Chapter 400: The Shadow of Death
“To kill her, I must first separate Dong-oh from her.”
Il Taegong had sent Dong-oh along to protect Hong A-yul, and that meant Dong-oh would surely intervene if anyone tried to harm her.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to pass Il Taegong’s order directly to Dong-oh and have him kill Hong A-yul?’
Han Domeong shook his head after considering the easier path.
‘No. If I did that, it would only ruin the plan. If that was what Il Taegong wanted, he would have ordered Dong-oh himself. There’s a reason he told me to carry it out in secret, without anyone’s knowledge. The fact that he said not even the Great Young Master should know means he doesn’t trust Dong-oh. Dong-oh thinks of Hong A-yul as if she were his own little sister — he would never be able to kill her.’
Perhaps feeling honored by Il Taegong’s trust, Han Domeong firmly resolved to kill Hong A-yul no matter what.
He had to redeem the humiliation he suffered after falling into Yong Hwarin’s trap. To restore the dignity of the Great Elder, this mission had to be executed flawlessly — there was no room for error.
The Demonic Master quietly observed Han Domeong’s strange behavior without letting him notice.
After a day of silent observation, he realized Han Domeong’s gaze never left Hong A-yul.
The Demonic Master considered stealing the letter Han Domeong carried, but with his current level of cultivation, even using the Dragon Concealment Heavenly Art (용은천공), it was impossible to escape Han Domeong’s perception.
‘I need to quickly accumulate enough energy to reach at least the level of the Fourth Jiazi.’
The Heavenly Demon Sect group was staying in an abandoned hut once inhabited by slash-and-burn farmers, devoting themselves entirely to cultivation.
Meanwhile, Hong A-yul and Dong-oh, who hadn’t participated in the cave battle, were standing guard.
Fortunately, when Han Domeong also entered deep meditation, the Demonic Master quietly rose to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
Dong-oh asked, and the Demonic Master replied,
“I thought I’d scout the surroundings. I can still move around a bit, and if Yong Hwarin comes, we need to be prepared.”
Dong-oh looked at him in mild surprise.
The Eum Sajeok he knew wasn’t the kind of man to do anything for others.
But seeing nothing suspicious in his demeanor, Dong-oh merely thought, Maybe he’s changed.
The Demonic Master immediately headed toward the cave.
Absorbing the Yama True Qi (염라진기) of nearly a hundred martial masters didn’t take much time.
Once his internal energy surpassed the level of Three Jiazi, his absorption accelerated even further.
By the time the Demonic Master emerged from the cave, only about one shijin (two hours) had passed.
‘To gain the energy of a full Jiazi in just one shijin… that’s practically a miraculous encounter.’
He had never before absorbed so many masters’ Yama True Qi at once.
Even finding a single trace of Yama True Qi from a fallen expert had always been a rare occurrence.
When the Demonic Master returned to the inn, the Heavenly Demon Sect members were still deep in meditation.
The fierce battle in the cave had drained even their Innate Qi (선천진기); it would take a full day for them to recover.
Entering his room, the Demonic Master glanced at the next room, where the Great Elder Han Domeong and Ok Girin were cultivating.
“You cannot enter.”
A guard blocked his way.
Han Domeong had ordered constant vigilance, still not trusting Yang Gwak or Eum Sajeok completely.
So the Demonic Master slipped around the back, summoning the Dragon Concealment Heavenly Art. His presence vanished completely.
‘Now, this is satisfactory.’
With his energy beyond the Fourth Jiazi, he could now use any martial art he wished freely.
He silently entered the room where the Great Elder and Ok Girin were cultivating.
Neither the two in meditation nor the guards standing watch sensed even a flicker of his presence.
When one cultivated, one’s senses became so sensitive that even the crawling of an ant nearby would be noticed.
The fact that neither Han Domeong nor Ok Girin felt him meant that the Dragon Concealment Heavenly Art was working perfectly.
The Demonic Master quietly reached for the Great Elder’s satchel.
He knew Han Domeong kept important documents and valuables in a personal silver case, so he searched for it.
Finding it, he opened the case and took out a letter.
After reading it, his eyes widened, and for a brief moment, his technique nearly unraveled.
The contents of the letter shocked even him.
‘Kill Hong A-yul? For Ok Girin’s sake?’
Even though it made little sense, it was clear that Il Taegong had resolved to sacrifice Hong A-yul for Ok Girin’s benefit.
The Demonic Master carefully returned the letter to its place and quietly slipped out of the room.
Neither of the two cultivators had the slightest idea what had just happened.
Once outside, the Demonic Master muttered under his breath, disbelief in his voice.
“I thought Il Taegong adored Hong A-yul…”
The weight on his mind grew heavier, especially since he had once promised Eum Sajeok that he would make Hong A-yul his woman.
‘What should I do now?’
His thoughts began to whirl.
A few shijin later, when everyone had finished their meditation, the Demonic Master secretly called Yang Gwak.
“Senior Brother, what I’m about to tell you is extremely important, so listen carefully.”
“What is it?”
Yang Gwak’s tone was uneasy — lately, his junior seemed to be siding more with Ok Girin, which made him wary.
Though the Demonic Master claimed he was only pretending to serve Ok Girin to earn his trust, his recent behavior made Yang Gwak increasingly anxious.
Especially in the cave — after watching him save Ok Girin multiple times, that unease had only grown stronger.
Still, Yang Gwak couldn’t openly confront him, since he himself had been saved by his junior several times.
They still clung to hope because if he had truly betrayed them, they would have left him to die in the cave.
For Yang Gwak, the only one left now was Saje Eum Sajeok.
His direct subordinates, the Dark Heart Heaven Guard, had been annihilated in the cave, leaving only one or two retainers.
The small consolation was that Ok Girin, having lost the Twelve Masters of the Absolute Peak Swords, was suffering more inside.
‘This will push the Great Young Master farther from the successor seat.’
That was why Yang Gwak harbored hope.
Masa had already seen through Yang Gwak’s psychological state.
“There is a way to corner the Great Young Master this time.”
“Really? I thought Saje was on the Great Young Master’s side?”
Yang Gwak probed Masa subtly.
Masa showed a disappointed expression.
“Brother, people called me crafty, but I have never betrayed anyone. You know that well, don’t you? Even saving the Great Young Master was to make him trust me.”
Masa continued as if frustrated.
“Brother, think about it. If the Great Young Master had died or been severely injured in that cave, do you think we would have survived? They would have used that excuse to force us into secluded training for at least ten years. That would have been the end of us. Right now, we must protect the Great Young Master so we can dump all responsibility on him later.”
Yang Gwak admired Masa, who pointed out a part he hadn’t considered.
“Ah, I am ashamed my thoughts were so lacking. I apologize for doubting you, Saje. I didn’t realize you thought so deeply.”
“It’s fine. Just trust me. We will pull the Great Young Master down.”
Now convinced, Yang Gwak asked, “What is the scheme this time?”
“First, it will favor us to eliminate the Great Young Master’s closest aides one by one.”
“Right.”
“This time I intend to eliminate Great Elder Han Domeong.”
Yang Gwak recoiled inside at Masa’s plan to kill the Great Elder.
It was a bold plot that sent chills down his spine.
“How?”
“First, give Samae the Black Silk Centipede. Of course, don’t tell Samae that it is the Black Silk Centipede when you give it. Just leave it with them. Then leak word of it to the Great Elder, and Han Domeong will try to take the Black Silk Centipede from Samae.”
“And then?”
“That’s when things will start. Elder Dong and Elder Han are not on very good terms. The moment Han Domeong attacks to seize the Black Silk Centipede, Elder Han will fall into the abyss.”
After a moment’s thought, Yang Gwak said, “Is that enough? If those two finish quietly, it’ll be useless, right?”
“Exactly. That’s when we will appear. With Yong Hwarin involved too.”
Yang Gwak flinched and trembled at the name Yong Hwarin.
Now even hearing the name gave him heart palpitations.
“Yong Hwarin?”
“I will tempt Yong Hwarin with the Black Silk Centipede. We will have Samae and Great Elder Han go there. Imagine what will follow then.”
A picture began to form in Yang Gwak’s mind.
Great Elder Han would fight Yong Hwarin, and Han Domeong would certainly be killed by Yong Hwarin’s hand.
Everyone knew Yong Hwarin killed decisively.
“But what about Samae?”
“We will first whisk Samae away. I’ve prepared that method as well. As you know, Il Taegong cherishes Samae. The moment someone tries to take the Black Silk Centipede and harms Samae, the Great Elder or the Great Young Master will be distanced from the succession.”
Masa omitted the fact that Il Taegong planned to kill Hong A-yul.
He had to, for the plan to succeed.
Masa planned to send Hong A-yul to Yong Hwarin.
If Il Taegong had decided to kill her, Masa judged Hong A-yul could not possibly survive.
‘If I cannot make her Eum Sajeok’s woman, then saving her is the best choice.’
As Masa explained the plan in greater detail, Yang Gwak kept exclaiming in admiration.
“You truly are Saje.”
Masa was writing a letter to send to Yong Hwarin, using Cheongwangseo as courier, detailing the scheme with the Black Silk Centipede.
If the timing matched perfectly, they could send the Black Silk Centipede to Yong Hwarin and even eliminate Han Domeong.
Anyway, Yang Gwak now trusted Masa completely, so he could be disposed of at any time.
Before that, Masa intended to use Yang Gwak to remove the Great Young Master first.
Just as he was about to finish the letter and summon Cheongwangseo, Han Domeong entered the room.
“Shall we return to the main matter?” he asked.
“Of course. I scouted the surroundings for two days and, fortunately, found no trace of Yong Hwarin. Rumor had it that Yong Hwarin had killed Jo Cheonsaeng of Blood Demon Castle. He probably went after Blood Demon Castle.”
Masa soothed him, and Han Domeong breathed easier.
“If that man had come after us, it would have been terrifying. Now that we rested and regained our strength, we are not so vulnerable, but I still prefer to avoid him.”
“By the way, what brought you to see me?”
Han Domeong said it as if it were nothing.
“Ah, this time I plan to have Young Mistress Hong carry out the order from Il Taegong.”
“Is that so?”
Masa smiled inwardly and answered calmly.
“What is the mission?”
“You may not know, but originally the Great Young Master, allied with Lord San Gongja, planned to return and kill Yong Hwarin’s friends.”
“You mean Lord Sanbi, the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Central Sect?”
“Yes.”
