his face, he remained indifferent.

“What’s going on?”

“The Great Justice Gate guys are all here!”

“What? That bastard Wang Son-man? Did he rally everyone? Damn it! That’s why you can’t trust those Zhengpai bastards. No loyalty, none!”

Then Dabulri corrected him.

“He learned the Heart Consumption Technique; he wouldn’t betray us for nothing. He must have just messed up and got discovered.”

What reason could there be for granting the precious Heart Consumption Technique?

Once exposed, it would be a matter for the Martial World.

If Wang Son-man ends up taking the Great Justice Gate, it would be the same as the entire sect turning over.

“Either way, he messed up and got caught? It’s just his lack of capability leading to a betrayal. Sigh… ha.”

The captain stood up, stepping on the ground and looking at his subordinates.

“So, the Great Justice Gate guys are coming, huh? How many are there?”

“About fifty or so, I’d say.”

“Fifty, huh? Hm. Dabulri, what did you say about their strength?”

“Two at the Peak, and seven elite.”

“Hah. Is that all?”

The captain licked his lips.

“They’re practically asking to be killed. I was getting bored anyway, and it’d be nice to wipe them out.”

“Captain, our mission is…”

“Ah! Damn it!”

The captain interrupted Dabulri.

“I know, okay? But we got discovered? We should clean them out and escape. Are we going to let it get out that we’re treasure hunting? No, right? How about this… let’s just finish up where we were digging for now. We have to finish up the places we started digging. Let’s prepare to bury the workers too.”

“I’ll follow your orders.”

Dabulri turned to leave.

Then the captain grabbed him.

“Wait a minute. We also need to deal with Wang Son-man. Dabulri, you handle him and return separately. If they all gathered, our place is probably empty. Let someone else do the finishing work.”

“Understood, Captain.”

Dabulri politely bowed his head and vanished outside the 전막.

Then the captain commanded his remaining subordinates.

“Gather all the Forward Blue Wave Unit, except for those who are finishing digging. It’s been a while since we had some fun.”

—-

Subyeol Mountain is one of the common hills scattered across the martial world.

The terrain isn’t particularly harsh, nor is it known for stunning views.

Since the official has his place nearby, there’s no real reason to stop by, and apart from the occasional herb gatherers, hardly anyone set foot on it.

It was also the location where missing persons were taken, according to Wang Son-man’s confession.

When the Great Justice Gate’s rescue team reached the foot of the mountain, at the border between the fields and the terrain, a man stood confidently to block their path.

With unkempt hair and a filthy face dripping with sweat, one eye shone menacingly.

“Great Justice Gate? You’ve kept me waiting.”

The sect leader gave a sidelong glance at the Lawkeeper Elder.

It seemed inappropriate for him to shout out publicly.

The Lawkeeper Elder called out for the bet.

“Who are you? Reveal your identity!”

“Me?”

The man grinned ferociously.

“I am Ahnryang Yeom Saraydal.”

“Ahnryang Yeom Saraydal!”

The Lawkeeper Elder exclaimed in shock.

In response, the tension among the Great Justice Gate warriors intensified.

Qing, who was beside Pang Dae-san, asked.

“Ahnryang Yeom Saraydal? What kind of name is that? Is the surname Yeom? Yeom Sar?”

“It’s Yeom.”

“So his name is Saraydal? Isn’t that weirder? How can a person be named that…”

“It’s the name used in the Westland. But… nevermind. You’ve been ignorant for too long.”

“Learning is enough, so is he a famous figure? A tough guy?”

“Ahnryang Yeom Saraydal. Known realm is Late Peak. So it’s all the Martial Cult’s doing.”

Ahnryang Yeom Saraydal—a man with ambiguous skills matching the ambiguous nickname of incarnation of Anryang.

However, Yeom Saraydal’s fame didn’t derive from his own power.

He was well-known as the leader of the Forward Blue Wave Unit, a combat unit under the Martial Cult’s branch.

His reckless charge was likened to Anryang, hence the nickname Ahnryang.

“The Martial Cult? That villainous bunch are gathering?”

“Exactly.”

At that moment, the mission window that had been absent finally revealed its disgusting form.

[Premonition, (unknown) level crisis]

[You are facing the Martial Cult’s special operation unit.]

Actions for mission accomplishment

Good deed) Defeat the Forward Blue Wave Unit

Bad deed) Join the Martial Cult and join the Forward Blue Wave Unit

Heaven’s Kill goal) Kill them all

[This choice may influence the world.]

This time it was a premonition mission again.

Wait, did I already meet the final boss, and it’s still a premonition? What the hell?

Qing made a metallic sound.

“Damn it. Hey, Mountain. Even if I chew on this pill, the effect is going to kick in a bit late, right?”

“Like I said last time, the side effects are no joke, so you better tough it out.”

“I’m fine…”

Qing loved alcohol.

Even before becoming a martial artist, he enjoyed drinking, but he wasn’t the sort to chug down strong liquor.

Now, he could drink strong liquor in place of water.

Why? Because he could do so.

For Qing, alcohol was just a drink that made him feel good.

No matter how much he drank, he kept a buzz that felt pleasant.

Since becoming a martial artist, he had never experienced a hangover.

He wasn’t sure why, but he could only guess it was due to his body type selection.

Blood Poison Body.

A positive effect was applied to whatever he ate, while negative effects were completely nullified.

It was the same with this pill.

Though he was warned that it would cause side effects that would leave him bedridden, there were no signs of that yet.

To Qing, this pill was merely a remedy for making him feel relaxed.

“So you’re saying he’s at the Late Peak? Why’s he so cocky? Does he think he’s a Supreme Martial Artist or something?”

“He’s not alone. Look there.”

As they pushed through the mountain’s terrain, others clad in black appeared in line.

“Hey, Great Justice Sect Leader. Just a kid barely at the Peak, huh? And one more thing— that old man next to you? You two will specially face me. How about that?”

Wang Gae-yuk and the Lawkeeper Elder exchanged glances.

They’d grown their sect together and were closer than brothers. Their glances spoke volumes about their intentions.

Does he not realize?

Does he not seem to know?

Qing and Chang-bin’s realms were at Late Peak.

Pang Dae-san was at Mid, and Namgoong Shin-jae was at Early.

“You two old farts better do your best to take me down, or your fragile little sect will keep dying off one by one.”

Wang Gae-yuk and the Lawkeeper Elder locked eyes with Qing’s group and nodded slightly.

Then, they feigned solemn expressions, drew their weapons, and shouted.

“We’ll deal with that villain ourselves! The rest, take care of these evil Martial Cult bastards!”

Implied was that they would handle Yeom Saraydal, and the rest were to deal with the minions.

“Haha! Now that’s the way to go! Come on, you old farts!”

Yeom Saraydal laughed heartily, completely unaware of the situation.

In his head, he was already envisioning the tragic downfall of the Zhengpai.

With his sect members dying one by one, it would be up to the two old geezers to just hold him off.

Continuing with the blood and screams of the Zhengpai members, the old men would drown in despair and self-recrimination.

What kind of pained expression would they have at the end!

Once it came down to just the two of them, he would overpower them, mock them, and toy with them.

The anguish he would savor!

Everyone has a decent plan.

But Sun Tzu emphasized knowing the enemy as essential.

This principle applied to every strategy throughout existence, before and after Sun Tzu, and in worlds with or without him.

If you don’t know your enemy, you’re bound to be hit.

Ignorance is learned through being hit.

“Let’s go! Wipe out the Martial Cult scum and establish justice in the Central Plains!”

Wang Gae-yuk shouted, leading the charge, followed by cheers.

And thus, the battle began.

—-

Qing was ecstatic.

Wow! Legal slaughter! Free murder! Unlimited refills!

Of course, national law prohibited murder.

But with the Official Imposition of Non-Interference!

They didn’t care about martial artists killing each other, and in fact, secretly welcomed it.

So it wasn’t entirely wrong to call it legal slaughter.

As Qing ran, an enemy blocked his path.

A young girl approached with graceful, light steps, seeming like an easy target.

But the moment he extended his sword to clash with hers, he felt something was seriously wrong with her sword that pierced through his blade.

Finally, the blade snapped. Reflexively, his left hand’s fingers began to drop one by one from the top.

Then came a stabbing pain.

Qing savored the feel of the blade.

It pierced through the soft leather below his solar plexus, tearing into the resilient lining of his stomach.

As he released the blade, only a tiny puncture wound remained beneath the solar plexus.

But the experience of his own stomach fluids melting him from the inside would be exhilarating.

The agony of his insides corroding alive was far beyond what a person could bear.

The Forward Blue Wave Unit member writhed on the ground, unable to even scream.

Hehe, is it painful?

Qing chuckled to himself, looking down at his masterpiece.

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