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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A sudden explosion rocked the estate.
Yang Mun-pyeong, who was packing his belongings and preparing to escape, jumped in surprise.
“What was that?!”
“Master Yang! The…wall collapsed.”
“What? The wall collapsed?”
Yang Mun-pyeong glared at his bodyguard in disbelief. But the bodyguard, unfazed by his master’s glare, continued.
“It’s true! There was a loud noise, and then the wall crumbled…”
“What…what destroyed the wall?”
‘I had it built with the strongest materials and techniques!’
The wall had been constructed using the latest methods and reinforced regularly. Yang Mun-pyeong was horrified that it had been breached.
His bodyguard answered his frantic question.
“A…person.”
“What?”
“It’s true! A person broke through the wall with their bare hands!”
“You…are you mocking me?!”
“It sounds absurd, but it’s true. He claims he was practicing Qinggong and accidentally crashed into the wall. He’s coming to apologize.”
“Practicing Qinggong?”
‘What kind of ridiculous excuse is that?!’
If a person crashing into a wall caused the wall to collapse, what was the point of a wall?
Yang Mun-pyeong clutched his head, grappling with this absurdly philosophical question.
“I spent a fortune on that wall…send him away!”
Normally, he would have summoned the intruder and berated him, but he didn’t have time for that. His bodyguard, sweating profusely, replied.
“We…we tried to stop him, but…”
“I see the master of the estate is here.”
A new voice.
Both of them turned towards the door. A large figure loomed in the doorway, which the bodyguard had left open in his haste.
“Are you…Master Yang?”
“Y-yes.”
‘He’s huge…and a lion mask?’
Yang Mun-pyeong had met many large men, but none as imposing as this.
With a lion mask covering his face, he looked like a bandit.
‘He must be at least seven cheok tall.’
While not entirely accurate, the overwhelming presence emanating from the massive figure made him seem even larger. Yang Mun-pyeong gulped, his body trembling involuntarily.
The man in the doorway spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice.
“I apologize for breaking your wall. I was practicing Qinggong and accidentally crashed into it.”
“I-is that so?”
“Yes. I came to apologize. I’m truly sorry.”
“I-it’s fine. These things happen.”
‘Just leave! Please!’
Ignoring Yang Mun-pyeong’s silent plea, the giant looked around and spoke again.
“Hmm, your house seems to be in disarray. Are you moving?”
“Haha, I’m feeling homesick. I’m planning to retire and return to my hometown.”
“Returning home a wealthy man. Admirable.”
“…Master…this man is dangerous.”
‘I know! And I can hear you!’
Yang Mun-pyeong, his anxiety growing, spoke again, his voice pleading.
“Haha, we’re busy preparing for our move, so…perhaps you should leave? I’ll overlook this incident.”
“Thank you for your generosity. But…where is your hometown?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Perhaps we’re from the same region…”
“Near Xinjiang.”
“Ah! What a coincidence! I was born and raised in Kesh, Xinjiang! Where are you from, Master?”
“I’m from Hami.”
“…From Hami? I thought you were from the Tian Shan region. Haha, my mistake!”
‘…Could it be?’
Yang Mun-pyeong carefully examined the man, trying to maintain his composure.
This had started as an absurd incident, but the sudden mention of Tian Shan…this wasn’t just absurd, it could be a matter of life and death.
“You’re…joking, right?”
“Haha, am I? My apologies. Of course, you couldn’t possibly be from the same region as a reclusive fool hiding in the Tian Shan Mountains, afraid of the martial artists of the Central Plains.”
‘He…he knows?’
As a Demonic Cult member, the insult stung, but Yang Mun-pyeong gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger. He couldn’t afford to blow his cover.
“That was a rather rude joke. I’m disappointed.”
“I’ve heard some disturbing rumors coming from Xinjiang lately.”
“Has something happened back home?”
Yang Mun-pyeong couldn’t help but ask.
The man nodded.
“The Demonic Cult is preparing to invade again. With an army of three thousand.”
“You seem well-informed.”
“How could I not know? That bed-wetting Heavenly Demon is leaking information everywhere. The stench reaches all the way to Goryeo.”
‘B-bed-wetting…?’
While it was common to speak ill of those not present, calling the Heavenly Demon a bed-wetter was a new level of audacity.
Yang Mun-pyeong’s lips trembled with barely suppressed rage.
“Y-you…you’re joking…”
“Haha, of course. How could the stench of his urine travel so far? It was just a joke to lighten the mood.”
“What…what are you trying to do?”
“I was simply sharing news from our hometown. It’s only polite to inform a fellow countryman about the Demonic Cult’s movements.”
“I…I see…you can leave now…”
“You seem…unwell.”
“I’m just…tired from packing…”
“Oh dear, I’ve kept you for too long.”
“Please…leave…”
The barely suppressed grinding of teeth reached William’s ears.
‘He’s agitated.’
Insulting the Heavenly Demon wasn’t unusual in the Central Plains.
When the Demonic Cult was mentioned, people either avoided the topic out of fear or mocked the Heavenly Demon to display their bravado. Yang Mun-pyeong’s reaction was enough to confirm William’s suspicions.
“Master Yang.”
“W-what? Is there something else?”
“Your expression changes every time I insult the Heavenly Demon. Could it be…”
William looked at Yang Mun-pyeong intently. Yang Mun-pyeong glared back, sweating profusely.
‘This madman!’
Just how far was he going to push this?
It was as if he knew from the beginning. Yang Mun-pyeong looked at him with suspicion.
And then, William uttered the blasphemous words.
“Could it be that you know…the Heavenly Demon is a homosexual?”
“That’s absurd! Gah!”
Yang Mun-pyeong immediately clamped his mouth shut and stared at William.
He couldn’t see the man’s expression behind the mask, but he could sense a smirk.
‘Damn it!’
“Guards! Seize him…!”
“Too late.”
“Damn it! Stop him!”
A bodyguard drew his sword and blocked William’s path. A faint light emanated from the blade.
A crude form of Aura Blade.
William scoffed and reached for the sword.
“Your bodyguard is pathetic.”
“Damn it!”
The bodyguard swung his sword, aiming for William’s heart.
The masked man simply walked forward, as if the sword was a mere twig.
“W-what?!”
Why couldn’t his sword pierce the man’s flesh?
As the bodyguard stared in horror, his sword unable to even scratch the man’s clothes, William casually pushed him aside and grabbed Yang Mun-pyeong by the collar.
“Let’s have a chat, shall we, fellow countryman?”
“Kill him! Kill him! Summon Song-un!”
Song-un, the head of the Demonic Cult branch, was currently overseeing operations in the basement. He was the only one who could resolve this situation.
Yang Mun-pyeong struggled frantically, calling for Song-un. But he couldn’t break free from the giant’s grasp.
“Let go of me! How dare you…!”
“I have no reason to listen to a Demonic Cult lackey.”
“L-lackey?!”
“Did you think you could hide your connection to the Hao Clan?”
William, the man in the lion mask, pulled out the letter bearing Yang Mun-pyeong’s seal and showed it to him. Yang Mun-pyeong’s face paled.
“…How did you get that?!”
“I found it while investigating the traitors. If you’re going to collude with someone, choose someone competent. Not a clumsy fool who leaves evidence lying around.”
“This is absurd…”
“What’s going on here?!”
The branch leader appeared, his eyes fixed on William.
William, still holding Yang Mun-pyeong by the collar, turned towards the voice.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the branch leader.”
“How did you…? Master Yang, what is the meaning of this?!”
“What do you think? This place reeks of the Demonic Cult, so I came to clean it up.”
“You insolent…”
“You’re the insolent one. You pathetic wretch.”
“What?!”
William’s figure blurred, and he collided with the branch leader.
Caught off guard by the sudden acceleration, the branch leader was sent sprawling, his arm bent at an unnatural angle as he tried to protect himself.
“Ugh…”
“Oops, my foot slipped.”
William casually walked over to the branch leader and grabbed him by the collar.
Along with Yang Mun-pyeong, who had fainted from the impact, the branch leader dangled from William’s grasp, struggling uselessly.
William’s body remained unmoved, as if made of steel.
‘He’s far stronger than me! There was no mention of a master like this in our intelligence reports!’
A man wearing a lion mask couldn’t be unknown.
However, considering the number of reclusive masters in Jianghu, it wasn’t impossible.
The problem was, this master had chosen to attack a Demonic Cult branch.
“Anyone else want to betray the Heavenly Demon?”
“Betray the Heavenly Demon?! Never! You vile righteous scum!”
“Is that so?”
William dragged the two unconscious men by their collars and looked at the martial artists surrounding him.
“Hmm. There’s a lot of you.”
“Branch Leader!”
“How dare you…!”
Ignoring the bodyguards’ reactions, William surveyed the chaotic estate.
“You’re quite wealthy. It must be a hassle sending all this to the Demonic Cult.”
‘I wonder if there are any elixirs or secret manuals.’
Anticipation flickered in his eyes, hidden behind the lion mask.
“Don’t even think about escaping. The Beggar Sect has surrounded the estate. Your only option is to find that tunnel you dug.”
“We can’t let him live! Form the Asura Extermination Sword Formation and activate the Reverse Heaven Technique!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Demonic Cultivators surrounded William, forming a sword formation with precise spacing.
William observed with interest.
‘Interesting.’
He smiled.
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Not sure how i feel about William just bullying people with brute force from his superior realm and Aura Armor, one of the main draws of this story for me was the diference between western and eastern cultivation and combat skills, William having an edge over central plain cultivators because his tecniques were alien to them.
Now he is just curbstomping lackeys left and right, at least when he was a peak expert there was a chance he could be hurt, wich added stakes to the fight.
i mean, is logic, it would be bad writing if he lose or have problem with people below their martial arts level, we are seing not the important fights but the construccion of reputation and alliances of the MC, we problaly have the grreat battles later.
I am really liking this arc.