Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 341

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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 341
Part 2
A moment of silence fell.
The tremors of the explosion subsided, the flames died down.
As dust descended slowly, Dong Mu-rin stood in place, surveying his surroundings.
The Sect Master Hall was now nothing more than ruins, unrecognizable in form.
Walls had crumbled, pillars lay shattered, and embers of flame still burned defiantly in scattered places.
Dong Mu-rin moved forward slowly.
Each step fell heavily. The weight of years spent living beneath the burden of vengeance resonated through his gait.
Walking to where Shin Ju-eon—no longer a martial artist—stood, Dong Mu-rin spoke in a quiet voice.
“Sect Master.”
Shin Ju-eon lifted his head. His face was caked with blood and dust, his eyes swirling with despair and rage.
“I have a question about death.”
Dong Mu-rin’s voice was composed, as though conversing with an old friend.
It was remarkably natural.
“Eleven years ago, when you killed my father Dong Yu-seong—what were your feelings?”
Shin Ju-eon looked up at Dong Mu-rin. This mad bastard.
He was asking such a thing in this situation?
From Dong Mu-rin’s perspective, it was natural; from Shin Ju-eon’s, it was utterly unnatural.
Then, for a moment, he was dazed.
In that young face, he saw the face of Dong Yu-seong, whom he had killed long ago.
He had seen it through divination before, but seeing it in person was decidedly different.
The atmosphere, the appearance.
The gaze when speaking, the posture when standing.
All of it resembled that wretched bastard from back then.
“…You…”
“Answer the question.”
Blood surged up violently. Even so, it was visible.
The hunger for vengeance and the thirst for murder burning in Dong Mu-rin’s eyes.
Cough.
A twisted smile appeared at the corners of Shin Ju-eon’s mouth as he spat dark blood.
This one before him was like Dong Yu-seong, yet different. Beneath that seemingly serene appearance, the visage of a mad killer was visible.
He could roughly guess this one’s fate as well.
How did it feel?
“Utterly…satisfying…!”
His voice was rough and hoarse, yet conviction resonated within it.
“By killing that wretch, I obtained his Peerless Martial Arts! I grasped supreme martial power in my hands!”
Unexpectedly, Dong Mu-rin smiled faintly at those words.
“I see.”
Then he asked slowly.
“Then how do I appear to you?”
“What?”
“Do I look satisfied right now?”
Shin Ju-eon’s eyes trembled violently.
Was this bastard actually…?
“Allow me to answer for you. Yes, I am very satisfied.”
“You… damned… whelp….”
The sounds escaping Shin Ju-eon’s throat could no longer be called human speech.
It was closer to the anguished howl of a beast, mingling fury with despair.
Dong Mu-rin crouched down beside him.
At the same height as Shin Ju-eon’s face, he stared directly into his eyes and spoke.
“Whether I am the spawn of a dog or the spawn of a man hardly matters.”
His voice remained measured, like that of a sage expounding truth.
“What matters is that I, just moments ago, slaughtered both of your sons.”
“You monster…!”
Shin Ju-eon thrashed, but having lost his Martial Arts, no strength remained in his body.
Dong Mu-rin continued speaking.
“It was pathetic beyond measure.”
Contempt seeped into his voice.
“You are five or six years my senior, yet your real combat experience was so lacking. The sight of you growing arrogant after obtaining Peerless Martial Arts was truly pitiful.”
Dong Mu-rin paused briefly before continuing in an even colder tone.
“Yes, exactly like you are now.”
Shin Ju-eon wanted nothing more than to rise and seize Dong Mu-rin by the collar.
But he could not. He had lost all his Martial Arts. His life as a Martial Artist had completely ended.
And instinctively, he understood.
That his life as a human being—not as a Martial Artist—would soon end as well.
Dong Mu-rin rose slowly and spoke.
“The cycle of grudge is truly fascinating.”
He gazed upward as he continued.
“You killed my father, and I killed your sons. And now I will kill you. But this will not be the end.”
Dong Mu-rin looked down at Shin Ju-eon once more.
“Someday, perhaps a relative of yours, a disciple, or someone who followed you will attempt to kill me. That is the essence of grudge—an endless chain of hatred.”
Shin Ju-eon listened.
Rage consumed him, yet all he could do was cough and spit dark crimson blood.
“But that chain will never continue.”
Dong Mu-rin’s voice grew harder still.
“Everyone connected to you, all those capable of vengeance, your relatives—they will all perish.”
The color drained from his face entirely.
He had seen correctly.
This mad, murderous beast.
“I won’t go that far….”
“Why do you believe you won’t?”
“…What?”
“Only then can the chains be severed. After all, vengeance is something that must be pursued in such a manner, is it not?”
At that moment, Shin Ju-eon lifted his head.
What emerged from his lips was enough to shock anyone.
“Spare… me.”
I thought I had misheard.
“What did you say?”
“Spare me….”
Shin Ju-eon’s voice was desperate. It was the voice of a man who had cast aside all pride and dignity, leaving only the raw desire to live.
“I do not wish to die like this… I will give you the Palace… Yes, I shall surrender the Palace to you….”
Shin Ju-eon continued, gasping for breath.
“If I, the current Palace Lord, repent of my past transgressions and yield the Palace Lord’s seat to you as my successor before retiring into seclusion… would that not paint a most favorable picture? The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has already seized control of Cheon Rim, making information management far easier… If you merely spare my life, I shall grant you all the justification you need… Moreover, the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace commands over twenty Branch Offices… The way to make all their Division Leaders and Division Members follow you is to spare me. Should you do so, no more blood need be spilled, and the chains of resentment shall also….”
“You render me speechless.”
Dong Mu-rin’s manner of speech had begun to resemble Seol Woon-hwi’s.
This was Dong Mu-rin’s will to follow in Seol Woon-hwi’s footsteps.
It was not mere imitation.
Dong Mu-rin had observed and internalized Seol Woon-hwi’s way of thinking from his side. In this moment, there was only one decision to be made.
Dong Mu-rin drew his sword.
The blade gleamed coldly.
“I shall pretend I did not hear that.”
“Wait… wait….”
Shin Ju-eon desperately reached out his hand, but Dong Mu-rin paid it no heed.
“When you reach the Afterlife, apologize to your father.”
Dong Mu-rin mercilessly drove his sword through Shin Ju-eon’s throat.
A wet sound.
With that noise, all of Shin Ju-eon’s bodily functions ceased.
A single drop of blood trickled from his eyes as he lay upon the ground.
Dong Mu-rin withdrew his sword and shook the blood from it.
I had always harbored the desire to achieve vengeance.
Yet the probability of success had been exceedingly low.
How could one slay the Sect Master of Sa-ma Oe-jong, who had ascended to Limitless Divine Manifestation?
Even with endless cultivation, such a feat seemed virtually impossible.
Yet it had been accomplished far sooner than I had anticipated.
Though I had not directly faced Shin Ju-eon in combat to claim his life, I had slain his two sons and, through that shock, neutralized him and altered the situation.
I had proceeded and completed everything according to Seol Woon-hwi’s words.
This was substantial enough to be considered a direct accomplishment.
Yes.
Now that my life’s foremost objective was complete, I had to walk a new path.
My life’s purpose has been newly set.
I will seize control of the Hondo Maryeom Palace and become its true Palace Lord, becoming Seol Woon-hwi’s blade.
The sharpest and most dangerous blade of all.
I turned my head.
My eyes met Seol Woon-hwi’s, who had been watching me all along.
“Are you satisfied?”
Dong Mu-rin nodded at Seol Woon-hwi’s serene question and spoke.
“Very satisfied, my lord.”
Seol Woon-hwi smiled and said.
“There is much work ahead. The Hondo Maryeom Palace must become the core military force of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, and we must reach a state of near-perfect unity. Can you manage it?”
Dong Mu-rin nodded with resolute eyes.
“Of course, my lord.”
“Then it is settled. Take control of the palace together with Hwa Mu-ryeong, Seo Hyo, and Alliance Leader Hwa.”
Dong Mu-rin performed a respectful cupped fist salute.
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
Seol Woon-hwi stepped outside and lifted his gaze to the sky.
As clouds drifted past the moon, shadows on the ground rippled and wavered.
As the sun set, the night air grew cold.
The heat from the blood battle that had erupted in the Sect Master Hall dissipated, and the distinctive chill of Yeom-ma Mountain settled back into place.
Hwa Mu-nyeom approached his side.
His gait was slightly slower than usual.
The wounds sustained in the fierce clash with Shin Ju-eon were considerable, yet his eyes remained sharp as ever.
“Is everything well?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom’s question was simple, but it carried multiple meanings within it.
It could be asking about Dong Mu-rin’s condition, or it could be asking about the overall outcome of this affair.
Seol Woon-hwi turned his head to regard Hwa Mu-nyeom.
“Shouldn’t that question be directed at the next Palace Lord of the Hondo Maryeom Palace over there?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom shook his head.
“Do I appear foolish to you?”
A hint of irritation colored his voice.
“Not at all.”
“When I faced Shin Ju-eon, I felt it too.”
“What did you feel?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom gazed toward the peak of Yeom-ma Mountain and spoke.
“The aura of a master who has ascended to the realm of Great Void Formless.”
The air grew heavy in that instant.
The realm of Great Void Formless was a realm that surpassed Hwa Mu-nyeom’s current Limitless Divine Manifestation by a full two stages.
Those who have reached that realm are beings who stand but a single step away from becoming true Martial Gods, and wherever they go, they inspire reverence or fear.
Moreover, their very existence touches the fundamental essence of humanity, so any being of sufficient cultivation cannot help but sense their approach.
Seol Woon-hwi gazed briefly toward the peak of Yeom-ma Mountain.
No trace of energy emanated from that place anymore. As if no one had ever been there to begin with.
Then Hwa Mu-nyeom’s question reached his ears.
“Is it Gun Mu-gyeol? Or Kang Cheon-u?”
Both names belonged to figures standing at the pinnacle of the Murim.
Gun Mu-gyeol, the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, and Kang Cheon-u, the Alliance Leader of the Four Heaven Alliance.
These were not mere masters of the Great Void Formless, but true powerhouses who remained but a single step away from the Primordial Sole Existence.
And Seol Woon-hwi’s response to Hwa Mu-nyeom’s question was unexpectedly cold.
“If you understand the situation unfolding, and if you are to become the next Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, you should provide answers rather than pose questions.”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s words, Hwa Mu-nyeom let out a hollow laugh, but as pain surged from the wound inflicted by Shin Ju-eon, his expression hardened.
“Cough… It must be Gun Mu-gyeol.”
“Correct.”
So then.
“…In the end, you have accomplished something remarkable.”
Admiration tinged Hwa Mu-nyeom’s voice.
Gun Mu-gyeol would never have come here merely to visit.
He had withdrawn without taking any action—which was no different from Seol Woon-hwi having driven him away, making it genuinely astonishing in its own right.
Yet unexpectedly, Seol Woon-hwi shook his head.

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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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