Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 222

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 222
The Three Great Demon Sects that incite chaos and turmoil. Among them, without question, the Yeokcheon Singyeo reigned supreme.
Within that Yeokcheon Singyeo existed five subordinates of the Heavenly Demon who, whenever they emerged, brought bloodstorms in their wake.
The common people trembled in fear and called them the Five Great Divine Generals.
The Five Great Divine Generals of Yeokcheon Singyeo—Il-gwon Hyeol-gang.
True to his epithet, he was a demon possessing a tyrannical fist technique capable of forming rivers of blood with a single punch.
And yet, such an Il-gwon Hyeol-gang was one of the elders of the Jeolgang Heuk Family.
“Chu Dal, tell me again. About the Jeolgang Heuk Family.”
Though I had already explained twice before, seeing my serious expression, Chu Dal repeated what he had said without complaint.
“The Jeolgang Heuk Family. True to its name, a martial arts family based in Jeolgang, one of the Thirty-Six Great Sects of the realm. Their martial lineage traces back to the Jinilsin Fist, which was the greatest under heaven centuries ago, and they have maintained their position ever since.”
“What about the First Elder?”
The First Elder was none other than the future Il-gwon Hyeol-gang.
Having already heard and organized the information through Chu Dal’s words, I asked something new.
“Is there anything else you’ve discovered about the Jeolgang Heuk Family?”
“I mobilized the entire intelligence network to investigate, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy. I don’t even understand why you’ve suddenly taken interest, given how ordinary they appear.”
That was understandable. Even when I examined them with my spiritual sense, I found nothing remarkable.
Given that I prided myself on having the keenest perception under heaven, the First Elder was undoubtedly concealing his demonic aura through special means.
Or perhaps… at this point in time, he had no connection to Yeokcheon Singyeo.
I scratched my head vigorously.
“The blood-soaked bastards aren’t taking the bait, and suddenly a new fish jumps out.”
I had provoked the Blood Sect even by using the Hyeol Gyoju, but so far there had been no particular response.
With so few leads, I had even considered conducting security patrols as part of Yeonwoldae while combing through Mu-han like searching for a rat.
‘Though that’s impossible, of course.’
Mu-han was one of the largest cities under heaven.
Personally traversing every corner while heightening my spiritual sense to find traces of demonic aura would be like searching for grains of sand on a riverbank.
Not just me, but even if Cheonmu-sip-jon personally stepped forward, it would be difficult… wouldn’t it? Unless he was truly a monster.
“Brother, should we dangle bait before the Jeolgang Heuk Family?”
I pondered briefly, then shook my head.
“No. If I approach carelessly, I’ll only watch the fish flee. Let me investigate further. I’ll cast my net directly when the opportunity presents itself.”
In any case, I had found the tail of Yeokcheon Singyeo that had been hiding so carefully.
The problem was the Blood Sect. I felt an inexplicable unease.
‘Among the Three Great Demon Sects, Yeokcheon Singyeo is the strongest, but the Blood Sect was always the most troublesome.’
This stemmed from their need for vast quantities of blood to grow stronger.
Even in the present era alone, they had revealed their tail multiple times, and I had even encountered their Bishop.
There was even information that the Hyeol Gyoju personally appeared at the grand Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, yet they remained suspiciously quiet, which troubled me.
“Brother, wouldn’t it be better if things flowed peacefully without major problems?”
“That’s impossible. It means they’re rotting away in places I cannot see. That’s far more terrifying.”
I furrowed my brow and added a word.
“I’d actually prefer if they did something incomprehensible and reckless. What I can see is better than what frustrates me through invisibility.”
“That’s true enough.”
At that moment, I had no way of knowing.
That words would become prophecy.

* * *
A night when the full moon hung luminously against a dark sky.
Chu Dal burst through the door to my guest quarters.
“Brother! We’re under attack!”
I opened my eyes slowly from meditation.
“Under attack?”
“Last night, disturbances erupted at five locations simultaneously. All the perpetrators were Demons radiating crimson, malevolent energy.”
It had to be those blood cult bastards.
“What was the outcome?”
“They clashed blades and fled, though all of them were apparently hunted down and killed.”
It didn’t seem to have escalated into a major incident. But this sudden activity—the reason behind it became crucial.
“Gather all information about the victims, the attackers’ identities, and anything else that seems important.”
“Understood!”
Chu Dal, bustling about frantically, brought me all the information before that day’s sun had set.
I analyzed the data while my mind churned, and clicked my tongue.
“I don’t see a clear motive. Why move so suddenly?”
“Perhaps the aftermath of killing the Hyeol Gyoju is only now manifesting.”
“That can’t be right.”
If they were sluggish enough to move this slowly, they never would have become a pillar of the heretical sects.
Judging by the state of the corpses, blood and vitality weren’t even their objective.
‘If I had to point out one strange thing, it would be their escape route.’
They launched their attacks from Mu-han and fled.
Yet their escape route led straight through the heart of Mu-han.
What could their intention possibly be?
‘The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering has officially begun. The Dragon-Phoenix Supremacy preliminaries are in full swing.’
In a few days, the main tournament starts. Simultaneous attacks at such a critical moment.
“How are the Baek Do elders reacting?”
“They’re furious. The Shaman is taking the opportunity to reach out covertly regarding the Martial Alliance.”
Could it be to consolidate Baek Do’s martial world and help establish the Martial Alliance?
No, no—that’s mere speculation.
The Shaman secretly joined hands with the blood cult?
Absolutely not. That’s an absolute certainty.
‘It would’ve been simpler if the attack had succeeded and their objective was clear.’
Why do these blood-soaked bastards keep scheming in the shadows?

* * *
Regardless of my worries, time flowed on like water.
“Did you hear about yesterday’s preliminary results?”
“The Swordsman of Shanxi defied expectations and advanced to the main tournament!”
“His final opponent was quite formidable. An upset like that must have thrilled the gamblers, haha!”
“The main tournament is starting soon. Shall we place a wager?”
“What kind of wager?”
“On who gets eliminated first!”
“That’s obvious, isn’t it! Gaecheon Geomryong!”
“Shhh, shhh! This is the inn where Gaecheon Geomryong is staying. Please, shhh!”
I overheard this conversation when I descended to the first floor of the inn for breakfast.
As people’s interest intensified, similar talk echoed from every corner.
Jegal Seol-ha, sitting beside me, wore a displeased expression.
“Brother, aren’t you angry?”
She spoke because my expression seemed unbothered.
“About what?”
“People are spouting nonsense about you.”
“Seol-ha. Nonsense? A daughter of a noble house shouldn’t speak like that.”
“You’re being evasive.”
“…?”
“I’m just frustrated with all of it.”
I understood Jegal Seol-ha’s feelings, but I felt only the anticipation of harvesting fruit I had cultivated with sweat.
“Once the main tournament begins, I’ll reverse the tide immediately. Let them talk freely for now—that’s not what matters right now.”
What mattered was the Three Great Demon Sects.
-It would be better if they were exposed like the Demon Sect.
Since this required secrecy, we switched to inner voice transmission.
-The Demon Sect was also secretly infiltrating Jeomchang, which you discovered, brother.
-That’s true, but…
The attack by the Blood Sect days ago. The senseless nature of both its reason and result continued to irritate me.
It was like having a wound on my back that I couldn’t apply medicine to and couldn’t scratch even when it itched.
“Brother, you think too much. If you wait peacefully, what lies submerged in water will reveal itself.”
“…Is that what a descendant of Jeongal Ryang should say?”
“My father is called the Lü Bu of the Jegal Family.”
…When she put it that way, I had nothing to say in return.
“Since you understand, please manage the Yeonwoldae well. It’s important to keep the later participants from causing trouble.”
“Tch. I’m getting so frustrated I might just flip the table.”
“…Please endure it. I’m asking you.”
“If you ask so earnestly, brother.”
After the meal, I parted ways with Jegal Seol-ha.
For the rest of the day, I remained at the inn, alternating between cultivation and contemplation.
What are those Hyeol Gyoju bastards thinking?
Could it really be true that Hyeol Gyoju is hiding in Mu-han?
It was then that the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the land.
“Brother.”
Chu Dal approached Yang Hwi and handed him a letter.
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“It’s from someone named Okcheon of the Hwa-san Sect. He asked me to deliver it to you.”
In that instant, Yang Hwi’s eyes widened considerably.
“What? Was he not the person you thought? This is the first time I’ve seen you react so intensely.”
“Yes. I know him.”
There was no way I could not know him.
Okcheon—a man whose voice alone was unparalleled under heaven, living up to his name.
I hastily tore open the letter.
[Come out immediately upon reading this.]
The letter contained nothing more than a request to meet at a nearby hill.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“Pardon?”
Without waiting for a response, I launched myself forward. The joy was almost unbearable.
‘Brother Okcheon. Is this the first time I’m seeing you in this life?’
In my previous life, born alone and having become solitary, I had accepted several people as brothers.
Baek Ri-chudal, who had been an assassin like me.
Dang-gun, the Soga-joonim of the Dang Family.
And Okcheon, the First Sword of Hwa-san.
‘I had been planning to prepare the finest reunion by watching for the right moment.’
But when he summoned me like this, I could not ignore it.
Especially not when it was Okcheon.
My relationship with Okcheon was different from that with Chu Dal and Dang-gun.
In my previous life, I had never formed a master-disciple bond with anyone, but…
In a sense, Okcheon was similar to my master.
‘At this point, I surely haven’t restored the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Techniques.’
The Hwa-san Sect, once the greatest among the Nine Sects, had fallen into decline.
Decades ago, during the Geom Wang Catastrophe, it suffered tremendous losses.
Among these, the most decisive loss was that all those who had mastered the latter half of the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Techniques had passed away.
After that, Okcheon made the perfect restoration of the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Techniques his life’s greatest aspiration.
‘I had to forge a connection with him, and beginning it this way is not bad at all.’
Lost in thought, I suddenly found myself at the appointed place—the hillside.
On a large boulder in the distance, Okcheon sat with his sword cradled in his arms.
Upon spotting me, Okcheon slowly rose to his feet.
“Are you Baek Yang-hwi! I am Okcheon of the Hwa-san Sect! I have summoned you on a matter of importance!”
Just as he had been in my previous life, his voice was as resonant as his name suggested.
Warmth blooms in my chest. Joy floods through me. My heart feels tender and full.
“Yes, that’s correct. I am Baek Yang-hwi, Brother Okcheon.”
Upon hearing the title “Brother Okcheon,” Okcheon’s eyebrows rose sharply.
“I appreciate your warm welcome! But I don’t wish to feel grateful! Why? Because I have not yet confirmed it! I have a duty to verify!”
Confusion seized me. Verify? Verify what?
“I shall ask directly! Baek Yang-hwi of the Baek Family of Gaecheon! Are you the Hyeol Gyoju?”
What?
Yang Hwi’s eyes darted aimlessly in all directions.
No matter how composed I was, the words I had just heard were far too shocking.
‘Setting aside how Brother Okcheon knows about the Hyeol Gyoju, am I the Hyeol Gyoju?’
“What do you mean by that?”
“Evasion! I shall verify it myself!”
Okcheon drew his sword, and plum blossoms bloomed.
The killing intent contained within the blade was genuine.
“No, wait, let us speak first!”
“No discussion!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————