Black and White Martial Emperor

“Band Leader.”

“......”

“Dark Eight is dead.”

The eyes of Sima Hyeon, the Yin God’s eldest disciple, turned cold.

“By whose hand?”

“He was killed by an acquaintance of the Night Lord.”

“......”

“......”

“The Night Lord said nothing in particular?”

“That is correct.”

“Then it is done. Focus on your assigned duty.”

“I receive your command.”

Srrrk.

Dark Four vanished like smoke.

After watching outside the window for a long while, Sima Hyeon closed his eyes.

Go on ahead.

Inwardly, he prayed for Dark Eight’s peaceful rebirth.

If he could follow his heart, he wanted to storm the Night Lord’s quarters at once. He wanted to go there, knock the bastard unconscious, cripple his dantian, make it so he could not even faint, and then subject him to every horrific torture imaginable for three months and ten days.

Of course, it was not only because of Dark Eight.

Because of your existence alone, so many people are suffering.

It had been a °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° full three years since Sima Hyeon had broken free of the Yin God’s Soul-Seizing Art.

Even Sima Hyeon himself did not know how that had been possible. Suddenly, he had hated his master, and that master had become unfamiliar to him. Then, at some point, he realized there was something wrong with his memories.

As he tried to recall those memories, he had suddenly managed to break the Soul-Seizing Art. He could only guess that the True Qi of the two types, Yin Fire and Yin Cold, had produced some strange effect.

Of course, that did not matter.

What mattered was that the master he had trusted and followed for so long was his irreconcilable enemy, and that this man, both master and enemy, had to be killed.

It will not be a petty revenge.

Yayul Jeok probably did not know. How much preparation he had done over the past three years.

How much information he had gathered, how many people he had won over, and furthermore, how many assassins he had drawn to his side.

And finally.

Sima Hyeon took a small document from his robes.

The opportunity has come.

At present, the Martial Alliance’s field-force units had entered Guangdong Province.

If field-force units had entered, then naturally, an information organization supporting them would have slipped in with them. He had not confirmed which information organization was coming or from which direction it would enter, but the fact that one would come was clear.

It is most likely the Beggars’ Union.

Sima Hyeon opened his mouth.

“Dark General.”

“Did you call, Band Leader?”

A masked figure who had appeared as suddenly as Dark Four prostrated beside Sima Hyeon.

Sima Hyeon handed him the document.

“Spread eyes across all of Guangdong Province. And if you become certain they are informants on the Martial Alliance’s side, deliver this document to them.”

The Dark General’s eyes gleamed blue.

“Is it beginning?”

“Yes. It begins now.”

Sima Hyeon closed his eyes.

“If the Martial Alliance does not help, then I will disregard my life and cut off Hong Gwan’s head.”

*****

“Young Master Yeon!”

In her urgency, she even forgot to call him Supreme Commander.

Mookbi approached with a worried face.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“You just collapsed. How severe were the internal injuries you took?”

“I didn’t take any internal injuries.”

“......What?”

Yeon Hojeong rolled his left shoulder in circles.

“I know Blood-Drinking Palm almost too well. It is a fairly frightening martial art, but once you know the penetration route, blocking its hidden force is as easy as chopping firewood. In that sense, it can certainly be considered a concept close to the basic art of the Yin Desolation arts.”

Mookbi looked at Yeon Hojeong with an incredulous expression. Okcheong and Yeoguk wore similar expressions.

“Are you joking right now?”

“I’m not joking.”

“Then what was that? Why did you let the enemy go? And a Perverse Lust Cult master, no less!”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“Catching one fox would only vent my anger. The venomous snake hiding in the burrow would become even more cautious.”

“......?”

“I’ve thrown the seed, roughly speaking. If things flow as I expect, that side’s camp will become rather spectacular before long.”

One of the strongest masters on the Perverse Lust Cult’s side would not have been dispatched as the Yin God.

That was only natural. At least as far as Yeon Hojeong knew, the supreme masters on the Three Creeds’ side had tremendous pride. Among them were many conservatives who clicked their tongues and asked why they had to aim for the lowly lands of the Central Plains at all.

In other words, there was an overwhelming probability that the current Yin God was a master of a lower rank beneath them.

No, it was certain. The Yin God Yeon Hojeong had met during his time as the Dark Emperor had no connection to the Perverse Lust Cult, so he had probably become the new Yin God after surpassing his master through some incident.

If the opponent had been one of the Three Creeds’ most elite masters, it would have been difficult for him to surpass his master, no matter how much of a genius he was.

On top of that, Yayul Jeok transformed himself outwardly into Hong Gwan, Yangcheon’s disciple. If he were a half-divine apostle-level master, his pride alone would have prevented him from presenting himself as Yangcheon’s disciple.

Yangcheon knew quite a lot of information about Yayul Jeok. But he did not know just how strong Yayul Jeok was, or what position he held within the Perverse Lust Cult.

That damned woman’s martial arts just now could easily compare to Beonjak’s. Beonjak is a half-divine apostle, an extreme Transcendent Peak master who failed to break through to the Limitless Realm. Then that damned woman’s prestige should not be inferior to the Yin God’s.

Yeon Hojeong knew Blood-Drinking Palm and Blood-Drinking evil qi more thoroughly than even the Perverse Lust Cult’s side.

Naturally, he knew how to counter them as well. It was because many of Black Emperor’s Citadel’s masters had been killed by half-breeds who inherited the Perverse Lust Cult Leader’s blood, and he had gritted his teeth as he dug into it.

Now, only “discord” remained.

A field-force unit commander belonging to the Martial Alliance cannot be that deeply versed in the Perverse Lust Cult’s martial arts. Right?

Yeon Hojeong spoke to Soh Bang in his mind.

Then who taught him that counter? There’s a high chance it was the work of someone close by—one of your insiders, isn’t there?

Yeon Hojeong spoke with desperate impatience.

Tell me that is what you’ll think. Please.

Yeon Hojeong spoke with sorrow.

To Soh Bang, who could no longer be seen, in a voice that could never reach her.

If I cannot create discord, I will despise myself for letting you go today. Please do not make me miserable.

Mookbi opened her mouth.

“If you had something in mind, from now on, tell us in advance—”

In that instant, Mookbi could not continue.

Drip.

A line of blood flowed from Yeon Hojeong’s lips. He had been biting his lip unconsciously.

He had bitten so hard that the amount of blood gradually increased. But Yeon Hojeong seemed not to realize even that.

Mookbi looked into Yeon Hojeong’s eyes with trembling eyes.

“......”

Mookbi felt her vision grow dizzy.

It was not only her. Okcheong and Yeoguk also looked at Yeon Hojeong because of the unusual atmosphere, and were left speechless in shock at his terrifying gaze.

Yeon Hojeong was speaking with his eyes. He expressed it with his eyes, and contained it in his eyes.

All emotions a human could feel dwelled in his eyes. Astonishingly, emotions such as joy, love, and amusement could even be glimpsed there.

And those positive emotions were surrounded by malice so enormous it could not be imagined.

That was why, in his eyes, there was nothing at all.

Burn bright.

The emotions surging up of their own accord gradually converged into one and showed Yeon Hojeong a massive illusion.

Burn and burn again, until all of you suffer, unable to escape the flames of hell rising all the way to the sky.

He had met his true enemy.

He had no acquaintance with that woman, but the mere fact that she belonged to the Perverse Lust Cult made her an enemy Yeon Hojeong could tear into ten thousand pieces and still not feel satisfied.

The Divine Flame Cult? The Mad Blood Cult? Of course, they were his enemies as well. They were bastards who would turn the Central Plains into a sea of fire, and since they were actually in the middle of putting such plans into motion, he had to slaughter them for the sake of his family too. Only then would there be no future trouble.

But the Perverse Lust Cult was different.

How many of his subordinates had died horribly by their hands? Those remnants of the Perverse Lust Cult, who had made him lose the subordinates who had given faith and love back to him after he had lost his family and had his humanity ground away, were irreconcilable enemies he could not forgive even if he repeated a million lives.

Black Sheep, whom he had seen long ago in Ink Dragon Manor? Of course, he had also belonged to the Perverse Lust Cult.

But that bastard had been an insect. An insect sent by the Perverse Lust Cult. No different from the Gu poison said to inhabit the southwest.

But the woman who had fled just now was different.

He had made contact with the true Perverse Lust Cult, a Perverse Lust Cult worthy of its name. How many years had it been since he had returned to the past and finally crossed blades with that enemy?

He had let the enemy he had hated so much, the enemy he had wanted to meet at any moment, go with his own hands.

Grrrrind.

The sound of his teeth grinding pierced through the crackling flames and rang in every direction.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew more and more bloodshot.

You had better not ruin the reason I spared you, nor my mercy and scheme. If, by any chance, discord does not arise, then at the very least I will make sure you alone can neither die nor live.

It was a terrifying curse.

A curse containing all of one person’s hatred was something that could be conveyed even if it was never spoken aloud. Mookbi, Okcheong, and Yeoguk felt chills at Yeon Hojeong’s fury as it deepened.

How much time passed that way?

“......Hoo.”

He sent out the boiling emotions with a light sigh.

Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.

Daoist.

He recalled Daoist Seunghyeon, who had given him teachings on the Martial Alliance training ground.

His benevolent expression, his worried voice, and even those endlessly kind eyes.

One who possesses power cannot be free from the responsibility that weight brings. The moment he forgets that responsibility, the world will fall into misery. One may wonder whether such a thing is possible through the madness of a single person, but it is fully possible. That is the martial world, and also the way of the world.

I do not know what killing karma may dye your future red, but I wish, at least, to plant a single thread of warmth in that weary heart. That is all.

Without realizing it, Yeon Hojeong murmured in a small voice.

It was the enlightenment Daoist Seunghyeon had given him. It contained a profound yet easily understandable teaching not about grinding down, suppressing, and controlling human emotions, but about the fundamental reason the world was beautiful and how a person should live within it.

As he recited the enlightenment Daoist Seunghyeon had passed on, the heart that even the Inner Qi of the Yeon Clan Divine Core and the Four Spirit Qi had failed to calm gradually began to settle.

Of course, it was not only because the method was extraordinary. Yeon Hojeong was a man who had set aside personal vengeance and prioritized the mission, and who had now reached the point of slowly considering what great cause lay beyond that mission.

That change, using the method Daoist Seunghyeon had given him as a passage, was making Yeon Hojeong’s vision broader and clearer.

Without the will to change, even the teachings of a sage were no more than kindling.

Yeon Hojeong had already changed to that extent. He was becoming more and more distant from the Dark Emperor before his death.

Flash!

Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes.

“Sorry. I had too many thoughts for a moment.”

His composed voice reassured the three of them. He was not merely pretending to be calm; they could see he had truly gathered himself.

“If my prediction is correct, the enemy camp will fall into major confusion once. Considering that woman’s personality and position, the Yin God’s command headquarters may even be paralyzed for a short while.”

“Then what do we do next?”

“What else? Once we’ve made an opening, we stab into it without mercy.”

Chiririring!

Yeon Hojeong tied the Flood Dragon Chain around his upper body and raised Mad Dragon, then spoke in a cold voice.

“Contact the Beggars’ Union. Tell them it’s about time to move. Before the main game begins, we should clear away the fallen leaves first.”

Yeon Hojeong had not come here simply to catch the Yin God.

On a small scale, he had come to catch the Perverse Lust Cult’s spies, but on a larger scale, he had come to collapse the assassin world and restore vitality to the weakened southern martial world.

Beyond killing an organization and killing the enemy leader, he would also seek the stability of Guangdong Province.

The strongest vanguard, Green Mountain Tiger Commander Yeon Hojeong.

In this operation, he had to go beyond being the vanguard and become a ruler who set right the livelihood of an entire region.

Even if only for a very short while.