episode_0011

Whoosh—!

Splitting the air, four men scattered in all directions.

Killing intent assailed him from all sides.

Honestly, it was an unavoidable angle.

It was then.

Swish—!

The first sword flew towards Cheongun’s back.

Cheongun didn’t budge. The moment the blade touched his back.

Clink! The blade struck Cheongun’s shoulder.

Only his clothes were slightly torn; Cheongun’s skin was unharmed.

Only the sword, unable to cut his bare skin, was bent upon impact.

Thanks to meeting the demon, his Adamantine Indestructible Body was activated.

It was a True Adamantine Body, making it difficult to even scratch with an ordinary sword blade.

“!!!”

Just as he gasped in astonishment.

Whoosh! Cheongun’s body instantly lunged to his right.

Crack! The sound of a nose bridge breaking.

A punch imbued with internal energy slammed into his face.

Blood splattered as the man stumbled backward.

Cheongun instantly twisted his body and struck the man’s neck with his elbow.

Crunch. The neck bones were crushed.

The man gasped his last breath and collapsed.

Soon, another man descended from the air as if plummeting.

In response, Cheongun’s right foot swung out. Cheongun’s heel reached him before the man’s sword could.

Snap, his ribs were crushed and caved in.

Immediately after, the man’s body was slammed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Ugh! A painful shriek. Ah, so noisy.

Cheongun mercilessly stomped down on him.

His heel crushed the man’s collarbone, then pierced through his ribs and burrowed into his spine.

The thick stench of blood spread.

They had rushed in like a swarm of bees, only to instantly become scattered corpses.

The lone remaining man stumbled backward in a panic.

Seeing his comrades instantly dead, his thoughts seemed to become complicated.

“……Who exactly are you?”

“Why ask such a thing?”

“Please spare my life.”

“Why should I? Didn’t you ever think a day like this would come? Did a piece of trash like you really expect to live a long, happy life laughing all the way? Wow, not only are you ugly, you’re shameless too.”

“If you spare me, I will live cooped up in the mountains for the rest of my life.”

“No, I don’t want to. I’ll kill you to silence you.”

There was no need to hold back against such scoundrels.

If he was spared, he would only roam around and kill innocent people.

Killing him here was beneficial for everyone.

It was then.

Whoosh—!

Dust surged from beneath his feet, and then he shot out like lightning.

The back of the man, desperately employing his footwork to flee, grew increasingly distant.

It was truly a terrifying speed.

However, thanks to meeting the demon, Cheongun’s senses, now extremely heightened, never missed the man’s trace.

The flow of qi, the subtle vibrations transmitted from his running footsteps, a single drop of sweat falling.

Every single one of them was felt clearly.

Cheongun took out the three remaining Dark Shadow Needles from his pocket and placed them between his fingers. He had forcibly obtained them from Hong Soyeon and Baekseol.

Whiz—!

The first needle cut through the air.

It was a precise trajectory, accurately calculating the man’s path.

“!!!”

At the same time, the man quickly turned around and struck the hidden weapon with the sword in his hand.

Thunk!

The Dark Shadow Needle bounced off and fell to the ground.

The moment the corner of the man’s mouth curled up, the second needle immediately flew.

However, it wasn’t just thrown.

He imbued the needle with the profound mysteries of the Heaven and Earth Primal Chaos Qi Art.

The energies of Upper Yin and Lower Yang collided, and the essence of heaven and earth gathered at the tip of the needle.

Yang embraced Yin, and Yin embraced Yang.

Soon, the profound mystery of lightning half-opened.

Sizzle—!

The needle burst through the air with a piercing sound.

Following its path, a blue shimmer traced a spiral.

And then.

“Argh!”

The hidden weapon accurately pierced the man’s ankle.

Blue lightning flashed where the needle had penetrated.

“Damn it!” The man, whose speed had decreased, stumbled and cried out.

At that moment, the last remaining needle shot from Cheongun’s fingertips, slicing through the air towards the man.

The man raised his sword to block it.

However, the incoming needle pierced a small hole through the sword blade and passed right through it.

“Insane!”

His eyes, filled with horror.

He belatedly twisted his entire body and turned his head, but it was too late.

The needle, imbued with sword energy, grazed his nape.

The needle, cutting smoothly as if slicing tofu, accurately severed his carotid artery.

Spurt—!

Blood burst forth like a fountain.

The man’s footwork crumbled, and his body sprawled onto the dirt ground.

Even as he rolled on the ground, blood continued to gush from his neck without stopping.

His body, which had felt light as if it could fly, suddenly became heavy.

This was because his unique characteristic had deactivated, due to all the demons being dead.

“Phew.”

Cheongun let out a sigh.

He surveyed the scattered corpses around him and picked up one of their swords.

Dragging the sword, he walked towards the shrine.

As he opened the old shrine door, the corroded wood creaked.

The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, a strong stench of rotting corpses assailed him.

Cheongun covered his nose and winced.

Soon, after passing through a narrow corridor and reaching the main hall, Cheongun discovered two shadowy figures.

One lay motionless on the floor.

It seemed to have already stopped breathing.

The other stood over the corpse, looking down.

Suddenly, it swiftly! turned its head.

At the same time, its eyes met Cheongun’s.

The moment their gazes clashed, a chilling cold crept up Cheongun’s spine.

Cheongun subtly examined the figure’s features in detail.

Gleaming white hair.

In contrast, a straight back.

Eyes gleaming over a wrinkled face.

It truly was the bearing of an immortal, a demeanor reminiscent of a divine being.

Then, the old man opened his mouth.

“Who are you, fellow?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than.

A deep hum—!!

The True Qi in the surroundings became so heavy that breathing became difficult.

For a moment, Cheongun’s legs wavered as if his shoulders were being crushed.

It wasn’t only Cheongun who felt this.

The floor vibrated, and the walls trembled.

An immeasurably vast aura enveloped the entire surroundings.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Cheongun’s heart pounded violently.

The old man, looking intrigued, walked towards Cheongun with his hands clasped behind his back.

He was clearly a master.

Not just any master, but an incredibly strong master.

But there was a problem.

‘He’s not a demon?’

His unique characteristic didn’t react.

That old man isn’t a demon.

‘…This is dangerous.’

The worst-case scenario had occurred.

Baekseol had said that a group was ambushing Namgung Hwi here, which was why Cheongun had come to clear them out in advance.

According to her information, it was one demon leader and a few small fries.

The small fries were just killed, so only one demon leader remained.

Which meant.

‘Could it be that old man?’

Cheongun couldn’t be certain of the old man’s identity.

He could be the demon leader, or he might not be.

Perhaps the corpse lying on the floor was the demon leader.

What was certain was that his unique characteristic didn’t react to the old man.

‘Who is he?’

He couldn’t discern his identity at all.

The in-game illustrations and the real person’s appearance were clearly different.

No matter how good his memory was, it was impossible to recognize someone just by their face.

“Hmm.”

The old master stroked his chin.

“A mere boy not even in his twenties possessing sixty years of cultivation? It seems you’ve obtained some fortuitous encounter from ages past, haven’t you?”

The old master approached, chuckling gently.

He clearly looked like someone who would seclude himself deep in the mountains to cultivate the Dao.

“Tsk tsk. What is your sect? You don’t seem to be from the Demonic Path.”

“Me?”

“Indeed.”

“It’s a family martial art.”

“Ohh! That’s surprising. Your family must be extraordinary.”

“I don’t have parents.”

“……”

The old master did not ask further.

It was enough that he wasn’t from the Demonic Path.

In the eyes of the old master, who had lived for a long time, Cheongun’s true nature was fully revealed.

Eccentric and rough, yet an untainted raw gem.

The initial hostility faded, and a strong curiosity about the young man arose.

“So, young one, what brings you here?”

Cheongun subtly gauged the old master’s mood.

Should I tell him honestly? Or not?

His hesitation was brief.

“I heard there was a Demonic Cultist here.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“I came to kill him.”

“For what reason?”

“In the Jianghu, killing someone is ultimately for grievance or enmity, isn’t it?”

At the clear answer, the old master’s eyebrows twitched.

“It sounds like you have a grievance.”

“Yes.”

Cheongun slowly began to feel uncomfortable with the current situation.

It was an unease stemming from the fact that he didn’t know the old master’s identity.

“That fellow lying there, is he perhaps the Carnivorous Demonic Leader?”

“Indeed.”

“You killed him, didn’t you?”

“I killed him with my own hands.”

“How did that happen?”

“The night wind was quiet, so I was merely walking along with the breeze. Then this fellow appeared before my eyes. So I cut him down.”

I see.

Cheongun obediently nodded his head.

Cheongun, uncharacteristically, had become respectful.

Though he was like a thug to demons, with his unique characteristic deactivated, Cheongun was still only at the initial stage of the Peak realm.

To survive in the Jianghu, one had to be quick-witted.

Cheongun glanced sideways at the old master and cautiously asked,

“Excuse me, Elder, may I ask your esteemed name?”

First, an exchange of names.

The old master let out a chuckle.

“I am Jin Mooseong.”

“…Ah?”

“Asking once is enough. My name is Jin Mooseong, and in the Murim, I was called the Red Night Sword Sovereign.”

Cheongun felt a cold sweat.

Jin Mooseong.

An absolute master of the Grandmaster class, holding one of the ten heavenly seats known as the pinnacles of the Central Plains Murim.

The Ten Great Masters of the World.

A living legend, and the sky of the Murim.

……In short, he was one of the strongest beings in the world.

Why was such a monster here?

Cheongun was so dumbfounded that he let out an empty laugh.

The old master, looking intrigued, asked Cheongun,

“Since you’ve heard my name, you should reveal yours as well.”

“I am Cheongun.”

“A meeting is a destiny from heaven, and a relationship is a destiny from earth. Meeting you here is also a destiny from three lifetimes, so I shall ask you one thing.”

Cheongun knew the Red Night Sword Sovereign very well.

The Red Night Sword Sovereign was an old master one would randomly encounter with a very rare probability while playing Cheongpungjeon.

One peculiar thing about him was that he always roamed around searching for disciples.

Thus, in the community, the Red Night Sword Sovereign was called this:

“Do you intend to become my disciple?”

A ‘fortuitous encounter’.