676 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Title: The Martial World's Greatest Prodigy: Chapter 676 - Northern Rabbit **Guyo Cheon, the Inferno Lord.** He was the eldest son of the renowned martial family, the Gu, in the remote Shanxi Province, and the son of the formidable Tiger Hero, Gu Cholun, who ranked just below the top 100 martial artists. In his youth, he was dubbed the "rascal of Shanxi" and was notorious for his unruly behavior, earning the derisive nickname of "like father, like son." However, as time passed, what seemed to be mere puerile antics transformed into the revelation of his latent talents. Before the massacre at the Divine Dragon Temple, he showcased overwhelming martial prowess at the Yongbong Gathering, earning the epithet of True Dragon. Shortly after, he thwarted the massacre at the Divine Dragon Temple, exterminating the unorthodox faction members, and subsequently became known as the Inferno Lord. Though he momentarily made a name for himself due to internal events within the Meng, his trail soon began to grow cold. With the Shanxi-Dabi project he pursued in collaboration with Shaolin, the widespread rumors about him gradually faded away. The gossip regarding the Inferno Lord dwindled to nothing in just a few years. ‘What is it?’ Beomdong tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face as he examined the letter in his hand. It took him four days to gather these pieces of information. The details were not particularly challenging to obtain and could have been gathered in two days. Yet, Beomdong was feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. ‘Something’s off with this.’ While reading up on the Inferno Lord, he noticed several conspicuous gaps. The information appeared to have been intentionally erased by someone. ‘Who could it be?’ The individuals capable of altering Meng's information were few. Among them, the chief of the Azure Dragon Corps, a personal guard of the current Meng leader and one of the top ten martial artists, might be responsible. Alternatively, it could have been the leader of Gaebang or the abbot of Shaolin. The number barely exceeded ten. Yet, why would they create blanks in this kind of information? These were not the only oddities. ‘Was he involved in the Sichuan Dang clan incident?’ The incident that shook the martial world a few years back. A member of the prestigious Four Great Clans, the Dang clan, was revealed to have been conducting human experiments in secret. The scandal forced the Dang clan to step down from their prestigious status, and even those in the orthodox faction began to hush matters about them. The problem was— ‘Classified information?’ The incident was treated as highly classified within the Meng and was archived in the same way that monster grades were kept—color-coded. Among them, the event that erupted at the Sichuan Dang clan was categorized as white-grade information. Even the major leaders of the Meng, who could access most data archives, were unable to access this one. Yet there were signs of the Inferno Lord’s involvement. The disclosed information stated that the Dang clan’s head had attempted to halt the human experiments and staged a revelation, killing the elders and gathering evidence to submit to the Meng. The presence of data linking to the Inferno Lord hinted at— ‘Could it possibly mean that there was more to this?’ What kind of incident could have occurred that even the Meng's leaders wouldn't know? Beomdong continued scrutinizing the data with narrowed eyes. ‘There are a lot of women around him. His fiancée, Geon Muhee, and then Dang clan... Dang clan?’ Beomdong's eyes widened as he read further. Among those on a path of decline were the likes of Dang Clan’s Dokbong. And Seolbong of the Moyong family... ‘And even the descendant of the Sword Master?’ It seemed he indeed had a penchant for beautiful women. But what was puzzling— ‘If he pursued women, why did he avoid Bi Hyunhwa?’ Renowned as the most beautiful woman in Hanan, Bi Hyunhwa was a formidable figure who utilized her looks to gather information. ‘But she failed.’ Not only did she fail to approach him, but Bi Hyunhwa also returned as a wreck. - "Save... me. Please, save me, save me, save me... save... me." Her makeup, which had been applied thickly, was in ruins. Her long nails incessantly scratched at her face. She was found in a dilapidated state with dead fish eyes in an alley near the Meng entrance. “Run away... It’s terrifying, terrifying... Please save me.... Save me…." Her battered form was enough to instill fear in others. Though she was handed over to a physician for treatment, her sanity had not returned. Even now, paralyzed by fear, she refused to leave the treatment room. What on earth happened? The information recorded in Bi Hyunhwa's possession mentioned Guyo Cheon and detailed him as a person named Baek Julyeop as well as being the head of the collapsing Rumor Sect. ‘That turned out to be false.’ Upon digging a little deeper, Beomdong discovered that the statement was entirely false. It was evident that Guyo Cheon had realized her intentions. As a result, it took longer than expected to obtain relevant information. To make matters worse: ‘There’s no trace.’ If she had been found near the Meng entrance, there should have been someone who witnessed her approach, but none of the sentinels had sensed any presence or sound. No evidence was apparent. Since Bi Hyunhwa was too incapacitated to respond to inquiries, the whole situation was unusually bizarre. ‘Even amidst the turmoil, another incident occurred.’ While Beomdong was conducting his investigation, the Azure Dragon Corps had dispatched a member, but that individual had mysteriously vanished. Furthermore: ‘Why the Baekhwa Guild?’ The White Flower Guild had been recruiting enough personnel to form their own faction. Viewing this as suspicious, the Meng dispatched a member of the Azure Dragon Corps. However, that member’s whereabouts also became unknown. This occurred despite him being one of the most skilled members of the Meng’s Azzure Dragon team. The situation seemed to grow increasingly tangled in just a few days. And at the heart of it all lay— ‘Is the Inferno Lord there?’ A sect rumored to be the so-called Ma-gyo (Magic Cult). The name of the organization was spreading from the farthest ends of the martial world to Hanan, where the Meng maintained a firm hold. As it was an area of intense investigation for the Meng, Beomdong was also conducting research into it. The current movements of the White Flower Guild appeared suspicious in this context. ‘There doesn't seem to be a direct connection, yet something seems amiss.’ The White Flower Guild was one of the most prominent guilds in the martial world. Although they weren’t particularly close with the martial arts federation, it seemed unlikely they would engage in futile endeavors. ‘But their recent actions suggest something peculiar.’ The fact that there seemed to be activity without the Meng's knowledge only added to the intrigue. The moment Beomdong realized the masked youth he encountered was none other than Guyo Cheon, the Inferno Lord, his suspicions began to intensify. This was the same individual who, even before officially being recognized as the youngest Hwagyeong (a high martial arts rank), was rumored to be the promising prodigy, Sinryong. But what mattered most was— ‘That he belonged to the Gu family.’ The Gu family resided in the outskirts of Shanxi, known as a reputable orthodox martial family. While they weren't as prestigious as the Four Great Clans—or rather, now the Three Great Clans— they held a respectable position. They had been known to exist for centuries, but it wasn’t until the era of their current head, the Tiger Hero, that they truly began to shine. Lately, rumors suggested that the Gu family might be surprisingly powerful, especially with figures such as Tiger Hero’s eldest daughter, Sword Phoenix Guhyu Bi, her eldest son the Inferno Lord, and the second daughter, Gu Yeonseo. Yet— This was precisely why Beomdong felt a peculiar tension surrounding the "Gu family." The reason was nothing more than this: ‘Ink-Black Information….’ Amidst the information ranked from green to white, the Gu family's information was classified as ink-black. A recent change suggested information had shifted to this category, but not even Beomdong knew what ink-black signified. It wasn’t something that could be accessed, nor even attempted. Such was the nature of ink-black classification. Beomdong had never encountered this grade before, and it perplexed him that it applied to the Gu family. Even the highest stature of other Great Clans only reached red classification, so where did ink-black come from? It wasn’t just one or two oddities. The inexplicable vibe that seemed to descend precisely upon the Baekhwa Guild’s base. Running into the Inferno Lord at the Guild when he went to verify things by chance. The Gu family’s ink-black classification and their attitude towards him, as well as the subsequent events that transpired— It was a situation that could only breed suspicion. ‘In this kind of situation.’ Beomdong had two primary strategies based on his previous experiences. One option was— ‘Building a team to meticulously gather information.’ An approach that involved closely monitoring every action and waiting for an opportune moment. ‘For now, it’s rather difficult.’ The current state of the Meng made this option less viable. With the Martial Arts Tournament just around the corner and the need to counter the Ma-gyo, resources were already spread thin. The forces Beomdong could mobilize personally were dispersed across the region due to these circumstances. Going about acquiring information while avoiding the considerable manpower of the Baekhwa Guild made this nearly an impossible task. Which left— ‘The second option it is, then.’ It seemed there was only one way forward currently. Approach directly. If stealthy investigations had reached their limit, approaching openly was the next course of action. ‘Though it may lack sufficient justification.’ When there’s no justification, one simply has to create it. That was the essence of the Meng's intelligence operations. ‘Even if they’re highly skilled, he's barely beyond the age of twenty; dealing with him shouldn’t be too difficult.’ His unexpected strength had been surprising, though. But at the end of the day, he's nothing more than a young whelp. No matter how strong, revealing his strength against the Martial Union would be difficult, and besides— ‘He seems to have many attachments.’ With close relations to several women around him, he might be coaxed with a little pressure applied in the right places. Until Beomdong received proper investigative authority, it was best to keep things subdued. With that in mind, Beomdong turned to speak to the person behind him.