Murim Login - Chapter 724

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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 724
Some departed, while others remained.
Yet as Beast King Miao Wang watched the receding figures of those embarking on their distant journey, he knew the truth—before the lingering sorrow of this parting could even fade, they would meet again.
And that reunion would take place on a battlefield where they would stand back-to-back and fight together.
“In the end, we find ourselves heading toward the Central Plains once more.”
At the voice that pierced his ears, Beast King Miao Wang gave a subtle nod.
“Indeed. It has come to pass.”
“Much blood will be spilled.”
“Do you believe this father’s decision was wrong?”
“No, sir.”
Ya-ryul Mok continued with composure.
“Had you—had the Palace Master not wished to journey to the Central Plains, I would have departed with them alone.”
“…!”
Ya-ryul Mok’s gaze fixed upon the distant silhouettes of those departing.
Foreigners from unfamiliar lands. Yet because of these foreigners, we were able to protect our homeland.
“Now it is our turn to aid them.”
There was a time when he too had opposed the Central Plains and rejected the Han Clan.
But that was then. The young Deputy Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace, still unripe in years, had learned righteousness from a foreigner, and would never forget a conversation they had shared long ago.
‘What if fire breaks out in the grassland?’
‘Then we must extinguish it at once.’
‘Why?’
‘Because if we don’t, the flames will spread in all directions.’
‘Good. The answer is clear.’
‘…!’
‘Don’t overthink why we came. The fire is burning, so we came to put it out. Just as the Southern Barbarians who left this land decades ago journeyed to the Central Plains.’
At first, I could not believe it. I could not accept it.
The Han Clan I knew were a treacherous people who had betrayed trust and driven countless Southern Barbarians to their deaths.
They could not have traveled more than ten thousand li merely to offer aid without expectation of reward.
There was certainly a time when I thought thus.
‘But now I understand. The meaning of those words you spoke.’
Fire has already ignited in the grassland called Tianxia, and the great demon flame known as Dark Heaven will consume all.
Where one is born and raised, what colors and features one bears—none of it matters now.
Just as the Southern Barbarians have finally become one, all must unite to extinguish that fire.
“I will fight with my life on the line. For all who dwell in this land. And for them.”
Witnessing such unwavering resolve in Ya-ryul Mok, Beast King Miao Wang allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.
‘When did he grow so much.’
Like the Southern Barbarians finally united as one, my sole son had taken another step toward maturity.
Yet why did my heart feel so hollow at this very moment, like an empty vessel?
‘Foolish boy.’
Swallowing the bitter reproach, Beast King Miao Wang tilted the gourd flask he drew from his robes.
The fragrant fruit wine drifted downward with the gradually subsiding rain, seeping into the earth—the soil of the homeland where sworn brothers had been born and raised together.
“Excellent taste, wouldn’t you say?”
At Beast King Miao Wang’s murmur, though he hadn’t tasted a single drop, those around him exchanged puzzled glances, yet he smiled with evident relief.
This was enough.
In the distant future, they would meet again and raise their cups together.
‘Yes, someday without fail.’
Beast King Miao Wang suddenly lifted his gaze toward the heavens.
Between the gradually subsiding raindrops, a vast expanse of azure sky stretched above the countless heads of the Southern Barbarians.
Or perhaps it was the gaze of an unseen absolute being.
“Sound the war drums.”
A low voice that shattered the suffocating silence. Beast King Miao Wang drew in a deep breath, channeled his power, and cried out.
“The Divine One wills it!”
Alongside the Azure Dragon’s Roar that reverberated across all directions, a snow-white Baek Ho perched somewhere on the high hillside unleashed a thunderous roar.
– Kraaaaaaagh!
Clang clang clang!
Waaaaaaaah!
Thousands upon thousands of beasts and humans stamped their feet and raised their voices with all their might. Sunlight reflected off countless blades scattered in all directions.
Thus began the prelude to the great war.
* * *
With sorrowful eyes and a grave atmosphere, Hyuk Moo-jin slowly parted his lips before all eyes.
“I merely sought to save people—to preserve human lives.”
“Enough.”
“It was not done for reward, and I cannot demand another’s sacrifice again. That is why I intended to depart.”
“I said enough.”
“Ah, why do you say that? This never grows tiresome, no matter how many times we speak of it. Honestly, you all agree, don’t you?”
Tae-san, tearing at wild boar haunches atop a bear charging relentlessly forward, nodded vigorously.
“Tae-san agrees!”
“You see? Even he agrees. I merely sought to save people—to preserve human lives….”
I quietly cut off Hyuk Moo-jin’s words.
“Moo-jin.”
“Yes.”
“Do you wish to become a eunuch?”
The smile that had pervaded Hyuk Moo-jin’s face faded.
“No.”
“Is your life then so tedious?”
“That cannot be. I am already concerned that my life is far too turbulent.”
“Then shall I grant you peace?”
“Surely you don’t mean to kill me?”
“What if I do?”
“Wow, look over there. The scenery is truly beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Right. Let’s go quietly.”
“…Yes.”
But unlike Hyuk Moo-jin, who fell silent obediently, Tae-san wore a disappointed expression and requested an encore.
“Palace Master! Tae-san wants to hear more!”
And I called over the person in charge of the work detail.
“Nam Ho, I think it’s time we shut that mouth of his.”
“Oh, finally!”
Nam Ho cheered like a freedom fighter celebrating liberation, promptly producing a gag from his pocket as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
A bizarre yet oddly familiar contraption of black iron and leather straps.
“Wait. Where did that come from?”
“I obtained it from a Southern Barbarian beast trainer. Apparently they use it mainly for taming wild bears.”
“….”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there a problem?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a problem, but…”
Something about it bothered me for reasons I couldn’t quite articulate. It felt like from now on, instead of being called Tae-san, he’d need to be referred to by a product number like TAESAN-317….
After hesitating for a moment, I couldn’t overcome the unease and let out a sigh.
“Don’t put that on him. Actually, just throw it away.”
“No! Why!”
Why? Because my eyes would feel soiled by the sight.
I practically wrenched the gag from Nam Ho’s hands as he nearly wailed in protest, flinging it far away. Jeok Cheon-gang, who had witnessed the entire scene, opened his mouth with a displeased expression.
“What in the world happened in the Southern Barbarians?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant and asked back.
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking what happened that made everyone lose their minds.”
“Many things certainly occurred in the Southern Barbarians, but everyone is in their original state.”
“What!”
“Surprisingly, it’s the truth.”
“You fool! Don’t spout nonsense. How can you claim not a single person died when things fell apart so catastrophically!”
“….”
Right? Damn it.
Reflecting on what happened in the Southern Barbarians, I found myself harboring a reasonable suspicion that the Goddess of Earth Mother must have blessed us.
‘I brushed with death multiple times, but simply returning intact feels like a miracle.’
Of course, I was the only one who narrowly escaped death repeatedly, and my companions, each bearing various injuries both major and minor, were all able to recover completely thanks to the efficacy of the Sacred Rain.
‘And we managed to thwart Dark Heaven’s schemes as well.’
Though the process resulted in considerable casualties, the mere fact that we could stop the Nantian Demon Empress—who was essentially the top priority for both me and the Fire Dragon Pavilion—constituted more than half a victory.
‘And on top of that, the formal admission of the Southern Beast Palace into our ranks.’
In truth, the Southern Beast Palace’s joining was all but inevitable once we stopped the Nantian Demon Empress.
Even without the brand effect of the Goddess of Earth Mother, the outcome wouldn’t have differed significantly.
Embers trampled carelessly burn all the brighter, and the emotion of anger unites those who were scattered into one.
I merely provided them with another focal point.
A unique deity whose existence could erase centuries of tribal boundaries. A focal point around which they could unite and become an even more formidable force.
‘And thanks to that, the Martial Alliance’s military strength has also grown.’
For once, I could say with certainty: the Southern Beast Palace had become a true ally.
According to the promise Beast King Miao Wang made before departing, they would dispatch far more troops than during the past Great Demon War, and would do everything in their power to hold back Dark Heaven.
But why was it?
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
Despite achieving a significant victory, a corner of my heart remained filled with inexplicable unease.
And perhaps the reason was an unresolved mystery.
‘The new Martial Alliance has been born, and all the forces of the Central Plains are gathering around the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families. Yet Dark Heaven’s full strength has never been revealed.’
The first intervention in Shanxi Province. The Shaolin Blood Massacre that followed, and the series of events that continued until now—none of these could be called trivial, but they were merely fragments, not the entirety of Dark Heaven as an organization.
‘The time to test the waters should have long passed.’
What exactly was their intention? Or rather, the Heavenly Master’s intention?
And why does the Heavenly Master….
“Why does she take such an interest in me specifically?”
At my unconscious murmur, everyone’s eyes snapped toward me. Before I could even try to cover it up, Hyuk Moo-jin perked up like a meerkat.
“Whoa, Captain. Did someone confess to you? Seriously. A Southern Barbarian?”
“….”
I wanted to gouge out those sparkling eyes of his.
I suppressed the impulse and answered.
“It’s not like that, you lunatic.”
“You’re insane. Then the Han Clan?”
“I said no—wait, actually, the Han Clan does make sense.”
“Wow. When exactly? Who confessed to you?”
“The Heavenly Master.”
“Whoa. That’s quite a name. Sounds like some well-bred noble lady….”
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been making a fuss, suddenly fell silent. After blinking and thinking for a moment, he continued.
“Who?”
“The Heavenly Master.”
“The Heavenly Master that I know? The one everyone knows?”
“Who else would there be?”
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been quiet, muttered softly.
“Damn, that noble lady is in Xinjiang….”
Beyond Qinghai, where the Kunlun Sect is located, lies Xinjiang—territory that has belonged to the Demonic Path for a thousand years.
Those who learned that the woman showing interest in me was the Heavenly Master of Dark Heaven fell silent for a moment, exchanging glances, before simultaneously voicing their questions.
“Wait, why the Heavenly Master?”
Nam Ho interjected at Hyuk Moo-jin’s question.
“Isn’t it obvious? She keeps interfering with us, doesn’t she?”
“That’s true, but Captain isn’t one of the Three Stars or the Ten Kings either. He’s just some nobody who recently gained a bit of fame.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s not wrong either.”
“Tae-san can eat scraps too.”
“That damned bastard. I knew this would happen, so I brought an extra muzzle. Come here. Open your mouth.”
“No, why are you all speaking like that? Our Lord is not refuse! Song Ho-wi, Sama So-hyup! Say something!”
“Young Lady Ju, I apologize, but I think I must take my leave here. Even if I somehow made it this far to the Southern Wilderness, the fact that the Heavenly Master has taken an interest in that fellow is… a bit much.”
“Tae-san! That’s not meat, so don’t bite it! Old Master! Put that muzzle down this instant!”
“….”
Damn. I’d never seen such complete chaos.
And as I stood there staring blankly at the total pandemonium unfolding before my eyes, a soft voice transmission pierced my ears.
– We need to talk.
It was Jeok Cheon-gang.

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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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