The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 477
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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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Chapter 477. Ha Mu-baek Saw It Too
The recovery of the corpses was only finished late at night.
Having moved immediately upon arrival, everyone had skipped dinner.
After gathering the recovered corpses in one place.
They hastily prepared simple snacks, finished their late meal, and soon went to bed.
Ha Mu-baek came out alone and looked up at the sky.
The starlight filling the dark night sky came into view.
“….”
Silently.
After looking up at the sky like that for a while.
He walked around the surroundings.
Perhaps because of the difficult and fierce days they had endured.
Both the Bongma Corps and Maengryong Corps had fallen into deep sleep.
Only their deep breathing could be heard.
As he walked.
He arrived at the place where the recovered corpses were gathered.
Ha Mu-baek looked at those corpses with cold eyes.
He had heard from Dam Mu-heun about what circumstances had led them to that state.
Dokgo Ya-pae.
Those who had become fertilizer for that bastard’s strength.
Those who had processed and eaten jiangshi inner cores to become stronger.
He couldn’t look upon them favorably.
“Tsk.”
A clicking sound flowed out.
They had completely dealt with the Blood Cult in Sanwol Demon Forest.
Yet traces of it remained here like this.
He wanted to immediately burn these bastards’ corpses and turn them to ash.
But Dam Mu-heun had earnestly requested.
Please bear with it.
He said he had sent an urgent message to the Jeongcheon Alliance about the recent events.
He had sent the thousand-li black hawk that Dam Mu-heun brought, or more precisely, that Gongsun Dan-gyeong had sent?
That was what the Alliance Leader had done in his barracks while they were recovering the corpses.
Writing a letter to send to Gongsun Dan-gyeong.
With the thousand-li black hawk.
It would return with Gongsun Dan-gyeong’s reply before tomorrow ended.
Ha Mu-baek turned his steps again.
Before his eyes, he could see the Sanwol Great Wall and Sanwol Demon Forest shrouded in darkness.
“Your feelings must be quite different.”
So Hwi-ung, who had come out for a night stroll, had arrived beside Ha Mu-baek.
He had already known of his movements from the moment he left his barracks.
“Well. It feels a bit hollow.”
So Hwi-ung nodded at Ha Mu-baek’s answer.
That was all.
He didn’t say anything else.
“You worked hard. If it weren’t for you. That place would still be a demon forest. It’s thanks to you.”
So Hwi-ung turned around after finishing those words.
Ha Mu-baek still gazed quietly at Sanwol Demon Forest.
In fact, he still couldn’t believe it.
That the tenacious and persistent Blood Cult had disappeared like this.
Even though he had eliminated them all with his own hands.
Was that why?
Ha Mu-baek’s steps headed into Sanwol Demon Forest again.
His figure disappeared in an instant.
No matter where he looked in Sanwol Demon Forest.
No matter how wide he spread his qi sense.
There were no traces of the Blood Cult left in this place now.
A few Death Jiangshi crammed in corners were all that remained of the remnants.
Just in case.
He spread his qi sense to examine even the deep underground areas throughout Sanwol Demon Forest.
But as expected, nothing was detected.
He checked several times.
Really.
Really.
The Blood Cult was gone.
There might be remnants hiding somewhere other than Sanwol Demon Forest.
But such remnants would be able to do nothing.
He had completely annihilated the main branch.
He had killed all the survivors of the Blood Cult Ten Elders, including Il-no.
Five had died in the last war.
The Tenth Elder Ha Mu-baek killed at Haomun and the four killed today.
Ten in total.
Now there was no one anywhere who could revive the Blood Cult.
He had completely exterminated them.
‘That guy too.’
Ha Mu-baek’s thoughts turned to Nak U-jin.
When he first saw him at the training ground of Gyoryong Hall.
He had examined his interior with the Wuji Bright Wheel Eye and intuited it.
That he had some connection to the Blood Cult.
He hadn’t learned blood arts.
However.
He had faintly felt that damp energy of Sanwol Demon Forest deep within his body.
He had suspected that the Blood Cult bastards might have played tricks and sent him to Gyoryong Hall as a spy.
But seeing him learn the Three Calamities Art, he had withdrawn most of his suspicions.
Those who had learned the Blood Cult’s blood arts couldn’t learn the Three Calamities Art.
Blood arts couldn’t accept the pure internal energy of the Three Calamities Art.
Even so, when he first brought him to Sanwol Demon Forest.
From Nak U-jin’s reaction, he thought there must be some connection to this place.
But.
Today.
As the energy of Sanwol Demon Forest changed.
That suspicious energy he had felt from Nak U-jin also disappeared.
What could it have been?
“Well, now this side is really all finished.”
Ha Mu-baek, who had checked the situation in Sanwol Demon Forest several times, muttered.
His gaze turned toward the north.
“Now the remaining bastards are….”
The Demon Cult.
These bastards were also maintaining their lineage like the Blood Cult.
Now it was time to annihilate them.
Though not immediately, of course.
“Hm?”
Ha Mu-baek’s ki sense caught the stealthy movements of several martial artists.
He didn’t take immediate action.
Because he knew where these bastards came from.
‘They’re the ones Mun In-baek-song sent.’
Sahae Alliance Black Martial Corps.
It was the distinctive aura of martial artists belonging to Mun In-baek-song’s direct intelligence organization.
Since Ha Mu-baek was unaware of the Sahae Alliance forces’ movements.
He simply thought they had come to Sanwol Demon Forest for information gathering purposes.
Though the Jeongcheon Alliance’s Bongma Corps managed Sanwol Demon Forest.
The Sahae Alliance was also paying attention to Sanwol Demon Forest.
***
“Mmgh.”
Gongsun Dan-gyeong awakened from his deep sleep.
He had finished processing all the overflowing work and barely gone to bed after midnight.
Yet he had awakened after only one hour of sleep.
It wasn’t for any other reason.
It was because of urgent news that had arrived from the Alliance Leader.
He couldn’t even complain.
Sanwol Demon Forest.
It was the most urgent place.
The message brought by the Thousand-Li Black Hawk was quite thick.
It wasn’t written by Dam Mu-heun or a Hotian Dan member, but in the Alliance Leader’s handwriting.
Gongsun Dan-gyeong quickly read the message.
And at some point.
“Th-th-this precious thing… he burned it all down?”
Ha Mu-baek.
At the part where Ha Mu-baek had burned down all the underground hideouts of the Blood Cult headquarters with fire.
Gongsun Dan-gyeong felt tremendous regret.
No, he even trembled with anger.
Since he usually didn’t get particularly angry about Ha Mu-baek’s actions.
This was an unfamiliar sight.
“The Blood Cult’s classified documents that would have been there… he must have burned them all up too. Branch Leader Ha. Why would someone with such deep schemes….”
Regret upon regret multiplied.
And soon.
He guessed the reason.
“When it comes to the Blood Cult, he’s someone who goes mad….”
He probably burned everything down with the feeling that he had finally annihilated the entire Blood Cult.
Actually, from Ha Mu-baek’s perspective, what did it matter what documents were there.
The one who cared was Gongsun Dan-gyeong himself.
After So Hwi-ung left the Jeongcheon Alliance Headquarters.
The Sahae Alliance moved their military forces.
Jiangshi ran wild in Sanwol Demon Forest.
As the political situation suddenly became urgent.
He had discovered a faintly revealed tail.
There was definitely someone in the Jeongcheon Alliance who was in communication with the Blood Cult.
So he had been tracking that.
“Hmm.”
Gongsun Dan-gyeong suddenly fell into thought.
The first person at headquarters to receive this news was Gongsun Dan-gyeong himself.
It was news delivered by none other than a Thousand-Li Black Hawk.
There was no way for news to travel from Sanwol Demon Forest to the Jeongcheon Alliance faster than this.
That meant.
Currently, Gongsun Dan-gyeong himself was the only one at headquarters who knew of the Blood Cult’s destruction.
“Perhaps….”
He thought he might be able to catch that tail.
Add to that Do Sim-geuk’s atrocities and Yang Bi-chang who had confessed all his crimes.
With these two, he could also suppress the White Path Society’s forces.
Gongsun Dan-gyeong quickly scribbled a message.
The appearance of being exhausted from waking up from deep sleep had completely disappeared.
The message written in one swift stroke was placed in a message tube tied to a Thousand-Li Black Hawk’s leg and flew toward Sanwol Demon Forest.
“Go quickly.”
***
“Gasp!”
Yeon Ja-gyeong awakened from sleep, breaking out in cold sweat.
His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
It was because of a nightmare.
A nightmare where countless Gyoryong Hall cadets who had become jiangshi.
Rushed at him.
And tore apart his entire body to devour it.
“Ugh. Am I getting old too….”
He got up from bed and filled a teacup from the tea table.
Though it was cold tea, it didn’t matter.
What was important was moistening his parched mouth.
“Phew.”
He gathered his wits. Taking a deep breath, he settled into a chair.
‘Are things getting tangled up?’
That thought occurred to him.
Ha Mu-baek.
That bastard had visited headquarters once again.
They said he only met with Gongsun Dan-gyeong and quickly disappeared.
Where that bastard would go was obvious.
Sanwol Demon Forest.
Since his younger sibling was heading there.
He would naturally go there.
Calculating the time.
He thought that bastard might interfere with his plans.
Probably.
That would be the beginning of this nightmare.
“Ominous.”
He rarely ever had dreams.
But to have such a nightmare.
He couldn’t just brush it aside.
It seemed he would need to be careful for a while.
It felt like a warning about his own safety.
He opened the window and gazed at the night sky.
‘I’ve fulfilled everything I promised. What happens next depends on your abilities, Il-no.’
Yeon Ja-gyeong decided he would need to cut off all contact with Sanwol Demon Forest for the time being.
He moved immediately.
Though it was still deep into the night.
His movements were without hesitation.
Thus, all traces of Yeon Ja-gyeong’s tenuous connection to Sanwol Demon Forest disappeared.
***
“Ryeonju-nim. You need to wake up.”
Gong Ya-jang-cheon, who had been in deep sleep, opened his eyes wide at the Personal Guard’s notification.
“What’s the matter?”
“Military Advisor Mun In has come urgently.”
Gong Ya-jang-cheon surveyed his surroundings.
It was still a time when thick darkness had fallen.
“What time is it?”
“Early myo-si (around 5 AM).”
It was early dawn.
Gong Ya-jang-cheon rose from his bed, quickly prepared himself, and left the bedroom.
If Mun In-baek-song had come urgently looking for him at this hour.
It meant the matter was that urgent.
Mun In-baek-song, who was waiting in front of the bedroom, bowed deeply upon seeing Gong Ya-jang-cheon.
“It’s urgent news from Sanwol Demon Forest.”
“What is it?”
The two men conversed as they headed to Ryeonju’s office.
“There’s been an incident at Sanwol Demon Forest.”
“An incident?”
“All the jiangshi have disappeared. The forest’s energy has changed too… and most importantly, there are ruins where a tremendous battle took place.”
Mun In-baek-song briefly summarized what had been a very long report.
At those words, Gong Ya-jang-cheon frowned.
What was this sudden talk about?
All the jiangshi in Sanwol Demon Forest had disappeared?
Did that even make sense?
Wasn’t it just recently that they said a monster jiangshi surpassing Dark Blood Jiangshi had appeared?
Using that as pretext, Sahae Alliance had even mobilized their forces.
Currently, those forces were in standoff with Jeongcheon Alliance’s Dragon Fang Unit and Dragon Horn Unit.
A tense atmosphere that seemed like war could break out at any moment dominated Jiangxi Province.
“Does that even make sense?”
Arriving at the office and sitting in his chair, Gong Ya-jang-cheon asked.
“So Hwi-ung is said to be in Sanwol Demon Forest.”
“That’s something I already received a report about. Even if it’s So Hwi-ung, that’s impossible. If that were possible, they wouldn’t have built something like Sanwol Great Wall.”
In truth.
Mun In-baek-song found it just as unbelievable.
However.
To determine the optimal time to move Jiangxi Province’s forces.
This was a report from the Black Martial Unit sent to assess the current situation in Sanwol Demon Forest.
It couldn’t be wrong.
“They also saw Ha Mu-baek.”
“Even if that bastard is a monster. That’s impossible. All the jiangshi in Sanwol Demon Forest disappeared… No matter how much that bastard is crazy about hunting down Blood Cult members. He’s human. As long as he’s human, there are limits.”
Gong Ya-jang-cheon spoke as if frustrated.
Mun In-baek-song felt equally frustrated.
“Finding out how such a thing happened is a matter for later. What’s important is that Sanwol Demon Forest… is no longer Sanwol Demon Forest.”
Gong Ya-jang-cheon’s face hardened gravely.
Because he understood the intent behind those words.
“You’re saying we need to withdraw the forces from Jiangxi Province.”
“Either that, or Ryeonju-nim should go to Jiangxi Province personally.”
So Hwi-ung had already left Jeongcheon Alliance Headquarters.
Since Sanwol Demon Forest had been dealt with.
His next move was obvious.
Jiangxi Province, where tensions were currently at their peak.
With Sanwol Demon Forest dealt with, that was the only place left to deploy the remaining forces.
Since the investigation into the exact circumstances of Sanwol Demon Forest wasn’t complete yet.
And only urgent details had been sent.
Neither Mun In-baek-song nor Gong Ya-jang-cheon.
Could accurately predict what state Jeongcheon Alliance was in after dealing with Sanwol Demon Forest.
They could only predict the most likely scenario.
“If I go there… Military Advisor, you know what will happen, right?”
“It would be a full-scale war.”
The leaders of two factions meeting at a front line where war tensions had reached their peak.
The result was obvious.
“And it’s not the result we want either.”
At Mun In-baek-song’s following words, Gong Ya-jang-cheon nodded.
“Sigh. Do we have to withdraw the forces?”
His voice was full of regret.
“If even Ha Mu-baek comes along, it will be irreversible.”
Mun In-baek-song’s following words.
Helped Gong Ya-jang-cheon make his decision.
“Tell them to withdraw the forces immediately. And find out more details about Sanwol Demon Forest.”
“Understood.”
A messenger hawk with orders bearing Ryeonju’s seal tied to its leg pierced through the dawn sky and soared upward.
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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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