1167 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"Gasp... Huff!" On a moonlit night, the Black Moon Empress moved with a frenzy. "Heh...!" She was drenched in sweat, her face twisted with terror. Though she was a martial artist far past the age of forty, she maintained her youth through the Skill of Absorbing Life Energy—a technique to siphon life from others. She had killed hundreds of women, and the number of men she had ensnared was just as vast. A villain whose insides were scorched black, a terror-stricken empress. 'I have to escape... I must run away.' Quickly. She needed to flee as fast as possible. 'Who was that? Who the hell is he...?' The being she had just encountered. The thought of him unsettled her. He looked like Hwagongma. That despicable man who clung to her persistently. His eyes were filled with lewdness and his demeanor was disgusting despite his skills. He was repulsive enough that she avoided him whenever she could. '...But it was different.' The man she just met was not Hwagongma. She was certain of it. Who was he? 'He had the same face, but he was someone else.' Not just in energy but the very atmosphere around him was different. He didn't seem to belong to any righteous sect, yet his true identity was unknown. How could he look exactly like Hwagongma? It wasn't as if it was some illusionary mask technique. 'The Old Man of Reverse Heaven died instantly.' An elder who had honed his external skills to extreme defenses. He often joked that not even the Triumvirate of the martial world could pierce his defenses. 'What a joke.' He was killed far too easily. His heart was ripped out as the hand of that man perforated his chest. 'Damn it.' Was she saddened by the Old Man's death? Not at all. The Black Moon Empress cared little for the deaths of such men. 'How am I supposed to handle this?' Her sole concern now was her life and her freedom. 'If I had known he was there, I would never have gotten involved.' Gritting her teeth, the Black Moon Empress cursed. She had not been told of this. She was simply instructed to gather at the front lines, to settle the situation and deal with the righteous sect members within. 'Was I deceived?' Had she been tricked by that man? The Empress questioned herself. This was futile. 'I shouldn't have trusted those righteous bastards in the first place.' To be reduced to a pawn for the loathsome righteous sect was one thing, but trusting them again was the mistake. 'Ugh!' Despite her regrets about her choices, the woman's destination was clear. Thud-! She finally arrived at her destination. "Empress?" There stood the man who had drawn her into this place. "What happened? Did you take care of him...?" "That bastard—!!! How dare you!" The Empress lunged and grabbed him by the collar. "What...!" "You dared to set a trap for us! You did it on purpose, didn't you? You wanted us dead!" "What...! What nonsense are you spouting?" "With a monster like that ready, what was it you promised us? Freedom? You wretched scoundrels...!" "Wait..." The man's voice took on an odd tone upon hearing her words. "What are you saying? A monster? Don't tell me... you couldn't handle it?" "Handle it? Ha..." The woman let out a bitter laugh. It was absurd. "How could we handle such a monster? Don't make me laugh...!" One exchange was enough to prove that he was beyond anything they could handle. "You had two Samaa Venerables, yet you couldn't handle it? Wait... where is the Old Man of Reverse Heaven?" "If you can't see him, take a guess." "...!" The Old Man of Reverse Heaven was dead. Upon hearing that, the man's body trembled. "I can't tell if your reaction is genuine or just a show. In any case, it doesn't matter." Grinding her teeth, the Black Moon Empress declared. "I'm done with this. Do as you please." "What are you saying? How can you quit after coming this far?" "Didn't you hear me the first time? I refuse. That man is a monster. Given that such a being has intervened here, I must withdraw. Handle it yourself." "...We have ample forces already. The losses of the Old Man and Hwagongma were unforeseen, but it won't affect the plan." She clicked her tongue at the man's words and then gave a knowing smile. "You really are clueless, aren't you?" "...What do you mean?" "At this point, manpower and resources are irrelevant. How can you not realize that, even as a martial artist? Or are you so blinded by greed?" "...Empress." "No matter what you say, I'm done. I'm not going to be involved. You're supposedly a person of great lineage—maybe you should start using your head." "That's why we have brains—to use them." "Huh?" A sudden voice cut in, making the Empress turn her head. No one had been there just a moment ago. In that instant— Crack. "Gakk." Her neck twisted. A hand appeared out of nowhere, seized her neck, and snapped it. Her body fell as if a marionette with cut strings. She was dead. "...!" The man trembled violently, seeing the Empress die so suddenly before his eyes. "I thought she had escaped rather well, but she hadn't gone that far, after all." "You...!" The man swallowed dryly at the presence that had appeared. "Oh, we meet again. Nice to see you." The figure greeted him with a bright smile—bearing the guise of Hwagongma. A mysterious being. The one who appeared without warning and slew three of the Samaa Venerables. The monster that the Empress had described. As the man stood frozen in place— Swoosh. "......!!" The being reached out and pulled off the man's mask. He couldn't stop it. The mask slipped up easily. "Hmm." The figure examined the man's face and nodded, as if unsurprised. "I suspected as much. Something felt off." A faint laugh escaped him as he spoke, and at that precise moment, a transformation began. Rumble—!!! "Wha...?" enN1WnIzcFhHMVJuR0JvdkNPc013L09Pc2h0NStiTjZZUDBBRk5EaXplMHo2VG1SQSsyWFBMUzVvNWlTV09Fdg A series of harsh sounds erupted from the figure's body, and his form began to change. His body expanded. The face that had been Hwagongma's began to morph. Finally, he drew a mask from his garment and donned it. "Allow me to reintroduce myself." His voice had transformed. It was no longer the thin, sly tone of Hwagongma, but a profoundly deep and resonant timbre. "Nice to meet you, I am known as the Heavenly Demon." Introducing himself as the Heavenly Demon, the figure continued speaking to the man. "Pang Clan Leader." "......" The man's true identity was none other than the head of the Pang family. * * * From the start, it was a curious matter. 'Who could possibly cleanse the identities of the Samaa Venerables?' Who would devise such an intricate plan? Even though the renown of the demonic sects isn't what it used to be, to manipulate the identities of three individuals known as grand demons was no small feat. Who could summon such figures and freely alter their identities? It was a question that puzzled me. 'The answer was actually quite obvious.' To discreetly summon the Samaa Venerables to the front lines, one had to be fully aware of the positions and situations of those on the battlefield. Moreover, one needed the authority to maneuver identities at will, meaning they had significant backing. The cleansing of identities implied they could be reborn as members of a righteous sect. Thus, the ones aiding them had to be from the righteous sect. So, we deduce: 'Those aware of the current front-line situations.' The administrators of the frontline. 'Those possessing the background to alter the identities of the Samaa Venerables with ease.' An entity with vast prestige and influence in the martial world. "Pang Clan Leader." As I identified the mastermind behind this scheme, the eyes of the middle-aged man before me quivered. "Nice to meet you." The culprit was indeed the Pang Clan Leader. He was the head of the Pang family, one of the four noble families, managing the current frontline. 'I’ve never met this person before.' That the leader of the Pang family was behind these events was shocking, and yet as I observed him, many thoughts crossed my mind. 'So this man is the current head of the Pang family.' He was the father of the late martial king and the grandfather of Pang Woo-jin. And yet, he conspired with the demonic sects—specifically the Samaa Venerables—to plot something on the battlefield? 'An unknown fact.' This was not an event recorded in history. Naturally. 'If it had been known.’ The Northern Pang family would not have been recognized as one of the four great families. This was an untold secret. "Who exactly are you?" Overwhelmed by the revelation of his identity, the Pang Clan Leader appeared visibly flustered. "Didn't you hear me? I am the Heavenly Demon." "Heavenly Demon...? Ah... Hold on." At the mention of 'Heavenly Demon', the Pang Clan Leader seemed to make a connection. "Are you the one rumored to have appeared in Anhui...?" It seemed he had heard the tale of the individual who hunted the hundred-class beast in Anhui. "How is someone like you here...!" “Well, do I owe you any explanations? What matters is that you, a supposed righteous leader, attempted to conspire with the demonic sects for some pathetic scheme, didn't you?” "......Ugh." Having his secret exposed, the Pang Clan Leader's face twisted in frustration. Looking at him, I posed a question. "They say you were searching for the secret martial texts among the front lines. Did you find them?" "......" The Pang Clan Leader remained silent, giving no response to my question. "Fine, you may not want to answer." It was understandable. He may not desire to respond, and I understood that. Snap-! “Gah!?” I seized him by the throat in a swift motion. "But it doesn’t matter." "Urgh! Argh!" Ignoring his desperate struggle, I held my gaze firmly on him. "You will answer, one way or another." A dark energy began to thrum from my core. I had learned from my earlier oversight with Hwagongma. Without delay, I injected my dark energy into him. "Arghhhhh!!!" The Pang Clan Leader screamed, and his eyes began to turn black as an engulfing darkness swept over them.