C 347
The shattered spear shards turned into terrifying weapons and attacked Jo Jakyung.
Thud!
He twisted his body as much as he could to avoid the shards, but in the end, several pieces were embedded in his body.
"Ugh!"
Jo Jakyung collapsed on the floor and vomited blood.
Not only was his spear broken, but he had also suffered severe internal injuries.
Jo Jakyung looked up at Pyo Wol with bloodshot eyes.
"You bastard! You're like an evil spirit..."
Pyo Wol's complexion was unbelievably calm, considering the fierce battle they had just fought.
This only made Jo Jakyung feel more guilty and defeated.
He couldn't believe that he had lost so pathetically to a young martial artist who seemed no older than thirty.
Even though it was the law of the world that the front wave of Kangho would be pushed by the back wave, Jo Jakyung's martial arts skills were too extraordinary to be pushed by the back wave.
He had never let his guard down for even a single moment and had rigorously trained himself. He couldn't believe that he had been brought to his knees by Pyo Wol.
Even though he had exhausted his strength in the battle against the ghost king and the master of life and death, the fact that he had been defeated so pathetically by Pyo Wol made him feel miserable.
Jo Jakyung spoke with difficulty.
"With such skills, you used assassination techniques on Jo Ik-gwang... Are you even human...?"
"It wasn't him who assassinated Jo Ik-gwang."
At that moment, a woman's voice intervened. mymtlnoveltranslations
Rustle! Rustle!
Dragging her skirt, a woman approached where Pyo Wol and Jo Jakyung were.
It was Jo Yuseol.
Jo Jakyung recognized her immediately.
"Why are you here? What did you just say?"
"I said that he didn't kill Ik-gwang."
"What kind of lie is that...?"
"It's not a lie. I saw it myself. The boy that the ghost king kidnapped attacked Ik-gwang with a secret weapon."
"What...?"
"You may not know this, but Ik-gwang kidnapped the boy's younger sister and did horrible things. That's why the boy did what he did."
"My goodness!"
Only then did Jo Jakyung realize that he had misunderstood.
As if a bucket of ice water had been poured on his hot head, he suddenly sobered up.
Jo Jakyung looked at Pyo Wol.
Pyo Wol was still looking down at him with an emotionless face.
That emotionless face now seemed terrifying. For the first time in his life, he felt this kind of fear.
He now clearly understood the horrifying experience of directly witnessing the huge back wave of the river that pushed him powerlessly.
Jo Jakyung apologized to Pyo Wol.
"I'm sorry... I misunderstood."
It wasn't easy for a martial arts master of his level to apologize to someone. But Jo Jakyung willingly admitted his mistake and apologized.
Jo Jakyung was willing to accept any punishment Pyo Wol would give. However, Jo Yuseol blocked his way and spoke to Pyo Wol.
"Master Pyo Wol’s business is not yet over. I'll take care of my grandfather, so you should finish your business."
Jo Yuseol spoke confidently, despite having seen Pyo Wol's tremendous martial arts prowess.
Pyo Wol thought to himself, 'She's very cunning.'
She knew how to act to make herself stand out the most.
By intervening between Pyo Wol and Jo Jakyung and mediating the situation, she had put Jo Jakyung in her debt.
She had also exposed Ik-gwang's evil deeds, making it impossible for Jo Jakyung not to help her.
Jo Yuseol knew how to turn this massive calamity involving the Ghost King, the master of life of death, and Jo Jakyung into a favorable situation for herself. It showed how deep and cunning she was.
'She has the ability to dream of becoming an empress.'
Jo Yuseol spoke loudly.
"Please go. I will handle this situation with my grandfather."
She deliberately spoke loudly so everyone could hear, drawing their attention and using it as a shield.
She was terrifyingly cunning.
Pyo Wol looked at her for a moment and then turned away. mymtlnoveltranslations
As she said, it was more important to finish his task now.
Pyo Wol flew in the direction where the martial artists had disappeared.
Splash!
As he raced across the water's surface, Jo Yuseol, who had been watching his retreating figure, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew!"
The part she was least confident about in her plan was sending Pyo Wol away from here.
Her arrival here was not a coincidence.
When she heard a significant event had occurred, she instinctively sensed an opportunity had come. akhi buy me a coffee
She believed chaos to be both a crisis and an opportunity.
While everyone was fleeing to avoid the fight between the three absolute martial artists, only she approached the scene and learned what had happened.
As she was thinking she might have to let go of this precious opportunity due to the poison, Pyo Wol appeared.
In the short moment Pyo Wol fought Jo Jakyung, Jo Yuseol's mind worked at a terrifying speed, squeezing her brain to figure out how to turn this situation to her advantage.
Jo Jakyung, who had been by her side, sighed.
"Phew! It seems I've made a big mistake. I don't know how to fix this."
"I'll take care of it. But I desperately need my grandfather's help. Because due to this incident, the reputation of Namgyeong Clan might fall to the ground. Still, we have to do this.
Clarifying the exact cause of this situation and resolving it is the only way to revive the Namgyeong Clan.”
"Alright. I'll help you as much as I can."
At that moment, a secret smile appeared on Jo Yuseol's lips.
***
Pyo Wol chased after the traces of the Imoogi.
An Imoogi larger than a house would undoubtedly leave traces when it moved.
Under normal circumstances, the master of life and death would have deployed a concealment technique to thoroughly hide the traces, but Pyo Wol didn't think he would do so in such an urgent situation.
He must have taken some damage in the fight against the Ghost King, so he wouldn't have been able to move around while maintaining the form.
Pyo Wol's guess soon turned out to be true.
The traces of the giant Imoogi appeared in a desolate place in Taeho.
Deep grooves were carved in the white sand connected by mud, and the scenery of broken and crushed willow trees and bushes was spread out.
Pyo Wol followed the traces left by the Imoogi.
After crossing two large hills, Pyo Wol finally found the martial artist and the Imoogi.
They were standing in front of a huge rock at the foot of the hill.
Ssss!
When Pyo Wol appeared, the Imoogi reacted by sticking out its tongue. mymtlnoveltranslations
Knowing that this was the Imoogi's way of expressing its delight, Pyo Wol didn't hesitate to approach.
The master of life and death was staring at something beneath the rock. He was so focused that he didn't even notice Pyo Wol's arrival.
Pyo Wol stood next to him and looked at what he was staring at.
It was a corpse of a man.
The corpse of a monster wearing tattered clothes like a torn straw mat.
"The Ghost King?"
A look of doubt appeared on Pyo Wol's face.
That's when the master of life and death spoke.
"It's just a shell. The real one isn't here."
"A shell?"
"He switched bodies. This makes finding him even more difficult."
Pyo Wol looked at him.
"What are you talking about? Switching bodies? Is that even possible?"
"It's possible. He's not a normal human being after all."
"What?"
"When I revived the dead guy, I didn't expect him to betray me like this. Hehehe!" akhi buy me a coffee
The master of life and death kicked the corpse of the Ghost King. Then, the clothes ripped apart, revealing bare skin.
On Ghost King's skin were geometric shapes and patterns tattooed.
"How could he escape my Soul Binding Technique like this? Do you think you can escape from me forever? It's a technique engraved on your soul. It might be weak for now since you've switched bodies, but it will become stronger as time passes. How long do you think you can run?"
As soon as the master of life and death's words ended, the tattoos on Ghost King’s corpse emitted a strong light and then disappeared into thin air.
Pyo Wol silently watched the whole scene.
It was a sight he couldn't understand with his common sense. mymtlnoveltranslations
'Did he revive the dead and bind him with a spell called Soul Binding Technique?'
If that was indeed possible, then this man in front of him was truly dangerous.
It wasn't just a matter of character, but the fact that he could control life and death itself was against the natural order. akhi buy me a coffee
Pyo Wol asked in a depressed voice.
"Why did you revive the Ghost King?"
"Because I wanted to prove it."
"Prove?"
"Hehe! Yes, prove."
Gyeongmusaeng looked at Pyo Wol.
There was a terrible madness in his dull eyes.
He climbed onto the head of Imoogi.
The Imoogi glanced at Pyo Wol and then began to move in the direction he commanded.
In the blink of an eye, Gyoryong's massive body disappeared from sight.
Gyeongmusaeng had cast the Silver Art technique and became invisible.
Pyo Wol frowned as he looked in the direction where Gyeongmusaeng and the Imoogi had disappeared.
It felt as if a brief rain shower had swept through. mymtlnoveltranslations
Pyo Wol examined the corpse of Ghost King.
The tattoos that had been engraved on his body were gone, leaving the corpse relatively clean.
The mask he had been wearing was gone, revealing his bare face. akhi buy me a coffee
It was the face of a man in his early to mid-fifties.
It was a face that could be seen anywhere, with an ordinary appearance.
It was impossible to find any clues from his face.
Pyo Wol examined the Ghost King’s body.
Then, suddenly, the Ghost King’s corpse began to crumble. mymtlnoveltranslations
It fell apart like old paper, unable to withstand the passage of time, and soon turned to dust and disappeared.
The Ghost King vanished from the world without leaving any trace.
In the end, Pyo Wol couldn't find any clues from the Ghost King’s corpse. It was the first time that he had been involved in something without gaining anything.
'Do Yeonsan.'
If it were up to Pyo Wol, he wouldn't have cared about Ghost King’s and Gyeongmusaeng's business.
Although their relationship was interesting, it had nothing to do with him. However, since Do Yeonsan was involved, he couldn't help but care.
His connection with Do Yeonsan was nothing more than a brief encounter. But the impression and the story were so strong that he felt he could never forget them.
'Someday, we'll meet again.' akhi buy me a coffee
Thinking that, Pyo Wol returned to Taeho.
Taeho had become a complete mess.
The damage caused by three absolute masters and a monster was beyond description.
An entire area around the well had been turned into ruins, and many refugees were created.
While everyone was in despair, a group of people were working in unison to help.
They loaded dozens of carts with daily necessities and distributed them to people who had lost their homes. mymtlnoveltranslations
At the center of it all was Jo Yuseol.
Jo Yuseol personally rolled up her sleeves and handed out the supplies she had brought to the people. And she promised them.
"I will compensate for all the damage suffered by the people here. I will rebuild the collapsed houses and restore the streets to be even more splendid than before. Please trust me, as I swear on my name, Jo Yuseol, and the honor of Namgyeong Clan."
"Thank you, Miss!"
"Ah, there's no need to be so grateful... I will never forget this kindness."
The homeless refugees held Jo Yuseol's hand and shed tears.
Jo Yuseol held their hands tightly without showing any sign of displeasure. akhi buy me a coffee
Jo Jakyung watched the scene from a distance.
His face was filled with admiration.
It had been only half a day since the incident occurred, but Jo Yuseol was quickly appeasing the people's hearts.
It was her idea to distribute the daily necessities stored in the warehouse of the blue peacock manor to the refugees.
Thanks to her quick work, Jo Jakyung was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
To some extent, he was responsible for the destruction of the streets.
Many of the destroyed mansions were probably demolished by his spear technique.
He, too, could not be free from responsibility. akhi buy me a coffee
'She's truly amazing.'
He couldn't help but admire Jo Yuseol's work.
Jo Jakyung was certain.
Jo Yuseol was indeed the talent to lead the Namgyeong Clan. And he made a resolution.
He decided to help Jo Yuseol overcome this crisis. akhi buy me a coffee
Just then, Jo Jakyung caught sight of a young warrior entering the devastated street.
In an instant, Jo Jakyung's face stiffened.
'Reaper!'
The wound he had received from him throbbed again. mymtlnoveltranslations
After half a day of healing with acupuncture, it was still uncomfortable to move.
Although it was a fight caused by his own misunderstanding, there was no excuse for being defeated.
"Huuh!"
Unknowingly, Jo Jakyung let out a deep sigh
1(Geongmusaeng’s nickname is the master of life and death, the novel uses both the nickname and the real name in different sections. So keeping it the same)