Murim Login - Chapter 357
You can also join our Discord here.
I will re-publish the earlier chapters to fix those issues with the translation. I apologize in advance if it did not meet your standard. Please comment the chapters you find that is lacking in quality so I can fix them ASAP. Thanks for understanding!
Current re-published chapters (270 - 305)
---
With a serene expression and steady gait, dressed in a clean yellow robe, he was a singularly unique presence amid the death-filled atmosphere of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
“They’re just a handful of people. Push forward!”
“Fight to the end! We are the great Sichuan Tang Clan!” Cheers resounded.
Two great waves clashed with a thunderous roar that shook the ground. Screams and shouts mingled with the thick fog of blood hanging in the air.
The fierce battle, where lives were disregarded, quickly determined the outcome.
“Surround them! Don’t let a single one survive!”
“Kraaah!”
The black wave, composed of men in black, swallowed the green wave whole.
In the aftermath, only corpses clad in green robes remained, like foam left by the crashing waves.
Watching this scene from a hundred feet away, the West Heaven Demon Lord spoke.
“It’s over.”
Though their resolve to stand their ground was commendable, it was a fight they were destined to lose from the start, outnumbered and outmatched.
The venom and hidden weapons, which were the foundation of the Sichuan Tang Clan, were ineffective. The battle, no, the war, was a victory for the Dark Heaven.
“It seems I won’t be able to keep my promise. I’m sorry, Tang Clan Leader.”
Humans become irrational in desperation. The leader of the Tang Clan was no exception.
The West Heaven Demon Lord, having extracted the desired information with the promise of preserving the clan’s lineage, acted simply and cruelly.
Instead of killing him immediately, he left him tied to a tree on a hill overlooking the Tang Clan, so he could witness his family’s demise until his dying breath.
“All is according to the will of the Lord.”
Plop, plop.
As raindrops began to fall, the West Heaven Demon Lord turned his gaze to the sky.
At the entrance of a dark cave, a hunchbacked old man lay dead, his eyes wide open, next to a toppled brazier.
What intrigued the West Heaven Demon Lord were the scars on the old man’s body.
‘Black Blood Swordsmanship.’
The Black Blood Swordsmanship was only allowed to the warriors of the Dark Heaven.
Recognizing the identity of his predecessors, the West Heaven Demon Lord descended the stone stairs leading underground.
The stairs were marked with footprints, a mixture of blood and mud, suggesting that at least twenty of his men had preceded him here.
And probably…
‘They’re all dead.’
There were signs of descent but none of ascent.
Upon entering the underground prison, his suspicion turned to certainty.
Having lived a life soaked in blood, the West Heaven Demon Lord could sense the lingering battle energy and the stench of blood in the dark corridors.
Whose work was this? He thought, observing the splatters of blood on the walls.
‘Skillful. They couldn’t even put up a proper fight.’
The Sichuan Tang Clan’s top warriors wouldn’t be here to protect outsiders during a crisis.
If the Tang Clan Leader’s words were true, there were three people left in the underground prison.
The Godly Doctor was of no consequence, and the Fire King Jeok Cheon-Gang had not regained consciousness, leaving only one person.
‘Jin Taekyung, the Hidden Dragon of the Shanxi.’
The West Heaven Demon Lord recalled what the Blood Lord had said about Jin Taekyung.
The most arrogant, persistent, and audacious young man in the world.
For some reason, he seemed more eager to kill Jin Taekyung than the Sword Saint or the Fire King, who had severed his arm.
‘So, he’s capable of surviving against the Blood Lord.’
However, Jin Taekyung wouldn’t be so lucky a second time.
The Sword Saint wasn’t here, and the Fire King was incapacitated.
The West Heaven Demon Lord intended to capture the remaining rats easily, along with their precious antidote.
Squelch, squelch.
The West Heaven Demon Lord, leisurely making his way, stopped abruptly.
A solid stone wall blocked his path, having descended from the ceiling.
“Huh, how complicated.”
Gazing at the wall, he gathered his hands. A dark red mist enveloped his arms, coating his fists.
Boom.
Everything happened in an instant.
The manifestation, compression, and explosion of energy. Nothing could withstand the force of his punch.
Boom!
The wall shattered, crumbled, and shook.
The concentrated energy shot straight ahead, piercing through multiple walls. Stalactites rained down from the ceiling like hail, and a cloud of dust rose.
“Much better.”
At that moment, the West Heaven Demon Lord spoke.
“Why don’t you come out now?”
Instead of an answer, he was met with a powerful shockwave.
Boom!
Through the dispersing dust, he caught a dagger aimed at his neck and smiled.
“Are you Jin Taekyung?”
“You know who I am. Why ask?”
Step, step.
Through the dust, a tall young man emerged, Jin Taekyung, who stared at the West Heaven Demon Lord with calm eyes.
—
I tried to appear calm.
In a fight, morale is half the battle. You can’t let your guard down because the opponent seems weak, nor cower because they seem strong.
Especially… when facing a true master like now.
‘What a monstrous guy.’
I silently clicked my tongue, observing the middle-aged man before me.
If Moses parted the sea with his staff, he created a new path in the underground prison with a single punch.
Not only that, but he stood there with a serene smile.
‘He exudes a different aura.’
If the Blood Lord was an outright madman, the man before me was dangerous simply by existing.
Their martial arts might be similar, but they were fundamentally different.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re quite the interesting young man, just as I’ve heard.”
I let the tip of the White Flame spear dip slightly as I replied.
“I do have a reputation for being fun.”
“I’ve also heard you’re quite rude.”
“You’ve got the wrong guy. I’m known for my manners.”
“Well, we’ll see about that, but according to my acquaintance, you’re not.”
“You don’t seem to have many friends. Who is this acquaintance?”
The West Heaven Demon Lord’s smile deepened.
“The Blood Lord.”
“He’s eager to see you.”
“I can’t stand the sight of that bastard.”
“You sound just like Cheongpung. The tone is different, though.”
So, he’s met Cheongpung already.
And yet he’s here…
I felt my face harden involuntarily as I asked.
“Did you…”
The middle-aged man waved his hand, still smiling.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I intend to bring you, Cheongpung, and the Fire King back alive.”
I stared at him, bewildered.
“Take us?”
“Yes. The Blood Lord wants to see you, so you’ll be safe until then.”
“Of course, what happens after that depends on the Blood Lord.”
The middle-aged man delivered two pieces of good news and one bad news.
The good news was that Cheongpung was alive and the Blood Lord wasn’t here. The bad news was that if I lost this fight, I’d end up meeting the Blood Lord and his gang.
Of course, the chances of a pleasant chat over grilled pork intestines and soju were slim to none.
‘Instead, there’s about a fifty percent chance I’ll end up as pork intestines.’
The other fifty percent chance was ending up as tripe.
Damn, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
Swallowing dryly, I scanned the middle-aged man from head to toe.
Someone capable of calling the Blood Lord an acquaintance. A man who demonstrated such destructive power in a single blow.
One name came to mind.
“You’re the West Heaven Demon Lord, right?”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. Nice to meet you.”
Nice to meet you, my ass.
I glanced at his two intact arms and muttered.
“I heard you were one-armed.”
“I was. Until ten days ago.”
“What?”
“I reattached it. It’s not my original arm, and it doesn’t move quite right, so aim for the left arm if you must.”
What the hell is this guy?
Even if reattachment surgery was somehow possible, treating arms like computer parts to be swapped…
Aside from a slight difference in skin tone, the movements were incredibly natural.
‘Is this even possible? In just ten days?’
Though it didn’t make sense, I had to put aside my amazement and questions.
His last words bothered me more.
‘He’s revealing his weakness?’
There was only one reason for such absurd behavior.
Confidence that comes from being overwhelmingly strong.
The West Heaven Demon Lord was such a strong man that his arrogance seemed like casual confidence.
Damn it.
I took a deep breath and looked at him with a calm gaze.
“Is there no chance you’d just leave after this visit?”
“That’s difficult. Besides you, there’s something I need to take with me.”
“Something?”
The West Heaven Demon Lord responded with a question.
“Let me ask you this. Will you surrender peacefully?”
“Would you kindly die peacefully?”
“Then there’s only one answer.”
At a distance of about thirty feet.
At the moment our eyes met.
Swoosh, swish.
We both moved simultaneously.
No, in terms of starting, I was quicker.
But the wind blade he launched reached its target before my dagger did.
‘Responding after the fact…’
A red warning light flashed in my mind. At the same time, my sharp senses picked up everything around me.
An invisible, intangible wind. Yet I could clearly feel its presence. It was a new sense I had developed while fighting Hwang bo Yeom.
‘Now!’
I twisted my head and dashed forward. Something faster than a bullet grazed past my ear.
The West Heaven Demon Lord looked at me with a surprised expression.
“To dodge the Ghost Prison Finger. You truly have a knack for surprising people…”
“Ghost Prison Finger.”
Whoosh!
His voice didn’t finish.
In the slowed-down world, his widening eyes reflected my rapidly approaching figure.
It was a speed that exceeded his expectations, something beyond the limits of a peak master.
‘Strength, stamina, agility. And the Flaming Path (염화일로).’
I put everything into a single step. Erasing the distance and piercing the air.
The fire dragon that had been coiled in my sea of energy unfurled its wings and soared. The transparent spearhead of the White Flame became the dragon’s claw, descending upon the enemy.
‘Heavenly Strike.’
Boom!
—
Rumble!
It was a massive tremor.
As if to prove the intensity of the battle, the bodies piled up intertwined shook and collapsed.
The hall shook as if an earthquake had struck, and those swinging weapons at each other stumbled and lost balance momentarily.
“Earthquake! It’s an earthquake!”
“Damn it, why now…”
An earthquake, a natural disaster beyond human control.
The tremor was brief but terrified people.
But here, in the ruined hall of the Sichuan Tang Clan, there were two exceptions.
“Hahahaha!”
An old man, roaring with laughter, turned to Cheongpung.
“You felt that, didn’t you?”
Cheongpung nodded, dazed.
“Yes.”
It was inevitable. The tremor was a massive surge of energy felt even from hundreds of feet away.
To Cheongpung, the old man continued with a sneering voice.
“It seems the Demon Lord is determined. Hahaha.”
“Yes. Truly amazing.”
“Having finally discarded mercy and taken on the will to kill, neither the Fire King nor that disciple will survive. Do you know what this means?”
“Yes. My benefactor is incredible.”
“Now we don’t have to worry about the Blood Lord. From now on, I won’t show you any…”
“What?”
The old man, taken aback, frowned.
He couldn’t comprehend what the boy in front of him was saying.
“Benefactor? The disciple of the Fire King?”
But Cheongpung’s answer wasn’t directed at the old man.
In fact, all his responses up to now had been the same.
A murmur escaped from Cheongpung’s lips.
“At first, I thought he was far ahead, but now… he’s right here…”
Cheongpung’s eyes sparkled with joy and regret as he gazed towards the source of the tremor.
No one in the Sichuan Tang Clan, not even the old man before him, could have guessed. But Cheongpung knew.
“It’s him. My benefactor.”
Cheongpung had been happy but lonely in the mountains.
Even the beautiful nature, the animals he played with, and the presence of his revered grandfather couldn’t fill the void in his heart.
‘There are many young warriors in Murim like you. Among them, the Ten Great Dragons are the best.’
‘Hmm. So, are these Ten Great Dragons stronger than me?’
‘Huh? That’s a silly question. Of course, you’re…
‘Grandfather?’
‘Of course, you’re lacking compared to them.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course! The world is vast, and there are many masters. So, you must continue to train diligently.’
‘Yes…’
Cheongpung felt a strange emotion growing in his heart at his grandfather’s casual words.
That emotion, which he later identified, was competitiveness.
‘I wonder who’s stronger, me or them?’
He wanted to test himself. To compete with them.
Thus, Cheongpung left the mountains and ventured into the world, meeting him on a sunny winter day.
‘If it’s not too much trouble, can I have just one bingdangho?’ [1]
‘Mujin, give it to him.’
That was his first encounter with Jin Taekyung.
A benefactor and a friend. Now, his only worthy rival.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“I know. My benefactor thinks the same as me.”
Watching this, the old man’s eyes burned with fury.
If not for the Demon Lord’s orders, this insolent boy would have been dead long ago. This disrespect sealed his fate.
“You little brat…”
The old man raised his double axes, covered in someone’s flesh.
Then, he froze at the scene unfolding before him.
Swish.
A breeze was blowing. A crimson wind of energy flowed from one’s body, sliding down the wrist to the sword.
It passed the engraved plum blossoms on the hilt, spiraled around the blade, and finally bloomed into a single red plum blossom.
The Black Blade of Wisdom.
A brilliant, destructive light.
In disbelief, the old man muttered.
“Sword energy?”
The mark of a supreme warrior and a testament to reaching the pinnacle.
Yet, the young man’s face, only twenty-three years old, bore an innocent smile.
“Shall we begin?”
***
Footnotes:
[1] Bingdangho: A traditional Korean sweet made from glutinous rice and sugar, known for its chewy texture and sweet taste.