Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 412

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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 412
Among the Cheonmu-sip-jon: Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo, the Demon Woman.
A master of Sa-pa who earned notoriety by invariably slaying anyone she declared dead upon entering the martial realm.
Her vile deeds cast infamy across the land, making her wickedness unparalleled under heaven.
Combined with her distinctive spectral martial techniques, the epithet Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo—the Demon Woman—became her shadow.
I understood Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo to rank among the lower tier of the Cheonmu-sip-jon.
The opposite of how Daehaeyongwangdo, of the same generation, was considered foremost.
Yet the boundless momentum I sensed suggested Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo surpassed Daehaeyongwangdo by a margin.
Particularly in how I could not fathom what realm she had attained….
Spectral. Utterly spectral.
Gwi-nyeo—demon woman. Literally, she was like a ghost made flesh.
“Since you spoke of qualifications first, you must demonstrate yours as well, yes?”
A sinister laugh. Her escalating aura flowed toward me, toward Injoong Sinma, beginning to surge forth.
‘Is she even human? She reeks like a corpse months in the grave.’
In any case, I could not simply endure this passively.
Instead of pristine white feathers, jet-black flames bloomed around me.
The black flames—the symbol of Injoong Sinma.
Immediately, black flames and spectral energy collided.
“Kekeke, do you feel it? I feel it so very well.”
“….”
Beneath my pale mask, I ground my teeth.
Perhaps I had indeed committed the error Chu Dal warned of regarding the Transcendent Realm.
I had suspected a Hwagyeong-level master existed, but I never imagined such a monster.
‘No, this is good. At least I’ve identified the head now.’
The mysterious Hwagyeong-level master was revealed to be Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo.
This alone allowed me to infer the overall nature and objectives of Ak-in-gok.
If gathering such intelligence had become the error regarding the Transcendent Realm,
then I would simply turn that error into opportunity.
“I feel it indeed. You seem to possess sufficient qualification to exchange words with me.”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo laughed again. There was genuine delight in it.
“To still speak such words shows admirable composure. For a mere wretch who hasn’t even properly ascended, that is.”
Wretch. Thanks to that word, confidence bloomed within me.
It meant she had not perceived that I was only displaying half of the Heuk-baek-sin-jo.
“If you dare assess me, then do it properly while you’re at it. What percentage would you estimate?”
“Seven tenths? No, eight tenths? You’re nearly there—you’ll prove useful enough.”
I had gleaned two additional pieces of information.
First: I had grown even further compared to when I clashed with Daehaeyongwangdo, recognized through the eyes of another Cheonmu-sip-jon.
Second: Ak-in-gok, Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo, truly does need the Cheonmu-sip-jon.
‘She wants to buy time against the Hyeol Sa-ryeon and the Yi-ik Alliance.’
Therefore, one curiosity gnawed at me.
Why would I need to buy time?
“Tell me how you intend to help me, woman.”
“Your arrogance knows no bounds. Do you still not understand that even crawling to beg for help would not be enough?”
She unleashed an even more potent black flame.
Simultaneously, her feet lifted from the ground, her entire body suspended in mid-air.
She resembled the Yama descending from the heavens itself.
“If the Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader and Gae-cheon-sin-eung both target me, the bloodbath in Honam would end in an instant. Woman, I doubt you’d move that heavy body of yours without reason.”
It was provocation and gamble combined.
Yet I had nothing to lose.
The stakes in this game were negligible—mere pocket change, truly.
If Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo retreated here?
Then I would simply contact the Baek Family and spend months preparing for an offensive.
“As you say, I am arrogant and volatile. That is precisely why I came myself rather than sending subordinates. Speak.”
Ak-in-gok was not providing one-sided assistance.
Ak-in-gok had to aid Injoong Sinma to achieve its own objectives.
The fact that Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo, one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon and the valley master, had come personally was proof of this.
“….”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo’s laughter vanished as if washed away.
“So you dare claim to be a Divine Being beneath the Cheonma? Let me ask you something first. Are you the new Won-yeong-sin?”
The mere mention of this confirmed one thing.
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo knew quite a lot about the Cheonma.
‘So Ak-in-gok’s covert movements were because of the Cheonma.’
“Kuhaha. I fail to see why that matters. If you are Won-yeong-sin, will you kneel?”
Killing intent layered upon ghostly aura, intensifying the pressure.
Enough to strain even the half-Heuk-baek-sin-jo.
“Hardly. If I were to submit, I would have done so long ago.”
At least it was now certain that Ak-in-gok and the Cheonma were not in league.
This meant our paths could overlap to some extent.
“Then tell me how you will help me. This is your last chance—choose your words carefully. If you dodge again, I will draw my blade.”
Bewilderment crossed Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo’s face.
A mere young disciple who had not even fully ascended to the Hwa-kyung stage was picking a fight first.
From her perspective, it was absurd.
Yet.
“I will send my subordinates. Make the battle last as long as possible and ensure as many die as you can.”
What? Why was she saying the same thing as the Blood Sect?
After claiming they were not in cahoots.
“You want me to command your subordinates directly? Killing and consuming them would be more efficient.”
“When the Hyeol Sa-ryeon’s forces divide and move, assassinations will occur sporadically yet continuously. You will have no occasion to face Injoong Sinma.”
Assassination. To assassinate the sworn brother of the Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader, at minimum a master of the Hwa-kyung stage must emerge.
Otherwise, it would require the greatest assassin under heaven to conduct such an operation.
“Gwi-nyeo. Did you personally kill the sworn brother of the Hyeol Sa-ryeon leader?”
“What reason would I have for that? Kekeke!”
A sneer once again crossed Gwi-nyeo’s face.
You brat, there’s no one else but you—where are you pulling this lie from?
‘Stop this deception… wait.’
Hmm, it’s possible it really wasn’t Gwi-nyeo after all.
She might have only given the order without directly killing them herself.
‘Ak-in-gok is likely from the Salsoo school. And not just any salsoo, but one—or perhaps more than one—worthy of being called the greatest under heaven.’
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo had proclaimed she would kill her targets and then invariably eliminated them, building her fearsome reputation through such deeds.
Even if she didn’t employ concealment techniques or infiltration methods, she had become famous for assassination nonetheless.
‘Among her victims was even the sect leader of Gu-pa.’
During the time of the Geom Wang Blood Sect Leader, the sect leader of Hwa-san and the Hwa-san Je-il-geom had lost their lives to Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo.
A catastrophe that had shaken the entire martial world at the time.
‘In a sense, this wretch is the very enemy of Okcheon’s blood feud.’
Multiple swordsmen of Hwa-san, including the Hwa-san Je-il-geom, had perished, and many of Hwa-san’s secret techniques had been lost.
One could say Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo was the reason Hwa-san had become the weakest sect among the Nine Schools.
The current Hwa-san was in such a state that even Okcheon, a genius who surpassed his generation, could not receive transmission of the higher martial arts.
‘Indeed… I should set my sights on killing her.’
The problem was that I couldn’t kill Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo at present.
Any attempt would result in my own death instead.
She was a master of such unfathomable skill that her true level was impossible to gauge.
However.
‘Hunting down and killing someone of a higher realm—I’ve already experienced that when preparing to hunt Seon during the Changjiang Conference.’
So let me paint this picture.
“Gwi-nyeo. You should also state the price for receiving my help.”
Finally, Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo’s face contorted.
She’d lost at least two or three of her composure.
It was like stepping forward to save a drowning person, only to be asked to hand over your belongings as well.
“Are you insane? If I leave as things stand, you will certainly die.”
“If you leave as things stand, I will seek out the Hyeol Sa-ryeon leader.”
“What?!”
The first rule of confronting a master.
You must make them understand that you are a madman.
Even if you cannot win, you must impress upon them that you can leave a very deep scar.
‘And additionally, plant the thought that being bitten by a mad dog’s fangs can cause disease, so one must be extremely careful.’
“If an arrogant and violent Injoong Sinma comes directly to apologize and claim innocence, what will the Hyeol Sa-ryeon leader do?”
“….”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo fell silent.
Had I struck a nerve? Or was she listening to everything before responding?
Either way, it didn’t matter.
“If I were the Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader, I’d probably accept Injoong Sinma into the sect.”
“That’s impossible. The Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader truly considers sworn brothers as family. If you go to him, you’ll certainly die.”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo spoke with absolute certainty.
In truth, Yang Hwi agreed with her assessment.
Going to him would mean death.
‘Judging by her reaction, my bluff is working.’
“Even if I die, I can still plant the desire in the Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader to find the real culprit.”
Then, like a young dog facing a tiger, Injoong Sinma began radiating killing intent.
“Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo. You shouldn’t have come in person.”
The half-step Hwagyeong cultivator Injoong Sinma, facing Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo who had reached a lofty realm even among Hwagyeong masters.
It was the bared fangs of one in crisis toward one offering help.
“I am certain that you are the murderer who killed the Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader’s sworn brother.”
“What evidence do you have for such nonsense?”
“Evidence is unnecessary. My thoughts are law and truth itself.”
“Ha, you’re truly insane.”
Yes, let her think that way.
I was making her believe I was a madman—someone unpredictable and dangerous, not to be handled carelessly.
“So pay the price, woman. The price for daring to treat me as a piece on a board of your making.”
“….”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo ground her teeth. Her ghostly aura and killing intent intensified, pressing down on her entire body.
But Injoong Sinma’s black flames did not yield—they burned even more fiercely.
‘Damn, I feel like I’m being crushed.’
Yet I could endure it. Though I showed nothing outwardly, I had carefully hidden a second half within.
I could certainly hold on.
“….”
“….”
A standoff lasting roughly a quarter hour.
Finally, Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo exhaled a sigh.
“If there’s something you need, speak. Since I proposed cooperation, I’ll help to some extent.”
I had won the battle of wills.
“Kill all of the Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader’s disciples who have reached the peak realm. If possible, bring me their corpses. I want to use them as nourishment.”
In other words, mobilize Ak-in-gok to strike at the heart of the Hyeol Sa-ryeon.
And simultaneously, it meant sacrificing a considerable portion of Ak-in-gok’s forces.
“Your reason?”
“After the deed, I will declare that I killed all the disciples for daring to oppose me.”
“The Hyeol Sa-ryeon Leader has over a hundred disciples.”
“Don’t you know only three remain as the true ones?”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo’s eyes sharpened.
Regardless, Yang Hwi continued.
“Mobilize your subordinates to block the Hyeol Sa-ryeon’s advance as much as possible. Sow chaos within their ranks as well. Since you were going to do it anyway, put in more effort and carry it through.”
“You certainly want a lot.”
“Will you accept it?”
Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo’s deliberation was shorter than I expected.
“These are things I intended to do anyway. I’ll adjust the timing to your preference.”
She says the price is easier than I thought.
Then I can ask for one more.
“One last thing. The third condition.”
“Don’t push your luck. Even my patience has limits.”
‘Don’t worry, old woman. This one’s easy.’
“Since you dared treat Bon-jwa like a fool, I deserve some compensation. Ten seconds. Withstand Bon-jwa’s blade for ten seconds.”
It was absolutely not something a weakling should say to a strong one.
I suspect Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo lost another shred of composure.
“You’re welcome to kill Bon-jwa if you can. Though it would certainly complicate your plans.”
From our conversation so far, I was certain.
‘Jeol-ak Gwi-nyeo can never kill me.’
Then we fight.
Taking her head would be ideal, but even if not, I can gauge her strength.
Besides, warriors grow stronger through real combat.
‘How could I pass up such a golden opportunity?’
Beneath my mask, my lips curved upward.
“Let’s have some fun.”
-Krrrraaaaaaah!
With the ear-splitting cry, the pitch-black sword revealed its Sword Spirit.
“This madman!”
“The Mado path is walked by lunatics from the start, kahahaha!”
Jet-black flames and ashen ghostly energy collided.
Kwaaaaaang!

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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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