Chapter 59
The Tower Built with Effort Collapses (2)
Sssaaa—!
Baekryeong’s killing intent began to surge.
Even though he was more than ten jang away, Kang Yong-un’s skin prickled from the pressure.
“Heheheh. As expected, you’re no ordinary brat. To dodge my strike so lightly.”
Baekryeong asked with a meaningful tone.
“They say the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime… is that what this is?”
Kang Yong-un shot back without backing down.
“That’s my line—!”
Twitch.
Baekryeong’s eyelids shook violently.
But Yong-un ignored it and threw out his question, stabbing straight at the core from the start.
“It was you, wasn’t it? The one who planted that venom in Ji-hyun and his two sons’ bodies.”
“Hmm. So it really was you.”
Baekryeong gave a big nod.
Though he raised his inner power as if he wanted to kill him on the spot, he didn’t immediately attack. First, he wanted to know something.
“I didn’t hear any wailing that Ji-hyun had died. Did you… cure the poison?”
Smile.
Kang Yong-un grinned brightly.
“Take a guess.”
Along with the words, he surged with Daechun Divine Art. He began to draw his Cheonggang Sword.
“Insolent brat.”
Baekryeong scoffed at him.
‘At best, he’ll only be able to release a bit of sword aura.’
No matter how he looked, Yong-un seemed to have just barely reached the peak level.
“Fine then. Laugh while you can. Soon, you’ll be begging me to kill you instead.”
He intended not to kill him right away, but capture him.
‘How in the world did he dispel the poison? Even we can only barely sustain and use it through heretical arts and inner force…’
A desire for punishment, and for the secret, flared within Baekryeong’s heart.
But—
“Hmph. You laugh all you want too. After this moment, you’ll never laugh again—!”
Kang Yong-un declared Baekryeong’s death.
From the very mindset entering battle, they were different.
‘Thunder God Formula—!’
From the very start, Yong-un drew out his full strength.
He infused his sword with Daechun Divine Art and Ji-geuk Gong. The power climbed up both sides of the Cheonggang Sword.
[He is a heretic, Woon-ah!]
[One who gave his very soul and spirit to demons, straying from the human path. By Heaven’s law, he is already as good as dead.]
[Strike him down, Woon-ah.]
[It is an act that follows Heaven’s will…]
[From this moment, we are one with you—!]
The will of the heavens was firm.
Kiii-uuuuung—!
Yong-un’s sword roared violently. Pure white light gathered at the tip.
“Here I come—ahhh!”
The Flying Willow God technique unfolded.
Dragging a heavy wind, Yong-un’s figure darted right up to Baekryeong’s nose.
Flinch.
‘Danger—!’
Baekryeong instinctively sensed the threat.
But he dismissed it.
“Hmph! A man about to die just thrashes around!”
He trusted in his own peak power and eyes.
He was embarrassed he had even flinched at a mere youngster’s aura.
“Fine then, I’ll teach you a lesson. Haaaahp—!”
He unleashed the technique he was most confident in.
Dreamlike World.
A move that could easily subdue an opponent without killing them.
Flash.
Kwaaa-woooong—!
Foul inner force instantly condensed into a round sphere in Baekryeong’s hand.
It spun violently, then launched toward Yong-un—
Smirk.
Yong-un grinned.
‘The same move—!’
He had already faced it in Sichuan.
Without hesitation, he unfolded The Mountain Crushes the Peak.
He raised the Cheonggang Sword high into the sky, then slashed it down.
“Take this—!”
At that moment, the two raging forces clashed at the sword’s edge.
Kuwaaaaang—!
A dull explosion like firecrackers bursting rang out, as blinding white light flashed.
“Wha—?”
Baekryeong’s technique crumbled in an instant.
Crackle.
The twisted white light shredded through it, scattering the heretical inner force he had so relied upon.
“I-Impossible…”
Baekryeong couldn’t do anything.
A move he believed could withstand even the force of Gang-level power was destroyed so easily?!
It was because he didn’t know the authority of innate qi.
The foul powers of heresy and demons were powerless before true innate energy.
“Graaaagh—!”
Baekryeong screamed.
His wrist, elbow, shoulder, and chest were torn apart one after the other.
No—half his chest along with his shoulder was ripped away.
Thud.
He collapsed.
‘Should’ve brought Eun-ryeong, or at least Geum-ryeong…’
That belated regret was his last thought.
“Phew—!”
Yong-un let out a long breath, gazing at Baekryeong’s corpse with complicated eyes.
A heretic.
One who deserved death, yet it still left him bitter.
[Amitabha—! Woon-ah. Recall the saying: “If I do not enter hell, who will?” Even I, Bodhidharma, at times sent evil men back to hell. But in doing so, I saved countless innocent lives.]
The voice of Bodhidharma echoed in his head, as if to soothe him.
“Yes, master.”
Step—! Whoosh.
Yong-un spread the Flying Willow God again.
He headed for the magistrate’s office.
Half an hour later.
Ji-hyun’s eyes flew open.
“You mean the heretics’ claws have reached Sunyang and Pyeongri Counties as well, benefactor?”
He gasped.
“That is my suspicion, sir. Which is why I need to look at the maps—to understand the strategic value of this place.”
“Very well. One moment…”
“I’ll come with you, sir.”
Ji-hyun and a constable rushed out.
Soon, they returned carrying a large map.
It was a rare map of the Central Plains, a military version, detailing the routes between Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu.
“Hmmm.”
Yong-un studied it closely.
He confirmed the locations of An-gang County and its surrounding three counties in southern Shaanxi.
“As I thought…”
“Benefactor, did you discover something?”
“To my eyes, I see nothing unusual. This is an important region, yes, but unlike the past, it does not border another nation…”
“No, sir.”
Yong-un shook his head.
What he saw was a world invisible to officials—only to martial artists.
“This place is beyond the gaze of Huashan, Zhongnan, Tang Clan, Qingcheng, and Emei. For heretics, it’s a hidden heaven.”
He was convinced.
The magistrates or high officials of Sunyang and Pyeongri likely also carried the poison.
“Then…?”
“You mean even those counties are in their grip…?”
“I believe so. The cult aims for the world itself, and they need vast funds. If I were their strategist, I’d secure at least three counties like this to accumulate wealth.”
“This is disastrous—!”
Ji-hyun’s face darkened with worry. But finally, he made a decision.
“Would twenty men under the constable’s command suffice?”
“Yes, sir.”
Yong-un answered firmly, but also added his concern.
“If battle erupts, some may fall. Please do not conscript unwilling men. Choose only volunteers.”
“I understand, benefactor.”
Constable Wang Jeong-ha answered with a tense face, then immediately left.
Around the hour of the rabbit.
Twenty men of An-gang County’s constabulary reached the outskirts of Sunyang County after half a day’s journey.
“We’re nearly there. Let’s circulate our qi briefly before we enter.”
“Understood, Master Kang.”
Wang Jeong-ha moved as though under Yong-un’s command.
“Do a short breathing session. One shichen. Split into two groups and take turns keeping watch. Any questions?”
“None, sir.”
“Hahaha, leave it to us!”
The captains answered boldly.
All of them were men who had once faced the Ghost Blade Gang on the battlefield. The sub-leaders supporting them were equally skilled.
‘The chances of battle breaking out are low.’
Yong-un truly believed that.
Especially if the magistrate carried the poison.
‘First, I must meet him.’
That was why he brought Wang Jeong-ha along. Better than just presenting a letter.
‘If I confirm the poison, I’ll remove it instantly. Then this magistrate will act just like An-gang’s did.’
He would mobilize troops to crush the local heretical sect and track the cult behind them.
‘In that case, Wang Jeong-ha and the constables need only provide support.’
But still, Yong-un had spoken of casualties because of the cult’s sorcerers.
He didn’t know their number, their skills, or how they would appear.
‘If we truly clash, even if I take on most of them, losses are inevitable…’
He felt uneasy.
‘Should I just fight alone?’
But that would only be reckless bravado.
Besides, the local “black sects” weren’t true martial clans.
No matter his intentions, he couldn’t resolve everything alone.
‘Phew… May all who fight beside me remain unharmed…’
He prayed earnestly.
Time passed.
Wang Jeong-ha and the others finished their brief cultivation.
“We’re ready, Master Kang.”
“Then let’s move.”
“Yes—! Forward!”
“I’ll take the lead. Hahaha.”
Thus, they entered Sunyang County.
Before long, they encountered the night patrol soldiers.
The patrolmen were startled, but communication was quickly made.
Within a shichen, they were brought before the deputy magistrate of Sunyang County.
“We’ve come to deliver An-gang’s magistrate’s sealed letter directly to your magistrate.”
“I understand. But what kind of letter requires the constable himself to come with so many men?”
“A secret matter. Only your magistrate can be told.”
“Well… it’s just past the hour of the rabbit, the sun is rising… but waking him now would be…”
“It is urgent. Lives are at stake. Take us to him at once.”
The deputy’s face hardened, but he had no choice.
Though from a neighboring county, the constable outranked him, and said lives hung in the balance.
“Very well. Follow me.”
“Thank you.”
A hurdle cleared.
Yong-un exhaled in relief.
‘At last, I can examine Sunyang’s magistrate. Is that cursed poison lodged in his heart as well?’
High in a tree near Sunyang’s county office.
Eun-ryeong was on watch, gazing silently at the northern quarters.
Her ears twitched.
‘What’s this?’
She sensed a large movement approaching from the outskirts.
‘The patrols always move in pairs, so it’s not them…’
When she looked, her eyes widened.
Dozens of torches.
Clearly soldiers or constables, approaching in a group.
The number exceeded twenty.
What in the world was happening?
“What are they doing at this hour… huh?!”
Her frown turned to shock as she spotted someone.
“That man—he’s definitely An-gang’s constable!”
She had recognized Wang Jeong-ha.
