CRS Chapter 36

The Eastern Depot, one of the highest power institutions in the imperial court.

Kong Jin, the Director of the Eastern Depot, was its head and enjoyed the Emperor’s full favor.

Along with the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was considered one of the top martial artists in the Imperial Palace.

Approaching with a sharp aura befitting his appearance, he said:

“I hope you can prove yourself.”

Eunho gave him an indifferent look.

“May I begin?”

Shing-

No need for words!

Kong Jin silently drew his sword.

Once the Emperor’s order was given, what else was needed?

Watching this, the corners of Eunho’s mouth curled up strangely.

“Alright then.”

Eunho’s form seemed to waver for a moment, then disappeared from view.

Kong Jin’s eyes narrowed.

So he does have some substance?

Eunho appeared instantly right in front of him.

Kong Jin calmly swung his sword.

But once again, the form blurred and he only cut an afterimage.

While the Martial Alliance martial artists gaped at Eunho’s movement technique, Kong Jin simply held his sword and looked around carefully.

Martial artists’ techniques are flashy and unpredictable.

But the sword that protects only the Emperor is straightforward and never arrogant.

A sword filled with reverence, as if looking up at the sky.

“Fifteen Swords Facing Heaven.”

That was the sword of the Eastern Depot.

The sword that struggled to even catch Eunho’s afterimages on the first and second strikes gradually caught up to him.

The tenth strike grazed Eunho’s nape, and finally, it slightly cut the tips of his hair.

A gleam appeared in Eunho’s eyes.

A sword that looks to the sky, huh?

An interesting thought occurred to him.

Eunho knew a martial art that matched this perfectly.

Thirteen Lightning Flashes of Flash Transmission Sword.

It was a sword technique said to have been created by one of the Namgoong family’s ancestors after observing lightning falling from the sky, embodying the principle of extreme speed.

He vividly remembered his master’s emphatic explanation.

Eunho’s form charged aggressively towards Kong Jin.

Now, look at the sky to your heart’s content.

I’ll bring down the lightning for you.

Chang chang chang-!

Eunho and Kong Jin’s swords began to clash at tremendous speed.

It even grew faster and faster.

As if saying, this is what extreme speed means.

The Martial Alliance martial artists watching this couldn’t hide their astonishment.

Had they ever seen such swift swordplay in their lives?

Soon, they gave up trying to follow the swords with their eyes.

After about thirty exchanges…

“Kugh!”

Kong Jin, who had been blocking with difficulty, finally lost his grip on his sword.

Clang!

The sound of the sword falling to the floor echoed throughout the vast hall.

“…”

“Is this proof enough?”

After a moment of silence, the Emperor smiled with satisfaction.

“Hahaha, so it wasn’t just eloquence. To subdue our Director so easily.”

The moment he saw Eunho’s martial prowess, the Emperor made a decision.

He had always been interested in the martial world and wanted to learn martial arts. Of course, the Director had strongly discouraged it.

But he would learn.

How could he not learn something so impressive?

He would definitely make this man his martial arts master.

Eunho, observing the Emperor’s satisfied expression, lightly sheathed his sword and changed the atmosphere.

“Then shall we set the bait and prepare to fish?”

The Emperor nodded.

This was truly the most trustworthy martial artist he had ever met.

“What would be good for bait? As they say, when fishing for a big catch, one shouldn’t let them know it’s bait.”

“That’s not always the case. I heard the Blood Demon’s martial prowess is at the Transformation Realm, so the more obvious, the better. He will definitely take the bait.”

When had Eunho ever hidden from a trap after knowing it was one?

That’s what a true master is.

Rather, he would see the trap as an opportunity.

***

A musty smell wafted from the underground secret chamber.

Unknown inscriptions covering the floor and walls created an eerie atmosphere.

In the only small space not filled with writing, a naked, emaciated man sat with his back severely hunched.

Red, sticky liquid flowed over the man’s entire body, resembling the blood of beasts or humans.

“It is done.”

The man’s voice was unnaturally sharp, as if scraping rock with a pickaxe.

Before him stood martial artists dressed in blood-red wind-chasing robes.

“We are grateful!”

As the old woman at the forefront bowed her head, the martial artists behind her knelt in unison, pressing their foreheads to the floor as they shouted.

– We are grateful!

The man scanned his subordinates with a sinister gaze, then stood up.

Though completely naked, his body was so withered it could hardly be considered human flesh, so no one dared feel discomfort.

Just then, someone from the group stepped forward, bowed their head, and spoke.

“We’ve received information that the Emperor is going hunting.”

“Good. We’ll kill him then. Killing the Son of Heaven chosen by the heavens with my own hands is surely a sad thing, but I too am chosen by the heavens. It’s something only I can do.”

However, the expression of the martial artist who reported this wasn’t good.

“The Emperor, who was so cautious, has suddenly made a move. It’s so obvious he’s announcing it everywhere, it’s clearly a trap…”

He couldn’t finish his words.

The man they believed to be the Blood Lord was staring at him without the slightest expression.

His face and eyes, beyond expressionless to seemingly devoid of any emotion, were unsettling just to look at.

The martial artist’s entire body froze.

“Do you doubt me?”

The martial artist gulped.

“N-no, that’s not it…”

He quickly began banging his forehead on the floor.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Even as his forehead split and blood streamed down, he didn’t stop. His eyes held only fear.

“Enough. Spill no more of your blood before me.”

The Blood Lord’s heavy voice suddenly fell upon his head, and he looked up at the Blood Lord with somewhat moved eyes.

“I will soon command the world, dyeing it red, and you are qualified to enjoy that world with me. That is what a great cause is.”

Great cause? The last words bothered him a bit, but he nodded and said,

“I am overwhelmed by your grace!”

And simultaneously, the Blood Lord’s large palm stretched out before his face.

“Keoek!”

In an instant, the martial artist’s body rose into the air.

He couldn’t breathe, as if someone had grabbed his throat.

If only it had ended there, but soon he felt the energy in his entire body reversing.

“Keuuueuk!”

The reversing energy gathered in one place, then was sucked into the Blood Lord through his palm. The Blood Lord closed his eyes and shuddered as if savoring it.

The martial artist’s body began to shrivel all over, then dried up completely as if mummified.

The Blood Lord withdrew his hand.

Tok.

The completely dehydrated corpse fell lightly to the floor like a sheet of paper.

The Blood Lord looked at him, then shifted his gaze to scan his subordinates.

He was quite pleased with the sight of everyone avoiding his gaze.

Fear is inevitable for one who will rule the world.

“This is the great cause. Prepare to open a new world.”

– We obey!

The subordinates, except for the Vice Sect Leader, disappeared in an instant as if fleeing.

His body, which had been as withered as an old man’s, had somehow become that of a robust man in his twenties.

He looked at the old woman standing beside him with eyes full of madness.

“Vice Sect Leader, I want to confirm the fruits of the Great Method right away.”

It was an achievement gained by condensing the blood and flesh of thousands.

The Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters, said to be the strongest in the world.

He was no longer afraid of them.

The old woman called the Vice Sect Leader smiled faintly and bowed her head.

“I prepared knowing you would say that, Blood Lord. It seems there was someone from the Hainan Sect among those used in the Great Method.”

The Hainan Sect.

Located on Hainan Island at the southernmost tip of the Central Plains, it was classified as an outer-world sect.

The Hainan Sect had lost its former glory for a while, but recently it had been quickly regaining its reputation.

Woo Jung-do, the Sea Sword, was the sect leader of this generation.

He had entered the Transformation Realm and joined the ranks of the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters.

The Blood Lord smiled with satisfaction.

“Is he in the Central Plains?”

“Yes. I hear he’s desperately searching for you, Blood Lord.”

***

While the Eastern Depot’s duty was to assist the Emperor mentally and physically from the closest position, the Embroidered Uniform Guard focused solely on protecting the Emperor’s safety from one step away.

“What? B-bait!?”

Crash-

So enraged was he that the chair he was sitting on tumbled to the floor as he stood up abruptly.

He glared at Kong Jin, the Director of the Eastern Depot, as if he would kill him.

“How dare you utter such nonsense to the Emperor! And you, Director, you just stood by and watched?”

“You think I just stood by? I immediately requested the Emperor to behead that bastard.”

“And then?”

He tilted his head.

Then why is that arrogant bastard still alive?

“I lost.”

Kong Jin’s face darkened.

He had been recognized as one of the top martial artists in the Imperial Palace.

How long had it been since he last tasted defeat?

Of course, he knew there were stronger individuals in the martial world than himself.

Nevertheless, there was quite a difference between merely knowing and actually confronting such a person.

“What? You lost!? You pathetic fool. To think the Director of the Eastern Depot would lose to some martial world nobody.”

Despite the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s high status, only one person could dare speak so rudely to the Director of the Eastern Depot.

It was Yoon Pyeong, the high-ranking official of the 2nd grade and the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Yoon Pyeong’s fiery gaze moved past Kong Jin to the man standing beside him, who flinched slightly under that gaze.

“Ahem, this matter doesn’t concern me.”

“It doesn’t concern you?”

How could that be?

Namgoong Hyeok, Yoon Pyeong’s old friend and the Captain of the Azure Sky Squad of the Martial Alliance.

How could he, who came as the leader of the dispatched martial artists, not be responsible?

“How do you manage your subordinates that they dare to utter such arrogant words before His Majesty the Emperor!”

Yoon Pyeong was venting his anger on Namgoong Hyeok to the best of his ability.

However, Namgoong Hyeok’s attitude was firm.

“First of all, that guy is not my subordinate. He has the same rank of Branch Leader as me.”

Namgoong Hyeok had no intention of meddling with Eunho over this incident.

He was well aware of the rumors about the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword.

And he confirmed through this incident that his unrestrained personality wasn’t just a rumor.

There was no need to cause friction with him by bringing it up unnecessarily.

It wasn’t that he was afraid.

It was just that Eunho was the disciple of Namgoong Cheong, the family’s greatest elder. Although not an official disciple, it was still somewhat awkward given their positions.

If he were truly the direct disciple of Elder Namgoong Cheong… in terms of seniority, he would be on the same level as Uncle Namgoong Yong, the current family head.

As Namgoong Hyeok clearly distanced himself, Yoon Pyeong’s anger showed no signs of subsiding.

He stood up abruptly and spoke roughly.

“I will immediately go to His Majesty the Emperor and request to behead that bastard, and I’ll execute him myself!”

And Kong Jin, who had been quietly observing this, grabbed his arm and delivered the final blow.

“Don’t do that.”

“Let go of me!”

“Shouldn’t at least one person’s honor remain intact?”

“Wh-what!?”

Yoon Pyeong was dumbfounded.

‘So this damned Director is saying I would lose?’

Thinking this, his anger rose even more.

Not only did a mere martial artist dare to speak such nonsense to His Majesty the Emperor, but he also dares to tarnish the honor of the Imperial Palace?

Of course, Eunho had merely done as he was told, but that was beside the point.

Yoon Pyeong roughly shook off Kong Jin’s hand and strode away, fuming.

“I will personally deal with this arrogant bastard!”

Watching his retreating back, a subtle smile appeared on Kong Jin’s lips. As a rule, when one competing group is disgraced, the honor of the other rises.

The current situation was exactly that.

The honor of one of the two top martial artists had been broken.

But what if the honor of both were broken?

Kong Jin had grasped Eunho’s personality in the short time they interacted.

After all, he had a straightforward personality with nothing to hide.

He would not hold back.

He would plant a solid fist in Yoon Pyeong’s face.

“I’m sorry. But isn’t this what politics is all about?”

Kong Jin consoled his sad heart by offering an inaudible apology to Yoon Pyeong, with a hint of schadenfreude.