WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 42: At the Ak Clan Sword Family (2)

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Corps Commander Choong Yang led the Iron Sword Corps martial artists into the Ak Clan Sword Family.

The family grounds were packed with Ak Clan Sword Family martial artists, and the atmosphere was deeply somber.

The person who greeted Choong Yang was Ak Dogwang, the eldest son of Murim Alliance Leader Ak Sogun. The second son, Ak Seopyeong, assisted his father with Murim Alliance affairs, while Ak Dogwang managed the family.

"Welcome."

"It has been a long time."

They exchanged cupped-fist salutes. Neither man was in a position to treat the other lightly.

"I heard there was an intruder?"

"Yes."

The intruder had a great deal of nerve. This was the Murim Alliance Leader's family home. Its security needed no explanation. Even if someone possessed the skill to infiltrate the place, did they think the Ak Clan Sword Family and the Murim Alliance would simply let them go after causing trouble here? They must have known they would be hunted down, yet they had dared to intrude.

"Did you catch them?"

"No. We found no trace of the intruder. Not even any sign that they had entered."

"Was anyone in the sword family killed or injured?"

"Fortunately, no."

"Was anything stolen?"

"No."

Choong Yang was puzzled. No one had been killed or injured, and nothing had been stolen?

'Then why did they call us?'

The Ak Clan Sword Family had a considerable number of masters. Ak Dogwang alone had reached the peak realm. Even if there had been an intruder, they would not seek the Murim Alliance's help unless it was a major problem.

"Come with me. There is something you must see."

Ak Dogwang led only Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi away.

The farther they walked, the stronger the smell of blood became.

'He said no one was killed or injured.'

Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi exchanged uneasy looks. Preparing for anything, they secretly circulated their internal energy and remained alert.

When they finally reached the deepest rear garden of the Ak Clan Sword Family, Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi were stunned.

"What is this?"

Blood had been splashed across the courtyard, the walls of the buildings, everywhere.

"You said no one died."

"Yes. It is not the blood of anyone from this household."

"What? Then whose blood is it?"

"I don't know. The intruder scattered blood here and left."

"What did you say?"

Choong Yang looked around again. This was not the amount of blood that would come from one or two dead people. It had come from at least ten.

Only then did Choong Yang understand why they had been called. A bizarre incident that might occur only once in a lifetime had taken place.

"Please give us some privacy."

"Of course."

After Ak Dogwang withdrew, leaving only Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi behind, Choong Yang spoke in disbelief.

"This bastard is completely insane."

"Insane, yes. But this madman is no ordinary master. They infiltrated all the way into the rear garden of the Ak Clan Sword Family with this much blood."

"Could they have brought living people here, killed them, and buried them somewhere?"

"Wouldn't that be even harder?"

"Would it? Then how did they bring so much blood? In containers?"

"I can't even begin to guess."

Then a voice came from behind them.

"I think I know."

Both men spun around in shock. Someone was walking toward them.

It was Baek Socheon.

"How did you get in here?"

"Didn't you hear? I have more authority over confidential matters than you do."

Choong Yang knew that, of course. Baek Socheon also possessed independent operational authority and immunity. In other words, Choong Yang had no way of stopping him from coming here.

Choong Yang was even considering using this matter to pressure Zhuge Hyeon.

In any case, Baek Socheon was an unwelcome guest who embodied the saying that those who came had ill intentions, while those with good intentions did not come. Naturally, Choong Yang's tone was confrontational.

"Why are you here?"

"Do you think I came to sightsee? I came to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"Then let's leave it at that."

Baek Socheon turned away without hesitation. He had taken only a few steps when Choong Yang called out to him.

"Wait!"

"Why?"

"You said you knew what happened here?"

"I did."

"What do you know?"

"I know who did it."

"What?"

Not only Choong Yang but Hwang Ilbi beside him was startled.

What could Baek Socheon have discovered in this place covered in blood? He had only just arrived.

"Who did it?"

"You just said you didn't need my help. A real man should not go back on his word."

Choong Yang bit his lip.

'Bear it. Bear it.'

He wanted to tell Baek Socheon to get lost, but the incident had happened at the Murim Alliance Leader's home. Since he had personally come to investigate, he had to produce results somehow.

Hwang Ilbi cautiously stepped forward.

"Our Corps Commander misspoke for a moment. Please set aside your anger and enlighten us."

Choong Yang did not like hearing that. He did not like the word misspoke, nor did he like Hwang Ilbi asking Baek Socheon for guidance.

Under other circumstances, he would have snapped at Hwang Ilbi and asked what nonsense he was talking about.

Still, he endured it and pretended not to hear.

Baek Socheon said to Choong Yang, "Well, that Corps Commander of yours has always had a habit of misspeaking."

He poured oil on the fire, but Choong Yang held back again. He wanted to make a good impression on the Alliance Leader that badly.

Baek Socheon stared directly at him.

"You're much better at holding back now."

"I've always been good at holding back."

"Then why couldn't you back then?"

"That was..."

At the time, he had wanted to take the authority flowing toward Baek Socheon and make it his own somehow, even if he had to crush Baek Socheon to do it. Of course, things had not gone as he wanted.

"Stop provoking me."

"Isn't your position one where you need to hold back even when someone provokes you?"

"What?"

"That's why you should endure it. If you develop a little patience, you're not that bad."

It was neither something Choong Yang could get angry about nor something he could be pleased by, so he said nothing.

Baek Socheon leaped up, caught the roof's edge, and pulled himself onto it.

"Come up here."

The two used their lightness skills and joined him on the roof.

The moment they looked down, Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi were shocked.

From below, the blood appeared to have been splashed everywhere at random. From above, it formed two characters. The cursive strokes were so large that they stretched across both the ground and walls, making them impossible to see from below.

Slay Heaven.

"Kill Heaven?"

They did not know why such words had been written, but it was clear they were a message directed at the Murim Alliance Leader.

"It may be a warning that someone intends to kill the Alliance Leader."

Choong Yang nodded at Hwang Ilbi's words.

The Murim Alliance Leader was the heaven of the orthodox faction's martial world. Heaven clearly meant Ak Sogun. More importantly, those words had been written at the Murim Alliance Leader's family home.

"You said you knew who did this?"

Baek Socheon nodded.

"That blood is not ordinary blood."

"What do you mean, not ordinary?"

"That blood was created by the Blood Heaven Art, the unique martial art of Myeolsaeng, leader of the Blood Cult beyond the borders."

Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi were shocked at the mention of the Blood Cult.

Over the past three hundred years, the Blood Cult had produced its greatest talent.

That person was Myeolsaeng, the current Blood Cult Leader.

The Blood Heaven Art was Myeolsaeng's unique martial art, an atrocious demonic art that used blood. Myeolsaeng could spray blood from their own body to attack opponents or draw the blood directly out of an opponent's body.

Imagine it. You were simply standing there when your opponent drew every drop of blood from your body through every opening.

It was also said that if blood from Myeolsaeng's body touched someone, their body would melt away.

"How do you know that is the Blood Cult Leader's martial art?"

"Smell the blood carefully."

Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi sniffed the air.

"It smells like cinnamon."

Choong Yang nodded at Hwang Ilbi's words.

"It does."

There were other signs as well.

"Blood created by the Blood Heaven Art looks red up close, but when viewed from a distance like this, it carries a deep blue tint."

Just as Baek Socheon said, the blood had a bluish sheen.

"How do you know things like this?"

"I read it in a book. There is a book called the Compendium of Martial Arts Beyond the Borders in the Ten Thousand Books Repository. You have access to it too. Instead of drinking whenever you have free time, try studying."

Choong Yang had no response to Baek Socheon's rebuke. It was true that he drank too much, and it was true that he avoided books.

'What an irritating bastard. He knows so much.'

Though Baek Socheon was his enemy, Choong Yang could not help thinking he was impressive.

Baek Socheon's knowledge did not end there.

"Since the blood from the Blood Heaven Art left letters without damaging the walls or ground, it seems Myeolsaeng has achieved full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art."

"Good heavens!"

Choong Yang and Hwang Ilbi were startled.

A legend had long been passed down in the Blood Cult beyond the borders that anyone who achieved full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art would become an invincible master.

The Blood Cult beyond the borders had not actively participated in the last war.

Rumor at the time said that Myeolsaeng had entered seclusion to achieve full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art, but no one knew the truth.

Now, there was intelligence that the Black Heaven Alliance was attempting to join hands with the Blood Cult beyond the borders.

If the Blood Cult Leader had truly achieved full mastery of the Blood Heaven Art in such circumstances, an even greater danger had appeared in an already precarious war.

"But why would the Blood Cult Leader leave these words behind?"

"I don't know. This incident is under your jurisdiction, so handle it and report it yourself. I will act as though I was never here."

Baek Socheon leaped down.

From the roof, Choong Yang called out to him.

"I don't like you."

"I know."

"If I get the chance, I'll drive you out again."

"I know that too."

"Then why are you helping me? What scheme are you plotting?"

Baek Socheon stopped walking and looked up at the roof.

"The Blood Cult Leader and the Black Heaven Alliance Leader have joined hands. Do you think they did so because they are close? They joined hands to swallow up the Central Plains. If even they can work together, what makes us so great that we cannot? If it means protecting the martial world, I can put up with someone like you. So you should put up with me too."

"......!"

It was the first time Choong Yang had ever had a conversation like this with Baek Socheon. He had never imagined Baek Socheon held such thoughts.

Watching Baek Socheon walk away, Choong Yang said to Hwang Ilbi, "I know you're on that bastard's side."

"As I always tell you, that is a misunderstanding."

Choong Yang constantly pressed him about this. If he found Hwang Ilbi so suspicious, it would have made sense not to keep him close. Yet Choong Yang wanted to make Hwang Ilbi his right-hand man.

Hwang Ilbi did not understand why. There were many talented people in the Iron Sword Corps, so it could not simply be because Choong Yang thought highly of his abilities. Yet Choong Yang treated him too well for it to be jealousy over Baek Socheon.

"Report to the higher-ups that this was the Blood Cult Leader's doing. Say that I discovered it."

"Understood."

"Hey, Unit Commander Hwang. I will never take Baek Socheon's side. No, I will definitely drive him out of the Alliance. Remember that."

"I understand you, Corps Commander."

"Why do you only understand? Why don't you say you'll help me?"

"I will do my utmost to help you."

"See? You're on that bastard's side after all."

Choong Yang leaped down first.

"It is a misunderstanding!"

Hwang Ilbi leaped after him.

A short while after they too had left, another person descended there.

Wrapped head to toe in a black cloak, with their face covered by a mask and a bamboo hat pulled low over it, it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female, young or old.

Still, the movement technique they used to land on the roof revealed that they had reached the highest realm.

For a long time, they silently looked down at the words written on the ground.

Slay Heaven.

Footnotes:

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