Murim Login - Chapter 450

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 450
Dozens of people gathered near the sandy shore at the island’s edge.
As the martial artists surrounding us parted to make way for our arrival, I finally spotted familiar faces.
“Uncle Hwang, how could you leave us like this! How could you!”
Moo-song wailed in a hoarse voice, while Xuangong Zhenren of the Wudang School watched him with a sorrowful expression, and Je-gal Poong, the Water Dragon Guest, gazed with inscrutable eyes.
And….
‘Moon-kyung.’
Moon-kyung, who always seemed neither present nor absent, had moved with unparalleled swiftness from the moment he learned of the crisis at Dongjeong Channel.
As a physician rather than an assassin, he had rushed about desperately trying to save even a single life.
Yet his efforts seemed mocked by fate—not a single survivor remained.
The corpse that Moo-song cradled while weeping endlessly was merely one among countless victims born of tragedy.
“You’ve arrived.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had glared at Je-gal Poong with displeasure, opened his mouth.
“Is that Huang Chong, the Swordmaster of the Yangtze?”
“It would be difficult to recognize, but based on our investigation, we are certain.”
That.
The word seemed inappropriate for referring to the deceased.
Yet anyone who had seen the corpse of Huang Chong, the Swordmaster of the Yangtze, would not dare object. I was no exception.
‘What kind of madman could do this.’
The corpse was so severely mutilated that it was hard to believe it had once been a living person.
A face crushed as if pounded by boulders, and a body that ceased to exist below the chest.
The stench of putrid flesh and entrails assaulted my nostrils.
“Ugh, blegh!”
I could not fault Hyuk Moo-jin for retching and stumbling backward.
Even I, who had witnessed countless horrors and corpses beyond measure, felt my stomach churn.
A sworn brother of the Sea King and a supreme master whose formidable martial prowess had commanded the vast Yangtze River.
Huang Chong, the Swordmaster of the Yangtze, resembled a lump of meat more than a corpse.
“My lord, this is….”
“Ghastly. What kind of inhuman monster would do such a thing.”
Chung Poong and Gung Ki-bang muttered with ashen faces.
As I stared at the corpse with a rigid expression, I suddenly sensed something amiss and spoke.
“What about those other corpses?”
With the island filled with bodies, a few more hardly warranted surprise.
Yet the two corpses my gaze fell upon lay side by side next to Huang Chong, the Swordmaster of the Yangtze.
‘That must mean they were important figures.’
Je-gal Poong, following the direction of my finger, answered.
“Hwang Chul, the Mad Water Blade Demon. And Do Rip-gun, the Wave Fox.”
“The Mad Water Blade Demon, the Wave Fox….”
Names I had heard before. And quite recently at that.
After a moment of thought, the memory surfaced, and I jerked my head up sharply.
“Is it possible?”
“That’s right. They’re the leaders of the Dangyang Pirate Crew and Hong-ho Pirate Crew under Dongting Lake.”
“Weren’t they said to have vanished without a trace after taking control of Hae-sa Bang’s territory?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
Je-gal Poong continued, his gaze fixed on the corpses of the two pirate leaders with a contemplative expression.
“Guangshuoduigui had an explosive temperament, and Paralangho was cunning. That’s precisely why when the Hae-sa Bang incident erupted a month ago, everyone had no choice but to suspect them.”
Gung Ki-bang suddenly spoke up.
“Master once said something like that. Within the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, only two people could control Guangshuoduigui and Paralangho.”
“A fair assessment. Apart from their temperaments, they possessed martial prowess of that caliber. Without a leash to restrain them, they were vicious hounds that would have run wild.”
In that sense, Huang Chong would have been the perfect leash to control such hounds.
As the second-strongest master in the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance after the Sea King, he also possessed exceptional skill in handling people.
Yet that sturdy leash had snapped, and both hounds were found dead.
Even the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance of Hubei Province, which had engaged in a prolonged power struggle with Hae-sa Bang, had been reduced to ruins.
And there was only one faction capable of committing such acts without any reason or justification.
“Dark Heaven. Is it them again?”
Xuangong Zhenren’s sigh carried unmistakable anger and lamentation.
After Hanan and Sichuan, the shadow of Dark Heaven had finally fallen upon Hubei Province.
Or perhaps Dark Heaven had been standing upon the realm all along, from long ago.
It was simply that back then, it had been a night without a single light, so we could not perceive the shadow.
‘Just as the Grand Elder had joined hands with Dark Heaven long ago.’
This was not something that began in a day or two, but a sinister scheme that had been gestating since the time of the Jeongal Family Tournament.
“Chaos. Truly, an age of chaos approaches.”
Je-gal Poong, who had muttered in a low voice, lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings.
A pair of eyes gleaming with an inscrutable light gazed upon the mist swirling in all directions.
As if piercing through to perceive something crouched beyond it.
* * *
I and my companions moved about busily.
Yet despite thoroughly searching the surrounding cliffs and island in pursuit of a single survivor or witness, we obtained no results whatsoever.
Instead, only confusion and frustration deepened.
‘Not a single survivor—that much I can accept, but to find no traces of formation techniques at all?’
If Dark Heaven had entered this place through a teleportation formation without passing through Tianling Waterfall, there should have been traces identical to those we discovered in Sichuan somewhere here.
Yet despite the Je-gal Family Estate’s retainers, renowned for their formation techniques and mechanisms, conducting the search, no meaningful results emerged.
It was so frustrating that Je-gal Poong came to question me directly.
“Are you certain such a formation technique truly exists?”
“I’m telling you it does. I left immediately after the matter concluded, so I couldn’t find it in Hanan, but I saw it clearly with my own eyes during the Sichuan incident.”
“I too had learned of it through correspondence, but such a bizarre formation technique doesn’t even exist in the Main Residence’s records.”
“Then document it now while you have the chance.”
“….”
“If you search, it’s definitely there. We must find it.”
“I agree. But the personnel gathered here now are insufficient for the task.”
The size of the island that Dongjeong Channel had claimed as its base was one concern, but the greater problem lay in its surrounding environment.
Hundreds of zhang-high cliffs that couldn’t be scaled by land surrounded it on all sides, and beyond that stretched an expanse of river water even more vast.
With only four Fast Ships and roughly three hundred personnel, we were bound to face limitations.
“It was a mistake to handpick only those skilled in martial arts. I should have brought people well-versed in formation techniques.”
What good was regret now?
Not just Je-gal Poong, but everyone here including myself had been concerned about a bloody conflict with the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance—we never imagined a situation like this awaited us.
“Then we shall go to the Je-gal Family Estate and bring back the necessary talent.”
“It would be best if I, as the family head, went directly, but given the current circumstances, this seems like the wisest course. I’ll assign a few household members from the Main Residence to accompany you.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been listening quietly, suddenly opened his mouth toward me.
“Surely you don’t mean to include this old man in your ‘we,’ do you?”
“Of course. Don’t you know the saying? Where the needle goes, the thread follows.”
“I see. Then have you heard this saying?”
“…?”
“Talk nonsense and you’ll die.”
“…!”
As I flinched in that instant, Jeok Cheon-gang clenched his fist and made his threat clear.
“This old man isn’t going. If you’re going, you go alone.”
“What, are you planning to live here forever? You’ll never leave?”
“Who said anything about living forever? There’s no need for everyone to rush off together. If this old man stays behind to help search for the formation, then Hyung Soo will be revealed and Hubei Province will find peace, won’t it?”
Ever since my old friend Dharma King Hung-do was killed by Dark Heaven, Jeok Cheon-gang had gnashed his teeth whenever Dark Heaven’s hermitage was mentioned, but this reaction seemed somehow off.
After thinking for a moment, I clapped my hands.
“Ah. Now I understand. It’s because of Tianling Waterfall.”
“…!”
“Stop beating around the bush and just say it. I forgot to worry about it myself.”
“W-who said anything about worrying over mere water! Have you forgotten who this old man is!”
“Hmm. A coward?”
“No!”
Whack! Whack! Whack!
After taking seven blows to the back of my head, I fled and made my way toward my next destination.
The familiar faces gathered together turned their heads toward me.
“Captain. What do we do from here?”
I answered while kicking Hyuk Moo-jin’s rear end.
“Just finished talking. We need to leave immediately, so prepare yourselves.”
“Leave? Where to?”
“The Je-gal Family Estate. We need to bring back people skilled in formation techniques and mechanisms. If necessary, we’ll also recruit from the Wudang School. I heard they have a few Daoists well-versed in formation techniques there.”
“Well, the Wudang School might be difficult.”
At Gung Ki-bang’s sudden interjection, I frowned.
“What nonsense is that?”
“It’s not me—Xuangong Zhenren said so.”
“Hmm. Now that I think about it, there must be a good reason for saying that.”
“….”
“Enough. Explain it to me in detail. What are you talking about?”
“It seems problems have arisen on the Wudang School’s side as well. Even before the Hae-sa Bang incident, some mad Kill Star has been murdering people throughout Hubei Province… and it’s grown into something serious. Already, more than thirty have fallen to this creature’s hand, so it’s understandable.”
“A Kill Star? Is this person a martial artist?”
“It certainly appears to be a martial artist of considerable skill. Though most of the victims are commoners, a first-rate Bandit of some renown was found dead after being hired by the authorities to pursue this creature.”
A first-rate Bandit—wherever they go, they’re recognized as a master of the highest caliber.
If the rumors about this Kill Star were true, and it had indeed disposed of a first-rate Bandit with ease before escaping, there was every possibility it was a supreme master.
‘But there’s no way the entire Wudang School would rise up just to catch one creature.’
The doubt that had crossed my mind vanished instantly at Gung Ki-bang’s next words.
“Four days ago, I heard that twenty pilgrims climbing Wudang Mountain were slaughtered en masse. Among them were the children of high-ranking officials who were seeking to enter the Wudang School as lay disciples.”
“Ah.”
Not just anywhere—this atrocity had occurred on Wudang Mountain itself.
The pilgrims had been massacred in the front courtyard of the Main Sect Headquarters, and now the creature had even touched the children of high-ranking officials. The Wudang School’s fury was entirely justified.
‘Completely insane. And audacious too.’
Suddenly, the two characters “Dark Heaven” flashed through my mind, but I shook my head immediately.
This is the Martial World. Deranged serial killers from the modern world couldn’t hold a candle to the lunatics that abound here.
Murder happening in broad daylight on a main road wouldn’t even be particularly surprising.
‘If this were Dark Heaven’s doing, an incomparably larger incident would have erupted.’
In any case, since that’s the situation with the Wudang School, it’s a matter to reconsider after we arrive at the Je-gal Family Estate.
“Well, now that you know, everyone gather your belongings. They’re preparing outside to come get us.”
Jin Wi-kyung is already set to remain behind before even meeting Je-gal Poong, so I only need to take these people with me.
But one person—or rather, one individual—seemed to have different thoughts.
“I will stay behind.”
“Which bastard—ah. It’s Moon-kyung.”
“Is there perhaps a reason I should accompany you?”
“There isn’t. Stay. Stay.”
Please stay.

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