Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 199

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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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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 199
I had multiple reasons for attending the Dragon Phoenix Assembly.
But there was one purpose that mattered most.
Was it to recruit talented individuals from humble origins?
To claim the prestige of being the greatest under heaven in the latter period and spread word that a future candidate for the title was growing within the Baek Family?
To directly observe and learn the movements of Gu-pa and the Five Great Families?
All wrong. They were all important, but there was something that came first.
‘The Dragon Phoenix Assembly ultimately connects to the Demonic Sect’s schemes.’
I had to identify and eliminate any demonic bastards who might be lurking within the assembly.
Just as I was attending the Dragon Phoenix Assembly with multiple objectives, the three great demonic sects surely had their own.
Especially since, unlike in my past life, I now knew that demonic sect bastards had been operating in the shadows for quite some time in this life.
‘Whether it’s the Blood Sect, the Ming Sect, or Singyeo, they wouldn’t simply watch an opportunity like the Dragon Phoenix Assembly pass by.’
Therefore, discovering what the demonic bastards had done during the Dragon Phoenix Assembly was of utmost importance.
In that sense.
‘Which side is this bastard on? Is he moving because of the Dragon Phoenix Assembly, or was he already operating in the shadows here?’
Ju Jeok-yeon, the Patriarch of the Ju Family. He appeared like a scholar from a wealthy household, but the demonic energy dwelling in his dantian was unmistakable.
‘Yeon-yeon’s death might not have been caused by this man’s dark intentions.’
If that were the case, I needed to dig even deeper. I had to crush them all.
“It would be most unfortunate to simply let the young hero of Gangseong depart from Shinju without proper hospitality. Would you not grant us the honor of allowing our Patriarch to receive and entertain you? Especially since you are family and acquaintances of Miss Baek, with whom we study together.”
After exchanging names, Ju Jeok-yeon extended the invitation as naturally as flowing water.
I thought it might be a trap, but.
I accepted without hesitation.
“I appreciate the invitation. I shall stay for the night and depart in the morning.”
Fortunately, the dishes I had ordered could be cancelled without much time having passed.
Instead, I purchased preserved food and dried meat for the journey at the same cost, then headed toward the Ju Family residence.
“Jeok-yeon, you’ve brought distinguished guests! The famous Gaecheon Geomryong and his siblings, along with the Soga-joonim of the Dang Family and his sister!”
The Ju Family Head’s face was filled with genuine warmth.
Though it was late, a banquet was immediately prepared.
“I hope you all enjoy yourselves thoroughly! May this gathering remain a cherished memory in your hearts for years to come!”
The Ju Family Head and Ju Jeok-yeon continued to lead the conversation, speaking endlessly and asking questions without pause.
Anyone could see they admired and held favorable feelings toward the Baek Family.
I posed a question.
“It seems the Patriarch views our Baek Family quite favorably.”
“How could anyone dislike the Baek Family! You are a clan that truly embodies what righteousness means!”
Indeed, it was likely due to our actions over the past few years.
“I’m honored to hear such words.”
“Though I myself have not trained in martial arts, my interest in the martial world is quite profound. I fear I shall trouble you with many questions today!”
My gaze dropped briefly before returning to the Jinjang’s face.
“That is perfectly fine.”
“By the way, is it true that the Baek Family is not a newly risen clan? I heard that your family was founded by someone who was once the greatest under heaven.”
“It is true. The family fell into decline over many years, but has recently begun to recover its fortunes.”
“Hah! Indeed, a tree with deep roots does not wither easily! Truly remarkable!”
The Ju Family Head continued to pose several questions.
The conversation meandered through his scattered stream of consciousness, but I noticed that more than half of his questions pertained to the Baek Family’s past.
‘Why inquire so deeply about the main family’s history? What could be his purpose?’
I lifted my gaze toward the distance beyond.
For now, this much conversation seemed sufficient.
“Sect Leader, I have accumulated fatigue from travel. Might we adjourn for today and reconvene tomorrow?”
“Hmm? If I could share another gathering with such distinguished young heroes, what more could I ask for!”
Seo, Yeon, and the Tang Siblings all rose from their seats alongside me.
“Thank you for your understanding, Sect Leader.”
Rather than the guest quarters, we were assigned an entire separate pavilion.
It was a gesture that treated us not as ordinary guests, but as honored visitors.
‘No, I should consider other reasons for this.’
I chuckled softly, parted ways with my companions, and entered my quarters.

* * *
In the pitch-black night with even the clouds obscured, dozens of figures surrounded the pavilion.
-Strike at once and subdue them all.
-Avoid killing if possible. We need to extract information.
-Understood.
-Understood.
-Understood.
After exchanging silent transmissions, they were about to launch a coordinated assault at their leader’s signal.
“Seems you all lack sleep—must be getting close to death from old age, eh?”
“…!”
Against the backdrop of clouds shrouding the moon, I sat perched atop the pavilion’s roof.
-Jeok-yeon. How is he outside?
All the pavilion’s doors were sealed shut. Not a single door had opened since they entered the quarters.
Yet somehow he was now atop the roof.
“Hey, if you’re curious, don’t chatter through silent transmission—just ask directly.”
As I spoke, my hand moved.
Unidentified objects flew toward all dozens of figures forming the encirclement.
Imbued with formidable force, those of lower cultivation could not withstand the impact, their heads shattered.
“Ugh…!”
“Argh!”
The objects I had thrown were roof tiles and wooden fragments.
“If all the doors are sealed, I simply cut through the roof and climb out.”
“….”
“You were keeping watch but heard nothing and sensed no presence? If you’re going to be discovered by me, you should bite off your own tongue and die rather than call yourselves martial artists.”
“….”
“Ugh, if you’re going to harbor such filthy schemes, at least don’t let it show. Why are you broadcasting it like an idiot? Did your Sect Leader teach you that?”
They had remained silent despite my continued provocations, but the moment I mentioned the Sect Leader, they finally opened their mouths.
“You haven’t slept. I heard fatigue has accumulated.”
“Ah, Master. I couldn’t sleep. That filthy stench kept stabbing at my nose.”
Ever since acquiring Seon-gi, I had been steadily perfecting my body.
Not just externally, but internally as well.
As a result, my already keen sensitivity to energy had become even sharper.
‘Even if that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have failed to sense such a vicious aura like demonic energy.’
All of the Ju Family Head’s retainers carried demonic energy within them.
Specifically, the blood energy of the Blood Sect.
“You blood-soaked bastards, what are you plotting? Did you want to go meet some Blood Immortal or Blood Sword Solitary Swordsman?”
“Shut your mouth!”
“How dare you insult that person!”
‘I poked at them on a hunch, and it seems these really are Blood Sect bastards.’
“Whoa, whoa. Dial back the killing intent. Are we fighting right now? If so, should I unleash mine too? Huh?”
The Ju Family Head, grinding his teeth, finally spoke.
“Hand over the Baek Family Head. Then I’ll let you leave peacefully.”
“Ah, that excuse?”
A scoff escaped me. Their true purpose was never the Baek Family Head from the start.
They might want to obtain the Baek Family Head as well, but that’s absolutely not their primary objective.
“Chu Dal, did you confirm it?”
“Of course, Brother.”
Chu Dal’s voice came from far behind me.
Specifically, from the direction of the Ju Family’s main compound.
The Blood Sect disciples spun their heads around in shock.
“Who is that? When he entered Juru just now, I smelled blood. So I ordered him to hide.”
Since our encounter in Juru seemed to be purely coincidental, these bastards probably didn’t even realize Chu Dal had disappeared.
“There were no letters with secret orders, Brother. But I did find something—these bastards seem very interested in our Baek Family. They’ve gathered quite a lot of research materials. Some of them appear to be from twenty years ago.”
“Is that so? Good work.”
Now that I thought about it, they had asked about the main family’s past during our earlier conversation too.
Twenty years. That was long before I reversed time.
The Blood Sect’s spies had been embedded in the main family since my previous life.
‘This is quite shocking. I thought they’d taken interest because of what happened at Geom Wang’s Spear.’
Moreover, judging by the atmosphere, it was virtually certain that Baek Yeon-yeon in my previous life had met her end because of these bastards.
“No need to waste words. Let’s fight.”
I continued without waiting for the Blood Sect bastards’ response.
“Elder Dang. Sister Dang.”
“Done.”
“Already poisoned them all.”
The Blood Cult disciples flinched in unison upon hearing Dang-yeon’s response.
Soon, the sound of bodies collapsing echoed from all directions.
“They tried to circulate their energy. All that does is deepen the poisoning.”
Dang-yeon wiggled her fingers, which were shrouded in toxic energy.
It was poison at its absolute peak.
“…How is this even possible.”
The Ju Family Head’s face bore undisguised shock.
Combined, all the Blood Cult disciples disguised as the Ju Family Head’s retainers possessed enough strength to sweep through an entire martial sect.
And yet.
They were all subdued without even noticing.
“Did you think you’d be enough? I figured since you’re all late-stage cultivators, I could suppress you without much thought and extract information easily?”
The Blood Cult disciples hadn’t believed the Baek Family’s reputation was exaggerated.
In fact, they’d launched this assault because their strength exceeded the rumors.
But.
“Why that expression? In the martial world, you’re supposed to hide three-tenths of your true strength.”
Though I’d actually hidden nine-tenths.
The fame of Gaecheon Geomryong shaking the western regions?
That was only one-tenth of my actual power revealed.
“I won’t bother with words. You bastards have a perfect medicine for your condition. Seo, gather these collapsed ones and prepare to seal their pressure points for interrogation.”
“Yes.”
“…Reinforcements from headquarters will arrive soon.”
“Brother, that’s a lie. We’ve been watching carefully—not a single person has left the Ju Family estate today, and there’s been no sign of Jeon Seo-gu either.”
“Well done, Chu Dal.”
I gathered the Blood Cult disciples and stacked them neatly.
With dozens of them, the pile grew quite tall.
“So. Will anyone answer my questions and die peacefully?”
Not a single one responded.
“Then let’s do this the hard way.”
I wouldn’t even pretend to offer them mercy.
I was confident I could extract everything I wanted to know without resorting to false promises.
“Right, I know. You’ve all undergone torture resistance training. You might be bound by a seal preventing you from speaking. But here’s the thing.”
I recalled my first encounter with a Blood Cult disciple after returning through time.
Gwi-no Baek-ma. A master of sorcery who commanded a hundred demons.
Against an opponent I couldn’t have defeated with my power back then, I’d subdued and extracted information from him as easily as eating cold rice.
The reason that was possible.
Uuuuung—!
“Now then, it’s time to become good children again.”
All the Blood Cult disciples contorted their faces at the ominous sensation emanating from Seon-gi.
“No need to start with the small fry, right? The leader would know the most.”
The moment my finger touched the space between the Ju Family Head’s brows, his mouth fell open.
“Krraaaaaaaaahhhhh!”
It didn’t take long to extract all the information I needed.
“Gu-pa’s investigation! The goal was to learn as much as possible about the past Heaven’s Greatest Master and make the Baek Family Head one of us! Krraaaaaahhhhh!”

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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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