Chapter 12
Seo Cheon Ho’s leader was crushed to the point that he was unrecognizable.
Standing calmly beside him with the black Crescent Moon Staff in hand was Cheon Woo-jin.
Suramagun, who was watching this, gulped nervously.
‘That ***** Heukno ******… he kept producing monsters until his last breath.’
No—maybe he was a monster from the beginning. Without innate talent, not even Heukno could have created such a being.
Suramagun examined the aura emanating from Cheon Woo-jin and let out a deep sigh.
‘How can someone so young…?’
Truly, he was worthy of being called a heavenly martial prodigy.
Yet that very monster ended up being Heukno’s disciple, and Seo Cheon Ho’s Leader, who had been helping him, just so happened to block his path.
All these coincidences led to this: the monster created by Heukno was now standing before him.
“I don’t know why you are taking the Murim Alliance test as his disciple, but regardless, I’m your master’s martial brother. Heukno truly loved me.”
“Didn’t you rejoice more than anyone else when Master died?”
Suramagun fell silent.
He couldn’t be sure of victory against Cheon Woo-jin in his current state, especially with his meridian disorder.
After thinking for a moment, Suramagun spoke:
“I only remembered how harsh he was to me during his life, and I got emotional. But it’s true, your master did care for me.”
It sounded like an excuse, but it was true. His memories with Heukno were still vivid in his mind.
– Sura, among all the Dark Heavenly Emperor’s disciples, you’re the most fun to beat.
Because of that, Suramagun always had Heukno’s attention—often negative.
Though he cursed him internally, Suramagun put on a nostalgic expression.
“Still, I’m practically your senior. Isn’t it ridiculous to try killing each other in front of so many people?”
His words were formal, but they sounded pathetic.
Zhuge Liang and the other warriors from Seo Cheon Ho were astonished.
Suramagun was a disciple of the Dark Emperor, the leader of the villains, and a second-class Murim public figure.
Who would have thought such a man would grovel like this?
Then it happened…
“Urgh…”
The broken mess that was Seo Cheon Ho’s leader let out a groan.
All eyes turned to him.
His limbs were shattered, blood was flowing from his cracked skull, and his ribs were crushed—yet he was still alive. A truly persistent life force.
Noticing this, the quick-witted Suramagun muttered,
“You left him alive on purpose. To find out who sent him to kill you?”
Cheon Woo-jin remained silent. Seeing that, Suramagun continued,
“Here’s the deal. Seo Cheon Ho never leaves traces of their clients. But no matter what, traces remain in human affairs.”
“So?”
“I’ve lived this life longer than you. I’ll take responsibility and find the client. If you want, I’ll even chop off their limbs and bring them to you. For the sake of justice, I can do that. So, let’s stop here today. What do you say?”
He slowly approached Cheon Woo-jin without showing any hostility or fighting spirit. Then he asked,
“What’s your name?”
“Cheon Woo-jin.”
Hearing the name, Suramagun showed a faintly sad expression.
“So it’s you, Woojin. My martial brother’s disciple. Tell me where Heukno’s grave is. He gave me hell, but he was still my senior. I’ve heard the news unexpectedly, so tonight I’ll drink by his grave…”
Swoosh—!
A blade-like force slashed toward Cheon Woo-jin’s face. Woo-jin tilted his head slightly, easily dodging it. The sharp energy just grazed his eyelashes.
Suramagun’s face sank with despair.
“You dodged that? Don’t tell me… you’ve surpassed Heukno?”
“Who knows.”
Thinking of his two masters, Cheon Woo-jin shrugged. Still, Suramagun’s sneak attack was impressive…
Even a master leaves a sign when gathering internal energy, but Suramagun had none. He was incredibly skilled at channeling energy silently.
Cheon Woo-jin gripped his Crescent Moon Staff.
Suramagun sighed deeply. Despite having meridian damage, he had clung to life—Only to die like this?
His hands turned black.
Blood Drain Technique.
One of the martial arts created by the Dark Heavenly Emperor.
If the Dark Celestial Full Moon taught to Cheon Woo-jin by Heukno was the Dark Heavenly Emperor’s pride, then the Blood Drain Technique was his shame.
Still, it was powerful enough to make Suramagun one of the great evils.
But the battle was one-sided. With every swing of the Crescent Moon Staff, Suramagun groaned. He couldn’t even keep up with its speed.
Crunch—!
The staff smashed through Suramagun’s technique. His nails were already shredded.
Even among the Dark Heavenly Emperor’s disciples, Suramagun was among the weakest. He was cunning and politically savvy, but physically weak—earning even Heukno’s disdain.
Now, with meridian disturbance…
Suramagun staggered back endlessly, his posture increasingly unstable.
Cheon Woo-jin remained calm as he swung the staff. Eventually, Suramagun’s back hit the wall with nowhere to run.
The staff rose high into the air, ready to crush his skull. Looking up at it, Suramagun asked one last question:
“Are you planning to kill all of the Dark Heavenly Emperor’s disciples?”
“Maybe. If I see them.”
“Heh… when I see Heukno in the afterlife, I’ll ask him, why did you hate us so much?”
Cheon Woo-jin didn’t answer. He had no need to speak about his master’s affairs.
Suramagun went on,
“Who knows… if you kill a few more of us, maybe we’ll team up in the afterlife and fight Heukno together. Maybe there, we’ll win.”
Not likely.
Cheon Woo-jin chuckled softly. Because next to Master Heukno stood Master Baekno, who was at least as strong, if not stronger.
The staff came crashing down. Suramagun was defeated. A pitiful end for someone of his reputation as the Dark Heavenly Emperor’s disciple.
A suffocating silence fell. In the silence, Cheon Woo-jin turned to Zhuge Liang.
“Are you alright?”
What was there not to be alright about? Cheon Woo-jin had done it all himself.
Zhuge Liang suddenly asked,
“Can we track the client down?”
“What do you mean?”
“The one who commissioned the assassination of young hero Cheon. Suramagun is dead, and Seo Cheon Ho’s leader is in this state…”
She looked at the groaning, barely-alive Seo Cheon Ho’s leader. Cheon Woo-jin raised the staff and brought it down on his head.
His skull burst, painting the ground red.
“There’s a way,” Woojin said.
“I know someone who specializes in this kind of work.”
If Suramagun could do it, so could she… She was someone Heukno had mentioned in life.
A woman who knew everything about everyone.
Zhuge Liang looked past Cheon Woo-jin.
“And the rest of them…?”
Woojin turned around, his aura flaring. The remaining Seo Cheon Ho warriors flinched.
The commander of one of the assassin, who had been forced into this by Cheon Ho’s leader, rushed forward,
“I have a baby at home! If I die, my wife and child will starve in the streets. Please, spare me!”
As he fell to his knees, the others followed,
“Great hero! I had nothing to do with this!”
“I was planning to run tomorrow, to take care of my sick mother. I couldn’t stand it anymore…”
Excuses poured out endlessly. Woojin had no way of knowing if they were true. Nor did he care.
“So… aren’t you still part of Seo Cheon Ho?”
It was a chilling statement.
Then one man raised his hand.
“I was actually a spy from the Black Path sent to assassinate Cheon Ho’s leader.”
Everyone turned to look at him. The atmosphere became awkward.
Cheon Woo-jin, gripping the Crascent Moon Staff, started walking again.
***
When Song Yi-yeon returned with the post-exam supervisors, the Murim Alliance was thrown into chaos.
Supervisors and testers had vanished mid-exam. With their fates unknown, the test was halted. Investigators and trackers were dispatched across the land.
Even within the alliance, an investigation began. The warriors who’d received the top ‘A’ plaques alongside Cheon Woo-jin were questioned.
In particular, Gu Jin-seok, who had clashed with Woojin, was investigated more thoroughly.
But no solid evidence was found. So far, the investigation remained formal.
Returning to his residence, Gu Jin-seok said,
“There must be no trace left.”
“Of course. That’s how they got this far, the requests always left no trace.”
The middle-aged informant, hired to request the assassination via Seo Cheon Ho, nodded.
Gu Jin-seok narrowed his eyes and said,
“Where?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m asking where you placed the request.”
The informant lowered his head.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. The investigation of the Murim Alliance is not something to be taken lightly. Even within a lie, if even a shred of truth is uncovered, their investigators never let it go. It’s better you truly don’t know anything. It’ll be easier for you if you’re ever questioned.”
“Hmm…”
Gu Jin-seok sighed, his chest tightening. He was both curious and anxious, but the informant’s reasoning was sound.
It was then…
A commotion suddenly broke out in the residence where the applicants stayed. And a loud voice rang out.
“What? Is that true?!”
It was Song Yi-yeon’s voice.
Gu Jin-seok frowned. That guy, calling himself a warrior, was unnecessarily flashy and loud. He had always rubbed Gu the wrong way.
What bothered him even more was that all the women, whether applicants or Alliance members, only seemed to have eyes for that guy. It pissed him off in a weird way.
But the next words made all of that feel trivial.
“Young warrior Cheon came back?”
It felt like he’d been struck in the head. Gu Jin-seok turned to the informant. His face had also gone pale.
“Do-don’t worry. Even if he did survive, he won’t be able to reveal the truth about the culprit.”
Gu Jin-seok’s face turned red with rage.
“If the truth comes out, you’re a dead man in front of my father.”
His tone had turned downright threatening. The informant quickly bowed his head.
“That won’t happen. Of course, in any human endeavor, it’s impossible to leave absolutely no trace.”
He was aware of that too. But it had been done so discreetly that no one could uncover anything easily, that’s how Seo Cheon Ho had grown so powerful.
Even if Hao Clan, the group he once briefly belonged to in his youth, tried to investigate, they would find nothing. Unless Yahwa got involved himself…
Yahwa was the alias of the Hao Moon’s leader.
Soon, Gu Jin-seok and the informant exited the room.
The long hallway was already filled with martial artists who had come to get a glimpse of the returning Cheon Woo-jin.
At the far end, a man was walking steadily toward them. Gu Jin-seok cursed under his breath.
Cheon Woo-jin really was back. And he looked completely unharmed.
What’s more, a woman walked beside him—stunningly beautiful, even at a glance.
Her long black hair fell like silk, with a small beauty mark under one eye. She wore a black robe embroidered with small red flowers along the hem. Despite the dark clothing, there was something more curious than sinister about her.
Now Gu Jin-seok realized that even the other martial artists who had come to see Cheon Woo-jin had fallen silent, staring blankly at the woman instead.
Feeling a sudden surge of irritation, Gu Jin-seok glared at the informant. But something felt off.
The man’s face had gone ghostly pale, like he’d seen a spirit.
Following his dazed gaze, Gu Jin-seok saw that the woman walking beside Cheon Woojin was smiling softly.
‘This pathetic guy, even in a moment like this, he’s staring at a woman…!’
Just as Gu Jin-seok was about to spit out more curses—The voices of Cheon Woo-jin and the woman, who had now come quite close, began to be heard.
“Your master was a very important guest. If I’d known he had such an outstanding disciple, I would’ve visited earlier to pay my respects.”
“You probably already knew.”
At Cheon Woo-jin’s calm response, the woman’s eyes widened slightly, then she smiled again as if nothing had happened.
“Hehe, I meant ‘officially’ knowing. Like I do now.”
Soon the two were right in front of them. Gu Jin-seok felt like his insides were on fire.
Cheon Woo-jin stared at him without a word. The moment their eyes met, Gu Jin-seok nearly collapsed to the floor from the intensity of his gaze.
Then…
The woman beside Cheon Woo-jin glanced briefly at Gu Jin-seok, then her gaze shifted to the informant.
“Huh?”
Her enchanting eyes curved playfully, as though she’d just seen something amusing.
