The Aftermath Of Extermination (3)

“They say the war in Cheonghae Province has ended.”

“What? This quickly?”

Eon Cheong-gun, the Master of the Eon Clan, frowned.

“We have not even finished our preparations yet, but to think the war has already ended. What happened to Secret Shadow?”

“They say Secret Shadow cut down the Kunlun Sect Leader and Deung Gak.”

Since the Jinju Eon Clan had not participated in this war, they still did not know about the story regarding Deung Gak, Deung Hyeon, and Deung Myeong. The fact that he had killed Deung Myeong, who had been imitating Deung Gak, had spread as a rumor of Deung Gak’s death like this.

“So he has made another achievement. If not for the Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt Sovereign, he would be nothing special.”

Eon Cheong-gun was looking down on Neung Je-gang’s actual ability as laughable. He merely considered him strong because he had learned a forbidden art.

“What should we do?”

“What are that bastard’s movements?”

“They say he is returning to Beijing with Princess Jang-ok. How about striking that route? He should be tired from the long war.”

“Are you mad? You want to attack him when the princess is there? We are still not fully prepared, so just keep tracking that bastard’s movements. We must find out for certain when that bastard leaves Beijing.”

“Understood.”

After the conversation ended, Eon Cheong-gun seemed to think about something for a moment, then suddenly asked.

“By the way, how far have the children’s achievements progressed now?”

“The children proceeding normally have mostly already reached the third stage. If a little more time passes, they will come close to the fourth stage. And the children learning through the accelerated method have already reached the fifth stage. Right now, those children are struggling desperately to control demonic energy, but it seems they will soon explode. What is unexpected, however, is Jeong-hyeok. He already seems to have reached the sixth stage. He has begun controlling the demonic energy on his own.”

“Jeong-hyeok has? Was that brat’s talent at that level?”

“He is a regrettable one. If he had not taken the accelerated path, he was a child who could have grown greater than anyone.”

“That too is all my fault. It happened because I failed to properly see the size of that child. I truly was an incompetent Master.”

Only recently had Eon Cheong-gun realized how lacking he had been as a person. That was why he now thought that being defeated by Neung Je-gang had actually been for the better. After that incident, the atmosphere of the family had darkened, but its potential had been increased to the point that it could explode at any moment.

Even if they could not take revenge, he firmly believed that one day, there would come a day when the Jinju Eon Clan would make the world tremble.

Neung Je-gang, unaware that the Eon Clan was targeting him, heard one piece of news when he and his party had nearly reached Beijing. It arrived through the Eastern Depot’s secret line and contained important information.

“They say unidentified figures appeared in Kunlun.”

“Unidentified figures?”

“Yes. Perhaps it may be Deung Gak.”

Neung Je-gang spoke naturally. It was not something surprising. It was something that would burst someday. It was merely their number that bothered him.

“But there are rather many of them. I thought there were only Deung Gak and Deung Hyeon, but apparently there are nine in all.”

“Then who are those seven?”

“They may be Kunlun survivors, or perhaps people summoned from Tianshan.”

“Tianshan?”

Princess Jang-ok asked in surprise.

“Yes. I heard Deung Gak went to Tianshan. So they may be experts he invited. Well, in any case, it does not matter. The present murim is not a place where a dozen or so people can change anything.”

“What happens if they aim at only one person?”

At Princess Jang-ok’s words, Neung Je-gang flinched in surprise. That was certainly true. There was a high possibility they would target him, the one who had killed Deung Myeong.

“I simply have to be careful. Though I am not someone who will be easily defeated. No, I would rather they targeted me. That way, I can complete the matter.”

“Could he possibly target the Martial Alliance Leader? For that Cheon-geum Domain or whatever?”

“Well? I have still never seen him, but from what I have heard, he does not seem like someone who would be taken down like that. Since Deung Hyeon, who had been hiding in the Martial Alliance, has also escaped, a sneak attack would be difficult too.”

“Surely those men will not target His Majesty, will they?”

At Princess Jang-ok’s words, everyone became quiet. Though it was something too irreverent to dare put into words, one could not say there was absolutely no possibility. That was if Deung Gak had still not awakened from the dream of becoming emperor.

“Once we enter the palace, I will strengthen the security severalfold.”

It seemed the people from the Eorim Institute were going to die from overwork.

“W-what in the world is this? How long has it been since I left my post, and why has Kunlun become like this? Why, why, why?”

Deung Gak shouted in a scream-like voice as he looked at the ruins of Kunlun, now turned into ashes and hideously exposed. It had been the Taoist holy ground that had endured for a thousand years. To think the great Kunlun, which had stood firm as Cheonghae’s windbreak through all the rough storms of those long years, had become ruins.

“Waaaak!”

Deung Gak began to go mad. In the ruined Kunlun, a monstrous cry rang out.

“Father, please calm yourself.”

Deung Hyeon tried to stop him, but Deung Gak instead shot Deung Hyeon a sharp glare.

“Did I not tell you long ago to kill the Martial Alliance Leader? Because you said it was not yet the time, matters have become like this, have they not? And do you still have something to say now?”

“I am sorry.”

Deung Hyeon, who had only suffered loss after carelessly saying one wrong word, shrank back while sweating.

“I say, Brother Deung Gak! With things like this, can you even give us the reward you spoke of?”

Someone addressed Deung Gak in this manner.

His age was unknown, but at the very least, it meant he was qualified to speak to Deung Gak like this. And yet there were six more people behind him who had to be called remarkable just for that alone.

“Do not worry about that. My grandson is keeping all the treasures safe.”

Deung Gak did not know that all those treasures had been stolen and that the rebellion in Seon-yeong had already been suppressed.

After the rebellion was suppressed, Neung Je-gang had mobilized not only Ma-jil and Gongsun Gyeong-in but all the Eastern Depot agents to strip the storehouse Deung Myeong had guarded. Though it had melted down from the explosion of Ma-jil’s fireball, gold did not stop being gold just because it melted.

Perhaps that was why Princess Jang-ok’s steps had been even lighter. It was because they had obtained wealth more than enough to recover all the military funds spent so far.

In any case, Deung Gak, Deung Hyeon, and the newly appeared seven people—nine people in all—left the burned Kunlun and headed toward Seon-yeong. After they disappeared like that, carrier pigeons rose all at once from several villages below Kunlun. They were the Eastern Depot’s secret line. Before anyone knew it, the Eastern Depot had planted countless agents around Kunlun.

The nine members of Deung Gak’s party who left Kunlun hurried toward Seon-yeong. However, on the way to Seon-yeong, at an inn they happened to stop by, they had to hear a strange rumor. It was the story that the rebellion had already been suppressed. On top of that, there was also a story that Secret Shadow had killed the Kunlun Sect Leader, one of the masterminds, and another mastermind called Deung Myeong.

“Uwaaak!”

Deung Gak’s blood rushed backward. He could see nothing at all. It was not because of the death of someone like Jeong Hoe-ja. It was not because of Deung Myeong’s death either. He was going mad like this solely because of the name Secret Shadow.

“Secret Shadow! Secret Shadow! Secret Shadow! Uaaak!”

Perhaps because everything he saw looked like Secret Shadow, Deung Gak fired palm winds and rampaged wildly. The other eight could not stop him either.

In the midst of that, the person who had spoken to Deung Gak at Kunlun quietly asked Deung Hyeon.

“If the rebellion has been suppressed, then isn’t the story about the treasure over too?”

“The treasure has been buried deep underground. That place should be safe.”

“Safe? Of course it should be. Only then will it have been worth coming all the way here from Tianshan. As you know well, I am like that, and those six over there also have rotten tempers. If things do not go as intended, I do not know what they will do.”

“I know.”

A chill ran down Deung Hyeon’s spine as he answered.

‘Perhaps inviting these seven was the greatest mistake.’

In Deung Hyeon’s thoughts, those seven were that dangerous.

“By the way, what is that fellow called Secret Shadow for him to go so mad? Surely it is not the Secret Shadow I knew?”

“He is the one who uncovered everything Father and I schemed. He is the successor of the previous-generation Secret Shadow that Senior knows.”

“What? The successor of that Secret Shadow? Then he is merely a lousy assassin.”

“He is not an ordinary assassin. He is a man who obtained the Thunderbolt.”

“Huk! Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt Sovereign? No, that is strange. If he learned that, he should be a public enemy of the murim, so why is he running around openly?”

“He is of the Eastern Depot. Naturally, he is not a public enemy of the murim. How can you put the yoke of a public enemy on an official?”

“Huh! That fellow has quite the unusual history. He will not be easy.”

“That is likely. If he were an easy fellow, we would not have been beaten like this.”

At Deung Hyeon’s words, the rest of the people nodded. Certainly, if even someone like Deung Gak had been beaten, one could guess Secret Shadow’s level.

During that time, Deung Gak was turning the inn and its surroundings completely into ruins. He killed all the people who had been loitering nearby as well.

Nowhere in his present appearance could any trace be seen of one who had once cultivated the Way on the sacred mountain called Kunlun. Now he was simply an evil demon starved for blood, exactly that form.

They quickly set out. There was still a long way left to Seon-yeong. And finally, they reached Seon-yeong.

“Fortunately, this place is intact. Could you help me?”

Deung Hyeon said.

“With what?”

“We must pull this up with internal power.”

What Deung Hyeon pointed at was a huge stone in the floor.

“T-this?”

Deung Hyeon nodded.

“Below this are the treasures you have been waiting for.”

“Whew! So that is why you were so confident, having set it up to this extent. Even if someone knew it was here, they really would not be able to steal it.”

Everyone else also stepped forward and raised their internal power.

Sseueuk.

The rock was pulled up. When they completely lifted the rock and looked down below, a large box of some sort could be seen in the center.

Deung Hyeon felt an ominous aura. As far as he knew, the sight of this storehouse should not have been like this.

Whirik.

He jumped down. The other people also jumped down one after another. They seemed firmly convinced that the treasure would be inside the large box.

Creeeak.

Hiding his ominous feeling, Deung Hyeon opened the lid of the box. And what came out from inside was Deung Myeong’s distorted head, unable to close its eyes, and his torso with its arms and legs folded. Deung Myeong’s head had been placed on his own chest.

“M-Myeong. T-to think you went like this….”

To Deung Hyeon, Deung Myeong was his child. Because of Deung Gak, he had not had much time to pour affection on him, but even so, his love for his child was no different. In truth, Deung Hyeon had not believed that Deung Myeong had died. Since he knew Deung Myeong’s skill well, he had believed that Deung Myeong would have escaped with his life in any situation.

But in the end, he had ended up facing his corpse like this. In that grief, Deung Hyeon felt as if he too would go mad.

“What is this?”

One person peeled off the paper stuck to the lid of the box.

[This is only the beginning. Secret Shadow]

Those words were written on that paper.

“Kueeok! Secret Shadow!”

Deung Hyeon’s sorrowful cry echoed far away.

“Now Kunlun is completely finished. In the end, we went through all this trouble for nothing. But friends, are you not curious about this junior called Secret Shadow?”

“I want to fight him. Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt Sovereign.”

One person answered like that.

“Kikikik! That is exactly what I am talking about. I wonder how our martial arts compare to a forbidden art?”

“You may die. A forbidden art is not called a forbidden art for nothing.”

“Do not worry about that. We will not die. Because we will fight in Tianshan. I wonder whether a forbidden art can really display its proper power even in Tianshan.”

“How?”

“We will have to make a plan for that. And then we must invite him. We will ask him to kindly visit Tianshan. To do that, we must first investigate. Does anyone know anything about the Central Plains’ information organizations?”

At that moment, Deung Hyeon stood up indignantly and shouted.

“If it is about Secret Shadow, there is no need to look for an information organization. We know the most about that bastard.”

“Kikik! That must be true. Investigating the enemy is basic. Then do you know who this junior called Secret Shadow values most?”

“I think that would be his master. Since Secret Shadow is an orphan with no family, his master is practically the same as his parent.”

“That is fortunate. Since he is an official, I was worried what we would do if it was something about the emperor. Even for us, killing the emperor would be a bit much. Then do you also know where that master is?”

“That, I do not know. But if we go to Zhejiang Province and search the government offices, will not at least one person who knows them appear?”

“Oho! The Heavenly Sword of Tianshan has become quite sharp. Then let us not dawdle and go to Zhejiang. If we finish our business in Zhejiang and return all the way to Tianshan, it will be no ordinary hardship.”

The seven mysterious figures, excluding Deung Hyeon, were enjoying this situation as if they had come out to play.