Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 11 : The Old Men (1)

Jin Sawoon stood on the cliff of Daeniu Mountain and looked down at the Yellow River.

The sight of the yellow water of the Yellow River flowing through the valley was a magnificent view of the world, so he was appreciating it for a moment.

Behind him, a deep forest stretched out, and within it was a small manor. That was where Bae Hyung-man had lived.

It had been fifteen days since he had been chasing the Zhongnan Sect. He had been able to come this far thanks to the information network of the Heavenly Divine Cult.

The Heavenly Divine Cult had put a bounty on those associated with the Zhongnan Sect and their disciples. Since they gave a reward just for informing them, there was no place for the people of the Zhongnan Sect to stand in Gansu and Shaanxi.

They must have all fled or hidden.

Right now, a rumor was spreading far and wide in the martial world that the Heavenly Divine Cult had launched a large-scale subjugation.

Jin Sawoon, who was appreciating the magnificent view, turned his eyes and looked around. He saw a small path through the forest. He turned his body and walked towards it.

After walking a few steps, Jin Sawoon stopped as the small path ended and a rock wall appeared.

When he lowered his head, he saw a rope.

The rope was twisted in the middle to allow one to step on it, and it seemed quite old, with many handprints on it.

He grabbed the rope and went down between the rock walls. He saw a narrow gap that one person could enter.

When he reached there, a cool wind brushed past his entire body. That wind felt like killing intent.

'Should I report it?'

After briefly contemplating whether to inform Kang Yu, he went inside. A dark cave continued for a long time.

On the protruding parts of the cave wall, candles were placed. After walking about three zhang, a wide space appeared.

The size was about five zhang. He struck a flint to light a candle.

Chiiik!

As the fire lit up, the inside of the cave came into view.

He saw an old desk and chair. There was also a bed and a brazier for holding fire.

On the wall, several lines made by the clash of swords were drawn like a comb pattern.

It seemed someone had lived here and trained in martial arts.

On the desk, a book was placed. Jin Sawoon's hand naturally went to the book.

Nine Palaces Sword Art.

It was a representative sword art of the Zhongnan Sect, a sword art that had once enjoyed a considerable reputation. But half of the sword art manual was torn out.

If not, the person who trained here might have taken half of it, or burned it in the brazier.

Jin Sawoon, who was looking at the martial arts manual that depicted the three forms and fifteen moves corresponding to the first half of the Nine Palaces Sword Art, soon put the secret manual in his bosom rather than memorizing it.

If he was greedy, he could die young. It seemed better to report it as it was.

* * *

Kang Yu, who was sitting at the head of the main hall, was examining the stacked books. He was checking if there were any necessary martial arts manuals.

In any case, a subjugation team from the Cult would come soon. It was to send anything necessary to the valley before handing it over to them.

Jang Muryong and Gwak Ho opened the door of the main hall and entered.

"There's nothing special in the warehouse. Only a little grain is left, and only rusty or broken swords are visible."

"There's nothing special in the guest hall either."

At their report, Kang Yu nodded.

Jang Muryong asked.

"But what are we supposed to be looking for? You said it was something special, but you didn't tell us what it was."

"Traces of the enemy."

Kang Yu smiled, then closed the book and spoke again.

"The ones who attacked the young lady were not many in number and were not strong. Yet, the fact that they dared to turn against our Cult and attack means that they have a reliable helper. We need to find out who they are and where they are. It could be the Martial Alliance, or it could be other remnants of the Zhongnan Sect. If not, it could be a force we don't know well."

"Yes."

"Look for any hidden letters or special items that can identify the enemy."

"Understood."

Jang Muryong and Gwak Ho answered in unison and then went outside again. After they left, Seo Woon-gang entered.

"I searched the rear garden, but all that came out were the corpses of dead pigeons. There were burnt ashes in one corner of the rear garden, and I looked inside, but only ashes remained."

It meant that the pigeons raised to send messages were dead. And Kang Yu shook his head at the fact that the people who lived here had burned everything they had.

Just then, Jin Sawoon entered.

Jin Sawoon placed the secret manual in front of Kang Yu and said.

"I found this in a secret rock cave beyond the rear garden. It's certain that this is the hideout of the Zhongnan Sect. The latter part of the secret manual is missing."

Kang Yu, who recognized the secret manual of the Nine Palaces Sword Art, smiled.

It was all useless things, but he felt good that something useful had come out. The secret manual was something that the Valley Lord and the Na family head would like if he sent it to the valley.

"Good work."

Kang Yu looked at the secret manual and then showed a disappointed expression that half of it was cut. It would have been better if it were perfect.

Of course, the secret manual of the Nine Palaces Sword Art was also stored in the depths of the Cult. It was just that ordinary warriors couldn't see it.

Jang Muryong and Gwak Ho entered the main hall again. They hadn't found anything.

"We'll hand this place over to the subjugation team now and move to the next location. There's an abandoned manor not far from here that seems to be a hideout of the Zhongnan Sect."

Kang Yu stood up and walked outside.

Kang Yu, who opened the door of the main hall and took a step into the front yard, stopped with a hardened expression.

The team members who were following him also stopped, holding their breath.

Kang Yu was looking at a skinny old man with gray hair standing in the center of the training ground.

The old man had a sword on his back, was wearing old gray clothes, had a dry face, and was standing with his eyes closed.

It was like looking at a withered tree.

'I didn't even feel his presence.'

Kang Yu, as well as Jin Sawoon and his comrades, had not felt the old man enter.

Without knowing when he had entered, the old man had entered the yard and was standing indifferently.

Feeling that something was unusual, Kang Yu asked politely.

"Who are you?"

At Kang Yu's voice, the old man's ear moved slightly. Immediately after, the old man's eyes opened narrowly, and his gaze was so clear that Kang Yu unknowingly took half a step back.

An immense pressure pressed down on Kang Yu's shoulders at the same time.

"I am Ha Shin-hak. I came because my disciple died."

At the name Ha Shin-hak, Kang Yu bit his molars. He was called the Immortal Crane Flying Sword in the martial world, a name that had killed countless Heavenly Divine Cult members in the past.

He was the youngest of the Five Swords of Zhongnan who had tormented the Heavenly Divine Cult thirty years ago.

He had appeared here alone.

Gulp!

Kang Yu swallowed dryly, then put his right hand in his bosom and slightly bent his waist.

It was preparation for an attack.

There was no way Ha Shin-hak would just let him be after seeing that. His hand grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Clack!

At that moment, a sharp flash of light flickered from Ha Shin-hak's right.

Ha Shin-hak had drawn his sword.

Shwaak! Pfft!

Five sword energies, along with the light, headed for Kang Yu and the remaining members of Team Three.

Kang Yu shouted urgently and flew back.

"Dodge! Get out of here!"

Papapat!

Kang Yu threw all the hidden weapons in his bosom at Ha Shin-hak at once and quickly turned his body.

Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!

Behind him, Jin Sawoon and Jang Muryong moved, and at the very rear was Seo Woon-gang.

Whoosh!

Kang Yu, who had jumped about three zhang, stepped on the roof and flew up again. Kang Yu turned his head and saw Gwak Ho who had fallen to the ground.

Meanwhile, as Ha Shin-hak drew his sword, Jin Sawoon saw the sword energy, imbued with light, stretch out long. In that fleeting moment, the sword energy had closed the distance of five zhang in an instant.

The five sword energies were aimed at everyone from Kang Yu to Gwak Ho.

Whoosh!

The hidden weapon thrown by Jin Sawoon, along with the hidden weapon thrown by Kang Yu, headed for the incoming sword energy. A few of them slipped through the sword energy and flew towards Ha Shin-hak's chest and neck.

In that instant, Ha Shin-hak's sword energy, which had a slightly slower reaction, pierced through Gwak Ho's chest.

Whoosh!

Jin Sawoon went over the wall as he was.

Ha Shin-hak sheathed his sword and parried the incoming hidden weapons.

Clatter-clatter! Clang!

Ha Shin-hak, who had parried the hidden weapons, frowned and then followed Jin Sawoon with his eyes.

"For a young evil ghost of the Demonic Cult, he's not bad."

If Jin Sawoon hadn't thrown a hidden weapon through the incoming sword energy, Jang Muryong would have died too.

It was that fast and strong of a sword energy.

Ha Shin-hak had also come forward a zhang and then retreated. The movement was so fast that it looked like he was standing in the same place.

Ha Shin-hak was preparing for the next move, but because of the hidden weapon that flew at him, he couldn't unfold the next form.

The hidden weapons thrown by Jin Sawoon and Kang Yu were a move that cut off the flow between forms.

With that move, they were able to buy time for a handful of breaths.

At Ha Shin-hak's feet, a dozen or so hidden weapons were scattered. He passed the hidden weapons and approached the dead Gwak Ho.

Gwak Ho's eyes were wide open, as if he didn't know why he had died.

Ha Shin-hak closed Gwak Ho's eyes and then headed for the main hall.

Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!

Behind the nimbly moving Kang Yu and Jin Sawoon, Jang Muryong and Seo Woon-gang were following.

After leaving the abandoned manor, the four of them crossed two mountains in about a quarter of an hour and then stopped for a moment when they reached the middle of a mountain.

Kang Yu and Jin Sawoon's breathing was the same as usual. But Seo Woon-gang and Jang Muryong, perhaps because they were tense, were breathing more heavily than usual.

As the two caught their breath, Kang Yu said.

"Seo Woon-gang, return to Gisan Manor and inform the Cult that we have met Ha Shin-hak."

"Understood."

Seo Woon-gang replied and then moved again. After he disappeared, Kang Yu spoke to Jang Muryong.

"Muryong, when Seo Woon-gang returns here, come to the abandoned manor together. We will retrieve Gwak Ho's body and chase Ha Shin-hak."

"We fled from Ha Shin-hak, but do we have to go back?"

"He's not an opponent we can win against head-on. Fortunately, since he's not chasing us, it seems his purpose is not us. In that case, we should also do what we have to do."

"Tail."

As Jin Sawoon answered briefly, Kang Yu nodded.

Jang Muryong also shut his mouth with an expression that suggested he understood well. If they tailed Ha Shin-hak, they would be able to find out where the other remnants of the Zhongnan Sect were, their base.

"Sawoon will go with me."

"Yes."

As Jin Sawoon answered, Kang Yu turned around again. Behind him, Jin Sawoon moved.

Jin Sawoon, who was going back the way he had come through the forest, recalled Ha Shin-hak's appearance.

The man who had looked like a withered old tree now looked like a sharp sword. He agreed with Kang Yu's words that they had no chance of winning if they fought him head-on.

He was not one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven, but he was a peak-level master who was among the Hundred Great Masters in the martial world.

A hundred great masters might seem like a lot, but among the countless martial artists living in the vast world, entering the hundred great masters was by no means an easy task.

There were hundreds, no, thousands of martial arts factions, and those who were called masters were as numerous as the sand in the desert.

On top of that, just as the front waves of the Yangtze River are pushed by the back waves, when the masters of the past disappeared, other masters filled their places.

Even in the Heavenly Divine Cult, the number of figures who were called outstanding masters enough to be among the hundred great masters in the martial world was less than twenty.

That meant that to face Ha Shin-hak, a high-ranking figure known to everyone in the Cult had to come.

(End of Chapter)