Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 82

Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said,

“How do I know the secret of the Crimson Flame Sword Art, you ask?”

‘!!!!!!!’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the demon mask’s eyes widened even more.

Just who was this fellow?

He was clearly brought here as a hostage from the Yeon Mok Sword Manor and sent to the Corpse Blood Valley on that man’s orders.

[It is his order. Don’t concern yourself with whether they’re hostages or not and proceed as usual.]

So he had taken it to mean they could even be killed.

But how did this brat know about the relationship between the Crimson Flame Sword Art and the Fiery Yang Qi?

This was a secret known only to a few, including the Society Leader.

Only four people: himself, the head of the Lee family, the young master who was his successor, the master of the Sinister Valley, and the Society Leader.

No one else in the Heaven and Earth Society knew.

Overwhelmed by countless questions, the demon mask finally revealed his emotions.

-Smack!

Grabbing Mok Gyeong-un’s collar, he pressed the sword against his neck again.

“Who the hell are you really? Are you truly the Yeon Mok Sword Manor’s scion?”

“There’s no way I’m not.”

“Nonsense! Does it make sense for a mere child of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor to know the secrets of our family…”

Suddenly, the demon mask’s eyes narrowed.

Right, he had thought something was strange.

Could it be that person, no, the Society Leader was testing him?

[Show your loyalty for four generations. Then, I will allow the Lee family to regain the title of king.]

That had become the Lee family’s shackle.

To prove they had no involvement in the bloody calamity of the Hoeryeong Battle, they had stepped down from the position of king.

From his grandfather’s generation to himself, they had taken on the duty of the Corpse Blood Valley for three generations.

During that time, their loyalty had been tested several times.

And they had firmly proven it.

Soon, when his eldest son, the young master, inherited his position, they would reach the promised fourth generation.

-Bite!

The demon mask bit down hard on his lip.

‘I thought we had proven enough.’

Was it still not enough?

So had he sent this to provoke him?

If he were to be emotionally swayed here, it would become an excuse, and the prospect of regaining the title of king would become distant.

No, perhaps there was no intention of returning it from the start, so this continued.

The demon mask gradually regained his composure.

-Swish!

The demon mask pulled away the sword and released his grip on the collar.

Then he spoke in a calm voice.

“Did the Society Leader send you to test me?”

“Hmm. What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t play dumb. Thinking about it, it was strange. It’s odd to bring in two hostages who aren’t even the eldest and have them enter here.”

“………”

“If you’re acting on his orders, I won’t interfere further.”

“Something…”

“No need to say more. The reason I summoned you was to confirm whether you were a spy or not. But if you’re someone sent by the Society Leader, there’s no reason to question further.”

While saying this, the demon mask felt relieved that he had regained his composure on his own.

If he had been provoked by this fellow or had coveted him as a talent midway, it would have reached the Society Leader’s ears.

Fortunately, he had regained his reason partway.

Just then,

“Why aren’t you answering my question?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, the demon mask frowned.

Was this fellow trying to provoke him now?

Glaring slightly at Mok Gyeong-un, he warned in a low voice.

“Even if he sent you, know your place. Even if I’m not one of the Five Kings or Three Chief Masters, I am one of the Four Valley Masters who rank within the top twelve in the Heaven and Earth Society.”

The Five Kings and Three Chief Masters.

It was a title given to the eight high-ranking executives of the Heaven and Earth Society.

Below them were the Four Valley Masters.

Although the title of Valley Master was lower than the Five Kings or Three Chief Masters, it was still certain that they were among the top twelve in the Heaven and Earth Society and were figures of power and unrivaled masters.

‘Oh?’

Within the top twelve in rank?

Mok Gyeong-un thought he had obtained good information.

Just then, Cheong-ryeong’s voice echoed in his mind.

At this,

“The Lee family should have received the title of king from the Three Veins, so how did you end up becoming a Valley Master?”

“You dare…”

The demon mask flinched for a moment as his anger surged, then soon stopped.

If he were not someone sent by the Society Leader, he would have severed an arm right then and there.

The demon mask spoke with fury emanating from him.

“If you don’t get out of here right now, I’ll cut you down regardless of whether you were sent by the Society Leader or not.”

For a moment, Mok Gyeong-un saw a vision of himself being cut down.

Just from the murderous intent alone, it felt as if invisible sharp blades were being drawn in his mind, making his skin tingle.

Perhaps because it was the first time experiencing this phenomenon, rather than fear, he found it intriguing.

It was like the feeling of looking at a high scenic view.

‘This bray?’

The demon mask was dumbfounded by Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction.

He had deliberately threatened him out of anger, but instead, he was smirking.

Was he truly gutsy?

‘Society Leader.’

Was it intentional this time?

Had he sent him to provoke him to the end?

Even knowing, this test truly made it difficult to suppress his anger.

Just then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.

“Is the reason you’re wearing a glove on your right hand and a mask because you still can’t control the Fiery Yang Qi and suffered burns?”

“………”

The demon mask’s hand trembled.

He barely restrained himself from reaching for the sword hilt right then.

This fellow truly had a great talent for infuriating people.

“If you can’t leave on your own feet, it seems I’ll have to personally escort you out.”

-Smack!

The demon mask rose from his seat and reached out his hand to chase Mok Gyeong-un out.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un grasped his sword-pointing finger and assumed a sword-drawing stance.

‘How dare he insolently do this in front of me…!?’

The demon mask, who was about to instantly break this with the Golden Spiral Technique, suddenly hesitated.

It was because he was surprised to see Mok Gyeong-un’s sword-drawing stance.

The demon mask’s eyes trembled.

‘Th-this is?’

Who among the Heaven and Earth Society’s executives would not recognize the sword-drawing stance of this sword art?

It closely resembled the sword-drawing stance of the Heavenly Vein Sword Art[1].

‘Could it be?’

The demon mask looked at Mok Gyeong-un with surprised eyes.

Something was strange.

He remembered the faces of all the Society Leader’s disciples.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he had never seen this fellow before.

Could it be that he had recently taken on a new disciple?

The demon mask parted his lips with a cautious voice.

“Could it be that you’re his…”

Just then,

-Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un extended his sword-pointing finger towards him and gently drew a circular trajectory.

It was like a full moon.

‘No.’

Seeing this, the demon mask’s pupils shook.

Although it resembled the Heavenly Vein Sword Art, the flow of the form was proceeding differently.

This was not the Heavenly Vein Sword Art.

‘This is…’

-Swish swish swish swish swish swish smack!

The circular trajectory Mok Gyeong-un drew was now precisely targeting the eight vital points along the demon mask’s central line.

The demon mask inwardly exclaimed at the flawless precision of the sword form.

If one only considered the sword form itself, without the sword intent, it was as if an unrivaled sword master was displaying sword techniques.

-Tap!

The demon mask retreated half a step.

At the same time, with one hand behind his back, he grasped his sword-pointing finger and blocked Mok Gyeong-un’s sword techniques without injecting sword intent or internal energy.

-Swish swish swish swish smack!

Although it was a light form, Mok Gyeong-un’s sword techniques were all blocked.

Except for one.

‘I can’t avoid this.’

The demon mask leaped backward to avoid Mok Gyeong-un’s sword-pointing finger stabbing towards his brow.

Because the completion of the sword form was higher than the sword techniques he had displayed, it was difficult to block the final move in any way.

If Mok Gyeong-un had continued his sword techniques in this state, it would have been even more troublesome.

-Gulp!

The demon mask swallowed dryly.

‘No doubt about it.’

He had never seen it directly.

But he had heard about it from his grandfather.

He unconsciously blurted it out.

“The Lunar Vein Sword Art.”

“Oh. You recognize it.”

“What?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the demon mask momentarily hesitated in bewilderment.

He had hoped it wasn’t, but was it really the Lunar Vein Sword Art?

“I thought the grandson of Lee Hwa-mun might not recognize it because of the mask, but this is unexpected.”

He repeated exactly what Cheong-ryeong had said.

Then the demon mask’s reaction was,

-Shing!

He swiftly drew his sword and aimed it at Mok Gyeong-un’s neck, emanating an immense murderous intent.

“Who are you? How do you know the Lunar Vein Sword Art? And what did you just say?”

“Hmm. I’d prefer if you asked one question at a time.”

That way, he could relay Cheong-ryeong’s words one by one.

But it was truly a strong aura that made one’s flesh tremble.

-Sizzle!

The sword wasn’t even touching him, but the heat emanating from it felt like it would melt his flesh.

Earlier, he had only felt the heat, but now the sword had become so hot that it visibly glowed scarlet.

‘I can’t block this.’

Could it be possible if he concentrated his death energy into a single point?

It seemed unlikely.

This man’s martial prowess seemed no less than that of the Bright Sword King Son Yun, who had wielded that huge blade.

-Hiss!

Steam flowed from the arm of the demon mask holding the sword.

The heat was not limited to the sword but seemed to spread throughout his entire body.

The room became sweltering with heat in an instant.

The demon mask glared at Mok Gyeong-un and spoke again.

“I don’t have time to play word games with you. Speak immediately. Otherwise, I’ll take you to the sect’s headquarters right now…”

“Take me and report that I learned the Lunar Vein Sword Art…”

“Shut up!”

-Smack!

With those words, the demon mask grabbed the edge of his mask and took it off.

Along with it, a face with one side grotesquely distorted by burns was revealed.

It was a severe burn that made it understandable why he wore a mask.

The demon mask spoke with trembling eyes.

“The Lunar Vein Sword Art’s lineage has been severed. Even the only secret manual couldn’t be read by anyone and was lost, so how could you…”

“Are you asking because you truly don’t know?”

“What?”

“You just said it yourself.”

“…That you read the secret manual? How is that possible?”

Even with the power of the head of the Primal Killing Pavilion, who oversaw the Heaven and Earth Society’s esoteric arts, that secret manual couldn’t be deciphered.

Yet this fellow claimed to have read it?

The demon mask, no, Lee Ji-yeom frowned.

It was hard to believe he had read the secret manual, but the words this fellow was spouting were even more beyond the scope of understanding.

He spoke as if he knew too much about his own family, the Lee family.

“That’s impossible. Just by reading the secret manual…”

“Of course, you can’t know.”

“What?”

“How could I know about the Lee family’s Crimson Flame Sword Art or Fiery Yang Qi just by reading the secret manual? Then how do I know?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Lee Ji-yeom frowned and spoke.

“Could it be that you’re that person’s des…”

“Wrong.”

“If not descendant, then how…”

“I’m that person’s direct previous disciple, you see.”

‘!?’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Lee Ji-yeom’s expression hardened terribly.

Was this brat toying with him now?

He had heard from his grandfather.

The previous Society Leader of the Heaven and Earth Society had personally ripped out his heart, severed his limbs, and beheaded him, displaying it to everyone as punishment for the crime of the bloody calamity.

That was a hundred years ago.

But how could this fellow, who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, be his direct previous disciple?

“Are you telling me to believe those words? Are you truly wishing for death…”

“Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.”

It was as soon as those words ended.

Mok Gyeong-un took out a wooden doll from his bosom.

Then he formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation.

-Smack! Smack! Smack!

“Origin of the world, return to the source, release!”

Seeing this, Lee Ji-yeom was dumbfounded.

Was this fellow truly insane with a death wish?

He wasn’t even an esoteric master, yet he was chanting some bizarre incantation…

-Hazy!

At that moment, an unbelievable event occurred.

-Trickle! Trickle!

Blood flowed down the walls of the office, and the surroundings were becoming soaked with blood.

-Shudder!

‘What in the world?’

Thinking Mok Gyeong-un had used some kind of sorcery, Lee Ji-yeom tried to behead him with his sword filled with Fiery Yang Qi.

Right then,

Lee Ji-yeom’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart at the sight of the figure rising from the blood pooling on the floor.

‘!!!!!’

A peerless beauty with blood-red eyes, wearing a crown and holding a long pipe.

The moment he saw her, filled with an overwhelming presence, the image of that person his grandfather Lee Hwa-mun had spoken of with a ringing in his ears naturally overlapped.