The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 74

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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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Red Dragon Undefeated, Episode 74

Chapter 74 — Resolution

‘So that youngster is Namgung Jang-cheon.’
Yi Hwan spotted two figures exchanging blows through the mist and felt a spark of intrigue kindle within him.
They were on an entirely different level from those around them.
Crack!
Whoosh…
As their formidable power collided and thrust the fog aside, Yi Hwan gained a clear view of both their faces.
It was undoubtedly the strikingly handsome young man who captured his attention first. Though Yi Hwan had never seen his face before, he was certain this was Namgung Jang-cheon.
For one thing, he wore the garments of the Namgung Family. Moreover, at such an age, martial prowess of that caliber could only be explained by Namgung Jang-cheon—the prodigy hailed as a genius of the ages.
Yi Hwan’s gaze then shifted to Namgung Jang-cheon’s opponent.
‘Ghost Spirit Magic.’
A scarlet Blood Light pushing back the Blue Light.
Beyond it, with minimal movement, the force driving Namgung Jang-cheon back was unmistakably Ghost Spirit Magic—a power Yi Hwan would never forget.
‘That’s Ghost Spirit Magic approaching its peak.’
An opponent who had reached peak Ghost Spirit Magic was no trivial foe. Even the Sword King and Tao King had struggled mightily against such power in the past.
What puzzled Yi Hwan was that despite wielding Ghost Spirit Magic so close to its apex, the man was unable to easily overwhelm Namgung Jang-cheon.
Could it be that Namgung Jang-cheon was that formidable? No.
‘Why isn’t he giving his all?’
Yi Hwan saw through it at once—Hoe Po-in was deliberately holding back. And that made the intrigue burn brighter.
“Watch that footwork carefully. You’ll likely face that opponent one day.”
“You mean Hoe Po-in?”
“That old man is almost certainly the Valley Lord of Ghost Valley.”
“Then isn’t that young warrior even more remarkable? To stand on equal ground against the leader of Ghost Valley itself—that’s extraordinary.”
‘These ones are still far short of their forebears’ level.’
Yi Hwan’s brow furrowed slightly.
The Sword King or Tao King would have seen through the Valley Lord’s restraint at a glance.
It was then.
“Master, look there.”
Cheol Mu-ok pointed toward the right flank of the battlefield.
There, warriors of the Namgung Family were unleashing a barrage of attacks on men presumed to be minions of Ghost Valley. One of the Ghost Valley fighters was faltering under the relentless offensive, his ground gradually pushed toward the edge of the combat zone.
Yi Hwan’s eyes flared with intent.
“Capture that one.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan turned to Go Mi.
“You wait here.”
“Yes.”
Go Mi complied without hesitation. She had accepted that her presence would be more hindrance than help.
To acknowledge one’s own limits—that meant infinite potential for growth. In this regard, Yi Hwan found Go Mi quite agreeable.
‘How many masters truly exist in this world?’
Go Mi watched Yi Hwan and the others move toward the battlefield, her lips pressed tight together.
Color rose in her cheeks, spreading down to her neck. It was not wounded pride. She had always believed her greatest asset lay in intelligence work, and by devoting herself entirely to it, she had neglected the cultivation of martial skill.
This realization gnawed at her.
‘I will grow stronger. I must.’

* * *

As they drew closer, the fighting proved far more vicious than it appeared from above. Anguished death cries echoed ceaselessly through pockets of thick fog.
Yi Hwan crept forward with stealth toward his intended target—one of Ghost Valley’s minions.
Whish!
A sinister force streaked toward him.
Yi Hwan sidestepped lightly, and Cheol Mu-ok struck down the attacker’s throat instead.
Thud!
“Argh!”
What followed was a peculiar spectacle.
Because their garments differed markedly, warriors of both Zhao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom rushed at them simultaneously.
Kill them all without discrimination. Slaughter everything that moves.
Yes!
Cheol Mu-ok’s Large Blade and Ju Tae’s Long Sword carved through the empty air, trailing sword light in their wake.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
“Gaaaah!”
“Ahhhhh!”
Yi Hwan advanced toward the minion.
Around the minion lay Jin Kingdom warriors sprawled in pools of blood. Yet still more soldiers threw themselves at the creature in relentless assault.
Was the minion truly human?
“Urrgh!”
One minion spattered blood as it collapsed.
In that moment, Yi Hwan circled behind his target minion.
Yi Hwan’s right hand glowed blue.
It was the Azure Steel Hand, one of his forbidden techniques — a formidable hand strike said to shatter anything in the world, rivaling the mightiest sorceries.
“……!”
The minion belatedly sensed Yi Hwan and flinched. But Yi Hwan’s Azure Steel Hand was faster. His strike drove true into the creature’s abdomen. And yet—
Thud!
“……!”
Yi Hwan felt a bizarre resistance push back through his hand and hesitated for a fraction. Then he laughed coldly.
“Ah, I forgot. That Ghost Steel protecting your bodies.”
“……!”
The minion’s eyes flew wide.
As if asking: how do you know that?
Snap!
The minion threw itself leftward to escape Yi Hwan.
Yi Hwan pursued, striking again with his hand.
Crack!
“Gasp!”
The creature fell with a single cry of pain.
Yi Hwan swiftly seized the minion by the waist and launched himself skyward off the ground.
“Retreat!”
Flash!
Boom-crack!
“Kyahhhhh!”
“Aghhhh!”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae, capping their final assault with their most devastating technique, fled the battlefield in Yi Hwan’s wake.
Whoosh!
“Wasn’t that almost too easy, sir?”
“Should we have made it harder?”
“No, sir.”

* * *

Yi Hwan led them not to the cave but into the dense forest. Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae took guard positions in case of ambush. The minion, its blood channels suppressed, glared up at Yi Hwan with eyes brimming with defiance.
“Who… who are you?!”
“That hardly matters now, does it?”
“……!”
“I’m going to ask you some questions, but first I’ll show you what happens if you don’t answer willingly.”
Blood Light gathered at Yi Hwan’s fingertips. As always, it flickered between Blue Light and Blood Light, rising into the air like fireflies.
“This has killed plenty of your ancestors. But it’s not just for killing people, you understand.”
Five threads of Blood Light burrowed into the minion’s body. Finding no sensation, the creature bared its teeth in a vicious grin.
“Do what you will—my mouth will never open. So spare yourself the wasted effort and kill me already!”
“Is that so?”
“……!”
The minion’s eyes suddenly widened. The Blood Light clinging to its body began boring deeper within, smoke rising in thin wisps.
“Ngghhhhh……”
Sizzle!
With the stench of searing flesh, the minion’s face flushed crimson and tendons rose like tree roots beneath the skin.
“Gahhhhhhh!”
“Just hold on a bit longer. Then I’ll grant you acknowledgment and a painless death.”
Yi Hwan crossed his arms and leaned his back against the tree.
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae exchanged glances, their faces registering shock.
This kind of interrogation technique was something they’d never even imagined.
“Nnnngh…….”
The minion endured.
“Impressive. Shall we raise the intensity a bit?”
Screech!
“Argh!”
The minion began to foam at the mouth. How many seconds had passed—barely long enough to blink a few times?
“P-please! I’ll talk!”
“Hold on a little longer.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Yi Hwan didn’t stop the torture at once; he only paused when the minion’s consciousness was on the verge of slipping away.
“Gasp—gasp—gasp!”
In that brief span, the minion had become drenched in cold sweat and now gasped for breath in rough, ragged heaves. Whether from pain or the strain of clenching his teeth, blood trickled from his lips.
“Let’s start with the history of the Martial World.”
Yi Hwan posed his question at once.
“Do you know of Dae-ya Fortress?”
“Y-yes, I know of it.”
“Do you know why they were destroyed?”
“That—that I don’t know!”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
“I-I’ve never even heard of it! I swear!”
The result of the first question was disappointing.
“Ghost Valley never allied with any of the Three Kingdoms in the past. So what made them attach themselves to Zhao?”
“That is…….”
“Tsk.”
Five rays of Blood Light pierced into the minion’s body once more.
“Argh!”
“Oh, I forgot—you can’t afford to be slow with your answers.”
“It w-was to use Zhao’s intelligence network! Ahhhhh!”
Thud!
“Gasp—gasp—gasp!”
The moment the pain ceased, the minion gasped again. Yi Hwan crossed his arms and leaned back against the tree.
“Keep going.”
“W-we were searching for certain people. We needed Zhao’s intelligence network to find them.”
“Who are these people?”
“T-the Descendants of the Three Kings.”
“What?”
Yi Hwan’s eyes blazed with sudden intensity.
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae reacted the same way.
“S-searching out the Descendants of the Three Kings and severing their bloodline completely—that has been our mission for two hundred years.”
“What the hell is this bastard talking about?”
A murderous glint crystallized in Ju Tae’s eyes.
Yi Hwan raised a hand to calm him, then asked again.
“So did you find them?”
“Recently, near Sichuan Region, we captured someone using the Escape Soul Technique. He told us that a Ronin taught him this art, and that Ronin apparently went to Yen. We were preparing to go to Yen ourselves with the Valley Lord, but we suddenly clashed with Jin, and on the Crown Prince’s orders, we came here instead.”
‘So these bastards knew about it too.’
Cheol Mu-ok’s expression darkened as he looked toward Ju Tae.
“How many people did you teach this technique to?”
“I had no choice. It was the only way I had. Regardless, through that method I found you, and I found my lord as well, so it succeeded, didn’t it?”
At Ju Tae’s words, the minion flinched.
Ju Tae smiled wickedly and spoke.
“That Ronin is me, you little punk.”
“Then… you people are…….”
“Hey, answer the question.”
The minion’s gaze snapped urgently back to Yi Hwan.
“Are there others besides you searching for the Descendants of the Three Kings? Mad Demons or Blood Demons, for instance—their descendants?”
“We’ve never even met them. I don’t even know if they exist in this age.”
Was it resignation?
The minion’s tone grew steadier.
Yi Hwan pressed further with many questions, and the minion answered readily.
Yi Hwan posed his final question.
“What rank do you hold?”
“Lower rank, sir.”
Yi Hwan felt a stab of alarm.
‘If a lower-rank minion is this strong, then Ghost Valley has grown more formidable than before.’
Trickle-trickle.
Tears suddenly streamed down the minion’s cheeks. He sensed that the hour of his death had come.
“Allow me to finish this.”
Ju Tae stepped forward.
“Make it clean.”
“Yes.”
Ju Tae approached the minion and without hesitation drew his blade across the man’s throat.
Crack.
The severed head fell to the ground, the eyes still open. Ju Tae stared down at the corpse with contempt.
“Worthless dogs, daring to challenge us.”
Cheol Mu-ok turned to Yi Hwan and spoke.
“Once the war ends, I suspect they’ll come directly to find us and cross over into Yen.”
“That’s how I read it too.”
Yi Hwan’s brow furrowed. This meant their plans would have to change.
‘Ghost Valley is no enemy to dismiss lightly. Then….’
Yi Hwan spoke to Ju Tae.
“It seems best if your clan establishes a base not in the Southern Legion territory, but in the city where my sister dwells. Being together will afford us greater safety.”
“Understood.”
Cheol Mu-ok continued.
“If we assume that descendants of the Mad Demon or Blood Demon exist, shouldn’t we strengthen our forces further?”
“Yes, we must.”
Cheol Mu-ok asked nothing more, having belatedly sensed that Yi Hwan’s mood had grown unsettled.
“Is there any wine?”
“There is in the cave.”
“We return to the cave. Bring Go Mi to me.”
“Very well.”

* * *

Late into the night.
Yi Hwan left the cave and climbed into the branches of an ancient tree. There, bathed in moonlight, he fell into reverie.
The information he had gleaned from the minion came as something of a shock.
‘Enemies from the past are drawing nearer than I thought.’
He had always supposed that the old adversaries would surely have left descendants, and that someday they would meet. Yet hearing that those enemies had discovered his trail and were pursuing him changed everything—his heart found no peace.
Had he not come to this place, he would have remained oblivious until the enemy struck, only to meet ruin unprepared.
What troubled him most was that he could not gauge the full strength of those who hunted him, nor could he know if others still remained.
‘I grew careless.’
Because of his own negligence, the two bloodlines he had so painfully reunited might have fallen into grave peril. That was what weighed most heavily on Yi Hwan’s heart.
‘Perhaps Dae-ya Fortress fell to this same complacency? They must have been so certain of their own invincibility that none could stand against them. The Three Kings most of all.’
Wheeeee!
Shhhhh!
A branch, swayed by the wind, brushed across Yi Hwan’s face as it passed.
Yi Hwan gazed down at the stream below.
The dark water cradled the full moon in its depths, and that same full moon descended into Yi Hwan’s eyes.

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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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