The warriors of the Emei and Qingcheng sect were tenacious.
They followed Pyo-wol like well-trained hounds. Their tenacity and tracking skills were different from the other martial artists who made up the inescapable net.
The Qingcheng sect pursuers, who lost Woo Gunsang because of Pyo-wol, possess great tracking skills. But it was actually the Emei sect who made his escape more difficult.
The Emei sect’s warriors were like ghosts who predicted and blocked his path.
‘There is someone in the Emei sect who possesses great intelligence.’
Otherwise, it would not be possible for them to block his path again and again.
He wondered who was predicting his path, but he didn’t have the time to leisurely find the answer to his questions.
Chiiit!
It was because there was a Qingcheng sect master who closed the distance between them and was sending attacks.
The master’s name is Cheongseo (청서).
He was one of the great disciples of the Qingcheng sect. His sword had a bluish energy.
But it wasn’t just Cheongseo.
All of the major disciples of the Qingcheng sect and the Emei sect were freely exercising their swordsmanship.
They were all masters who took the normal steps and learned martial arts.
That’s how strong their basics and internal energy were.
There was a big difference from Pyo-wol, who mainly learned how to assassinate. Pyo-wol only managed to survive because he had learned the Thunder-Splitting Cultivation Technique in great depths thus making his body react in time.
Sheik!
With a small distance, the sword passed across Pyo-wol’s cheeks.
His skin cracked and blood spurted out, but Pyo-wol couldn’t even dare to stop the bleeding and rolled to the floor.
Poverbuck!
The sword was stuck one after another where he rolled.
“I will avenge disciple Woo Gunsang!”
“There is no place in the world for you to run away. Give up you bastard!”
The warriors of the Qingcheng sect attacked Pyo-wol.
But instead of meeting their attacks head-on, Pyo-wol ran down the mountain road managing to avoid them with a short delay.
The chase that started in the Western Highlands now continued to Batang.
If it hadn’t been for the large trees that stood up thick and high making it so that there’s no room for light to enter, Pyo-wol would have been captured by his pursuers.
In this dimly lit environment, Pyo-wol’s ability was maximized.
Large trees and thick bushes were used as cover as he moved.
The warriors of the Qingcheng and the Emei sect did their best to catch up with Pyo-wol. However, even though it seemed like he would be caught at any moment, Pyo-wol escaped their grasp with just a small difference.
Huuung!
A different level of pounding sound rang out.
Pyo-wol instinctively recognized that it was an attack by Mu Jeong-jin. He didn’t dare to fight back and just knelt down on the floor.
Suddenly, a strong energy grazed through his head.
The energy that passed through Pyo-wol’s head cut the tree in two.
It was a sword energy thrown by Mu Jeong-jin.
‘Crazy!’
At the formidable power of the sword’s energy, Pyo-wol felt his hair stand upright.
“Die!”
It was already difficult to handle Mu Jeong-jin, but Jeonghwa decided to join as well.
She attacked Pyo-wol as if she were dealing with her sworn enemy. But her attack actually helped Pyo-wol. Because it was not an expected coordinated attack, her attack rather obstructed the path of Mu Jeong-jin.
“Tsk!”
Mu Jeong-jin clicked his tongue at Jeonghwa’s intervention.
As much as possible, he wanted to capture Pyo-wol and drag him to the Qingcheng sect. This was so the assassin can reveal the mastermind behind the assassination.
This was also the reason why even when he attacked Pyo-wol, he refrained from killing him as much as possible.
A lot of consideration was already given to the attack that Pyo-wol felt as threatening. However, when Jeonghwa intervened, it somehow touched his nerves.
Jeonghwa spread her internal energy without mercy.
If she manages to land a hit once, she’s going to launch a series of attacks that will cost Pyo-wol his life.
Pyo-wol was in a dangerous situation. However, he escaped into the mountains, avoiding all attacks by a short interval.
Mu Jeong-jin frowned.
It was because he had doubts about the path of Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol was obviously running away.
The masters of the Qingcheng and the Emei sect were closely following him, and the martial artists who spread the inescapable net were also quickly traversing the mountain one after another.
No matter how deep he went into the mountains, there was no place for Pyo-wol to hide safely.
‘There’s no way he wouldn’t know that fact— or does he have any other plans?’
That was then.
Sheiik!
Suddenly, the grass swayed, and someone jumped out and attacked Pyo-wol.
It was Qing Ming, a disciple of Mu Jeong-jin, who attacked.
Pyo-wol was unable to dodge his attack and received a blow on his shoulder.
“Kurgh!”
Pyo-wol let out a painful moan.
He didn’t even notice the attack by Qing Ming because he was only concerned about the attacks of Mu Jeong-jin and Jeonghwa.
“He’s seriously injured! He won’t be able to last long, hurry up and catch up!”
Qing Ming shouted, wielding a sword stained with Pyo-wol’s blood.
Seeing Pyo-wol seriously injured, the warriors of the Qingcheng and Emei sect started to go on a frenzy.
Like a hound, they rushed towards Pyo-wol.
“Haa…”
Yong Seol-ran looked at Pyo-wol, and involuntarily let out a sigh.
It wasn’t because she was cornered about him.
Even though Pyo-wol was starting to be cornered, his eyes were too cold. It was by no means the kind of gaze that a person in extreme circumstances could have. Even in the midst of overlapping crises, his eyes were desperately looking for a way to live, and his body moved toward it.
‘Would I be able to do that?’
Yong Seol-ran shook her head. She had no self-confidence to do so.
He’s the kind of person that would not give up even if he gets hurt countless times and is cornered. The tenacity to live was something that Yong Seol-ran could never have.
Bang!
In an instant, an intense roar erupted.
The energy released by Jeonghwa exploded on Pyo-wol’s back.
Pyo-wol spit blood and flew away.
“Die!”
Jeonghwa gave off her characteristic venomous eyes and caught up with Pyo-wol. This time, she was definitely trying to cut off Pyo-wol’s breath and get rid of the evidence.
Pyo-wol flew away like a kite with a broken thread.
His head was lowered, as if he had lost consciousness.
Because of that, Jeonghwa became a little careless. She thought she managed to capture Pyo-wol. But before being thrown to the floor, Pyo-wol opened his eyes and suddenly turned his body over.
He instantly disappeared from their view.
“What?”
“The guy is gone.”
Pyo-wol disappeared right before their eyes, and the warriors could not hide their puzzled expressions.
“Where is he hiding?”
Jeonghwa gritted her teeth and looked around. However, the presence of Pyo-wol was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Mu Jeong-jin approached and said,
“I’m sure he’s hiding somewhere around here, so search thoroughly.”
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“Understood!”
The Qingchengs and Emei warriors searched the place where Pyo-wol disappeared.
The secret was unraveled not long after.
“There is an entrance that leads to the underground here.”
The martial artists of the Qingcheng sect discovered the entrance that was hidden by the bushes.
It was a vertical hole whose depth could not be measured.
The large rock at the entrance of the cave was tied with a thick rope that could go down to the basement.
“To think a place like this existed.”
Mu Jeong-jin’s eyes lit up.
Given the circumstances, it was clear that Pyo-wol had gone down underground.
He shouted without hesitation.
“All of you, climb down the rope. We must catch him no matter what.”
“By your order!”
The disciples of the Qingcheng sect went down the vertical hole using the rope without any hesitation.
Jeonghwa also gave an order.
“We will go down as well. We must find the assassin and take his life.”
“Yes!”
The Emei sect’s disciples also threw themselves into the darkness.
Finally, Mu Jeong-jin threw himself into the hole that leads down the vertical cave.
‘It’s like I’m descending to hell on my own.’
The unfathomable darkness made even a master like Mu Jeong-jin feel fear.
Without the rope connected to the ground, he would have never come down here.
He didn’t know how long they actually descended, but it felt like it was hundreds of meters to the ground.
“Hyuk!”
Mu Jeong-jin, who finally landed on the floor, burst into exclamation without knowing it.
The outline of the huge underground cave were faintly visible as the disciples who had come down before him were lighting their torches.
Mu Jeong-jin could not help but be astonished at the vast space that could hardly be estimated.
“To think there was a space like this.”
It was a sight that the martial artists of the Qingcheng and Emei sect, who came down before him, had seen for the first time in their lives, so they were similarly overwhelmed.
“Oh my God!”
“How is this possible?”
They looked around the place with their torches, but the underground was so vast that they couldn’t see the end.
Jeonghwa let out a sigh.
‘Did the Blood Shadow Group nurture the assassins here? No wonder we couldn’t find them, since they were in a place like this.’
She quickly realized the identity of this place.
Jeonghwa’s eyes shook as she scanned the underground cave.
A huge building stood in front of them.
She knew it the moment she laid eyes on the building.
‘The Qingcheng sect!’’
The fact that that place was created by imitating the buildings of the Qingcheng sect.
Jeonghwa unconsciously looked at Mu Jeong-jin.
“How dare they—!”
As she expected, Mu Jeong-jin also realized that the true identity of the buildings was the Qingcheng sect.
“Those crazy bastards!”
“It feels like our sect has been moved as it is! They’ve definitely been preparing for this for a long time!”
“It’s impossible to maintain such a facility like this without someone’s support! Someone must have surely incited and protected them! They must be annihilated!”
The anger of the Qingcheng warriors pierced the sky.
Jeonghwa, on the other hand, turned her head and avoided their gaze.
Qing Ming spoke to Mu Jeong-jin in a resentful voice.
“We must not let this slide, Master! We must find out the ones who are behind this and make them pay!”
“Of course. But before that, capturing the assassin takes priority. You have to catch him and send him back to our sect. Do you understand? Be sure to capture him.” ‘
“Yes, Master!”
“From now on, we will search this place thoroughly to find the assassin. This is like his home turf so be very careful.”
“Yes, it’s just a single assassin. If we keep our vigilance, even he could not handle it.”
“You have to be careful though. He’s not normal.”
“Understood.”
After Qing Ming bowed his head to Mu Jeong-jin, he led his disciples to move.
Jeonghwa came to the side of Mu Jeong-jin, who was now alone.
“I will lead our sect’s disciples and search elsewhere.”
“Capture him alive.”
“Pardon?”
“It doesn’t matter if you cut off both of his arms or cripple him. However, make sure you capture him alive no matter what. You can do that, right?”
“Of course.”
“If the assassin loses his life, I’d be very angry. As you can see, someone dared to look down on our sect. I will definitely catch them and make them take responsibility. Even if the perpetrators are one of the Five Great Sects like us.”
Jeonghwa swallowed dry saliva at the intense atmosphere that Mu Jeong-jin exuded.
Even in the dark, Mu Jeong-jin’s eyes shone like a firecracker, making even a master like Jeonghwa terrified.
‘He is already suspicious of our sect.’
That’s why he had mentioned the Five Great Sects.
In the past, it was called the Nine Great Sects, but now it has been shrunk into the Five Great Sects since some sects have disappeared.
The reason Mujeongjinin dared to mention the Five Great Sects meant that he was suspicious of the Emei sect.
Her heart was pounding, but Jeonghwa made an indifferent expression on her face. Fortunately, the darkness hid her expression to some extent.
“What you’re worried about will never happen. I’ll now take my leave.”
“Go ahead.”
Mu Jeong-jin waved his hand.
After finishing their conversation, Jeonghwa left with the Emei sect’s disciples.
‘We must kill him. We must never leave any trails.’
If you make excuses that you couldn’t help it because of the strong resistance after you kill him, even a ruthless person would have no choice but to do it.
Jeonghwa said to the Emei disciples.
“You must find and eliminate the scoundrel before the Qingcheng sect.”
“Yes!”
The Emei disciples answered with firm expressions on their faces. There were only a select few who knew the truth, including Jeonghwa and Yong Seol-ran.
The rest were simply responding to the unusual atmosphere around them.
Yong Seol-ran shook her head slightly.
A dark shadow was cast on her face.
‘Everyone here is too optimistic.’
After entering the underground cave, she felt a strong sense of danger that cannot be expressed in words.
She found it hard to breathe because of the unknown chill she was feeling.
It was as if the darkness was staring back at her.
‘This is his domain.’
‘We are not the hunters in this place.’
‘He is.’