Chapter 88: Black Kill Sword Wonho (1)
Clatter!
Even though it was wrapped in a leather pouch, a clattering sound rang out.
The Demonic Master opened the pouch and placed its contents on his palm—it was three iron beads.
They were the same iron beads that the Self-Revolving Blood Demon always kept rolling in his hand.
When he infused energy into the beads on his palm, a soft blue light began to glow.
That blue glow clearly took the shape of a dragon.
“This is indeed the Blue Dragon Three Marbles. I’ll hold on to this.”
“I’m the one who recovered it though...”
“Deung Hwaun, you know I’m not holding on to this for merit or anything like that, right? If I lose this, I...”
As the Demonic Master’s voice trailed off and his body trembled slightly, Deung Hwaun became meek like a kitten.
Yong Hwarin couldn’t make out anything from their conversation.
There was definitely something going on, but he couldn’t see the full picture.
He didn’t know what they had stolen from the Shaolin Temple, why the middle-aged Demonic Master was involved with Deung Hwaun, or what any of their conversation meant.
He had no clue what the Divine Item was, or what those iron beads were either.
The only thing he understood was that the iron beads once held by the Self-Revolving Blood Demon were called the Blue Dragon Marbles.
And then, Yong Hwarin was startled.
That was because the name of the Black Kill Sword had suddenly come up in their conversation.
‘Why would Black Kill Sword come up here? Are they somehow connected to him?’
The Three Chivalrous Sisters sisters from the Jeong Family Manor in Shaanxi had chased Black Kill Sword Wonho from Shaanxi to this place, and the Reverend Arhats of the Shaolin Temple had also come chasing the thief who stole Shaolin’s treasure.
And now these people were somehow connected to Black Kill Sword Wonho. The thought made his head spin.
‘Elder, do you understand what they’re talking about?’
‘How would I know, if I wasn’t involved in this in my past life? I can’t get a grasp on it either.’
The Demonic Master also had no idea what his younger self was doing here with Deung Hwaun.
Back around this time in the past, the Demonic Master was in Blood Demon Castle.
In any case, Yong Hwarin realized through their conversation that the Three Chivalrous Sisters, Black Kill Sword Wonho of Chaihua Sound, Deung Hwaun, and the Reverend Arhats from Shaolin didn’t know each other, yet they were all somehow connected.
After a while, the middle-aged Demonic Masters began circulating their qi.
‘They’re doing Qi Circulation Training, so let’s leave. There’s no point waiting around for a session that could take who knows how long.’
Yong Hwarin thought withdrawing was the wisest move, knowing he couldn’t win a fight against them.
Even if they were in the middle of Qi Circulation Training, if their martial level was on par with the Self-Revolving Blood Demon, they could interrupt their own flow at any moment.
Especially now, when it was difficult to use any power beyond the current level, provoking them needlessly would be foolish.
The Demonic Master was lost in thought for a moment.
Deep down, he wanted to know why his younger self was here with Deung Hwaun, and what they were doing.
But he also knew that lingering here any longer would be dangerous. So, he gave Yong Hwarin a reply.
‘There is a way. If you bring the Reverend Arhats here and capture them, you’ll find out their purpose.’
Yong Hwarin nodded at the Demonic Master’s words.
‘That’s a good idea.’
‘So the saying goes—old ginger is spicier.’
Yong Hwarin gave a short laugh and was about to undo the Dragon Concealment Heavenly Art and stand up.
That was when he saw someone flying toward this place as if being chased, from over a hundred jang away in the manor.
Yong Hwarin quickly dropped down again and concealed his body.
"Black Kill Sword is coming."
It seemed they sensed the one flying toward the manor—both the middle-aged Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun woke from their Qi Circulation Training and spoke.
Yong Hwarin grew curious upon hearing that the person they had been waiting for was Black Kill Sword.
It was Black Kill Sword Wonho, whom he had only heard of in stories.
He couldn’t understand why someone from Chaihua Sound, chased by the three sisters of the Jeong Family Manor, would appear here at this hour.
As soon as Black Kill Sword entered the manor, a voice was heard.
“Sorry for being late.”
Black Kill Sword Wonho was extremely handsome. But if there was one flaw, it was the sly glint in his eyes.
“Were you followed?”
When Deung Hwaun asked, Black Kill Sword nodded.
“The Three Chivalrous Sisters?”
“They're persistent women, but I'm not someone who gets caught so easily.”
“You bastard! How dare you use the word ‘women’ so carelessly! Do you really want your tongue ripped out?”
Even though she was injured, Deung Hwaun’s harsh tone made Black Kill Sword frown.
The word Deung Hwaun hated most was "women."
“I’ll be more careful.”
The look in Black Kill Sword Wonho’s eyes as he bowed his head was not pleasant.
These people were not in a hierarchy of superiors and subordinates but bound together by a shared mission, so Deung Hwaun’s behavior was somewhat excessive.
“Did you bring the Divine Item?”
“The White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword is with the Third Young Master.”
At those words, the Demonic Master’s expression subtly twisted.
“If it’s with the Third Young Master, then that’s a relief. But is the Third Young Master here?”
“No. The Third Young Master gave us our orders and went elsewhere. When he heard you were here, he said he could tend to other matters without worry.”
The Demonic Master asked,
“Have you found the Divine Item in the Heavenly Central Sect?”
“We're still searching.”
“Why is it taking so long?”
“Perhaps it’s hidden in a secret place, but we haven't been able to find it.”
“In that case, leave it to me. I’ll consider another method.”
Black Kill Sword Wonho murmured,
“Then we’ve practically gathered all the Divine Items. The White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword of Shaolin, the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm of the Jeong Family Manor, the Explosive Iron Beads once held by the Self-Revolving Blood Demon, and the one from the Heavenly Central Sect—if we collect them all, the set will be complete. We already took the sword from Shaolin, so the Heavenly Central Sect is no big deal.”
At his words, the Demonic Master shouted,
“Never let your guard down. Our lives are tied to this.”
Deung Hwaun radiated killing intent as she spoke.
“Don’t underestimate the Heavenly Central Sect. That Small Sect Leader from there killed the Self-Revolving Blood Demon. Even if he had support from his escorts, if his faction was powerful enough to kill the Self-Revolving Blood Demon, they are not to be taken lightly.”
“Heh, even if names like Soaring Sword Hero or Heavenly Sword Hero are making a fuss lately, they’re just kids.”
“I fought him myself. He wasn’t ordinary. He dodged my ultimate strikes with ease.”
Though Black Kill Sword nodded at Deung Hwaun’s warning, his lips curved into a mocking smile.
“This place will serve as our hideout. So when we meet in a week, bring the Divine Item taken from the Jeong Family Manor. If the Third Young Master has taken it, that’s one thing, but since he hasn’t, bring it to me.”
“Understood. Whose command would I disobey?”
Black Kill Sword gave a slight sneer, which made the Demonic Master stiffen.
Then he exploded with killing intent.
“You all may be doing this for the lord you serve, but I am not. If this goes wrong, I will not stay quiet.”
Black Kill Sword took a step back for the first time, his face now cautious.
“Ah, my apologies. Please forgive my insolence.”
At those words, the Demonic Master withdrew his killing intent and said,
“Watch your mouth next time. I don’t forgive twice.”
Black Kill Sword knew well what kind of person the Demonic Master was.
He was a Great Demonic Master, counted among the Four Great Demons.
Although he was cooperating for now due to restrictions, without them, he was unpredictable.
Even their lord treated him with caution, so Black Kill Sword Wonho no longer showed sarcasm.
“Whether by coincidence or not, the last Divine Item is also related to the Heavenly Central Sect. From now on, none of you will act independently. You must report to me. When any action is taken, I must move with you.”
“I’ll relay that to the squad leader.”
As Black Kill Sword Wonho turned to leave, the Demonic Master called him back.
“There’s one more thing. Go to Taewol County in Shaanxi and deliver this letter. We need a backup plan in case we fail to retrieve the item from the Heavenly Central Sect, so I don’t think I need to explain its importance.”
Black Kill Sword received the letter and frowned at the name on the envelope.
“Shouldn’t you have someone else do this kind of errand...?”
“Who’s faster than you? The sooner the better.”
Black Kill Sword had been planning for days to pounce on a certain young woman tonight, so this errand annoyed him.
“Do I just need to deliver it?”
“Yes.”
“Understood, then.”
As Black Kill Sword left the manor, Deung Hwaun asked worriedly.
“Is it safe for Black Kill Sword to see the letter? Wouldn’t it be dangerous if it falls into someone else’s hands?”
“He doesn’t know our full plan, so he has no idea why he’s delivering the letter to Cheoleungmun. Even if he reads it, he won’t understand our intentions.”
“But will Cheoleungmun really act according to our will?”
“The Sect Leader of Cheoleungmun will move.”
Deung Hwaun asked no further.
The Demonic Master was not only skilled in Martial Arts, but also had a knack for schemes.
“If they act as I intend, everything will proceed smoothly.”
The Demonic Master remaining in the manor said to Deung Hwaun,
“I will go meet the one who will complete this plan. You stay here and recover, then come to the hideout we’ve prepared in Hayun County. I’ll go on ahead.”
Soon after, the Demonic Master also left the manor.
Left alone, Deung Hwaun resumed her Qi Circulation Training.
Yong Hwarin engraved every word of their conversation in his mind without missing a single detail.
What made him focus even more was the moment they mentioned the Heavenly Central Sect.
‘Why are they mentioning my clan? What Divine Item could be in the main house? The Reverend Arhats came from Shaolin because of the Divine Item called the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword, and the Three Chivalrous Sisters are chasing Black Kill Sword because of a stolen Divine Item. So now they say the final Divine Item is in my clan?’
Countless questions tangled endlessly in his mind.
And eventually, he arrived at one conclusion.
‘Could it be… they assassinated Father for that reason?’
Until now, Yong Hwarin believed the Great Dabie Sect had assassinated his father to sow confusion during their attack on the Heavenly Central Sect.
After all, following his father’s assassination, the Heavenly Central Sect was thrown into chaos and could not properly respond to the Great Dabie Sect’s war, ultimately collapsing under the pressure.
But now it appeared the assassination had nothing to do with the Great Dabie Sect.
‘Perhaps they killed Father because of a Divine Item. One thing is clear—they’re under someone else's command and have someone behind them. Who could possibly command someone like the Demonic Master as if he were a subordinate?’
As Yong Hwarin sank deeper into thought, the Demonic Master, reading his mind, replied.
‘Around this time in the past, I was indeed in Blood Demon Castle, but in a duty-free role. I was free to leave the castle at will. I never took orders from anyone or did things like this. That I can promise. Whatever is happening now is unknown to me too. This is proof that my life is changing. And yours will not remain the same as the past either.’