Chapter 348
“I can’t believe this is happening!”
I showed Namgung Jo the place where the Namgung Clan had imprisoned women using their secret techniques. I then let the women I had tucked away speak vividly about their experiences. Namgung Jo, unable to comprehend the sudden situation, stared at the brothel-like facility and held his head in anguish.
“I… I can’t believe it. Our Namgung Clan has sunk this low…”
As Namgung Jo struggled with his despair, one of the dressed women spoke in a venomous tone.
“Are you one of the elderly of Namgung Clan?”
“Well, I am…”
“I was a person from the Dongyun Pyo Clan. But the Heavenly Sky of Namgung Clan drove us to the Heretical Sect, slaughtered my husband and children, and brought me here three years ago. Do you know what I’ve been through?”
“……”
As tears streamed down the woman’s face, she exclaimed, “I will curse the Namgung Clan until I die. I’ll tear apart Namgung Myeong, who humiliated me in front of my husband!”
The murmurs started.
“Right!”
“Those bastards deserve to be torn to shreds!”
One by one, the women began to raise their voices. Most of them were women from martial arts families or sects, kidnapped after their clans were destroyed by Namgung Clan. Their stories of torture were too horrific and ugly to even mention. And listening to their tale, it seemed that Namgung Myeong was actively involved in his son’s actions, while the Eight Swords of Namgung were fully complicit.
The Master of Shadowless Sword, Namgung Jo, listened for a long time before speaking in a shaky voice, his face more affected than when he had been stripped by Yeodong-bin earlier.
“I… I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, he knelt before the women, trembling while deeply apologizing.
“I’m the one who should be killed. Back when… the Namgung Clan was changing, I should have fought to change it instead of giving up!”
“……?”
The women looked confused, not understanding what he was saying. Namgung Jo spoke to me with a grim expression.
“Baek Woong, was it? Keep them safe.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Though it’s late, just like you said, I’ll punish the Namgung Clan. While I’m also a sinner, grant me a chance to rectify it.”
“Understood.”
After safely returning the women to their quarters, I took out Namgung Hwan. Upon seeing Namgung Hwan, Namgung Jo frowned.
“This bastard…”
Namgung Hwan, regaining consciousness in a daze, looked around. Glancing around naked, he caught sight of Namgung Jo and jumped in shock, covering himself.
“Gah! Great Grandfather!! What brings you here…?”
“……”
Namgung Jo’s face was ghastly. Apparently, since Namgung Hwan was a heir of the Namgung Clan, it seems he had formally met the Master of Shadowless Sword, a family secret. Even if Namgung Jo did not approve of them, it was clear that he was the strongest martial artist in the Namgung Clan.
In a dark voice, Namgung Jo asked, “Why do you call me ‘Great Grandfather’?”
“Huh? I was told you are the younger brother of my great-grandfather…”
“No. You are not of the Namgung Clan bloodline.”
Smack!
“Kraaaah!!”
The Master of Shadowless Sword instantly ripped off Namgung Hwan’s arm. Namgung Hwan rolled on the ground in pain, but soon the Master of Shadowless Sword lifted his foot to crush his head. Seeing this, I rushed in to stop it.
Thud!
Finally managing to deflect the Master’s killer intent, he glanced at me.
“Get out of the way. I’ll handle this myself.”
“I know you’re angry, but this bastard has committed too many crimes. The victims need to be the ones to pay him back.”
“…So, that’s your request.”
The Master let out a sigh.
“I’d prefer to kill him cleanly out of familial bonds…”
“You can’t.”
“Hoo.”
The Master of Shadowless Sword shook his head and silently headed outside. I shoved Namgung Hwan back into confinement and followed the Master.
As we stepped into the Namgung Clan grounds, curious gazes from people fell upon the Master of Shadowless Sword, who looked like a beaten-up common blacksmith wandering in luxury.
Rustle…
Several martial artists from the Namgung Clan quickly blocked the Master of Shadowless Sword’s path. One of them drew a sword and demanded, “Who are you? Reveal your identity!”
The Master of Shadowless Sword coldly stared at him and replied, “Bring me Namgung Myeong and the Eight Swords of Namgung.”
“You madman! Kill him!”
Swish! Swish!
As the Namgung Clan’s martial artists charged at him simultaneously, they were swiftly cut to pieces. With invisible and imperceptible sword energy cutting through, they couldn’t even withstand a single second. Blood sprayed as a massacre commenced.
“Hiii!”
As more experts joined the fight, they charged at the Master of Shadowless Sword. But he didn’t bother drawing his sword and simply waved his hand a few times. Each time, it was as if an invisible barrier tore the bodies apart. The Master of Shadowless Sword seemed to have resolved not to show mercy today.
Before the number of casualties surpassed fifty, it seemed like the experts of the Namgung Clan finally began to realize that the Master of Shadowless Sword was an enemy of an entirely different dimension. Both the Heavenly Sky and Special Investigative Team had surrounded him, but no one dared to attack.
The Lord of Heavenly Sky stepped forward and proclaimed, “I am the Lord of Heavenly Sky! Who are you to carry out a slaughter in our home?”
“I already told you. Bring me Namgung Myeong and the Eight Swords of Namgung here.”
“Namgung…?! Are you talking about the Clan Leader?”
“Yes. Bring that rotten bastard before me.”
Normally, insulting the Clan Leader and carrying out a massacre would lead to a fight filled with argument. However, the Lord of Heavenly Sky seemed keenly aware of the power disparity, sensing something unsettling in the Master of Shadowless Sword’s tone. After contemplating for a while, he finally spoke up.
“If you bring them here, I promise that there will be no more slaughter.”
“Of course.”
“Please wait a moment.”
After about the time it takes to cook a meal, the Clan Leader, Namgung Myeong, appeared before the Master of Shadowless Sword, along with the Eight Swords of Namgung.
“This bastard! I won’t forgive…”
But Namgung Myeong froze in shock at the sight of the Master of Shadowless Sword. His face morphed into a look of horror, and he bowed deeply.
“…I have no choice but to comply. My dear Great Grandfather… What brings you here?”
Murmurs filled the air as the anxious members of Namgung Clan processed this unexpected development. After all, how could they fathom the stature of the one referred to as Great Grandfather, the Clan Leader Namgung Myeong himself?
Even the Eight Swords of Namgung, realizing the identity of the Master, turned pale and bowed low.
With icy eyes fixed on Namgung Myeong, the Master of Shadowless Sword asked, “Is that how your brother taught you?”
“What do you mean…?”
“I’ve seen the conditions of the facilities. The abused women were there.”
“……”
Namgung Myeong, along with the Eight Swords, turned ghostly pale. Especially Namgung Myeong, who seemed to wobble as if he were about to faint. Yet he quickly regained his composure and replied.
“I apologize for the unpleasant scene.”
“Unpleasant…?”
“They are trophies of the Namgung Clan. We’ve been using them in secret, and I’m quite embarrassed.”
The Master of Shadowless Sword’s jaw dropped.
“Trophies? Using them?”
“Yes.”
“Are you serious?”
Stumbling over his words, the Master asked, and Namgung Myeong quietly replied.
“Survival of the fittest has been the ideology of our clan since my great-grandfather’s time. I endeavor to make the Namgung Clan the strongest in the world. I push away any forces that obstruct the clan’s expansion, and these trophies are what we obtained in the process.”
“Huh… haha…”
Namgung Jo pressed his temple and said, “My dear Myeong, you see…”
He continued, almost mournfully. “You know, I’ve never cared much for anything other than martial arts since childhood. You know this, right?”
“Yes, I know that.”
“So I felt guilty for not being involved while my brother worked to grow the clan. I thought I could simply practice martial arts. However, at some point, I found the clan’s policies excessive and left.”
The fire in the Master of Shadowless Sword’s eyes sparked.
“But I was wrong. I never thought my own clan would turn into animals that abandon morality…”
Namgung Myeong murmured, “Animals? Those are the vanquished. Is it truly wrong to dominate the losers by the name of the victors?”
“Khhhhh… Saying more is like reading to a deaf ear.”
Rustle…
The Master of Shadowless Sword summoned his sword energy. Namgung Myeong took a fighting stance, followed by the Eight Swords of Namgung who ignited their sword flames. As the other martial artists also shifted into combat posture, they were now outnumbered by hundreds against one.
I swallowed hard as I stood next to the Master.
‘I didn’t realize it before, but the influence of the Namgung Clan is incredible.’
No matter how strong the Master of Shadowless Sword was, could he really win against them?
While I quietly pondered, Namgung Myeong shouted, “The Elder has lost their mind! We must silence him to protect our clan!”
“Whoaah!!”
Realizing that the Master of Shadowless Sword was determined to exterminate them, Namgung Myeong unsheathed his sword without hesitation. While it was a pragmatic choice, the determination to kill an Elder of the clan was incomprehensible.
“For you heretics!”
The Master of Shadowless Sword, filled with rage, swung his hand.
Bang! Bam!
A blood mist erupted. Every human within a six-foot radius was shredded, showering blood as hundreds of invisible sword energies flitted about.
“Aaaah!”
As the sword energy appeared to transform into a storm of death, the martial artists were left aghast, but it was already too late. The Master of Shadowless Sword showed no mercy, exterminating every one who dared approach him, and those in range became mere pieces of meat. Before three seconds passed since he took action, half of the experts present were sent to the afterlife.
“Kill!”
Namgung Myeong gritted his teeth and unleashed the Emperor Sword Technique’s Absolute Slash, lunging directly at the Master of Shadowless Sword. With the sound of a dragon’s roar accompanying the powerful energy charging at him, it seemed that even the Master had no choice but to take it seriously and hesitated momentarily. But just when Namgung Myeong’s Absolute Slash aimed for the Master’s neck, it dispersed like sand.
Illusion!
The real Master of Shadowless Sword had already appeared beside the Eight Swords’ elder. As they scrambled to react, the Master coldly murmured at that moment, using the Heart Command Technique.
Those who fail to honor the clan leader must die.
“Kreek!”
“Aaaah!”
In the next second, five heads flew through the air among the Eight Swords of Namgung. The remaining three were pierced by dozens of sword energies, leaving a pool of blood behind as they too departed this world. I shivered at the gruesome sight.
How could the Eight Swords, pinnacle experts, be easily wiped out by the Master of Shadowless Sword like this! Considering that peak experts are equivalent to the elders of great sects, it was hard to believe.
‘Had the Master of Shadowless Sword become this strong?’
It was impossible to reconcile the image of him being humiliated and beaten by Yeodong-bin with what was happening now. The Master seemed like an Asura dominating the battlefield. No one could stop or evade the Master’s every strike. His Mind Control Technique’s Shadowless Sword Technique held terrifying power.
Truly, the Greatest Sword under Heaven!
Finally, with only Namgung Myeong remaining against the Master of Shadowless Sword, it seemed like he had lost his fighting spirit. As a peak expert, he understood the discrepancy between their levels, realizing that continuing to fight was futile. With a trembling voice, he uttered, “D-Do you really need to do this?”
“Shut up.”
“We are your bloodline! We are your roots! What meaning does it even have to deny us?”
The Master of Shadowless Sword smirked.
“Well said. Rotten roots should be cut away.”
“……!!”
“Today, I will eradicate all of you, and through my secret techniques, I will establish a new martial lineage for the Namgung Clan, so worry not.”
Namgung Myeong seemed to recognize that he was cornered. He gritted his teeth and asked, “…What about Hwan?”
“He deserves to die a Thousand Kills Slash. Why did you raise such a useless son?”
“Ugh…”
With a sigh, the Master of Shadowless Sword said, “But this, too, will be my sin. Once everything is over, I’ll take my own life, so I won’t be bored in the afterlife.”
“I won’t let this happen!!”
Boom!
Namgung Myeong drew upon his inner strength, amplifying it and desperately charging forward. As a top-tier expert on the Central Plains, he wielded the world-class martial skill. No wonder he held his ground for a good one hundred and fifty seconds as the Master of Shadowless Sword unleashed his sword techniques.
But upon reaching one hundred and fifty seconds, the Master of Shadowless Sword pinched his fingers together, aiming at Namgung Myeong.
Ultimate Technique!
Shadowless Soul Steal Technique!
In the next instant, without any sound, Namgung Myeong’s left arm flew off. He hesitated in confusion, unable to comprehend why an eminent peak expert like him couldn’t even perceive the warning of the concealed strike. To the spectators, it merely looked like sword energy shot through empty air.
And that was it. The Master of Shadowless Sword unleashed the Shadowless Soul Steal Technique in rapid succession, severing Namgung Myeong’s limbs before delivering the finishing blow to his neck. It seemed that the last one hundred and fifty seconds had just been a courtesy for Believing Myeong to show his last will.
As Namgung Myeong met his gruesome end, screams erupted from all around.
“Noo!”
“The Clan Leader has fallen!”
As chaos enveloped the area, the Master of Shadowless Sword shouted, “Halt!”
Thud!
As if an earthquake struck, the ground trembled. The souls of the people froze under the weight of the Master of Shadowless Sword’s presence as he conveyed his will using the Six Harmonies Assembly.
[The evil Clan Leader and the retainers have all been purged by me, the Master of Shadowless Sword, Namgung Jo. The main house is a radiant orthodox sect that upholds the justice of the martial world; from today, I will restore the clan’s rightful spirit!!]
With that, the surviving masters began kneeling before the Master of Shadowless Sword one by one. After all, he was the clan’s elder and possessed overwhelming strength, making him fit to assume the next leadership without question.
Once the situation was settled, the Master of Shadowless Sword turned to me and said, “This concludes our wager. Are you satisfied now?”
“……”
“You seem to have something on your mind.”
Looking at the Master of Shadowless Sword wordlessly, I finally spoke up.
“Master of Shadowless Sword, why are you using the techniques of the Shadowless Gate?”
