Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 187 – Pinnacle (2)

Mok Gyeong-un followed the martial artist from Shadow Clan towards the main hall of the inner city.

Not long after, Cheong-ryeong, smoking a long pipe, flew to his side.

She said to Mok Gyeong-un,

– Hey, you fool. I’ve told Go Chan.

– Thank you.

Mok Gyeong-un sent a sound transmission to her.

Since he couldn’t go right away, he sent Cheong-ryeong to give orders to Go Chan, who possessed the body of the Society Leader’s second disciple Jang Neung-ak, to send someone to the King of Poison Baek Sa-ha instead.

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and said,

– Anyway, when it comes to revenge, you don’t consider the consequences.

In fact, when the opportunity to meet the Society Leader arose, Mok Gyeong-un had tried to find Baek Sa-ha to ask him to persuade Bright Blade King Son Yun without hesitation.

So Cheong-ryeong had stepped up and said she would relay the message through Go Chan.

Mok Gyeong-un casually replied to her rebuke,

– The chance to see the Society Leader won’t come easily.

– Hmph. Your judgment is clouded because your mind is elsewhere.

– It’s fine since you helped.

– What’s fine? Tsk tsk. Anyway, even if you meet the Society Leader right now, what do you think you can do?

– Who knows?

– Oh please. You fool. Even if he’s ill, he’s practically the pinnacle of the current martial world. Do you think you can get the answer you want from him right away?

Mok Gyeong-un had one goal.

To hear about the Ghost Sword’s connection to the Society Leader or his identity.

Of course, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t think this was possible right away either.

However, through this opportunity, he couldn’t miss the chance to gauge what kind of person the Society Leader was or how strong he was.

‘Pinnacle…’

The Six Heavens, called the pinnacle of the current martial world.

The Society Leader was one of those Six Heavens.

He was definitely curious, not just for clues to his revenge.

Among the countless martial artists, he wondered how much of a gap there would be between himself and the one called the pinnacle, grand master, the supreme master.

Cheong-ryeong said to Mok Gyeong-un, who was thinking that,

– Mortal..

– Yes.

– This time, I’ll clearly warn you. If the Six Heavens, the pinnacle of the current martial world, have crossed the wall of walls as I expect, you must never provoke them.

– You seemed very concerned?

– Do you know what it’s called to cross the wall of walls?

– Who knows?

– It’s called the Profound Realm[1]. Profound means the heavens or the supreme. It means reaching the highest realm that cannot be touched.

– The realm that cannot be touched…

– Yes. Of course, your current level is also a realm that ordinary martial artists wouldn’t even dare to dream of. But the Profound Realm is on a completely different level.

At her words, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

Judging by her warning to this extent, the realm of the Profound seemed to possess unimaginable power in martial arts.

Perhaps he shouldn’t let his guard down.

Not long after moving like that, Mok Gyeong-un finally arrived in front of the main hall building of the inner city, following the martial artist from Shadow Clan.

He thought he would go inside, but,

Clang!

The two martial artists guarding the entrance of the main hall crossed their spears and blocked him.

Mok Gyeong-un asked the martial artist from Shadow Clan in puzzlement,

“Didn’t you say I need to come to the main hall?”

The Shadow Clan Master definitely said that.

The martial artist from Shadow Clan also looked puzzled as if he didn’t know what was going on.

So Mok Gyeong-un clasped his hands together in a salute and said,

“Excuse me. I am Mok Gyeong-un, the disciple of the Shadow Clan Master. Right now, we…”

“The disciple of the Shadow Clan Master?”

Before Mok Gyeong-un could finish speaking, one of the martial artists guarding the entrance of the main hall asked.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“We were waiting for you. Follow me.”

Fortunately, there was no mistake.

The martial artist from Shadow Clan who had finished guiding him bid farewell and left.

Mok Gyeong-un followed the martial artist who had been guarding the entrance into the main hall.

However,

‘Huh?’

Why are we not going upstairs but entering through the corridor instead?

He knew that the size of the inner city’s main hall building was the largest within the Heaven and Earth Society, but seeing the considerably long corridor continuing, it seemed to be larger than expected.

The martial artist who had been walking down the corridor turned to the right and led him to a passage that seemed to lead outside.

Entering there, a very wide space was revealed.

‘Where is this?’

There were numerous weapons and training tools everywhere.

It seemed to be a training ground.

What was peculiar was that it seemed to be made so that no one could recklessly intrude or leave, with thick walls blocking all four sides.

However, one of Mok Gyeong-un’s eyebrows slightly rose.

He had naturally assumed that he would be led to where the Shadow Clan Master and the Society Leader were.

But waiting here were not them, but young men who seemed to be in their mid to late twenties.

A young man with a handsome appearance in his mid-twenties wearing a red leather belt was sitting cross-legged, and another man in his late twenties with thick muscles was leaning against the wall, chewing on something that looked like a rice cake.

So Mok Gyeong-un asked,

“I don’t see Master… No, the Shadow Clan Master?”

“I was told to wait here.”

“By the Shadow Clan Master?”

“No.”

“Then by whom?”

“It was the Society Leader’s order.”

‘The Society Leader?’

The Society Leader told him to wait here with them?

It was difficult to guess what was going on.

While he was puzzled, the martial artist guarding the entrance left as if his business was finished.

It was a truly strange situation.

If he had told him to stay alone, that would be one thing, but telling him to wait with unfamiliar people without any introduction.

‘Hmm.’

Since he couldn’t understand the reason, he had no choice but to wait.

Then the young man in his late twenties who had been leaning against the wall eating the rice cake approached and said,

“Wow. So you’re the famous disciple of the Shadow Clan Master.”

“…”

Mok Gyeong-un silently stared at him.

Then the young man in his late twenties held out the skewer with the rice cake and said,

“Want some?”

“I’ll pass.”

Mok Gyeong-un lightly shook his head.

Then the young man chuckled and pointed to the young man sitting with his eyes closed, saying disapprovingly,

“At least you seem more communicative than that guy.”

“And who are you?”

“Me? Or that guy?”

“Either one.”

“It would be great if you could tell me about both.”

Then the young man shrugged his shoulders and pointed to himself with his thumb, saying,

“I’m Seop Chun, the captain of the third guard unit of the main hall.”

“Captain of the main hall guard unit?”

At his introduction, interest flashed in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.

This was information he had heard not from the Shadow Clan Master, but from the leader of Corpse Blood Valley, Lee Ji-yeom.

[The place with the thickest military power in the inner city is none other than the main hall.]

[Is it because the Society Leader is there?]

[Yes, the Society Leader is the center of the Heaven and Earth Society, after all.]

[I see. Do you know roughly how strong they are?]

[It’s difficult to grasp the hidden power, but counting only the revealed forces, there are three guard units in the main hall, each consisting of thirty men.]

[Thirty men? Even if you add them all up, it’s only ninety… That’s smaller than I thought.]

The number was smaller than he expected.

As if he knew Mok Gyeong-un would react that way, Lee Ji-yeom said,

[At a glance, you may feel that way, but each one of them is an elite.]

[Elite?]

[Yes. Although they are called units, each individual is a Peak Realm master equivalent to the captain-level of an ordinary unit, and those captains possess the martial prowess of a great elder.]

[The guard captains are at the great elder level… The gap is clear.]

[Yes, the guard captains are originally people who have no problem becoming great elders. Ah, come to think of it, the most recently appointed captain of the third guard unit is from Corpse Blood Valley here.]

[From here?]

[That’s right. Thanks to you, my liege, that friend came to mind.]

[Thanks to me?]

[Yes. Like you, my liege, that friend also obtained three top disciple tokens from the gates eight years ago and exited as the top disciple.]

[Three? He must have done well.]

It was very difficult to obtain even one top disciple plate from the Corpse Blood Valley gates.

Obtaining more than two could be considered truly exceptional.

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Lee Ji-yeom said quite seriously,

[It’s not just doing well. He’s quite an oddball, so he gave up at the last few gates, but if he had put his mind to it, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to receive all the top disciple tokens.]

[Wouldn’t have been strange to receive them all?]

[Yes, he stopped at that level because he gave up voluntarily, but that friend’s talent can definitely be called a genius.]

[Hmm. Interesting. What’s that friend’s name?]

[Seop Chun. I heard he’s also part of the Five Tigers, who are called the most outstanding rear disciples in the sect.]

Mok Gyeong-un, who recalled the conversation with the leader of Corpse Blood Valley Lee Ji-yeom, looked at the face of Seop Chun, the captain of the third guard unit of the main hall, with interested eyes.

There were only two people the leader of Corpse Blood Valley Lee Ji-yeom had praised for their talent.

One was the Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang, and the other was none other than this Seop Chun.

“Oh no. The top disciple junior of this Corpse Blood Valley class is staring at me so intently, I don’t know what to do with my body.”

Seop Chun covered his muscular chest with both arms and said.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

He had only heard praise about his talent, so he didn’t know what kind of person he was, but he seemed to have a very outgoing and humorous personality.

Mok Gyeong-un, who quickly looked him over, was puzzled to see the sword case at his waist.

‘It looks light.’

Although it was in a sword case, it seemed to be about four feet long.

But even the sword case looked very thin, so the sword itself seemed to be quite light.

As if sensing Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze, Seop Chun said,

“Ah. As expected of the disciple of the Shadow Clan Master, you have a lot of interest in swords.”

“A muscular person is carrying a very light sword.”

“You have good eyes?”

“You don’t need good eyes to see that.”

Swish!

As soon as Mok Gyeong-un finished speaking, the sword had already come out of the scabbard.

As expected, the sword looked very thin and light.

It even felt like it was fluttering.

However, despite such lightness, the faint luster flowing from the blade showed that it was no ordinary sword.

Mok Gyeong-un stared at the blade and muttered,

“Mad Dance?”

On the inside of the sharp blade, the characters for Mad Dance[2] were engraved.

At Mok Gyeong-un’s mutter, Seop Chun showed his teeth and said,

“That’s this friend’s name.”

“This friend?”

“Yeah. For a swordsman, the sword is a lifelong companion. Of course it’s a friend.”

“Is that so?”

“The reaction is less interesting than I thought. I even showed you my friend, but… Hey, you’re the disciple of the Shadow Clan Master… That’s not a sword.”

Seop Chun said in a puzzled tone, looking at the sword case at Mok Gyeong-un’s waist.

Mok Gyeong-un casually replied,

“It’s a gift from my master.”

“Your master, you mean the Shadow Clan Master?”

“Yes.”

“That’s quite unusual. The Shadow Clan Master should be a swordsman, but he gifted a sword to his disciple? Then it must not be an ordinary sword.”

“It’s a pretty useful sword, he said.”

“Oh! Is that so? What’s that friend’s name?”

As Seop Chun kept referring to the weapon as a friend, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and replied,

“The Evil Commandment.”

“The Evil Commandment…? What?”

Suddenly, Seop Chun couldn’t hide his surprise.

It wasn’t just him who was surprised by this.

The handsome young man who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed opened his eyes and frowned, looking at Mok Gyeong-un.

Their reactions were natural.

Whether they were swordsmen or swordmasters, who in the martial world wouldn’t know about the Evil Commandment Sword?

It was a demonic sword made by the legendary craftsman Ou Yezi.

Seop Chun said as if dumbfounded,

“No way. Is that really the Evil Commandment Sword?”

“Yes.”

“Ha!”

Seop Chun clicked his tongue inwardly.

As far as he knew, although the Evil Commandment Sword was a masterpiece made by the craftsman Ou Yezi, it was a cursed weapon known as a demonic sword.

He gave such a dangerous thing to his disciple?

No matter how great the sword was, he couldn’t understand giving him that, which had a high risk.

So Seop Chun asked,

“Is that… sword okay?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“Like gradually losing energy or seeing things that aren’t there?”

“You’re worrying a lot.”

“No. What is there to worry about when we just met for the first time? It’s just that even though it’s our first meeting, that sword seems to be very good but also very, very dangerous…”

“Have you mastered the sword?”

At that moment, someone interrupted.

It was the young man with the red belt who had been sitting cross-legged.

As the young man intervened, Seop Chun, the captain of the third guard unit of the main hall, raised one eyebrow and said,

“Is the guy who didn’t even answer once when I talked to him so much opening his mouth because of a sword?”

Naturally, he thought it was understandable.

No matter how demonic the sword was, as a swordsman, he couldn’t help but be interested.

However, ignoring his words, the young man said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“I asked if you mastered the sword.”

To that question, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders and replied,

“To some extent.”

“To some extent?”

At that answer, the young man snorted.

Then he uncrossed his legs, stood up, and opened his mouth.

“Then it’s a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck.”

‘!?’

At those words that came out of the young man’s mouth, it wasn’t Mok Gyeong-un but Seop Chun who shook his head and said,

“A pearl necklace on a pig’s neck? Oh, that’s harsh. No matter what, saying that at the first meeting is…”

“…”

The young man paid no attention to Seop Chun’s words.

So, feeling uncomfortable, Seop Chun made a disgusted expression and said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“Just ignore what that guy says. He’s just jealous…”

“A sword in the hands of someone who hasn’t properly mastered the sword is nothing more than a decoration, so what else can I say but a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck?”

At the young man’s continuing words, Seop Chun said as if dumbfounded,

“Hey. Even if you’re the vice-leader’s son, you’re going a bit too far. Take it easy, will you?”

‘The vice-leader’s son?’

Mok Gyeong-un looked at the young man.

If he was the vice-leader’s son, was he that person?

He had heard of him before.

Vice-leader Mong Seo-cheon had twin children.

Mong Seo-hye and Mong Mu-yak.

The young man in front of him couldn’t possibly be the daughter Mong Seo-hye, so he must be Mong Mu-yak.

‘What a coincidence.’

And Mong Mu-yak was also one of the Five Tigers, called the best rear disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society.

In other words, two of the Five Tigers were gathered here.

Why did they call him together with these people?

As he was thinking about that, Mong Mu-yak approached Mok Gyeong-un and said,

“Leaving aside the demonic sword, do you think you deserve to carry such an excellent sword?”

‘This guy doesn’t know moderation.’

Seop Chun clicked his tongue.

He knew well that Mong Mu-yak was crazy about swords, but he didn’t expect him to pick a fight with Mok Gyeong-un, whom he was meeting for the first time, in this way.

Based on his long observation, that guy wasn’t doing this because he coveted the sword.

He literally disapproved of Mok Gyeong-un having that sword.

‘This will lead to trouble at this rate.’

Seop Chun thought he should stop Mong Mu-yak.

Even if he was the top disciple at the Corpse Blood Valley gate, his opponent was one of the best rear disciples who had received the vice-leader’s teachings.

If he got involved in this fight because he was in a bad mood, he might suffer a big…

“Hey. Take it easy…”

“I think I deserve it more than you, don’t you think?”

‘Huh?’

Seop Chun turned his head in surprise.

It seemed Mok Gyeong-un had fallen for Mong Mu-yak’s provocation.

But for someone who had fallen for the provocation, Mok Gyeong-un had a smiling face.

So,

“More than me?”

Rather, Mong Mu-yak showed his discomfort.

Judging that this would lead to trouble, Seop Chun stepped between the two to dissuade the situation and said,

“Stop it, you two…”

At that moment, Mong Mu-yak’s hand suddenly reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Then he tried to swiftly draw his sword, but,

Bam!

Before he could even draw half of the sword, something blocked it.

It was none other than Mok Gyeong-un’s palm.

‘!?’

Mong Mu-yak looked at Mok Gyeong-un with surprised eyes.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un said with a sneer in a whispering voice,

“If you’re slower than a pig, are you a maggot?”