Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 150 – Talent (1)

The estate located southwest of the inner city headquarters of the Heaven and Earth Society was the base of the Primal Killing Pavilion, which was in charge of providing consultation related to sorcery.

Diviner Jo Ui-gong was hastily heading towards the main hall of the estate, using his cane.

Although he tried his best not to show it, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

‘…Senior Apprentice Brother.’

It was said that Senior Apprentice Brother Cho Tae-cheong was currently in the main hall.

He had heard that diviner had gone somewhere after receiving a secret order from the Society Leader, but he had come to visit without any prior notice as soon as he returned.

He couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘The preparations are solid.’

While his senior apprentice brother was away, he had quickly obtained the approval of the Society Leader through the vice-Society Leader.

In Seo-ok, the Primal Killing Pavilion leader who had become a living corpse ghost, due to Mok Gyeong-un’s Six People Spirit Summoning Technique, had handed over his position to him.

Yun, the disciple in the Corpse Blood Valley, had also attended and agreed.

During the process, some senior diviners who supported his senior apprentice brother had objected, but what could they do?

It was an order from the leader.

Therefore, Jo Ui-gong was the leader of the Primal Killing Pavilion in both name and reality.

‘He must have come as soon as he heard the news.’

He assumed that was probably the case.

His senior apprentice brother rarely left the headquarters where the Society Leader resided unless it was a special case.

So, the fact that he had come like this meant he must have heard the news that he had become the leader.

Fortunately, he had already arranged for the previous Primal Killing Pavilion leader, In Seo-ok, to be moved away.

He had sent him more than 50 ri away and erased his traces using sorcery, making it useless to track him down.

‘As long as I prevent him from seeing it directly, there won’t be a problem.’

It was no exaggeration to say that his senior apprentice brother’s sorcery skills were on par with their master’s.

Deceiving such a senior apprentice brother was by no means easy.

So, despite having made all the preparations, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Greetings!”

When the guards guarding the front of the main hall saw Jo Ui-gong, they bowed their heads in greeting.

At this, Jo Ui-gong asked:

“Where is Senior Apprentice Brother?”

“He said he would be waiting inside.”

“I see. Understood.”

As Jo Ui-gong was about to enter, one of the guards said:

“By the way, diviner Cho Tae-cheong entered carrying a large wooden box that looked like a coffin.”

“A wooden box?”

What was that?

Could it be related to the Society Leader’s secret order?

Puzzled, Jo Ui-gong eventually entered the main hall and headed towards the leader’s office.

Following the corridor and opening the door,

-Creak!

‘!?’

He saw someone sleeping with their head tilted back and their two legs propped up on the leader’s desk.

Just by looking at the gray martial arts uniform with the yin-yang symbol, he could tell who it was.

It was his senior apprentice brother, diviner Cho Tae-cheong.

‘…’

Jo Ui-gong’s eyes narrowed.

There was a separate place for guests to sit, but he deliberately sat on the leader’s chair and slept like that.

It was clearly meant to provoke him.

Thanks to that, he could guess his senior apprentice brother’s current mood.

‘…I mustn’t get agitated.’

Regardless of the reason, he had taken away his senior apprentice brother’s position.

His anger was justified, and it was bound to erupt in some way.

“Ahem.”

Jo Ui-gong deliberately made a coughing sound as he entered.

Then,

“You’re here?”

Cho Tae-cheong, who had been sleeping with his head tilted back, opened his eyes and spoke.

At this, Jo Ui-gong brought his hands together with his cane and carefully greeted Cho Tae-cheong.

“Senior Apprentice Brother, you’ve arrived?”

“Yes, I have.”

“I heard you were away after receiving an order from the Society Leader.”

“Seeing as you’ve heard that much, it seems you’ve definitely completed the handover.”

‘…’

At the strangely sharp voice, tension subtly crept into Diviner Jo Ui-gong’s eyes.

His senior apprentice brother had been the front-runner, so he had already anticipated that he would object to this matter.

Jo Ui-gong calmly replied:

“Yes. Although I still have many shortcomings, I will gradually adapt.”

“Gradually adapt…”

‘…’

“Was that position so desirable to you?”

-Gulp!

At Cho Tae-cheong’s direct question, Jo Ui-gong unknowingly swallowed his saliva.

No matter how well-prepared he was, he couldn’t help but feel nervous knowing his senior apprentice brother’s sorcery skills better than anyone else.

It was something he had to face eventually.

Jo Ui-gong spoke with a forceful voice:

“How can you say such hurtful words? I merely followed our master’s orders.”

“Master’s orders?”

“Yes. I also declined, saying how could I inherit the position of leader when there is a senior apprentice brother like you.”

“Decline…”

“Yes. However, our master said that you must guard the Society Leader’s side, so he couldn’t entrust you with the position of leader.”

“…Did he really say that?”

“How could I lie to you, Senior Apprentice Brother? If you truly find it hard to believe, we can call Yun…”

“Are you telling me to play along with your false tune?”

“…It’s not a lie. Are you denying our master’s decision, Senior Apprentice Brother?”

“Deny? Ha!”

-Creak!

Cho Tae-cheong stood up from the leader’s office chair.

Seeing his attitude, Jo Ui-gong gripped his cane and prepared to respond.

He had set up various defensive sorceries throughout the office in anticipation of this moment, so he could immediately activate the Four Pressure barrier.

At that moment, Cho Tae-cheong formed a hand seal by connecting his index and middle fingers.

Then,

-Clank!

The lid of the coffin-like wooden box on one side of the office opened by itself.

Then, something inside the wooden box straightened up and rose from its seat.

Seeing this, Jo Ui-gong’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

It was none other than,

‘M-Master?’

It was In Seo-ok, the former Primal Killing Pavilion leader who had become a living corpse ghost.

On the forehead of the pale-faced In Seo-ok, there was a talisman with the word “seal” (封, bong) written on it.

Seeing him like this, Jo Ui-gong couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He had taken measures to ensure that In Seo-ok couldn’t come out by attaching heavy weights to him in the depths of a lake more than twenty li away from here.

But how did he find him?

‘Damn it.’

He didn’t know why, but his senior apprentice brother had found their master who had become a living corpse ghost.

That meant he had come here to remove him from this position.

At this, Jo Ui-gong hurriedly formed a simple hand seal with his left hand.

-Clap! Clap!

Gye (皆)! Jeon (前)! Yeol (裂)! Ja (者)!

This was the hand seal of the Nine Character Activation Technique to activate the Four Pressure barrier.

It was a technique he had already prepared, so he naturally thought it would be activated immediately, but,

‘What?’

The barrier didn’t activate.

Unable to understand why, Cho Tae-cheong clicked his tongue and said:

“You’ve prepared quite a lot. But did you think I would just leave it alone?”

-Clench!

At those words, Jo Ui-gong bit his lower lip tightly.

Did he mean that he had dismantled all those techniques while he was briefly away?

He had tried his best to make it unnoticeable, but as expected of his senior apprentice brother.

So, Jo Ui-gong hurriedly tried to unfold the spell engraved on his cane.

But before he could even chant the spell,

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

Something kicked Jo Ui-gong’s back, causing him to fall forward.

-Thud!

Something stepped on Jo Ui-gong’s back as he fell.

The weight was so heavy that the pressed area sank inward, making it extremely painful.

“Argh…”

Feeling the intense pain, Jo Ui-gong unconsciously turned his head,

-Shudder!

There, he saw a strange creature with a tall red horn and four huge legs pressing down on him with its front leg.

The moment he saw it, Jo Ui-gong instinctively realized what it was.

‘Toru!’

The name of this monstrosity was Toru (Tulou).

It was a monster that lived in the Kunlun Mountains, known as the Separate Island of the Heavenly Emperor.

Unlike its goat-like appearance, it was a very ferocious and monstrous beast that preyed on humans who entered the misty valley of the Kunlun Mountains.

Also known as the Red Falling Star, it was his senior apprentice brother’s proud spirit beast.

-Thud thud!

Diviner Cho Tae-cheong slowly walked over and said:

“Who is it?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“With your skills, it’s impossible to make our master, who received the title of diviner, like that even if you die and wake up. Who helped you?”

‘Damn it.’

Driven into a corner, Jo Ui-gong’s expression darkened rapidly.

He thought he had made all the preparations, but it was far from enough.

No, how did his senior apprentice brother find their master in the first place?

Unable to understand, diviner Cho Tae-cheong approached and pressed down on Jo Ui-gong’s right wrist, opening his mouth.

“The chains of the spell… As expected.”

“T-This is…”

-Swish!

Cho Tae-cheong made a light gesture, and the monstrous beast Toru pressed down on his back even harder.

-Crunch!

“Aargh!”

Looking down at the suffering Jo Ui-gong with cold eyes, Cho Tae-cheong clicked his tongue and said:

“Tsk tsk. To be caught and dragged by such a thing. What a pathetic fellow.”

“Ugh… Stop…”

“If you want me to stop, it’s best to tell me right away. Who put the chains of the spell on you?”

Under the pressure of his senior apprentice brother Cho Tae-cheong, Jo Ui-gong’s eyes gradually weakened.

***

-Creak creak creak!

The blade of the Nine Harmony Blade, gripped in Mok Gyeong-un’s hand, gradually bent.

At this, the eyes of Woo Ho-rang, the trusted subordinate of Wi So-yeon, the Society Leader’s third disciple, widened.

The Nine Harmony Blade was a precious sword made by a famous craftsman who was acquainted with his master, Bright Blade King Son Yun, and its hardness was different from ordinary swords.

Moreover, when his internal energy was added, the sword became even harder.

So, if the sword could bend to this extent, it meant that Mok Gyeong-un’s martial power had reached not just the early stage, but a proper pinnacle level.

‘He’s not someone to go easy on.’

Only then did Woo Ho-rang become alert.

This fellow was an opponent he absolutely couldn’t subdue without properly dealing with him.

At this, Woo Ho-rang drew out his martial power.

-Roar!

As he drew out his martial power from 6-star to 8-star in an instant, a repulsive force arose from the bending blade.

-Clang!

Along with it, Mok Gyeong-un’s hand gripping the blade was bounced off.

Matching this, Woo Ho-rang tried to widen his stance and create distance, but,

-Bam!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s palm heavily struck Woo Ho-rang’s chest.

Having already drawn out his martial power up to 8-star level, Woo Ho-rang, who had endured it with his protective energy, also kicked Mok Gyeong-un’s abdomen.

-Thud!

The two people who had simultaneously struck each other were pushed back.

Woo Ho-rang, who had been pushed back, instinctively checked the distance he had been pushed back and the distance Mok Gyeong-un had been pushed back.

‘Four steps.’

He had been pushed back four steps, while Mok Gyeong-un had been pushed back five steps.

Then, in terms of martial power, he could say he had a slight advantage.

If it was to this extent, if he drew out his martial power to the extreme level, it seemed he could subdue the fellow without much trouble.

Confident of victory, Woo Ho-rang said to Mok Gyeong-un:

“You will regret misusing that mouth of yours… Cough!”

At that moment, Woo Ho-rang coughed as he felt a burning pain from inside.

Woo Ho-rang hurriedly wiped his lips with his sleeve, and,

‘!?’

Black blood was smeared on his sleeve.

Seeing this, Woo Ho-rang frowned and looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

What the hell was going on?

He had indeed been hit by a palm strike, but he had endured it with his protective energy.

But what was this unpleasant pain?

-Rip!

Woo Ho-rang roughly tore open the upper part of his clothes.

Then, on his chest, there was a palm-shaped mark left, with blood vessels bulging out in a dark red color.

‘Could it be…’

Woo Ho-rang muttered with widened eyes.

“Poison?”

Did this fellow possibly use a poison palm technique?

Woo Ho-rang’s eyes trembled.

According to what he had heard from his lord Wi So-yeon, Mok Gyeong-un had been accepted as a disciple by the Poison King just about an hour ago.

‘It can’t be…’

It was impossible for him to learn poison techniques and freely use them in just an hour.

No matter how innately talented he was, that was impossible.

Moreover, poison techniques were fundamentally different from ordinary martial arts in the first place.

As he was bewildered, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile:

“That’s great. I wanted to test out what I had just learned anyway.”

-Roar!

On Mok Gyeong-un’s hands, a dark red poison energy was seeping out and rising like a haze.

‘!!!!!’

Seeing this, Woo Ho-rang couldn’t hide his shock.

It was none other than the Toad Poison Demon Palm[1] from the Poison King Baek Sa-ha’s poison scripture, the Wave Demon Poison Scripture.

***