Murim Login - Chapter 455

*Cough, cough.*

The old man, bent over like a shrimp, coughed harshly.

Each movement sent a chill seeping from the cold stone floor of the dungeon deep into his bones. Yet no illness or demonic ailment could invade his body.

The decades of energy accumulated in his *dantian* were no longer under his control, but it was still enough to shield his aging frame. Ironically, this fact only fueled the old man’s rage.

*Damn it…!*

His already weathered features twisted grotesquely like a demon’s mask.

Once, he had crossed continents, leaving rivers of blood in his wake. Now, he was treated like livestock waiting for slaughter.

“Just kill me! I’d rather die than suffer this humiliation!”

As he screamed and thrashed, the iron chains restraining him rattled noisily. Yet, like the sealed energy in his *dantian*, the chains and their connected iron balls didn’t budge.

“You bastards!”

Even though his martial power had been suppressed, the old man’s innate malice still radiated unchecked. He glared through the thick iron bars with bloodshot eyes, hallucinating the mocking faces of his enemies flashing before him.

“You…!”

Hatred carved into his bones and soul consumed him.

He had lost his two brothers—those who had shared his life since birth—to those people. They had captured him, subjected him to unspeakable humiliations, even castrating him like an animal.

The term “irreconcilable enemy” didn’t begin to describe the depths of his grudge.

“Fine! Then I’ll survive no matter what!”

Fire blazed in his sunken eyes.

“I’ll escape this place and tear you all apart, limb by limb!”

The killing intent in his roar echoed through the underground dungeon.

“That’s quite the escape plan. I’m impressed.”

*When did he…?*

The old man blinked. One of the faces from his earlier hallucination now stood beyond the bars, staring back at him with an unsettling grin.

The smile on the young man’s lips sent a chill deep into the old man’s core.

“You… you wretch…”

“What about the, uh… ‘damaged parts’? Does it hurt when you pee?”

For a moment, the old man almost nodded involuntarily.

But this man was the one whose name topped his kill list. No matter the cost, this was someone he had to destroy.

The old man fixed his bulging eyes on the young man beyond the bars.

“If you’re curious, remove my restraints, and I’ll show you myself.”

“Hmm, not interested in that, but…”

The smile faded from Jin Taekyung’s lips.

“You’re going to tell me everything you know. About the *Three Monsters*.”

(TL Note: Yeah, I know it’s very confusing suddenly changing POV or narrative however that is what on the raw version.)

—

In modern times, torture of prisoners is a violation of international law, and even the most powerful nations face condemnation when such practices are exposed.

But this was the *Murim*. Law was ambiguous, and the line between human and beast was faint.

To me, this man—the so-called “Three Monsters”—was more beast than man.

*There’s no reason to hesitate.*

This man had taken countless lives over decades. Driven purely by his lust to kill, he had claimed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent lives. He was a demon who had walked a path of blood his entire life.

Here, in this damp, dark dungeon, there was no room for morality or pity.

I fixed my cold gaze on the slumped figure of the old man.

—

*Huurgh…*

Bound to the iron chair, his body hung limp. Bloodied saliva dripped from his gaping mouth, and his shattered, twisted limbs trembled in pain.

“What’s your assessment?”

The old man assisting with the interrogation scratched his head with a bloodstained iron skewer before replying.

“He’s reached his limit. At this point, I believe he’s confessed everything he knows.”

If torture were ranked by levels of mastery, I was at best a first-rate amateur. But the old man before me was a grandmaster.

During the *War of Righteousness and Demonic Ways*, his infamous interrogation skills had caught the attention of the *King of the Fans, Zhuge Gonghu*, who later invited him to serve the Zhuge Family.

“If we push him any further…”

“He’ll die, one hundred percent. And I doubt we’ll get anything more out of him anyway.”

The conviction in his voice was unmistakable.

The state of the prisoner—half-dead, convulsing, with barely any breath left—lent weight to his conclusion.

But this wasn’t enough for me.

I stared at the trembling figure of the old man, half-conscious and barely alive.

*Is this really everything?*

The prisoner hadn’t revealed nothing. After holding out for the first several hours, he had eventually filled five entire bamboo scrolls with information.

But most of it was useless, either outdated or irrelevant. The key details—the ones I needed most—remained elusive.

*The string of recent events in Hubei Province…*

The fall of the *Hesa Guild*. The massacre of the *Dongting Stronghold.*

Over a thousand lives lost, including countless innocent civilians with no knowledge of martial arts.

Only one group I knew of could commit such ruthless acts with this level of power and cruelty.

*The Dark Heaven.*

But tracking them was impossible. Their methods, their movements, and their hideouts all remained shrouded in mystery.

Where had they launched their attacks? Where were they hiding their captives?

And most importantly, where were they now, and what were they planning next?

“This won’t do.”

Murmuring quietly, I grabbed the unconscious prisoner’s wrist. The elderly interrogator, who had been standing idly, hastily intervened.

“Daehyup, wait! If you do that—”

“It’s fine. I’m not killing him.”

I sent a wave of *inner energy* through the prisoner’s wrist. The warmth of *Yeoryangjiqi (Scorching Yang Energy)* flowed through his blood vessels, coloring his pale cheeks and fluttering open his eyelids.

His gray, trembling eyes locked onto my face.

“You… you’re…”

“Stay awake. It’s too soon to be resting.”

*“Just kill me!”*

“If you tell me everything you know, things might go your way. But if you keep pretending to be loyal…”

I intensified the flow of *inner energy*, which had only been a faint trickle. With a strained groan, the *Three Monsters* opened his bloodshot eyes wide.

Already battered and broken, his body couldn’t handle the heat of my *Yeoryangjiqi (Scorching Yang Energy)*.

“Ugh… gghrk.”

The smell of flesh cooking mingled with his labored breathing. Despite his suffering, I stared at him with an unwavering gaze.

“That’s not the answer I want.”

“I’ve… I’ve already told you everything I know…”

“No, you haven’t.”

“Ghkk… please…”

“Still holding on, huh? Seems like you’re far from ready to die. Must mean you’ve got more left to tell me.”

“What else could you possibly want to hear?”

“I’ve said it before. Everything about *Dark Heaven*. What’s happening in Hubei Province, and the role of the *Dongting Fisherman.*”

“I told you, I don’t—ugh!”

With each word exchanged, the heat of my energy grew more intense.

As his eyes rolled back and his body convulsed, a scream erupted from his mouth.

“Kill me! Just kill me already! I’ll haunt you as a vengeful spirit and gnaw on your bones!”

*Damn it. That’s enough.*

I abruptly pulled back the violent flow of energy. The *Three Monsters*, trembling moments earlier, went limp like a puppet with its strings cut.

Switching tactics, I gently stabilized his battered body from within. The old interrogator, already prepared, quickly checked his pulse and condition.

“He’s got a long life, this one. Stopped just at the threshold of death.”

I knew. I’d been careful not to kill him.

*He’s not someone I can afford to let die yet.*

The *Three Monsters* was not only a former demonic leader but also an elite martial artist of Dark Heaven.

Keeping him alive and transporting him to Henan might uncover further valuable information. But I couldn’t ignore the possibility that the contents of the bamboo scrolls he’d revealed were everything he knew.

After all, to endure this much pain and still withhold information, he might genuinely have nothing left to tell.

—

“I… my brothers and I simply followed orders under the Demon Lord. I know nothing of Dark Heaven’s headquarters or their other operations!”

I recalled his repeated cries during the torture and called out to someone nearby.

“Gong Gi-bang. Any news?”

Leaning against the iron bars, Gong Gi-bang shook his head.

“Nothing. Even the Hubei branch hasn’t found a trace of them.”

“Three elite martial artists and hundreds of people and ships must have been involved. It’s too conspicuous to miss. If we focus on outsiders—”

“We’re already doing that, but it’s not easy. The Yangtze River in Hubei sees hundreds of large ships daily, and countless people travel by land. And since it’s been ten days, there’s a high chance they’ve already slipped out of Hubei.”

“Damn it.”

Unlike Shanxi Province, often dismissed as a backwater, Hubei was part of the central regions of Zhongyuan, with advanced industries and extensive trade routes.

Even with the Beggar Sect’s vast intelligence network, tracking movements in a bustling region like this was bound to be challenging.

After a moment of hesitation, Gong Gi-bang spoke carefully.

“Cheongpung and Hyeok Mu-jin went to Hao Sect. Maybe they’ll find something there. It’s unlikely to be much different from what we’ve got, but… it’s worth a shot.”

He was right.

Half an hour later, Cheongpung and Hyeok Mu-jin returned from the Zhuge Family, carrying a large bamboo scroll. The string tying it was marked with a familiar name:

*Dongting Fisherman.*

“This is…”

Swallowing nervously, Hyeok Mu-jin spoke.

“It seems Hao Sect had some past conflict with Dongting Fisherman. The sect leader had ordered them to keep an eye on him for years. You should take a look.”

I quickly scanned the contents of the bamboo scroll.

The records on Dongting Fisherman stretched back three years, but the section in my hands covered only the past month.

And the scroll revealed one crucial detail:

*Dongting Fisherman is still in Hubei Province.*

Without hesitation, I tucked the scroll into my robes and sought out someone else.

Zhuge Gyun, the Zhuge Family’s young lord, was in the middle of issuing orders on behalf of his father when I burst into his quarters. His eyes widened at my abrupt entrance.

“What’s the matter? My esteemed ancestor, Zhuge Wuhou, once said that a gentleman should always remain composed—”

“Shut it. Are the people ready?”

“If you mean the group Father mentioned, they’ve been prepared for departure. Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah. But I need to make a stop first.”

“Where to?”

“Dongting Lake.”