“It’s a part of them. And more than half are not of the Peng Clan’s bloodline. They’re probably the corpses of the dogs of the heretic path who died while attacking the main family.”

“That’s a relief.”

“They probably piled up the corpses high and burned them to instill fear in us. You damn sons of bitches!”

Peng Ohyun gritted his teeth.

The veins on the back of his hand, which was holding his sword, popped out as if they would burst.

He felt like his head would break from the rising anger, but Peng Ohyun, as befitting the leader of the Fierce Tiger Iron Sword, quickly regained his composure.

He approached the long spear shaft that was stuck next to the mountain of corpses before collecting the corpses of the dead Peng Clan members.

There, someone’s severed head was displayed on a pike.

“First Elder…”

The First Elder of the Hebei Peng Clan, Peng Wiyeom.

His head was stuck on a spear and had become a landmark for the mountain of corpses.

Peng Ohyun broke the spear shaft in one go and collected Peng Wiyeom’s head.

“Are you really okay?”

As Yeom Yoa asked again, Peng Ohyun nodded his head.

“But only show it to the children who can handle it. Those children are too young to know war, but they must know. That what they have to do from now on is not a simple match or fight between martial artists… but a war.”

Yeom Yoa, who had understood Peng Ohyun’s deep meaning, nodded her head and then approached the disciples of the Four Divine Daoist Temple who were gathered in one place and said.

“Only those who want to know about the fight we have to do from now on, follow me. But, you’ll have to be firmly prepared.”

The disciples of the Four Divine Daoist Temple, who had felt that something unusual had happened from Yeom Yoa’s pale face, could not move their feet rashly.

Among them, the ones who moved first were Cheon Gasung and Cheon Yerang.

With the two in the lead, Namgung Seoru and Namgung Seong moved, and Peng Sopyeong, Moyong Susu, Oh Seolhwa, and Hyeok Ugun followed them.

Yeom Yoa walked to the mountain of corpses with the disciples who had followed her.

The disciples who had first discovered the mountain of corpses covered their mouths or closed their eyes tightly.

In particular, Peng Sopyeong, who was of the same Peng Clan blood, sat down on the spot and sobbed deeply.

“Ugh… ugh!”

Oh Seolhwa, who had never seen such a sight in her life, couldn't hold it in and left the place, covering her mouth with both hands.

Namgung Seoru and Namgung Seong, who were also members of the Five Great Families, couldn't bear to watch the mountain of corpses anymore and turned their gazes away.

The only ones who maintained their composure were Cheon Gasung and Cheon Yerang.

‘As expected…’

Yeom Yoa felt that Cheon Gasung and Cheon Yerang, who were maintaining a state of imperturbability that even she could not achieve, were truly amazing.

‘The White Moon Palace… what kind of place is it.’

How could two late-stage prospects who had just become adults maintain a more unwavering composure than the experienced old masters of the martial world?

‘Should I say it’s amazing… or should I say it’s scary…’

Yeom Yoa looked around the Hebei Peng Clan, which was left with only ashes.

‘As if they were determined to wipe it out.’

They had burned and burned again.

But ridiculously, the warehouse was empty.

The granary where food was stored and the vault where wealth was piled up had all been plundered.

This was like seeing a village that had been hit by a band of fire thieves.

At that, a thought crossed Yeom Yoa’s mind.

“Great Master Peng.”

At Yeom Yoa’s call, Peng Ohyun approached.

“You called?”

“The enemies attacked the Hebei Peng Clan at the same time as the Beggars' Sect warned. I’ve been thinking about how this was possible… and in my opinion, they are like fire thieves.”

“Fire thieves? You mean bandits?”

“Yes! They ran without a break with their bare hands. When the beggars of the Beggars' Sect discovered them, they were already running to the Hebei Peng Clan.”

“It was literally a fierce attack.”

“That’s right. Because they can just take the food and wealth they need from the target they are going to attack.”

“So that’s how they were able to move so quickly!”

The one who didn't understand this situation was also Peng Ohyun.

Where was the Hebei Peng Clan?

As one of the Five Great Families of the world, it was a place that was considered the best in the martial world in terms of martial power alone.

But the Hebei Peng Clan had collapsed without even putting up much resistance.

They had lacked the time to prepare.

“We were preparing for war as soon as the Alliance Friend Order was issued. We were filling up on food and making weapons.”

“But this is not a war.”

“It’s like… plunder!”

“Yes.”

Only then did Yeom Yoa and Peng Ohyun realize that everything had been wrong from the beginning.

As it was with the Righteous-Demon War.

They had thought that a war between the righteous martial world and the heretic martial world would break out this time as well.

That they would line up their ranks, have a war of nerves with each other, and then start a total war at the right time.

But.

What this group of demons wanted was not a war.

They were committing surprise attacks and plunder, and were causing a chaotic battle.

“We have to warn them! Right now!”

That the wild dogs with swords and claws were coming for them.

***

“You… you… who are you…”

“I told you.”

“Jin… Sohyun…”

The man’s gaze moved from side to side.

But all that was visible were the corpses of his comrades who had died without even putting up much resistance.

“Spare… spare me.”

The man, who had stood up, mustering his last strength, prostrated himself in front of Jin Sohyun.

“I will live without doing such things again! Please spare me.”

“The ones who died because of you would have said the same thing.”

The man raised his head and met Jin Sohyun’s face.

His face was filled with a deep sadness.

Grief and regret.

‘Why is he making such a face?’

The man could not understand.

But he knew well what he had to do.

“I will never… do bad things again. Please… please spare me!”

“Forgiveness is not my share. What I do is retribution.”

Forgiveness is the share of the dead.

But the dead do not speak.

So, all that was here was only retribution.

“Ah… you son of a bitch!”

The moment the man screamed in desperation, the palm force that had extended from Jin Sohyun’s grasp blew his head away.

And so, with the man as the last, the time it took for the two hundred or so men in black who had plundered the village to be annihilated was not even half an hour.

Jin Sohyun collected his flying swords and put them in his scabbard, then opened the closed wooden prison.

“Thank you…!”

Jin Sohyun could not say anything to the women who were expressing their gratitude.

“I’m sorry. I was too late.”

“What fault would you have, young master? Please don’t blame yourself.”

“That’s right.”

“We survived thanks to you!”

Although they had barely survived, the faces of the survivors were not very bright.

Their families had died, their friends had died, and their loved ones had died.

There was nothing left for them now.

“Run as far away from here as possible and then stay under the protection of the government in a large city for a while.”

“Yes… thank you again.”

After sending the surviving women away, Jin Sohyun stood alone on the fallen corpses.

His gaze crossed the dead and stared at the forest, which was densely packed with trees.

“To move this many people as one wishes… a leader would be needed.”

The man in black, who was watching the situation, holding his breath, felt the hair on his whole body stand on end.

‘I’ve been discovered!’

He had a confidence that he would not be second to anyone in stealth and hiding.

Nevertheless, Jin Sohyun had seen through him.

As if he had known from the beginning that he was hiding.

‘I have to get out of here first.’

He had to hurry and throw himself to report the situation.

‘That Jin Sohyun has appeared!’

When he had run two steps after throwing himself, the man in black felt his face getting closer to the ground.

He was not a low-level person to the point of tripping and falling.

It was just that someone had grabbed the back of his head and had planted him in the ground.

Kwang—!!

The man’s face, who had landed on his face, was horribly mangled.

His cheekbones and orbital bones were shattered, and blood trickled down from his crooked nose.

“Keueueu!”

Even though he was not in his right mind, the man instinctively opened his mouth.

It was to bite and swallow the poison pill that was embedded in his molar.

But Jin Sohyun did not leave him alone.

“You people take your lives too lightly.”

Jin Sohyun forcibly pushed his hand into the man in black’s mouth and pulled out his molars one by one.

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

Jin Sohyun, who had said this, subdued the man in black’s pressure points and then slung him over his shoulder.

Thud—!

Jin Sohyun, who was running through the bushes, entered a hut located a short distance away and sat the man in black on a chair that had been prepared in advance.

“Seol. Please.”

“Ah… y-yes!”

Cha Seol flinched for a moment at the more miserable appearance of the man in black than she had expected, but she sat facing the man in black, took a deep breath, and then opened her mouth.

“I am Cha Seol. Can you hear me?”

“…”

Although the man in black did not say anything, his gaze was at some point fixed on Cha Seol and did not move.

Cha Seol smiled brightly and said with an innocent voice.

“Shall we be friends?”

***

“A turbulent age…”

Jin Sohyun fell into thought, recalling the words that the man in black had said.

He had already known that a war would break out.

But this was not the war that Jin Sohyun had thought of, had known of.

—A turbulent age. What the Heretic Path's Alliance is trying to create is not a war. We will cause a turbulent age…

What was the reason the Heretic Path's Alliance was trying to cause a turbulent age?

The man in black had sneered and had said this.

—No one knows. Because we are just masterless swords and claws…

“Swords and claws.”

Jin Sohyun took a deep breath as if frustrated and then exhaled.

There is nothing more difficult to deal with than an unpredictable enemy.

The current Heretic Path's Alliance was like that.

They were causing a chaotic battle throughout the Central Plains by raising the heretic martial world, which had been holding its breath and building up its strength for decades.

‘I have to reduce their numbers as much as possible.’

Jin Sohyun stood up and changed his blood-stained clothes.

Nevertheless, the smell of blood that had soaked into his body still remained.

“Are you going to fight again?”

At Cha Seol’s question, Jin Sohyun nodded his head and patted her shoulder.

“Seol, you can rest now. And from now on, you will see a lot of things you don’t want to see. So you can go back now.”

“I have nowhere to go back to.”

Cha Seol swept her hair with both hands and showed a sad smile.

“My grandmother… is said to have passed away as soon as I left the village.”

Gu Jucheol had told Cha Seol about Cha Yong’s death before they parted.

Someone had to remember Cha Yong, and that share was Cha Seol’s.

Thanks to that, Cha Seol, who had learned of Cha Yong’s death, had stayed with Jin Sohyun, trying to hide her sadness.

“In the past, my grandmother was a hero. She is said to have saved the Central Plains martial world from a crisis using the Great Luo Soul Capturing Art… the Soul Seduction Art she had taught me.”

Cha Seol clenched her small fist tightly.

“You also want to save the martial world, don’t you, Brother Jin?”

“It’s not a grand goal like saving it. It’s just… I just want to help.”

“I’ll help you. Just like my grandmother did.”

“It will be very scary. And you will see a lot of terrible things.”

“It will be scary and hard… but it’s okay. That’s…”

Cha Seol reached out her hand and caressed both of Jin Sohyun’s cheeks.

“Because it’s the same for you, brother.”

At the warmth felt from her touch, Jin Sohyun sneered and nodded his head.

“Thank you, Seol.”

“But you have to grant me one wish later!”

“Of course. If it’s a wish I can grant, then anything.”

“Hehe… then let’s go quickly! The martial world is in danger!”

Jin Sohyun, who had nodded his head at the shyly smiling Cha Seol, stood up.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Limp— limp—!

The men in black, who were of the same appearance as the man in black who was walking blankly out of the hut, appeared.

“Number Three. Explain what happened.”

The man in black, who was called Number Three, opened his mouth with a half-dazed face.

“He came…”

“He? Who?”

Number Three bled from all the holes in his face and opened his mouth as if possessed by something.

“Jin… So… Hyun…”

With those words, Number Three collapsed as he was.

Another man in black who had checked his condition shook his head.

“He’s dead.”

“As expected, Jin Sohyun has appeared.”

“Number Three was skilled in stealth and hiding, but his lightness skill was poor.”

“…”

The remaining men in black kept their mouths shut.

Soon, the man in black with the number one (一) tattooed next to his eye said.

“Jin Sohyun sent Number Three alive. He must have sent us a warning.”

The First One looked down at Number Three’s corpse and said in a low voice.

“That I am here.”

(End of Chapter)