Chapter 1168: Scorched World.

Grrrrr.

Amidst the low-pitched cries of monsters. It was the time when the moon was slowly starting to lend its strength to the night.

From the depths of the vast night, I was looking down at Baek Ga-ju.

Baek Ga-ju, who trembled under my gaze, spoke in a shaky voice.

“……is up to this point……”

“Hmm.”

Baek Ga-ju, already corrupted by demonic energy and turned into a demon. At his words, I nodded.

About an hour.

During that time, I had corrupted Baek Ga-ju and heard the whole story.

“To summarize.”

What Baek Ga-ju tried to do by luring the demonic lords called the Four Great Demonic Emperors of this era was, in the end…

“…you wanted to swallow the orthodox sects, didn’t you?”

“……”

It was ambiguous to call it rebellion. If anything, it was just a dog’s work driven by desire.

“Ha.”

His father or his son.

It was questionable how Baek family’s actions were so identical.

That the current state of the front lines was strange was a fact known to some extent in the Central Plains.

The unusual surge in the number of monsters was also part of it. Many people linked this to the backlash from Red Monsters or White-grade Monsters.

‘I don’t really know if there were any anomalies on the front lines around this time.’

If there weren’t.

‘Is this my fault too?’

The anomalies that arose because I appeared in this era.

Because of that, there might have been problems on the front lines as well.

‘But right now, I need to look at Baek family’s problems more than that.’

The fact that Baek family had started using subtle schemes during this time. I saw it from that perspective.

“Did you want to become the Alliance Leader?”

“……That’s correct.”

“You idiot.”

“……”

Baek Ga-ju’s thinking went like this.

The situation where he was assigned to the front lines according to the alliance’s covenant. Normally, families would provide aid to the front lines on a seasonal basis.

This time, Baek Ga-ju himself had appeared. If you ask why a family head would step onto the front lines, it was stated to be due to the alliance’s contract, even before the impact of the Red Monsters’ backlash.

Amidst that, Baek Ga-ju discovered Hwagongma, who was hiding on the front lines.

Naturally, upon discovering a demonic lord, the right thing to do would have been to bring forces and engage in battle.

‘This guy didn’t do that.’

Baek Ga-ju found Hwagongma’s actions strange.

It was because he saw Hwagongma acting as if he were searching for something.

Seeing this, Baek Ga-ju approached Hwagongma while hiding his identity.

At first, it was to pry for information. It was also to persuade Hwagongma about his existence.

‘Baek Ga-ju needed power.’

He was a person with deep desires.

He wanted to reach higher places. He judged that strong individuals were necessary for that.

There’s no problem. As the leader of a faction, being strong individually like Geomjon is important, but…

‘If that’s impossible.’

Strengthening the overall forces is the fastest method, so Baek Ga-ju’s choice to seek out experts wouldn’t be bad, but…

‘The problem is that they are from the demonic path.’

Hwagongma wasn’t just a martial artist, but from the demonic path. And furthermore, he was one of the great demonic lords called the Four Great Demonic Emperors.

Did Baek Ga-ju judge that he could persuade even such demonic path members if the situation called for it?

‘Since Hwagongma’s condition and objective were quite apparent, he probably thought it was possible.’

He wanted freedom. He desired a life free from pursuit by the orthodox sects.

Given that he had caused more than one incident, it would be difficult to escape the watchful eyes of the orthodox sects and find freedom, but…

‘That’s only when one has the power alone.’

It was impossible for Hwagongma alone, but…

‘The Ming family. If the head of the Ming family himself helped, the story would be different.’

If one of the Four Great Families helped him wash his identity, the story would be different.

“So you approached him?”

“……That’s correct.”

Hiding his identity as the family head, he approached Hwagongma as a Ming family elder-level figure and lured him.

‘That’s how he obtained information from him.’

Showing off his abilities was easy. Hwagongma believed his identity.

If there was anything obtained that way.

‘There is a hidden vault on the front lines.’

Surprisingly, Hwagongma had obtained information that there was a hidden vault on the front lines.

It was also a suitable place to hide. He had hidden himself on the front lines upon learning of the existence of an unknown hidden vault.

‘Such a hidden vault contains a considerable amount of rare treasures and potent elixirs?’

According to Hwagongma’s information, that would be the case, but…

‘Was there something like that?’

This was also information I didn’t know.

No, wait.

‘If Hwagongma had found and obtained it as is.’

It’s true that it would be unrecorded information since he would have hidden it without telling anyone, but…

‘This isn’t certain either.’

It’s just a possibility.

Hwagongma obtained the hidden vault with Baek Ga-ju. And as a result, received the Ming family’s identity laundering and became his subordinate.

‘It’s not impossible, but…’

As I said earlier, it’s speculation. Ultimately, since it’s unrecorded information, I can’t be certain of anything.

All I can know from this is simply…

‘That this crazy bastard was trying to pull some bullshit.’

Baek Ga-ju escalated things the moment he got the information from Hwagongma.

‘He even called in the other Four Great Demonic Emperors.’

He tried to bring in the other Four Great Demonic Emperors who craved freedom through Hwagongma and incorporate them into his faction.

Would he go that far just to obtain a hidden vault on the front lines? I didn’t think so.

“Hey.”

“Yes…?”

Snap-!

“Gack-!”

I grabbed Baek Ga-ju by the neck and asked.

“You bastard. Were you trying to start a war?”

“……!”

“Right?”

Baek Ga-ju’s eyes widened. This bastard. He hit the nail on the head.

‘Right, he wasn’t just gathering demonic path members.’

It was just an opportunity. Just an opportunity. An opportunity to make the Four Great Demonic Emperors his forces.

“Did you intend to unify the demonic path through this? You, of all people?”

“Cough…“

It was an achievement no one else had accomplished. Even during the Jeongsa War, unification was impossible. It was the same during the Jeongma War.

‘Cheonma couldn’t unify the demonic path.’

Rather than unification, some simply succumbed to Cheonma’s power and fell under him. Since there were demonic path members who didn’t, it was ultimately closer to a three-way war.

Literally, something even Cheonma couldn’t do.

“And you, a nobody, tried to do it?”

“Grrr…“

“You have big dreams, you worm.”

Laughter came naturally. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even get angry.

“What do you think war is?”

Someone who doesn’t know their place dreams of war for their own desires. How ridiculous is that.

“You’re not worthy of that.”

You moronic bastard.

I considered snapping his neck right then and there, but I released the pressure on Baek Ga-ju’s neck.

“Cough! Gasp…“

Baek Ga-ju slumped down, retching. Watching him, I kicked his jaw.

Smack-!

“Gack-!”

His head shot up, and he rolled onto the ground. Before he could get back up. I stomped on his chest with my foot.

Crush-!

“Ughhh…“

“In my heart, I want to rip out your heart and grind it, but that would complicate things.”

The anomaly on the front lines entrusted to me by Cheongnyong Daeju, or perhaps Geomjon, might refer to this. Or it could be the hidden vault itself.

Baek Ga-ju dying at this juncture would be rather inconvenient. Whether he went missing or died, if the Baek family found out, they would act immediately.

‘……If I wanted to, I could pass it off as Hwagongma’s doing, but…’

Even the time for that feels like a waste. Especially since I have things to do here. Killing Baek Ga-ju was a different issue than killing the Four Great Demonic Emperors.

“Listen carefully.”

For now, I had to let him live. This is the method for that.

“From now on, you will forget everything about meeting me and what you were trying to do.”

“……!”

The demonic energy tightens around his heart.

“You discovered Hwagongma and got injured in the head during the fight. That’s why your memory disappeared. Understand?”

“……Guhhh…“

Baek Ga-ju, spitting out pain due to the demonic energy. Looking at him, I swung my fist.

WHAM-!

“……!”

Thump.

Baek Ga-ju, hit in the head, collapsed immediately. Blood flowed onto the floor.

Grind-grind-grind.

I released the Body Transformation Technique. Looking at Baek Ga-ju as his body gradually shrank, I smacked my lips.

“He’s not dead, right?”

I didn’t completely crush his head, so he shouldn’t be dead. I was a bit pissed off and couldn’t control my strength. He probably isn’t dead. Probably.

Fwoosh.

I wrapped my hand in flames and shot it straight into the sky. The Azure Flame soared into the air.

Faaang-!!!

It burst into bright light, illuminating the sky. This was to signal that Baek Ga-ju was here.

A search party would arrive soon. I moved away, leaving the collapsed Baek Ga-ju behind.

“Ah, right.”

Just as I was about to move on. I noticed the body of Yeo-je, dead with her neck twisted, on the floor.

Crackle-!!

I burned her body with embers. It was to leave as few traces as possible. Watching Yeo-je’s burning body, I shot myself into the air.

---

Floating in the air, I surveyed the surroundings. As expected, I sensed approaching figures from a distance towards Baek Ga-ju’s location.

‘It’s the Baek family guys.’

Things are proceeding as planned. This part is done.

‘Now, let’s see…’

I rolled my gaze forward. It was time to make a choice.

‘Should my original objective come first, or the hidden vault…?’

The secret of the Nine Families existing on the front lines. Should I head there first? Or should I confirm the existence of the hidden vault Hwagongma mentioned?

I pondered this. I could already come up with the answer.

‘What bothers me comes first.’

Right now, the hidden vault bothers me. So I had to check that first.

Swoooosh-!!

I focused power into my heart. Immediately, my Mind’s Eye activated, changing my vision.

A feast of countless spreading threads. Seeing the threads engulfing all directions, I heightened my senses to the extreme.

At this distance, the chance of being detected by other martial artists is low. Moreover, even if I were detected.

‘It’s better than searching endlessly all day.’

It’s right to finish quickly.

Hwaaaaaaaa-!!!

Countless things are caught in my senses. The sheer number of monsters. Even the traces of scattered martial artists.

An unpleasant sensation penetrates my mind. So much information flooded in that it felt like indigestion.

As I endured it and focused.

Tuk-!

“……!”

My eyes flashed.

“Found it.”

The northernmost end. I felt something there.

Very faint, yet…

‘……A foul aura.’

Something unpleasant.