Chapter 340: Confess and Go to the Murim Alliance, Resist and Go to the Demonic Cult

TL: FoodieMonster007

Dae So studied Geom Mugeuk with a surprised expression.

What is that young punk saying?

Annihilation was impossible? What a ridiculous notion. If Dae So set his mind to it, there was no one he could not kill. He had lived his entire life that way.

He mocked and killed those he could defeat in front of everyone. He stabbed those he could not defeat in the back. If that failed, he hired an assassin organization or persuaded an acquaintance to poison his target.

For a man who lived like that, the idea that annihilation was impossible was simply laughable.

He's bluffing. He's just trying to get a confession out of me somehow.

Dae So asked Geom Mugeuk with a relaxed smile, "The head of the Demon Slaying Brigade thinks so highly of you. You must be quite the person. Who are you, exactly?"

Geom Mugeuk revealed his identity.

"I am the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Young Cult Leader."

After a moment of stunned silence, Dae So burst out laughing. It was the most absurd answer he had ever heard.

"Yes, I suppose you'd need a status like that for what the head of the Demon Slaying Brigade said to be true."

Dae So spoke as if he acknowledged it, but he did not believe it at all.

"Then let me ask you one thing. What is the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult doing with the Murim Alliance's Demon Slaying Brigade? That group was created to annihilate demons."

Geom Mugeuk opened the box, looked down at the sleeping child, and answered.

"We're carrying out a trash cleanup operation."

Dae So's expression twitched.

Geom Mugeuk adjusted the child into a more comfortable position and continued speaking.

"If you ask martial artists who the most evil people are, most will say it's us. It's truly unfair. When you get out in the world, you find so many disgusting bastards you wonder if they're even human. This case is no different. Kidnapping someone's child to sell for money, and who knows what the buyer plans to do with them. This is the kind of trashy thing even we don't do."

Geom Mugeuk's gaze shifted from the child to Dae So.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Calling the act trashy before asking this question was the same as calling Dae So trash.

Dae So wanted to rush over and hack the man to pieces.

However, he could not do that. Since the box containing the child was found in his warehouse, he had to find a way out of this situation.

He quickly sent a telepathic message to Man Hong.

[You'll have to suffer a bit. I'll get you out as soon as possible.]

[Yes, Sect Leader.]

Man Hong was truly reluctant. The head of the Demon Slaying Brigade had personally raided this case. He had no idea what would happen if he was dragged away. However, he could not disobey the Sect Leader's command. His only choices were death or capture.

Man Hong stepped forward.

"Actually, I'm the one who did it. I'm sorry."

Dae So pretended to be shocked and scolded him.

"Is that true?"

"I didn't know it was a kidnapped child. I only requested that they get me some children."

"You fool! You should have investigated properly before proceeding."

"I'm sorry."

Dae So also put on an apologetic expression.

"My subordinate says he didn't know they were kidnapped children. It's also my fault for not looking into it beforehand."

He tried to frame it as a minor mistake that occurred during business. The subordinate insisted he did not know, and Dae So insisted he was unaware. Now, what could they do?

Unfortunately for them, they were not just dealing with Jin Hagun.

Geom Mugeuk raised his hand high.

"That's why you need a witness. The witness is right here. I heard everything. I even heard you say to call you when the child wakes up."

Dae So glared fiercely at Geom Mugeuk, but the man was not intimidated at all. Right, he must have been given the role of witness because he's this kind of person.

"Since there's a witness, you'll have to come with us for now," Jin Hagun said.

"I will not go."

A tense atmosphere flowed between Jin Hagun and Dae So. Dae So knew that the moment he was dragged away, the problem would become a headache.

"You will have to go."

"Are you threatening me right now?"

"If you've committed a crime, it's a threat. If you're innocent, it's a request for cooperation."

Dae So could feel it. They were not going to leave on good terms.

"I was going to praise Commander Jin's sense of justice in rescuing the children and let this slide, but since you're being so stubborn, I can't. Does Commander Jin understand what kind of situation this is right now?"

"Go on."

"The Murim Alliance has attacked the unorthodox sects. This could be the beginning of a war between the orthodox and unorthodox."

Dae So deliberately used the provocative phrase 'war between the orthodox and unorthodox'. It was time to push hard.

He knew Jin Hagun's weakness well.

"Commander Jin has not yet become the official successor. What do you think will happen if you cause such a major conflict with the Evil Alliance? Shouldn't you be more cautious, for your own sake?"

Just then, Geom Mugeuk annoyingly interjected.

"And what about you? Will you be okay if you start a conflict with the Murim Alliance?"

Finally, Dae So could not hold back and bellowed.

"You, shut up!"

He lost his composure at Geom Mugeuk's taunting. Every time he tried to do something, the man would cut him off.

Seeing him explode with anger, Jin Hagun smiled inwardly. Right, it's infuriating. I know that feeling well.

Perhaps deciding words were no longer enough, Dae So shouted towards the outside.

"Come in."

At his command, Flowing Sword Sect martial artists who had been waiting outside flooded in.

The Demon Slaying Brigade drew their swords and faced them, completely unintimidated. The number of Flowing Sword Sect martial artists who swarmed in was greater than expected, and their aura was extraordinary.

The Flowing Sword Sect commands this many masters?

This was why Dae So could afford to be relaxed. He was confident that, at the very least, he would not be dragged away from this place.

"Did you think we would tremble in fear just because you're the Demon Slaying Brigade?"

They were not the only ones. The two people Dae So decisively trusted entered last. They were two old men in distinctive attire.

Jin Hagun recognized them at a glance.

"The Blue White Dual Sword!"

As their alias suggested, one wore a blue martial arts uniform and the other wore a white one. Even their shoes and scabbards were blue for one man and white for the other.

They were infamous masters from the unorthodox sects. If the Demon Slaying Brigade were young, rising masters, these two were seasoned veterans of the old jianghu.

The aura of the Blue White Dual Sword overwhelmed the Demon Slaying Brigade. It looked like a difficult fight would erupt if they joined forces with the masters of the Flowing Sword Sect.

"I didn't know you were with the Flowing Sword Sect," Jin Hagun said.

Dae So took Jin Hagun's words as a reprimand.

"You? These two Seniors were traversing the murim before Commander Jin was even born. Show some respect."

He seemed to want Jin Hagun to treat them as murim seniors, but Jin Hagun's reaction was cold. He had no intention of respecting the infamous pair.

The two old men began a conversation, as if for everyone to hear.

"The Murim Alliance Chairman was a few years younger than us, wasn't he?"

"I think he was three or four years younger."

"He had an unusual personality even when he was young."

"Who would have known he'd become the Murim Alliance Chairman like this?"

They had likely never even met his grandfather, but hearing them mention him in such a way made Jin Hagun's eyes grow cold.

"He is not someone you should speak of so carelessly."

At that, the man in white smiled and said in a gentle tone.

"That's right. He is a man worthy of respect. We had no intention of insulting your grandfather. Likewise, we do not wish to be insulted either. We will handle what has happened here and inform you of the results, so please withdraw."

"For you, the face of the Murim Alliance, to come to the Flowing Sword Sect, which carries the true lineage of the unorthodox sects, is quite rude."

"If you act like this, it will put the Chairman in a difficult position as well."

"Look here, we are men with no lingering attachments to life. If you and we were to fight, who has more to lose?"

The two old men took turns, relentlessly assailing Jin Hagun with their words.

Though many of their words were grating, they were old masters acknowledged by the unorthodox sects, so Jin Hagun could not treat them carelessly.

Of course, there was one exception.

"Obviously, you have more to lose."

The one who cut in was Geom Mugeuk. Jin Hagun was still too young to deal with old men from the unorthodox sects.

"How greedy must you be to show up in a warehouse overflowing with desire like this? You should have elegantly performed your Golden Basin Handwashing and lived like an old tale behind a folding screen. What greed possessed you to tear through that screen and come out?"

The two men's expressions hardened coldly, but Geom Mugeuk continued speaking.

"The things you've collected your whole lives must be piled up somewhere. You probably don't trust each other enough to even say where or how much you've hidden, right? Am I right?"

The two men's faces flushed bright red.

The man in blue openly revealed his killing intent and asked, "Who is that ill-mannered punk?"

At that, Dae So smiled and said, "He claims to be the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult."

When the Blue White Dual Sword showed surprised expressions, Dae So quickly added, "It's crazy nonsense."

Only then could the Blue White Dual Sword understand. Would any sane person mock them like this?

"That man is someone the head of the Demon Slaying Brigade hired as a witness to frame me."

Dae So quickly sent a telepathic message.

[Just get rid of that man.]

The man had been a thorn in his side, and now he had gratefully committed this act of disrespect. Dae So now had more than enough justification to kill him.

As the Blue White Dual Sword walked forward, the Demon Slaying Brigade moved in unison to block their path.

The man in white said to Jin Hagun, "As Commander Jin heard, that man was rude to us. Regardless of the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic, there are murim laws that a martial artist must abide by. Even from your perspective, you can't just let this slide, can you?"

At that, Geom Mugeuk laughed and said, "Open the way. Let's see if they truly have no lingering attachments to life, just as they claimed earlier."

The Demon Slaying Brigade looked at Jin Hagun, who in turn glanced at Geom Mugeuk.

Even in this situation, Geom Mugeuk overflowed with confidence. Yes, at first glance, he looks like a complete madman, but once you get to know him, you realize. You realize just how thoroughly calculated that confidence is.

"Open the way."

At Jin Hagun's command, the Demon Slaying Brigade parted to the left and right, creating a path.

The Blue White Dual Sword walked slowly down that path. They showed no fear, even while walking between the lines of the Demon Slaying Brigade.

As they were walking, they suddenly stopped.

The man in blue looked down at his hand. It was trembling uncontrollably, as if spasming.

The man in white looked at him with a surprised expression.

"What's wrong?"

The man in blue shook his head. This was the first time his hand had ever trembled so suddenly.

This time, the man in blue was surprised. The cheek of the man in white was twitching uncontrollably.

"Why are you…?"

The man in white began to tremble not just in his face, but all over his body. The man in blue was the same. Their legs began to shake. This had never happened since they first entered the murim.

[Is it poison?]

[It's not poison.]

[Then what is it?]

The gazes of the two men, communicating via telepathy, turned towards Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk looked at the child in the box, then slowly raised his head to look at the two men.

The moment their eyes met Geom Mugeuk's, the Blue White Dual Sword knew.

It's because of him.

This was not the abyssal energy that Geom Mugeuk usually displayed.

The energy Geom Mugeuk now directed at the two men was pure killing intent. His clear intention to kill them announced that this path, opened by the Demon Slaying Brigade, was a path to hell.

"What are you doing? Come on."

The Blue White Dual Sword swallowed hard.

Dae So, who was watching, was puzzled. The killing intent was directed only at the Blue White Dual Sword, so Dae So did not know why the two men had stopped walking.

"What's the matter, Seniors?"

The one who answered Dae So's question was Geom Mugeuk.

"Your precious Seniors are trembling."

Dae So did not know what that meant, but it was clear something was wrong. The enraged Blue White Dual Sword should have roared by now, but they remained silent.

Geom Mugeuk took a step towards the two men.

Overwhelmed by his presence, the Blue White Dual Sword simultaneously stepped back.

"Didn't you say you no longer have any lingering attachments to life?"

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned frighteningly cold. The Blue White Dual Sword did not dare meet his eyes and lowered their heads.

Seeing this, Jin Hagun understood.

His skills have improved again in that short time!

Geom Mugeuk was completely overwhelming the Blue White Dual Sword, old masters of the unorthodox sects.

He was showing a different side of himself than the last time they met. It felt like for every one step Jin Hagun took to catch up, Geom Mugeuk moved ten steps further away.

"Who are you, Master?"

From the white-sworded man's mouth came not the word Master, but Master.

"Didn't that man over there tell you earlier?"

The white-sworded man, startled, quickly turned to Dae So and asked, "This man, is he really the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?"

Dae So answered in surprise.

"No. What are you talking about…"

In that moment, Dae So flinched and looked at Geom Mugeuk.

"Really the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?"

"I told you earlier, didn't I? The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Young Cult Leader."

Dae So's voice trembled involuntarily.

"Why is the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult here?"

"I told you that too, didn't I? I'm in the middle of a trash cleanup."

The Blue White Dual Sword reprimanded Dae So.

"Did you push us in front of the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?"

"I didn't know either."

The Blue White Dual Sword looked at each other, exchanged a glance, and then retreated.

"It seems there was a misunderstanding, so we ask for your understanding, Young Cult Leader."

Setting aside that their opponent's skill overwhelmed them, they knew that messing with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult would not lead to a peaceful death. This was not the time to think about pride.

Dae So could now understand what Jin Hagun had said earlier.

He understood the meaning of his words that he could not refute, could not insist, and could not annihilate.

"I heard it myself. I am the witness."

Hearing Geom Mugeuk's loud declaration, Dae So also understood the meaning behind the words that everyone but him would believe that statement.

Who would dare refute what the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult claimed to have heard? Especially when even the Blue White Dual Sword had tucked their tails and retreated.

Geom Mugeuk said to him, "Confess obediently, and you'll be dragged to the Murim Alliance. Resist to the end, and you'll be dragged to our Cult. The choice is yours."

Dae So's heart sank. Dragged to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? He could at least reason with the Murim Alliance, but being dragged to the Demonic Cult would be the absolute end. He could tell just by looking at the Young Cult Leader. That madman who hangs out with the head of the Demon Slaying Brigade and shouts about cleaning up trash was insane. He could not be dragged to a den of madmen.

"You are affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Murim Alliance, while I am merely from a single sect."

"For a mere sect, you were trying pretty hard to intimidate us earlier, weren't you?"

"A frightened dog is bound to bark loudly."

He was desperate enough to say such things. This was his only way to survive.

"I demand that this matter be handled under the mediation of the Evil Alliance."

The Evil Alliance would never abandon him and the Flowing Sword Sect. He had made his contributions and believed they would surely save him.

"I believe that is the fair way to handle this. If it goes on like this, it's too unfair to me. Rumors will spread in the jianghu that we were framed."

"What if the Evil Alliance also acknowledges your crime?"

"Then I will also admit to it cleanly."

Geom Mugeuk stared silently at Dae So, then nodded readily.

"Fine, call them. Let's get all three together and see who the real villain is."