Sword God Reborn

Chapter 160 : Like a phoenix

Subong had never thought of himself as a proper Black Heart Gang member.

He had only learned the miscellaneous martial arts that rolled around in the marketplace, and the internal energy he had accumulated in his dantian was as small as a millet seed, so he was third-rate. Since he lacked a deep understanding and learning of martial arts, it was a bit much to even call him a Black Heart Gang member...

"A thug."

Although his younger brother and subordinate had thrown that out, he couldn't deny it.

If he had entered the martial world with a sword, he should have killed at least one person.

Subong had never done that.

"Thanks to that, we're able to make a living, aren't we?"

"Hmm. Well, that's true."

Subong knew his place.

He had nothing to learn and his livelihood was bleak, but his born nature was free.

To live with a free nature in this harsh Central Plains, one had to have powerful martial arts or enormous wealth.

Since Subong couldn't do that, he became a Black Heart Gang member.

No, he became a thug who pretended to be a Black Heart Gang member.

But being free in nature was different from being cruel.

"Hyung-nim! Oh my, hyung-nim!"

Subong's eyebrows furrowed as one of his subordinates rushed in, crying.

The subordinate's appearance was not good at all.

"Where did you get hit?"

With a black and blue bruise on his eye and a limp in one leg, he looked exactly like he had been hit by someone.

"Tsk. Was it the Jakdu guys?"

"Oh my, no. You know that Yang family's inn."

"The Yang family's inn? The place run by just the little kid and her father?"

"Yes. Yes. I was hit by the innkeeper there."

"..."

Subong was silent. No matter how much of a thug he was, to be in this state after being hit by an innkeeper...

"Oh my, you brat. I told you not to go there. Don't you know that Mr. Yang used to be in the military in his youth?"

"No wonder, he was fierce when he swung the ladle."

Listening to the conversation of his subordinates, Subong pressed his temples. His head throbbed.

"Why did you go there? Didn't we get in trouble because the Yang family's daughter reported us to the government office? I told you not to touch that place..."

"Well, the Jakdu guys were loitering around..."

The Jakdu Faction.

Although these guys were also thugs who pretended to be Black Heart Gang members, their power was quite fierce.

"Damn it. Should I have a go at them?"

"Are you confident? Hyung-nim?"

"Hmmhmm."

Subong coughed awkwardly and avoided his gaze. A look of resignation, as if to say 'that's what I thought', appeared on the faces of his subordinates.

Subong's mouth felt bitter inside. They were pitiful guys who called a good-for-nothing guy 'hyung-nim' and followed him well.

'She gave me a name to live, chasing after a phoenix, but my life is so suffocating.'

Although it was a name given to him because the sight of him chasing a phoenix flying freely in the sky in his mother's conception dream was so happy.

Far from a life of following a phoenix, wasn't it a gloomy life even in the back alleys?

"Hyung-niiiiim!"

It was then.

This time too, a subordinate burst through the door. Although he felt a sense of déjà vu at the hurried appearance, it was different this time.

The smell of blood that pricked his nose.

A subordinate covered in blood.

An alarm bell rang in the head of Subong, who had been living like a parasite in Hubei Province until now.

"What's wrong!"

"A martial artist has rushed in!"

"A martial artist!"

At the word 'martial artist', Subong's face turned pale.

"Why on earth?"

The reason Subong had not been severely punished while being a loafer and a thug was because he had not touched anything related to the martial world.

But the question was brief. In any case, it was as clear as day that a martial artist had attacked them.

"Hey! Run for it!"

Subong shouted so and ran.

No, he was about to run.

"You bastards, where do you think you're running away in front of me?"

Soon, Subong froze as he saw the one-armed man blocking the door.

He had an eyepatch on one eye, and he was missing an arm.

Looking at his posture with a sword, he was the very picture of a real Black Heart Gang member.

'Is it not a martial artist, but a Black Heart Gang trying to take over the power?'

The inference could not continue.

The one-armed man shouted with a murderous voice.

"All of you, kneel, you bastards."

* * *

To be honest, Neung-heo did not consider these guys to be Black Heart Gang members.

"A Black Heart Gang is a Black Heart Gang. What's the big deal?"

At Cheon Mubaeck's nonchalant words, Neung-heo shook his head firmly.

"Although the guys called the Jakdu Faction were dirty in their actions, these guys are not at all."

There were two groups that could be called a Black Heart Gang here. The Jakdu Faction and the Subong Faction.

Although the Jakdu Faction was small in scale and not high in level, the things they did were the kind of tricks that Black Heart Gang members would do. They took money with moderate violence and threats, and even ran a very small gambling den.

The Jakdu Faction, the Black Heart Gang that the girl from the Yang family's inn had asked him to take care of, was subdued in one go by taking care of a few of the leaders.

And here, the guys under the so-called Subong were not even Black Heart Gang members...

"They're just loafers."

It wasn't that they had done many bad things. To the point where the neighborhood people would even scold them to get a grip and get a job, and even give them food.

Neung-heo asked with a reluctant face.

"Are you going to take all of them?"

"I have to take them."

"They haven't even learned third-rate martial arts."

"Even if a Black Heart Gang learns the best martial arts, it's third-rate. You, you bastard. How long has it been since you learned the Left-Hand Sword Art, and you're still at that level?"

"It's the Neung-heo Left Sword."

"Anyway, what's important is the number. Because we have to look like we have some power."

"Aren't you a match for a hundred, Lord? If we fight, you'll take care of everything."

"I'll die if I do that."

"What?"

At Cheon Mubaeck's words, Neung-heo's eyes widened. For the always confident Cheon Mubaeck to say such a thing.

"The Great Dragon Gang leader, who is said to be among the top ten masters in the world even though he's a Black Heart Gang member, the River King of the waterway, and the Great Strength King of the Green Forest. Especially the Great Strength King is said to be close to the top ten masters, and although the River King is not at that level, it is said that he is comparable on the water."

"...Umm."

"And given the nature of the Black Heart Gang guys, they would have all brought a bunch of guys under them to show off their power."

"That's right."

"I can run away if something happens while fighting there, but you?"

"..."

Neung-heo closed his mouth firmly.

It was impossible. No matter how great a master was, there was such a thing as being outnumbered.

It was the same for the great Cheon Mubaeck.

The fact that he had dealt with the demons at Pocheon Mountain Manor was possible because they had come in succession with a small force. If all of them had rushed in at once, even Cheon Mubaeck would not have been able to withstand it and would have withdrawn.

Hadn't he ordered Neung-heo to secure an escape route then?

Although Cheon Mubaeck believed in his own skills, he was a person with an even colder judgment.

"In the end, fighting is a measure that should be avoided until the worst."

"Then what is the best measure?"

"To properly dig into them and figure out what they're up to."

"So, you mean you're going to get a proper seat at that Black Assembly?"

"That's right."

"If so, hmm. I guess we'll need some power."

Neung-heo knew the physiology of the Black Heart Gang well.

It was the Black Heart Gang that valued a hundred second-rate warriors more than one peak master.

Cheon Mubaeck planned to bulk up first.

"But getting in between the Great Dragon Gang leader, the River King, and the Great Strength King is not something that can be done just by having a lot of power."

"Bulking up is the minimum preparation. As for what happens after that, we'll have to go and see for ourselves, won't we?"

Neung-heo could not hide his reluctant expression.

Was that an easy thing to do?

He had to gain their complete trust. To do that, he had to look like a complete Black Heart Gang member.

"What's so difficult about that?"

"What?"

"We have a model of a Black Heart Gang here."

"...!"

Neung-heo's face hardened.

"Are you... telling me to do it?"

Neung-heo, whose face had turned pale, just opened and closed his mouth as if he couldn't speak.

Cheon Mubaeck let out a laugh.

In any case, features like being one-armed or one-eyed could be hidden with a trick, so it was not a problem.

"The Black Heart Gang leader is you, Neung-heo. I'll disguise myself as a guard who protects you."

"Hahahaha..."

Cheon Mubaeck patted the shoulder of Neung-heo, who was laughing in vain.

"It's nothing special. Just do as you please."

"Like the Dark Heaven Sword Emperor who was a spy for the Martial Alliance in the Demonic Cult?"

"Yeah. You know well."

"..."

No, was the Dark Heaven Sword Emperor an ordinary person? At the words he had thrown out to be sarcastic, Neung-heo felt a hole in his chest as Cheon Mubaeck reacted as if he were pleased.

"But still, let's catch some strong guys."

"Where are there any strong Black Heart Gangs in Hubei?"

"There might be some power struggles that we don't know about. When Black Heart Gang guys gather, fighting is a common thing."

"Then do it yourself."

"What?"

"Make them fight each other until we go."

Cheon Mubaeck did not lift a finger.

"Why, are you only going to make me do it?"

"You're the Black Heart Gang leader. You have to take care of your own younger brother."

"You damn bastard."

"Oh? Your mouth is getting rough again?"

"Like a Black Heart Gang leader, huh? Like a Black Heart Gang member."

Neung-heo said so and looked at Subong, who was kneeling.

"Hey, you guys."

"Yes, yes!"

"From now on, you are Black Heart Gang members belonging to the Black Heart Gang."

"...What?"

"And from now on, until Fujian, we will be on a Black Heart Gang journey."

"A Black Heart Gang journey? What is that?"

"To beat up and absorb all the Black Heart Gang guys like you."

"...!"

Although Neung-heo had just relayed Cheon Mubaeck's words, it felt completely different to those who received it.

Subong looked at Neung-heo with a pale face.

'He's not just a Black Heart Gang member.'

The reason Subong had been able to make a living with this for quite a long time was because he was quick-witted.

The Neung-heo he saw was not just an ordinary Black Heart Gang member. Although his swordsmanship was raw like that of a Black Heart Gang member, he felt a certain depth.

It was truly terrifying. Far from daring to attack, hadn't he surrendered right away?

And the young man who seemed to be the superior of such a monster, who couldn't even move, was strange.

He looked as noble as the son of some high official, and he also looked as if he had the eyes of an old man who had transcended the world.

So Subong had realized long ago that those two were unusual.

Such people did not just speak their words.

To absorb the Black Heart Gangs?

What that meant was...

'Does he mean to unify the Black Heart Gangs of Hubei?'

Because of the influence of Wudang and the Zhuge Clan, Hubei had no central point for the Black Heart Gang.

No, it was hard for a Black Heart Gang to even be established.

At best, there were only ambiguous gangsters between thugs like the Jakdu Faction and the Black Heart Gang.

But what did Neung-heo's words mean?

To absorb all the Black Heart Gangs meant to create a Black Heart Gang that encompassed Hubei.

And even to Fujian. A grand ambition not to be satisfied with just one province.

If someone else had said that, it would have felt like some crazy guy.

But Subong had witnessed Neung-heo's martial power, and seeing Neung-heo, who couldn't even move, he swallowed hard at Cheon Mubaeck.

'A phoenix!'

Subong, who had been feeling frustrated with a life where he was even scolded with a ladle by the innkeeper, keenly felt that this might be a turning point in his life.

So he bowed his head.

"I understand! I will follow you!"

"...What, this bastard."

Only Neung-heo made a slightly reluctant expression.

* * *

Cheon Mubaeck entrusted this matter to Neung-heo.

If it was Neung-heo, he would easily subdue the Black Heart Gangs of Hubei, which had no proper central point.

In the meantime, Cheon Mubaeck had something to do.

"Hoo, let's see."

He quietly closed his eyes and observed his body.

The anti-demonic energy that came and went through the wide-open upper dantian.

The supreme yin energy of the lower dantian, coiled like a long snake.

And the band of immortal energy that surrounded the heart, connecting the two dantians.

That band, which had been so close to breaking after the previous battle, was now thicker and was shining brightly.

It was a change that had occurred after the Divine Spirit Talisman was absorbed.

'Can only the power of the sacred objects enhance the incomprehensibility of this middle dantian?'

The Primordial Root Scripture, and then the Divine Spirit Talisman.

Cheon Mubaeck strongly felt the need to find the remaining sacred objects of the Five Sacred Objects.

'Since I've lured the Hao Faction leader with the Dark Truth Wisdom Sword, I'll have to actively look for them.'

Cheon Mubaeck had taught him the verses that contained the mystery. Guk Jihum, who was a born martial artist and had reached a certain realm, would now mobilize all his available information power to receive the verses from Cheon Mubaeck.

It wasn't that Cheon Mubaeck had told him the verses of the Dark Truth Wisdom Sword just for the fact that the River King and the Great Strength King were gathering at the Black Assembly.

What he had told him was a very small part of the verses.

Guk Jihum, who had tasted that mystery once, would feel a burning thirst.

To know all the verses, in the end, he would offer the information that Cheon Mubaeck wanted one by one.

'The Blood Demon Valley will also try to find the sacred objects to find a way to improve the Bidara. As for me, I'll just have to track the Blood Demon Valley, so there will be no problem.'

After organizing the situation, Cheon Mubaeck took out a pill from his bosom.

The pill, which had a noble scent, was the immortal pill that Wudang had given him.

'Immortal energy...'

Although it looked like natural qi, what this immortal pill contained was clearly a definite immortal energy.

Cheon Mubaeck, after taking a deep breath, swallowed the immortal pill as it was.