Chapter 235: Chapter 235

Chapter 235: Corruption (2)

The Red Blossom Pavilion Madam had to work hard to maintain her composure.

She couldn't bring herself to ask if that was even possible.

In her mind, the image the Incarnation of Maitreya had shown that day was still embedded like a brand.

That suffocating killing intent he gave off...

Even though the man in front of her was a Hao Clan Elder, she wasn't confident he could win.

Since she couldn't just say that, she tried to speak in roundabout terms.

"They are the ones who erased the Heavenly Orchid Society in a single night. Even with your disciples accompanying you, Elder Yang, won't we take heavy losses?"

"Hahaha. Why would I need to get my own hands dirty?"

As the Madam gave him a puzzled look, Elder Yang continued with a knowing smile.

"Did you think I've just been sitting around here doing nothing this whole time? I sent my boys out to dig up dirt. And they brought back a very interesting rumor."

"Interesting rumor, you say?"

"That's right. Pingliang County, near Mount Kongtong. Recently, the Maitreya Luminous Cult has been stirring up all sorts of trouble there."

Only then did she understand why the Maitreya Luminous Cult members had left Lanzhou, and why they'd taken the courtesans from the red-light district with them.

"So you're saying... you'll strike at the Maitreya Luminous Cult while they're away?"

"Don't be stupid. I told you I'm not getting my hands dirty. They're spreading weird cult beliefs in the Emperor's territory. What do you think will happen if the Governor's office finds out?"

Seeing that she got it, Yang Jong smiled again.

"Government officials come to our brothels all the time, don't they? If we just whisper in their ears, the news will reach the top brass in no time."

"But aren't those guys just vultures looking for bribes?"

"Tsk tsk. If the government starts squeezing them for cash, do you think the Maitreya Luminous Cult will still be able to throw cash at those courtesans?"

The Madam let out a small sound of admiration, and a smile soon spread across her lips.

"Huhuhu. That's a truly brilliant scheme, Elder."

"Hahaha. Now you get it."

The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

The window opened as if the wind had blown it, casting a long shadow over them.

Silence descended on the room in an instant. The Madam and Elder Yang turned their heads like wooden puppets, their eyes fixed on the window.

There, with his back to the moon, stood a man wearing the mask of an enraged deity.

"You seemed to be having an interesting conversation."

Recognizing the voice, goosebumps erupted across the Madam's entire body.

Yang Jong, on the other hand, stared at the masked man with a tense expression on his face.

'This guy is strong.'

He couldn't easily gauge the man's level.

That meant even if Yang Jong fought to the death, he might not win.

Unlike Yang Jong's tense reaction, the man bathed in moonlight looked completely relaxed as he stared at the Madam.

"I'm pretty sure I promised to let you live if you just stayed put."

The Madam was frozen solid. She couldn't say a word with those eyes staring at her through the mask.

So, Yang Jong spoke up on her behalf.

"This all happened because you people have no business ethics. You said you'd leave us alone if we stayed put? Is this leaving us alone? All our girls are trying to leave to join you! You're ruining our business and telling us to sit still? Do you think that makes any sense?"

Yang Jong spat the words out fast, like he was throwing a flurry of sword strikes.

It felt weird even to him.

He wasn't usually the type to talk this fast.

The masked man tilted his head at Yang Jong’s argument, as if he couldn't understand what he was hearing.

"Then why doesn't the Hao Clan just treat the girls better? Just teach them to read and wipe away their debts."

"If we wiped away their debts, we'd go out of business!"

"So instead, you locked them up, beat them, and hung them from the ceiling? You even drugged the ones who refused?"

"Those bitches belong to the Hao Clan. The Maitreya Luminous Cult has no right to tell us what to do with our property!"

At that, Il-mok nodded like he finally understood.

"The Hao Clan has gone rotten. Unlike the Beggars Gang."

Yang Jong and the Madam looked shocked and wanted to argue, but they couldn't get the words out.

Because the masked man had already drawn his sword.

"Thank you. Now I can wipe out the Hao Clan without any lingering regrets."

The sword radiated a chill so sharp it made their skin crawl.

The moment Il-mok stepped down from the window with a light footstep—

Yang Jong suddenly pulled hidden weapons from his sleeve and launched them at Il-mok.

Il-mok dodged some by lightly twisting his body, knocked others away with his sword, and rushed straight at Yang Jong.

Since the space was narrow, a single step was all it took for Il-mok to instantly reach where Yang Jong had been standing a moment before.

But Yang Jong also knew his way around lightness skill. He leaped away instantly while throwing more hidden weapons as a bonus.

And so, a play of cat and mouse began.

Il-mok knocked away the projectiles, fired off Sword Qi, and cut off Yang Jong's escape routes until he finally cornered him.

As Il-mok swung his swift sword to cut Yang Jong in two, the Hao Clan’s Elder blocked Il-mok's sword using a flying dagger he had drawn in a reverse grip.

Even though they both use Sword Qi in their clashes, Yang Jong's dagger made a screaming sound like it was about to break.

They locked weapons, pushing against each other for a second.

Il-mok noticed that Yang Jong's cheeks had hollowed inward and quickly twisted his body.

Suddenly, something like a needle shot from Yang's mouth, grazing past where Il-mok's head had been.

'Well, well. This kind of trick... my experience at the Hall of the Demonic Way comes in handy.'

He was used to sparring with guys like Baek Cheon, and he’d survived tons of traps during those so-called 'practical exams,' so this didn't faze him at all.

Having easily countered Yang Jong's underhanded methods, Il-mok swung the Ascension Sword again, putting pressure on Yang Jong.

Yang Jong felt his blood run cold.

Every time he blocked that eerie sword, his dagger chipped and screeched like it was about to shatter.

But his opponent wasn't some greenhorn who relied only on a fancy weapon.

He swung that sword with a blank face that held no hesitation whatsoever. Moreover, he moves as if every movement is connected to the next, and pours out continuous strikes with fluid motion.

He rolled on the ground, threw darts, and swung his dagger wildly just to survive.

But the fact remained that he was being pushed back one-sidedly.

'You bastards! What the hell are you doing down there?!'

Yang Jong was thinking of his disciples waiting on the floor below, but the situation was not very optimistic.

And it wasn't just because of the guy attacking him right now.

From far beyond the door, he could hear the faint sounds of metal clashing and screams.

Yang Jong realized belatedly that the one called Incarnation of Maitreya hadn't come here alone.

Though he'd tried to avoid this situation, Yang Jong found himself backed against the wall.

As Il-mok swung the Ascension Sword to finish him off—

The Red Blossom Pavilion Madam, who'd been watching the battle and waiting for an opportunity, suddenly threw hidden weapons at Il-mok in a sneak attack.

Il-mok simply swung the Ascension Sword to deflect them.

And realizing that this was his last chance, Yang Jong unleashed his final move.

As immense energy gathered at his dagger, it howled, and turbid gray energy overlapped to begin forming Sword Force.

Without hesitation, he took the chance and thrusted the dagger wreathed in forming Sword Force toward the masked man's heart...

And Yang Jong, who had lived more as a swindler than a martial artist, felt an emotion he had not felt in a very long time.

The difference in raw talent. Or maybe, the unmovable 'Wall' between them.

The masked man who'd deflected the Madam's hidden weapons spun his body in a smooth motion like performing a sword dance and swung his blade.

The path his sword traced aligned perfectly with Yang Jong's thrusting dagger.

It was like he knew exactly what was going to happen.

Like it was all just one continuous dance from the start.

And before Yang Jong knew it, the man’s sword was wrapped in Sword Force, just like his own.

Unlike Yang's murky-colored Sword Force, it was a cluster of brilliantly shining stars.

The dagger, already chipped from several clashes with the Ascension Sword, was instantly cut through.

And Il-mok's sword sliced diagonally through Yang Jong's upper body like it was cutting through tofu.

Seeing the Elder she relied on die so easily, the Madam stared at the masked man's back with absolute terror in her face.

But for some reason, the man stood still and looked down at his own sword.

Since Il-mok had his back turned, the Madam couldn't see.

'This blasted sword?!'

Il-mok looked shocked and was trying his best not to scream curses out loud.

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The moment the Ascension Sword sliced through the enemy's torso, it absorbed the enemy's blood.

Through the sword hilt that fit snugly in his hand, some unknown energy was flowing into his body.

He was surprised for a second, but Il-mok could deduce the situation without much difficulty.

He already knew what this sword's original purpose was.

It was undoubtedly capable of draining the energy flowing in a person's blood when it cut them.

It’s one hell of an overpowered sword since it allows the user to recover internal energy whenever an enemy is cut during combat.

'I nearly went insane just from my Demonic Art, and I have to deal with this murky shit too? Using this filthy thing is the same as signing myself into the psychic ward.’

Il-mok didn't want that junk energy in his body. Unless he was literally about to die, he wasn't touching it.

As he pondered what to do about this for a moment—

The terrified Madam tried to use her lightness skill to run out of the room.

Sensing her movement, Il-mok redirected the energy that had stopped at his wrist back into the sword and casually swung it through the air.

The faintly red-tinged Sword Qi sliced through the air and cut the Madam's back.

Il-mok nodded with an expression of understanding.

‘It only drains energy if the blade touches blood.’

No energy flowed back into the sword this time since it touched nothing.

‘I hate getting blood on me anyway, so I'll just avoid touching them with the blade. If I do get blood on it, I'll just blast it out as a Sword Qi projectile immediately.’

No matter how he thought about it, Il-mok concluded that mixing blood energy with his internal energy was far too dangerous.

It might be different for Sword Force, but using it merely as Sword Qi was possible without necessarily mixing it with his internal energy, so it didn't seem like a bad idea.

After organizing his thoughts, Il-mok walked over to the Madam lying on the floor.

"P-please... spare me..."

The Madam begged, but Il-mok simply swung the sword with an indifferent expression.

While being careful not to let blood touch the blade.