Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#022

The red lantern light flickered.

They began approaching each other.

-Thud… thud thud.

In the narrow alley where red lanterns swayed, a space of about six steps. Fifty’s Green Forest gang filled the path.

On both sides of Red Lantern Street, there were only shops and stalls hurriedly closing their doors.

-Bang, bang!

The few shops that had remained open hastily shut their doors.

Even the street vendor selling the four treasures of the study abandoned everything and fled with just his body.

The noodle shop also closed its doors,

And the fabric store owner ran away with a pale face.

In front of me, Fifty’s Green Forest members drew their blades and began charging at me with increasing speed.

-Creak.

I tightened the iron lumps on both hands, the steel gauntlets.

I also began walking forward.

The distance between us grew closer.

The street echoed.

Teacups on tables trembled.

Even the paper window screens shook.

My current skill level is forty percent of my prime.

And the enemy is numerous.

The location is a narrow alley.

If even my collar gets grabbed, I’m dead.

I’ll be stabbed by blades at least three times.

So-.

[Pasabeolsik First Form, Body.]

I compressed the protective energy that had been thinly spread throughout my body, narrowing its range.

I focused the areas on major organs and Blood Vessels like the heart, lungs, and Danjeon.

As the intensity of Body increased, my senses became dulled as if wearing thick clothing.

It’s going to be a chaotic battle anyway.

Rather than covering my entire body with Body and getting hacked to pieces, I chose to abandon other areas and only protect the parts that would cause instant death, moving more sensitively.

I advance.

Sparks fly in my eyes.

The leading Green Forest member screams.

“Th-that bastard is really coming…!”

“…Kill him.”

From the rear, Wi Jiseung, gripping his sword, shouts in fury.

“Kill that bastard right now–!”

My form appeared before him.

With a thunderous sound, white teeth scattered in the air.

My fist, like a lump of iron swung like lightning, pierced through the opponent’s cheek.

The opponent’s body spun in midair.

He was slammed into the opposite wall.

Starting with that-.

“Kill him!”

“You bastard!”

Things like angry black waves poured down on me along the narrow alley, crashing over me.

“Surround him, surround him!”

“Stab him!”

The red lanterns swayed.

Beneath them, blood exploded and burst like firecrackers…!

-Crack!

I dodged the stabbing blade. I deflected the flowing sword upward with my shoulder.

I struck the throat.

“Gack!”

The Green Forest thug opened his mouth and staggered backward. I put my hand on his jaw and pulled downward.

With a crashing sound, he was thrown away. The Green Forest thug looked up.

“Wait-!”

My heel, thrust downward, broke the Green Forest thug’s neck.

Three men rushing from both sides thrust their short swords.

I swung my steel gauntlets.

-Clang, clang clang clang!

Along with sparks, all the daggers were deflected.

“He deflected all the blades?!”

I leaped into their midst as if pouring myself among them.

I broke the hand of the opponent holding the dagger and drove it into his chest.

“Gurgle!”

The opponent died spitting blood foam. With my heel, I stomped down on the foot of another opponent standing beside me.

The opponent screamed.

In that brief gap, I grabbed an inkstone from the scattered four treasures of the study lying nearby.

At the same time, I grabbed the collar of the opponent whose foot I had crushed.

“Guh…?!”

-Bang! Bang bang bang!

I frantically struck the opponent’s face with the inkstone.

The inkstone shattered into pieces.

Meanwhile, red blood spread like a fountain over the red lanterns.

“Graaah!”

Using the foot I had driven into the opponent’s foot as an axis, I spun around. Like a whip, I swept my leg horizontally with all my might.

-Crack!

The jaws of three men turned and their necks snapped.

I grabbed the shoulder of one losing his balance and falling, then leaped.

Stepping off the wall of the narrow alley, I drove a front kick with all my strength into the face of the man holding an iron mace in front.

-Crash!

The Green Forest member’s face caved in as he flew straight backward.

-Crash, crack!

His airborne body flew and tangled with a table. The table overturned and his body spun around. A container of chopsticks flew into the air. The table shot up into the air. Broken wooden fragments and chopsticks scattered in all directions.

I ran along the newly opened straight path through the Green Forest crowd, swinging my fists frantically.

The space before my eyes became empty.

I leaped into an empty inn nearby.

“Catch him!”

A Green Forest member who chased me threw his whole body to try to grab my arm.

I dodged that in just two steps.

“You rat bastard!”

A massive figure smashed through the inn entrance and charged at me. He drove a fierce shoulder tackle straight into me.

“Hup!”

My feet lifted off the ground from the tremendous force.

My body was mercilessly pushed back and slammed into the door.

“Ugh…!”

I grabbed the giant’s body, trying not to be pushed back.

-Crash!

Breaking through the inn, my body was thrown into the kitchen next door as if being crushed.

I was slammed into the steamy noodle shop.

Tables and chairs crashed into my back and shattered to pieces.

The heat from the boiling noodle water hit my face. The flour steam mixed with the smell of blood, choking my throat.

For the first time, my movements that had been flowing like water came to a stop.

“Finally caught him! Kill that bastard!”

I could see Wi Jiseung in the distance, pointing this way and screaming furiously.

The Red Lantern District was getting farther away, and I could see black groups crawling in from the entrance like moths to a flame, chasing after me.

The giant who had grabbed me shouted.

“I am the great strongman Jangsa-hu, comparable to the Indestructible Diamond Body! What are you doing, stab this bastard to death!”

-Stab, stab stab!!

In that brief moment when my movement stopped, two blade flashes passed by as Green Forest bandits rushed to my sides.

“Kuk…!”

A groan escaped between my clenched teeth.

“What the hell is this guy…!?”

The Green Forest bandit who had stabbed me shouted.

“The blade won’t go in properly…! Did he put iron plates on or something?”

-Clang… Crack!

Golden divine energy scattered as my protective technique manifested.

The Pasabeolsik carved on my back flickered, dangerously emitting silver light.

“Tch!”

I urgently raised my head.

Before my eyes, I saw a sharp sickle lying on the ground.

‘At least that…!’

My hand shot out like lightning toward that sickle.

‘You must not use bladed weapons…!’

“…!”

At that moment, I heard my master’s voice – an auditory hallucination that couldn’t exist in this life.

“…Kuk!”

Without realizing it, my body hesitated.

The enemy didn’t miss that instant.

“If blades don’t work-!”

The Green Forest bandit behind me struck down with a blunt weapon, putting all his strength and weight into it.

“Die!”

With a thunderous sound, a hexagonal club came crashing down on the back of my head like an explosion.

“Kheup…!”

Blood burst and flowed between the hair on my forehead.

And.

“Uh…”

The Green Forest bandit looked bewildered at the half-broken hexagonal club, standing awkwardly.

“This broke? What kind of nonsense-.”

My eyes became bloodshot.

“…You bastards!!”

For the first time, a roar of rage burst from my mouth.

My fist swung out.

-Bang! Bang crash!

I struck upward twice at the giant’s abdomen who was holding me, breaking his ribs.

My knee drove into his side.

“Kek!”

I felt the hands of Jangsa-hu, the Indestructible Diamond Body, loosen from my waist.

I didn’t miss that moment.

My hand, spread like claws, reached toward the enemy’s danjeon.

[Bukmyeong Singong]

Mercilessly, as if his danjeon was being crushed, all of Jangsa-hu’s internal energy was sucked in at once.

Not just simple internal energy, but all of his true essence and true energy, sucked in like small pebbles thrown into the sea of my Buk Hai.

“Keu…keua…!”

The light faded from Jangsa-hu’s eyes.

I grabbed his head as his strength drained away.

I frantically hammered down iron fists on his exposed back of the head.

Jangsa-hu went limp.

I raised my head.

“You…!”

Red energy flickered in my eyes along with blood.

Before me was a Green Forest bandit holding the broken, blood-stained hexagonal club.

He shouted with a pale, frightened face.

“D-don’t come…!”

I grabbed that Green Forest bandit’s hair and slammed him straight into the window frame beside us.

-Bang! Crash!

The window paper tore as the Green Forest bandit’s head burst through.

I continued slamming him repeatedly along the adjacent window frames.

The enemy died along with the broken window frame fragments.

“You bastard!”

I faced the Green Forest bandits charging at me with sickles and daggers.

I smashed their faces against each other.

Through the falling enemies, I saw Wi Jiseung just setting foot on the stairs leading to the second floor.

“St-stop him!”

Wi Jiseung pointed at me and screamed desperately. His face was colored with terror.

“He’s coming…! He’s coming! You bastards, what are you doing! That bastard, this fucking… fuck!!!”

With his broken nose, jaw, and ribs causing him pain, Wi Jiseung contorted his face while screaming with all his might.

“Don’t let that bastard get through!”

He turned around and began fleeing up to the second floor.

Behind him, Green Forest bandits blocked the front of the stairs to protect Wi Jiseung.

“…Where do you think you’re going!”

My eyes blazed with blood.

-Clench!

My iron fists clenched.

My form began chasing Wi Jiseung up the stairs, sending dozens of people flying through the air.

“Kek!”

“Aaah!”

In the process, three Green Forest bandits tumbled down, smashing the ceiling and stair railings.

One of the Green Forest bandits hit by my kick was sent flying, breaking through the kitchen door.

-Chiiiiik!

The heated cauldron shook violently.

“Hot, hot!”

A desperate scream echoed from beyond the kitchen.

I had reached the second floor.

As soon as I climbed up, I could see Wi Jiseung with a deathly pale face fumblingly crawling down through the window.

I quickly surveyed the surroundings.

The second floor seemed to be a storage area for the noodle shop, with kitchen utensils and luggage scattered about.

I spotted a pot lid rolling around at my feet.

I kicked up the pot lid to use as a shield and threw myself at the window.

-Crash!

I smashed through the window and plummeted vertically down to the street where red lanterns swayed.

My body tumbled to the ground.

I quickly got up and hurled the dented pot lid at Wi Jiseung who had just climbed down.

“Argh!”

Wi Jiseung was sent flying back inside along with the pot lid.

“Aaaah!”

Wi Jiseung sprang up with his face covered in blood.

He grabbed a liquor bottle nearby and swung it down at me with all his might.

I dodged to the side and struck his arm with a knife-hand, shattering it. I snatched the bottle away.

With a swoosh, the bottle was caught in my hand upside down.

-Crash!

It collided with Wi Jiseung’s head and exploded in a crushing impact.

I slammed the swaying Wi Jiseung to the ground along with a fountain of blood.

“Huff, huff!”

Wi Jiseung collapsed sprawled across the threshold. As he frantically tried to lift his upper body, what met his eyes was me gripping the door handle.

“Wait, I have something to say-!”

“I don’t need your pathetic handful of internal energy.”

“…Wait!!”

-Bang! Bang bang bang!

I slammed the door frame shut repeatedly like a madman.

“This bastard…! To go as far as Wi Jiseung!”

Charging forward with two gleaming daggers gripped in both hands was the green-clad figure who had been watching until now – Sword Master Hwangpyo.

-Swish! Swish swish!

Seven silver flashes aimed for my neck and upper body.

I avoided them by stepping aside three times and backing away twice.

“You bastard, are you really… truly a member of the Namgung Family?!”

Hwangpyo exclaimed in shock as he readjusted his grip on the daggers.

I looked around.

“How… how can a member of the Five Great Families be so vicious and tyrannical…! No, you’re not a martial artist. You are… you are!”

“An assassin talking about such things? Truly a disgrace to assassins.”

“What…?!”

I threw away the forge gloves that had served their purpose.

I clenched and unclenched my bare hands.

‘This should be enough.’

At the end of intense combat, even during contact I had absorbed as much quality internal energy as possible.

Gathering that internal energy, I focused on opening the second form of the Pasabeolsik engraved on my back and said.

“Whitenight specializes in ambushes, and Darknight handles direct assassination contracts. What encompasses both is the Dark Emperor. The definition of the Dark Emperor is not discriminating between means and methods.”

“Nonsense!”

At that instant, eight hidden weapons were thrown, precisely targeting the gaps between my breaths.

My body watching them became blurred.

And I leaped away with just two aerial somersaults at an incomparable speed to before.

“…What was that just now?!”

Hwangpyo’s eyes bulged as if they would pop out.

“Surely that movement technique used only by high-level assassins, Phantom Shadow Step…?!”

“You recognize it.”

“You… what exactly are you! How can you, a martial artist, possibly-!”

“You missed the point of surprise.”

I said calmly.

“What you should be surprised about isn’t that I used Phantom Shadow Step to its limit.”

“…?”

I pointed to the numerous Green Forest members sprawled behind me.

“Among the traces left on them, there isn’t a single martial art related to ‘Namgung.'”

“…!”

Hwangpyo spoke haltingly.

“This bastard… surely not.”

Then he desperately denied it.

“No, you’re from a great family. You couldn’t possibly have the mindset and behavior of an assassin.”

“I do know several Namgung Family martial arts.”

I said curtly.

“But I didn’t use them.”

“You…”

That was the definitive statement that ended Hwangpyo’s last doubt.

Hwangpyo stammered.

“Surely not, really from the beginning all of this… on purpose?”

“And one more thing. You said I wouldn’t have known you’d come to punish me.”

-Whooom.

Silver light seeped into the pattern of Pasabeolsik engraved on my back. The internal energy absorbed during this battle and a portion of my existing internal energy flowed into the blood channels of Pasabeolsik on my back.

[Pasabeolsik Second Form, Speed.]

A new blood form had been opened.

-Whoosh!

I reached behind Hwangpyo before even his shadow could follow.

“…What kind of human speed is that!”

“The reason I made this entire gamble was originally targeting your prey and.”

-Crack!

And my claw hand crushed directly into the danjeon of Hwangpyo who had turned around in surprise.

“You. The backer of this Red Lantern District, Green Shadow Assassins.”

“Cough, cough…ugh…”

I gazed at the carriage placed in a corner of the distant alley and murmured.

“You took some elixir recently, didn’t you? Thanks to that, your internal energy would be extremely rare in this underworld, equivalent to sixty years’ worth. But you’re still immature in utilizing it, at a stage where you can’t fully manifest that internal power?”

“…You… you. How do you know that… No. More than that.”

Hwangpyo said desperately with blood in his mouth.

“Aren’t you afraid of future troubles? Do you know who… who might be behind me.”

“I don’t care.”

I said.

“I now know better than anyone the end of that life I lived until now, supposedly being rational, considering risks and living in hiding.”

“…?”

“Come at me, all of you. I’ll devour every last one.”

Did he see something gleaming in my two eyes?

Beyond the hood, something worse than fear of death slowly begins to color and overlay Hwangpyo’s face.

Hwangpyo spoke with a trembling voice.

“You… you’re absolutely not some common Jeongpa warrior. What the hell are you…?”

“Me?”

Following my clawed hand, the black and deep abyssal sea of Buk Hai that lay dormant in my danjeon begins to resonate.

“My alias is First Dark Emperor… No. No, that’s not right. I will surpass even that someday—”

“W-wait… you… your hand… your hand is on my danjeon…!”

“That’s right.”

I spoke coldly with a red gleam in my eyes.

“Namgung Muje. Let my alias in this life be Namgung Muje.”

[Bukmyeong Singong]

With my right hand as the axis, all of Hwangpyo’s internal energy began to be sucked into me.

“Kyaaahhh!!!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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