Chapter: 510
Woodeuk.
A loud tearing sound echoed through the air. What could it be?
In that instant, the Second Elder was struck by confusion.
Tilt!
The Second Elder’s vision twisted.
Up until that moment, he had no clue what was unfolding.
However, it didn’t take long for him to realize that the current scene was of his own body collapsing.
Thud!
His body fell down weakly.
“What the…!”
Almost immediately, an unbearable pain surged from his lower body.
Grrraaah!
The Second Elder let out a scream that pierced through his entire being.
He instinctively tried to grab his leg, the source of the pain.
But his hand passed through empty air.
Because there was nothing there.
“What… what is happening…?”
Drooling in agony, the Second Elder glanced down.
Nothing was there.
His left leg, which should have been there, was gone.
Where did it go? Where did my leg go?!
At the moment the Second Elder struggled, trying to turn his eyes away.
Thud.
Something fell beside him.
It was a leg.
The left leg that had been torn from the Second Elder’s body wasn’t neatly sliced off like it had been cut with a sword.
No, it was in a rough, mangled state, as if it had been viciously ripped away.
“Ugh…”
As the Second Elder gazed at it with wide eyes,
Swish.
He felt something gripping his thigh.
It was right where the leg had been torn off and remained dangling.
And then—
Whooooosh!
“Gaaaahhh!”
A wave of scorching heat surged forth, searing the wounds on the Second Elder.
The stench of burning flesh and blood wafted through the air.
A horrid and nauseating smell, but what was even more terrifying was—
“Ugh… Gyaaahk!”
Despite writhing in pain and screaming, his mind remained lucid amidst the torment.
Strictly speaking, it had only been a few seconds.
But to the Second Elder, it felt like an eternity.
Time ticked on.
As the smoke thickened and he lost the strength to scream,
it was only then that he sensed the hand gripping his thigh slipping away.
“Uhhh… ghuuh…”
His eyes rolled back.
A dark ceiling came into view.
Looking down, he could see red eyes peering through the cracks of the shadows surrounding him.
It was looking right at him.
“I will ask.”
A voice emerged from the red glow.
“Why did you do that?”
The deep, resonant tone pierced his ears.
The Second Elder had to tilt his head back amidst his trembling body.
Who is it?
Who on earth is doing this to me?
Why did you do that?
“What … what … what…?”
The Second Elder struggled to respond.
Crack!
“…This is disgusting…!!”
The one remaining ankle of the Second Elder was crushed and shattered.
“I will ask again.”
“Ugh… Uuh…”
Though the voice maintained its inflection, for some reason, it felt as if the sound resonated with a haunting echo.
It illuminated beyond his blurry vision.
Is that… death?
At that moment, such a thought flitted through the Second Elder’s mind.
“Why did you do that?”
Even in a mind sinking into fear, that voice remained clear.
I see.
Is the author a god?
There’s no such thing as a god.
Or at least, that’s how it felt, even to the Second Elder, who thought such entities had long perished.
Overwhelming dread.
Crushed beneath it, the Second Elder couldn’t muster a response.
The only sound he could hear was the constant chattering of his own teeth.
“…”
After confirming the futility of the situation, Gu Cheol-woon extended his hand.
Slowly, he reached out, attempting to grasp the Second Elder’s face.
“That’s as far as you go.”
Thump.
Upon hearing that voice emanating before him, Gu Cheol-woon paused momentarily.
He raised his head, meeting a glare from Cheon-jeon, who furrowed his brow.
“Old head of the household…”
At Cheon-jeon’s call, Gu Cheol-woon straightened his clothes and bowed.
“I see you, sir.”
“…Honestly, I never thought I would see you here.”
The oppressive heat enveloped the very atmosphere.
Cheon-jeon squinted as he sensed the aura emanating from Gu Cheol-woon.
“…What are you doing right now?”
What in the world is happening?
He was having a hard time grasping the sudden turn of events.
Ignoring the fact that Gu Cheol-woon had suddenly descended from the ceiling,
the situation that had unfolded with the Second Elder’s attack left him bewildered.
Should I have intervened?
If he had chosen to, he could have stopped it, but Cheon-jeon opted not to.
It was because the pressure radiating from Gu Cheol-woon was no ordinary kind.
Such palpable fury.
He figured there must’ve been some compelling reason behind it. In fact, there was.
‘…I was slow to respond.’
Another issue was that Cheon-jeon’s response lagged until Gu Cheol-woon had started clawing away at the Second Elder’s leg.
Cheon-jeon gritted his teeth inwardly, reflecting on that.
“Old Master, why are you here instead of Shanxi?”
He inquired while suppressing his rising emotions. Understanding the situation was paramount.
In response to the question from the Heavenly Lord, Gu Cheol-woon answered with a stoic expression.
“I came to confirm that my child was nearly poisoned.”
“…Poisoned?”
Upon hearing that, Cheon-jeon recalled what the Second Elder had just stated moments ago.
‘Didn’t he say there was a problem with the arrangement?’
Additionally, it was mentioned there was a hint of the Gu Clan’s troubles mixed in.
The Heavenly Lord’s gaze shifted toward the Second Elder.
‘No way…?’
Could that be the story in question?
If that were the case, it posed quite a dilemma.
“Tsk…”
Cheon-jeon turned his attention back to Gu Cheol-woon.
He had a massive build and a neutral expression in his eyes, but still maintained an air of respect.
His appearance was unoffensive, no matter where one looked.
Even in this unsettling situation.
Despite the tension in the air, Gu Cheol-woon retained his composure and demeanor.
Even after unleashing that much rage just moments ago.
What a pungent sensation.
Caught up in that inexplicable feeling, Cheon-jeon struggled to find his words.
“Gu Clan’s head never leaves Shanxi.”
“…”
“I thought we had established that as a promise.”
The mention of ‘promise’ seemed to shift the atmosphere from Cheon-jeon’s mouth.
Gu Cheol-woon’s expression subtly changed.
“Has this incident been reported to the Alliance?”
“…”
“If not, you should return first. I shall handle this matter as I see fit…”
Ha…
A soft, exasperated sigh.
That tiny noise echoed in the ears of the Heavenly Lord, silencing him.
Despite its softness, the emotions contained within were unmistakable.
Disdain.
Annoyance.
And anger.
Though they blended, holding similarities and differences, their clarity was overwhelming.
“…You.”
“Elder.”
As Gu Cheol-woon spoke, his eyes roamed not towards Cheon-jeon but at the surroundings.
The piled-up corpses of monsters.
The blood staining the ground.
The makeshift altar and the toxic air filled with poison painted a clear picture that this wasn’t a normal space.
Gu Cheol-woon’s eyes, as he surveyed the scene, appeared icy.
A striking absence of emotion. Time had shaped him so.
No, it wasn’t only time.
“A dozen years ago.”
Too many events transpired during that timeframe.
“When things occurred in our clan, even as we buried countless matters, the Alliance stood firm and resolute.”
A sticky quality lingered in his voice as it slid out softly.
Clank.
Cheon-jeon instinctively grasped his sword at that sensation.
“Long before, when the head of the Pang Clan crossed the line, their clan didn’t crumble. Even when the Elder’s grandson created turmoil, the Namgung Clan didn’t fall apart either.”
“What are you rambling about now?”
“Do you know the reason behind that?”
No matter what incident occurs, the Moorim Alliance, the epicenter of the righteous faction, cannot collapse.
Only the leader might change, and the upper management shifts.
It wouldn’t be accurate to say it collapses.
Furthermore, the Pang Clan and Namgung mentioned by Gu Cheol-woon were prestigious families known as the Four Great Clans.
Even if the bloodline of the clan stirs up trouble, the prestigious families wouldn’t dissolve that easily.
Gu Cheol-woon must know this, so why utter such unfathomable words?
Just as Cheon-jeon pondered this,
Clap.
“…!”
Gu Cheol-woon was suddenly standing before Cheon-jeon.
With a rough grip, he pushed the Heavenly Lord back so that he couldn’t draw his sword.
Distracted by this unexpected proximity, Cheon-jeon felt flustered.
“This is because I showed mercy.”
“What…?”
As Gu Cheol-woon spoke, his eyes sparkled with intensity.
A strikingly cold yet fiery declaration.
The emotions woven into his words shifted sharply, piercing Cheon-jeon’s heart.
The pointed tone penetrated deeply.
“It’s far too late to discuss justice and harmony in this decaying, broken land. As proof, the Alliance has lost its core beliefs.”
“Your Holiness, right now—”
“What of those oaths and the binding contracts made in the past?”
Indeed.
The ground cracked from the pressure emanating from Gu Cheol-woon’s feet.
“Do you believe it can still hold together tightly, still?”
“…!”
“Do you not have any thoughts while gazing upon this place?”
The righteous faction’s Four Great Clans.
Now, they wore the badge of legitimacy, shedding their former stigma.
What the world speaks of reflects such a narrative.
But in reality, it is rotting away. Are you not struck with any thoughts as you witness it firsthand?
Cheon-jeon remained silent at Gu Cheol-woon’s stabbing words.
It was far too perilous to respond to such interrogations.
Yet, even Cheon-jeon understood that this silence inevitably indicated his response.
A short stillness hung in the air.
Gu Cheol-woon’s gaze landed squarely on Cheon-jeon.
The Heavenly Lord, who refused to answer. The putrid Tang Gate and this very space.
A harsh reality? While it may encapsulate cruelty and ugliness,
if that’s the case, Gu Cheol-woon wasn’t concerned.
“I have no interest in what you wish to pursue or desire from the Alliance. So please, step aside.”
“You.”
“Sir, I am absolutely doing my best right now.”
Whum.
The heat shifted.
The energy twisted, slowly transforming into flames.
“In order to prevent the Tang Gate from being erased from this land, I am doing my utmost to contain it.”
“…!”
The Heavenly Lord’s eyes widened.
The flames that had morphed crouched behind Gu Cheol-woon, gathering into one entity.
Is that…?
Should that even be labeled a wager?
Could human energy conjure something like that?
Shudder, shudder.
Cheon-jeon felt his sword tremble.
The blade reverberated through the altered air.
“So please, step aside.”
Is it truly wise to retreat here?
That simply would not do—it was a matter of integrity.
Gu Cheol-woon showcased arrogance mentioning the Pang Gate, the Tang Gate, and even the Moorim Alliance.
It would be preposterous to back down, ignoring such arrogance.
To retreat now would virtually signify that he deemed Gu Cheol-woon’s words to be correct.
He could wipe out not just the Alliance, but the Four Great Clans too.
That’s the judgment implied.
Could he genuinely acknowledge that possibility?
No, absolutely not.
Yet despite grasping that,
Why am I not drawing my sword?
Why was he hesitating to draw his sword?
Is it because Gu Cheol-woon is blocking him? No.
Sure, Gu Cheol-woon was pushing the sword back, yet he left a tiny crack.
A gap where the Heavenly Lord could draw it at any moment, directing it back at Gu Cheol-woon.
He had intentionally left that opening.
Ha…
Experiencing that left Cheon-jeon chuckling bitterly.
It felt humiliating.
How long had it been since he last felt this way?
It felt eerily similar to the sentiment he had when he last shook hands with the Sword Lord.
Clang.
With that feeling lingering, the Heavenly Lord immediately grabbed the handle to draw his sword…
“If you draw your sword now…”
The whisper that reached his ears coiled around his throat.
“Your Namgung family will be annihilated.”
“…”
A cold voice, a fleeting moment of hesitation.
Yet—
Shlink!
The Heavenly Lord hastily drew his sword.
Kwaaaaah!
Soon, a storm of flame erupted within the space.
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