Chapter 63. Disappearance
The Anhui branch of the Heavenly Demon Castle was devastated, and the bandits of the Yangtze Eighteen Water Fortresses were massacred. Although the advance of the Martial Alliance was quite swift, they only dispatched troops after passing through the Martial Assembly, so the actual subjugation took place a full fifteen days after the massacre of the Namgung Family.
The subjugation process itself went very smoothly, but they were not able to eliminate all the culprits. Many demonic soldiers and bandits avoided the masters of the Martial Alliance and disappeared. Due to the nature of martial artists, once they took off their martial clothes and hid among civilians, it became extremely difficult to find them.
In the end, the Martial Alliance's subjugation ended up only half a success.
In particular, they failed to capture the Anhui branch vice-leader, the Silver Naked Color Demon Pa Gahyeol, and the chief leader of the Yangtze Water Fortresses, Yangtze River Dragon Tiger Sasa-ho, who were said to have orchestrated all of this. According to the information obtained during the subjugation, the two had disappeared immediately after the Namgung Family bloodshed.
Where on earth did the two of them vanish to?
The Martial Alliance guessed that they had gone along the Yangtze River to Sichuan and then fled to the Heavenly Demon Castle from there. On the other hand, the Heavenly Demon Castle claimed that the Martial Alliance had plotted all of this from the start in order to attack the Heavenly Demon Castle, and that the two were victims of the conspiracy.
The Martial Alliance pressured the Heavenly Demon Castle to hand them over, while the Heavenly Demon Castle raged that the trash of the orthodox path were using schemes and vowed revenge. Regardless of what had actually happened to the Silver Naked Color Demon and the Yangtze River Dragon Tiger, the fact that their whereabouts had become unknown gave both sides a pretext to strike the other. Their very disappearance became the cause of war.
Soon, the clouds of war gathered over the martial world, and martial artists began to gather one after another in Sichuan, Gansu Province, and Qinghai. Now, even if the Silver Naked Color Demon and the Yangtze River Dragon Tiger were to appear, the situation had reached a point where war could no longer be prevented.
What in the world had happened to the two of them?
***
"So, what you're saying is that the First Stratagem was completed without any problems?"
From behind the red curtain, a low and dry voice that made it difficult to distinguish whether it belonged to a man, woman, young, or old spread throughout the cave. It had an unpleasant texture, like a dead tree being scraped by the wind.
A bizarre voice unlike any other in the world.
The owner of the voice was the Martial Founder.
And this place where he was, and where his voice echoed, was the Martial Founder's Secret Cave.
There were no torches on the cave walls, but a faint red light seeping in from somewhere dyed the entire space in a sinister hue. In front of the dais covered with a curtain, two people in black clothes were prostrating themselves, and their names were Pa Gahyeol and Sasa-ho, the very ones who had turned the martial world upside down.
They had destroyed the Namgung Family together with Shadow Shifter Do Heo-ok and immediately left Anhui Province. They had moved so quickly and swiftly that the dust of Anhui was still clinging to their clothes. Since the planned task had been completed, there was no reason at all to remain there.
The Anhui branch of the Heavenly Demon Castle and the Yangtze Eighteen Water Fortresses, whose command systems had collapsed, trusted only Ashen Shadow and Water Shadow and were stabbed in the back, and before long they could do nothing but fall into ruin under the attack of the Martial Alliance.
As soon as the two arrived here, they reported the progress of the First Stratagem to the Martial Founder and were now prostrating themselves in that spot.
What the Martial Founder had just said was the first word he spoke after a long time had passed since receiving their report.
"Yes, Martial Founder."
Ashen Shadow answered without delay.
Pat-.
Along with an extremely low tearing sound, Ashen Shadow's right cheek was ripped open in a long line.
Ashen Shadow neither saw nor felt anything. But he already knew who had done it. As far as he knew, there was only one person in the world who could freely handle true energy like this.
Drip.
Blood began to flow down his cheek belatedly. In fact, if he had not felt the pain, he would not even have realized he was injured until the blood came out. That was how terrifyingly subtle the Martial Founder's attack was.
"Say it again."
The Martial Founder's desolate voice flowed out from beyond the curtain once more. It was extremely calm, but no one here could take that voice lightly. The mere fact that the Martial Founder's true energy had brushed past their cheeks meant that they were at fault.
Naturally, Ashen Shadow could not answer anything.
Pat-.
Drip.
The tearing sound rang out once more. This time, it was the left cheek. Judging by the twitching of his cheek, this one seemed to carry considerable force. Ashen Shadow was in pain, but he clenched his teeth and endured it without a word.
"If it was completed without any problems, then why is Shadow Shifter Namgung Hye? Was the original plan for Shadow Shifter to disguise himself as a woman and sneak into the Martial Alliance?"
"....."
Ashen Shadow and Water Shadow only lowered their heads further without any reply.
Then an enormous killing intent burst out from beyond the curtain. Overwhelmed by it, Ashen Shadow and Water Shadow could only tremble and sweat. It was not even fear—just their bodies, their instincts, reacting to the killing intent.
Not long after feeling the killing intent, red liquid began to flow from between Ashen Shadow's and Water Shadow's lips. Just by receiving the killing intent with their bodies, two peak experts had suffered internal injuries.
Then, at some point.
"If something like this happens again, you will not be able to die cleanly. Do you understand?"
The Martial Founder's voice flowed out again, and the killing intent receded.
Ashen Shadow and Water Shadow tried to open their mouths to answer, but.
"Yes.... Mar...! Cough...….."
They vomited blood and passed out on the spot.
With that, the Martial Founder's interrogation came to an end.
And so, perhaps about the time of one incense stick passed?
The Martial Founder's voice echoed in the cave once more.
"Where did you say he jumped down?"
Now there was no one properly standing in the cave, but from somewhere a heavy voice answered the Martial Founder's question.
"It is Seonjung Mountain. Martial Founder."
The one who answered was Gwangun, who had returned from Anhui Province before the Ashen Shadow and Water Shadow. In fact, the Martial Founder had already received the full report of events from him. And Gwangun already knew who the Martial Founder was referring to as "that person," although he did not know the exact identity.
"Seonjung Mountain .... "
The Martial Founder's whisper-like low voice trembled finely as it spread through the cave. When that trembling subsided and disappeared, his voice once again came out from beyond the curtain.
"Flying Cloud."
The moment those words fell, a black shadow dropped from the ceiling to the ground. As soon as he landed, he pressed his forehead to the floor.
"Are you looking for me? Martial Founder."
"Can you go down a thousand meter cliff?"
"Yes, Martial Founder."
What was this supposed to mean? To the Martial Founder's nonsensical question, Flying Cloud gave a nonsensical answer. How could a human made of flesh safely descend a thousand-zhang cliff?
But Flying Cloud had answered immediately, without even a moment of hesitation. Shadows and clouds could not lie to the Martial Founder. That meant what he said was true.
"Yes, that's right. If it's you, you'll be able to go down without any problem."
"..."
Flying Cloud waited in silence for the Martial Founder's next words.
"The world is vast. The world without us is also vast. Isn't that so, Flying Cloud?"
"That is so, Martial Founder."
"Flying Cloud."
"Yes, Martial Founder. Please give your order."
"Take those two and go to Seonjung Mountain. Go and find that person. If he is dead, bring back even the corpse. If he has been smashed to pieces, then collect even his bone fragments without leaving a single one behind."
"I obey."
After answering, Flying Cloud placed Water Shadow and Ashen Shadow on each of his shoulders and left the secret cave. The ethereality of that movement technique was beyond words.
After he disappeared, the Martial Founder's voice echoed in the cave once more.
"Gwangun."
"Yes, Martial Founder."
"Who do you think it is?"
Although there was no special designation, Gwangun knew very well that the "who" the Martial Founder was referring to meant "that person."
"I think he is one of the two gods, three eccentrics, five elders, ten great masters."
"Too many. Narrow it down."
At the Martial Founder's words, the secret cave fell into a brief silence. But it did not last long.
"I think he is one of the three eccentrics."
Gwangun said.
"Why do you think so?"
The Martial Founder asked again.
"The Two Gods were at Mount Tianshan and Mount Song respectively at that time. And the Ten Great Masters and the Five Elders do not have that level of ability."
"Then are you saying the three eccentrics have the ability to do so?"
"I don't know whether they can or not, but I think it might be possible."
"Ho ho. 'Can' and 'might be able to.' Interesting."
" .... "
"Gwangun, your words make sense. Yes, we still have not properly grasped the three eccentrics. I, too, am not certain about them, so you are right, Gwangun."
The Martial Founder let out a low, strange laugh and called Gwangun.
"Yes, Martial Founder."
"Immediately select ten among the Outer Clouds and go to Anhui Province to retrieve the items, and after that, track the whereabouts of the Three Eccentrics. Until they are found, the Second Stratagem is put on hold."
"I obey."
An extremely important decision was made in an instant, but Gwangun did not object at all. The Martial Founder spoke, and he decided. That was the end of it.
After answering, Gwangun left the secret cave.
When he disappeared, the secret cave became a cave again. Since the Martial Founder was there, it was not a complete cave, but.....
"Who are you? You?"
The Martial Founder's voice, whose addressee could not be known, wandered through the cave and then disappeared.
You.
To someone holding a blade in the dark, the existence called "you" is always frightening.
Although the Martial Founder told Gwangun to chase the Three Eccentrics, he thought that "that person" might not be one of them. As he had said before, the world was vast. As vast as it was, there would be countless candidates for "you" somewhere.
"Who are you? You...?"
Once again, the Martial Founder unconsciously let the same words slip out. And after a long while, he repeated them once more.
Who are you? You?
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