Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 180 - Jang Neung-ak (3)
Chapter 180 – Jang Neung-ak (3)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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In an instant, silence fell over the banquet grounds of the guest hall garden.
That was because before their eyes had unfolded a result completely unlike what they had expected, no, a sight they had never even imagined.
‘How can this be?’
One man seated in the lower rank was left dumbfounded.
He was the Eyeless Sword, Wi Maeng-cheon, the Second Sacred Mountain, who had become Mok Gyeong-un’s shikigami and was currently possessing the body of the man called Jong-im, one of his own close aides.
Wi Maeng-cheon knew better than anyone the martial power of Go Yeon-hu, the First Sacred Mountain.
He had even crossed hands with him personally.
Yet this was beyond mere shock.
Because he had fought Mok Gyeong-un only a day earlier, he had been certain that with Mok Gyeong-un’s strength, he could not defeat Go Yeon-hu, one of the Five Tigers.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Only a day had passed, so how had his martial power risen to this degree?
No, this was not development that could be understood by any normal standard.
Go Yeon-hu was not the sort of opponent to be felled in a single move.
‘…What in the world is this?’
He was not the only one shocked.
Go Chan as well, the guard possessing Ha Chae-rin’s body, tried not to let it show, but inwardly he too was overwhelmed with shock at the result.
It could not even be compared with what he had seen on the avenue not long ago.
‘Is that bastard truly a monster?’
How could someone become this strong in such a short time?
He could not understand it at all.
Then, from beside him, he heard the sound of a tongue clicking.
‘!?’
The one seated there, with an arm wrapped around his waist and a wine cup in hand, was Ho Jong-hyeok, Great Unit Leader of the Bu Myeol Unit and Third Sacred Mountain of the Five Peaks Assembly.
Watching the scene, Ho Jong-hyeok clicked his tongue and muttered,
“What a thing. An unexpected hidden danger.”
Go Chan wondered whether even he was surprised, but surprisingly, there was a strange spark of competitive interest visible on his face.
Just what kind of reaction was that?
Then,
“Grrr!”
At that moment Go Yeon-hu, his face buried in the floor, struck both hands against the ground and tried to use the recoil to force himself back up.
But,
-Bang!
Mok Gyeong-un pressed his head back down once more, burying his face into the ground.
The trembling of Go Yeon-hu’s head and body gradually stopped.
Apparently he had fainted.
At the sight, the banquet ground that had fallen silent suddenly erupted into murmurs.
Mok Gyeong-un removed his hand from Go Yeon-hu’s head, straightened his waist, and looked toward Jang Neung-ak, the Society Leader’s second disciple.
The look in Jang Neung-ak’s eyes changed.
Up until now, it had been no more than the gaze one turned on desirable fruit. Now, wariness had entered it.
‘…This bastard. He grew even stronger?’
The martial power of Go Yeon-hu did not fall behind that of Wu Ho-rang, also counted among the Five Tigers.
No, in some respects Jang Neung-ak had even judged him to be slightly superior.
And yet this man had crushed him in a single move?
Jang Neung-ak opened his mouth.
“You bastard… You’ve come close to the extreme.”
-Murmur, murmur!
‘The extreme?’
‘Did he just say the extreme?’
At those words, the martial artists in the lower seats burst into murmurs.
The extreme of the transcendent peak.
That meant martial power beyond the Five Tigers, those called the greatest of the younger generation, and approaching executive rank.
Among those executives who bore the positions of the Four Valley Masters, the Three Sect Masters, and the Five Kings, there was no one who was not near or already at the extreme of the transcendent peak.
If compared to the righteous martial world, each one of them was equivalent to the leader of a mid-sized sect or to the greatest expert of a major sect.
At that, Jeo Mo-pal said, unable to believe it,
“The extreme? My lord, even so…”
“Jeo Mo-pal.”
“Brother Ho?”
“Still haven’t you noticed?”
“Noticed what?”
“That bastard doesn’t have a single wound on him.”
“A wound?”
At those words, Jeo Mo-pal’s pupils shook.
It was only then that he realized he had not consciously noticed it until now. There was not a single wound visible on Mok Gyeong-un.
Seo Hye-in, the Fourth Sacred Mountain and Choyeon Unit leader, had said it had been an extremely violent match, yet not the slightest injury was visible on any exposed part of Mok Gyeong-un’s body.
“…This is more monstrous than it looks. Not a single wound even after facing Wu Ho-rang?”
At those words from Jeo Mo-pal, Seo Hye-in said in a grave voice,
“After watching Great Unit Leader Go get put down in one move, is that all you have to say?”
“…”
-Slide.
Before long, the martial artists in the lower seats, and even Seo Hye-in, the Fourth Sacred Mountain, and Jeo Mo-pal of the Giant Rock Fist in the high seats, all raised their true qi and entered battle readiness.
From the moment Go Yeon-hu had been felled in one move, that bastard had surpassed the level of the younger generation.
He was essentially someone whose martial power was already close to executive rank.
The only people here who could face him one-on-one were their lord Jang Neung-ak, who had received direct instruction from the Society Leader, and…
The gazes of Seo Hye-in and Jeo Mo-pal, seated in the high place, turned toward an unexpected person.
That person was none other than Ho Jong-hyeok, Great Unit Leader of the Bu Myeol Unit and Third Sacred Mountain.
Why were they looking at him like that?
Go Yeon-hu, one of the Five Tigers and the strongest of the confidants under the title of First Sacred Mountain, had just been struck down in a single move. So why direct such looks at him?
Then,
“What? What’s with those looks?”
Ho Jong-hyeok downed his wine in a tone that suggested annoyance.
Just then Jang Neung-ak spoke.
“Ho Jong-hyeok.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I never thought I would have to reveal my hidden card in a place like this.”
At those words from Jang Neung-ak, the eyes of Ho Jong-hyeok, who had until then worn nothing but a bored air, changed.
It was as though his presence had suddenly grown heavier and sharper.
Jang Neung-ak said to him,
“Can you handle him?”
“I think I can manage, more or less, but I cannot guarantee victory. Not after the movement he just showed.”
“Then I will attach Jeo Mo-pal to you. Subdue him and make him kneel.”
“You ask troublesome things of me. Are you sure?”
“This is my manor anyway. It does not matter if it is seen.”
“…Understood. I receive your command.”
With those words, Ho Jong-hyeok smiled at Go Chan, who was possessing Ha Chae-rin and seated beside him, and said,
“Wait for me a moment. I shall return shortly.”
‘Aaaaaaah!’
At those words, Go Chan inwardly shuddered.
Even after scolding himself to remain faithful to his role, remarks like this that the man threw out so carelessly went beyond burdensome.
Just as Ho Jong-hyeok was about to grasp the handle of the massive axe resting behind him,
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop with these pointless fights?”
Mok Gyeong-un said that toward Jang Neung-ak.
At once Jang Neung-ak let out a mocking laugh.
“You rejected my offer of loyalty, and after coming here with your own lips saying you had tricks to play, now you tell me not to engage in pointless fights…? Do I look ridiculous to you?”
“Surely not. I only came to present a proposal that you need, Young Master.”
“Silence!”
He had not even finished speaking before Jang Neung-ak’s shout rang through the surroundings.
Because inner energy was laced into it, the cry reverberated so strongly that the martial artists in the lower seats all covered their ears.
Of course, Mok Gyeong-un’s expression did not change in the slightest.
Jang Neung-ak pressed him.
“I do not know what sort of scheme you and my eldest senior brother are plotting together, but the moment you let go of my hand, you became my enemy.”
“Are you not defining things far too easily?”
“Defining? Don’t make me laugh. Did you think I would not know that you met with my eldest senior brother?”
“Yes. I did indeed meet him.”
“Exactly. Then you can no longer deny…”
“Thanks to that, I wound up making Great Young Master Na Yul-ryang my enemy, which is rather troublesome.”
“What?”
At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Jang Neung-ak’s expression hardened.
He had naturally assumed that Mok Gyeong-un had joined hands with his eldest senior brother, since he had already defeated Wu Ho-rang, the subordinate of youngest junior sister Wi So-yeon, and now had also felled his own right hand Go Yeon-hu in a single move.
But what was this supposed to mean?
“You made Eldest Senior Brother your enemy?”
“Yes.”
Jang Neung-ak narrowed his eyes and frowned.
“Are you trying to deceive me by laying falsehoods before me?”
“Surely not. Great Young Master Na Yul-ryang is probably beside himself over the fact that he failed to kill me.”
“Beside himself because he failed to kill you?”
“Yes.”
At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Jang Neung-ak snorted.
This bastard was trying to play games with him.
What kind of person was his eldest senior brother?
He was a cold-blooded being who did not regard most of those around him as even human.
He did not even acknowledge his own junior brothers and sisters.
And such an inhuman eldest senior brother would regard a mere thing like this bastard as an enemy?
“Foolish bastard.”
“…”
“You know nothing of the man called Na Yul-ryang. Are you asking me to believe such nonsense, that he would take you as his enemy? If you said he regarded you as a bug instead, that would at least sound more realistic.”
-Slide.
With those words, Jang Neung-ak tilted his head toward Ho Jong-hyeok, the Third Sacred Mountain.
“Hoo.”
At once Ho Jong-hyeok let out a shallow breath, gripped his massive axe, and descended from the pavilion.
At the sight of the axe, Mok Gyeong-un recalled what the Shadow Sect Master had said about him.
[Ho ho ho. Among Young Master Jang Neung-ak’s confidants, there is one who would be especially troublesome to provoke.]
[Who would that be?]
[Ho Jong-hyeok, Great Unit Leader of the Bu Myeol Unit.]
[Ho Jong-hyeok?]
[Yes. I heard he holds the position of Third Sacred Mountain within the Five Peaks Assembly.]
[If he’s Third Sacred Mountain, that means third in rank.]
[In outward rank, yes.]
[Outward rank?]
[Of course, his actual martial power may not reach that of Go Yeon-hu, the First Sacred Mountain, or Wi Maeng-cheon, the Second Sacred Mountain. But if one considers his father’s fame, it is a position that makes little sense.]
[Who is his father, then?]
[Ho Tae-gang, the Axe-Breaking King.]
[The Axe-Breaking King? One of the Five Kings?]
The Five Kings.
They were the highest-ranking executives who upheld the Heaven and Earth Society.
But it did not end there.
[Not merely one of the Five Kings. He is one of the eight masters said to have reached the highest realm in the current martial world.]
[Surely…]
[Yes. One of the Eight Stars.]
That enormous axe, enough to split a man in half, was likely the Annihilating Axe, said to have been forged so that Ho Tae-gang, the Axe-Breaking King, could unleash his unique martial art, the Heaven-Rending Axe Method.
‘The son taught by one of the Eight Stars…’
A small spark of interest rose in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.
The Eight Stars were called the greatest masters in the present martial world, second only to the Six Heavens.
It would have been stranger for him to have no interest at all.
-Grrrnnn.
If one looked at the muscles in Ho Jong-hyeok’s right arm as he approached while dragging the giant axe along the floor, they were tremendously overdeveloped.
Naturally, that was because they had developed to wield the massive Annihilating Axe at will.
Walking behind him to support him, Jeo Mo-pal’s eyes shone with expectation.
‘Will I finally get to see Brother Ho’s true power?’
There was a secret within the Five Peaks Assembly.
It was a secret known only to the members of the Five Peaks Assembly and their lord Jang Neung-ak.
The martial artists seated in the lower ranks did not know it.
It was the existence of the true First Sacred Mountain, who had not been revealed.
‘The true First Sacred Mountain. My lord’s hidden blade.’
Everyone assumed that Go Yeon-hu, one of the Five Tigers and the strongest warrior of the Five Peaks Assembly, was their greatest expert, but the truth was otherwise.
The true strongest expert of the Five Peaks Assembly was Ho Jong-hyeok.
His real martial power had reached the extreme of the transcendent peak.
-Whooom!
Ho Jong-hyeok lifted the giant axe he had been dragging across the ground, the Annihilating Axe, and lightly swung it through empty air.
It was only a light swing, yet a fierce pressure of wind erupted and a sharp force spread in every direction.
‘As expected, impressive.’
If merely the wind pressure was already at this level, then if he properly unleashed his martial power, something truly astonishing would happen.
As Ho Jong-hyeok approached Mok Gyeong-un, he said,
“Hey. Don’t resent it too much that the two of us are rushing you together. This isn’t a duel. The order is to subdue you.”
At that, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged as if he did not care.
Then he pulled something from his waist.
It was a small pouch hanging from his belt.
“What is he trying to do?”
Ho Jong-hyeok asked.
But without answering, Mok Gyeong-un looked toward Jang Neung-ak and said,
“Once you see this, you may think a little differently.”
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un threw the pouch toward Jang Neung-ak in the pavilion.
“Not so fast!”
-Smack!
Seo Hye-in, the Fourth Sacred Mountain, caught it in his place because she thought it might be some kind of trick.
Yet the pouch felt lighter than expected.
For a moment she wondered if some hidden weapon was inside, but that did not seem to be it.
“Young Master, this is…”
“Ignore that useless thing. Subdue him at once.”
Jang Neung-ak, as though wholly uninterested in it, gave his order to Ho Jong-hyeok and Jeo Mo-pal.
The moment he did, Ho Jong-hyeok dashed toward Mok Gyeong-un and swung the huge Annihilating Axe at his neck.
-Whooom! Slash! Craaack!
As the Annihilating Axe split the air, the wind pressure and sharp force it produced split apart a banquet table.
The lower-ranked martial artists who had been watching were forced to scatter and step back.
Watching this, Jang Neung-ak curled the corner of his mouth into a cruel smile.
With Ho Jong-hyeok, who had reached the extreme of the transcendent peak, and Jeo Mo-pal added as support, there should be no real difficulty in subduing that bastard.
‘You dared mock me?’
Let us see whether such words still come out of you once your skin is stripped away.
Then it happened.
“Y-Young Master?”
At that moment Seo Hye-in, the Fourth Sacred Mountain, called out to Jang Neung-ak.
Focused as he was on the duel before him, Jang Neung-ak answered irritably,
“Speak later.”
“F-forgive me, but I think you need to see this first.”
“Didn’t I tell you to speak later?”
“Young Master!”
“Do you now dare defy what I sa…!?”
Jang Neung-ak’s expression hardened at once as he turned to scold Seo Hye-in.
That was because of the thing in her hand.
It was none other than an eyeball.
The instant he saw the eyeball, its pupil not black but tinged with silver, the image of a certain someone flashed through Jang Neung-ak’s mind.
It was the image of his eldest senior brother, Na Yul-ryang.
[As expected of the Thunderbolt Fist King. To force even this out of me, Great Young Master.]
Na Yul-ryang’s voice and the image of him remained vivid even now.
During his sparring match with Won Byeong-hak, the Thunderbolt Fist King, the pupil of his right eye had suddenly turned silver.
From that point on, the entire course of the battle had changed completely.
Recalling that in an instant, Jang Neung-ak’s pupils shook.
This eyeball was far too familiar.
‘Surely not?’
This was…
At that exact moment,
-Crash! Clang!
At the series of thunderous sounds, Jang Neung-ak’s gaze snapped to the side.
‘!?’
There he saw Jeo Mo-pal of the Five Sacred Mountains with his head being crushed beneath Mok Gyeong-un’s foot as he lay sprawled on the floor, and Ho Jong-hyeok staggering backward with one side of the twin blade of his axe broken off.
All of this had happened in the brief moment he looked away.