I turned my head.

And behind me —

Boom—!!

The aura of a martial artist who had reached the Spirit Ascension Stage erupted violently.

Then, I heard Chief Steward Seong’s voice.

“This is Seong Yangho of the White Snow Phantom Corps. Hyeon Seollin, one of the Descendants of the Extreme North, is carrying out a legitimate interrogation under justified circumstances. No one else is to interfere from this point on.”

His voice was deeper and heavier than before, but it wasn’t unpleasant to hear.

“If anyone does interfere, no matter who they are, they will die today.”

White Snow Phantom Corps.

The moment those words left his mouth, gasps echoed throughout the room.

There are countless military factions under Seolgung, with hundreds of sects affiliated with it.

But the power that truly supports the core of the Everlasting Snow Palace comes down to just two forces.

The White Phantom Guard and the White Snow Phantom Corps.

The White Phantom Guard is the elite combat unit of Seolgung, operating openly.

But the White Snow Phantom Corps is different.

They operate strictly in the shadows, not only protecting the Descendants of the Extreme North but also infiltrating every corner of the Central Plains.

Their identities are strictly confidential, to the extent that even the members themselves do not know each other’s identities.

That is the organization Chief Steward Seong belongs to — the White Snow Phantom Corps.

I lowered my gaze.

Unbothered by the commotion, Han Murin had already brought the martial artist he had subdued earlier before me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed the man by the hair and severed his right arm.

Slash.

The sound echoed throughout the hall, and the man screamed in agony.

But a louder voice drowned out his cries.

“No! Stop!!”

It was Cho Sehui.

“You seem to care about him. Is he your son?”

“Yes… yes, he’s my son!”

“I see.”

I placed the edge of my sword against the man’s right leg.

“So, I’ll ask again. Where is Jin Sohyeop’s body?”

“…It’s…”

Seeing his hesitation, I pressed the blade slightly into the man’s leg, and Cho Sehui shouted.

“I’ll tell you!!”

I stared at him blankly, and he continued.

“…The back mountain… I buried him in the back mountain.”

“There are more than a few back mountains around here. Be specific.”

“…The entrance to Hanjeong Mountain… There are two gravestones facing each other. I buried him behind the left gravestone.”

“Did you torture him?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

“…I coveted his martial arts.”

“Did Jin Sohyeop say anything?”

“…No. He bit his own tongue and burst his heart.”

I brushed my hair back.

I had never told anyone this before.

The Heavenly Image Heart Technique is undoubtedly a cultivation method meant for ascension.

And when I created it, I embedded a specific mechanism in it.

Anyone who practices the Heavenly Image Heart Technique emits a unique scent.

Only I can detect it.

Cho Sehui didn’t have that scent.

And neither did his son, who was lying here now.

It seems that Jin Sohyeop was far more resolute than I had anticipated.

That was enough.

I raised my sword and slashed Cho Sehui’s son’s neck in one clean stroke.

Slash—!

“No!!”

“Guh…!”

“A… Aaah…! Aaaaah…!”

I tossed the lifeless body aside like garbage and crouched down in front of Cho Sehui.

“Are you sad?”

“…You… You son of a b*tch…”

“If you’re sad, it’s too soon for that. Han Murin.”

“Yes, Hyeon Seollin.”

“Are you skilled in torture?”

He flashed a sinister grin.

“It’s not something I’d normally boast about, but yes, I know a thing or two.”

“I was thinking of sharing some advanced techniques in torture. Are you interested in learning?”

Han Murin seemed genuinely amused by the whole situation.

“Of course.”

“Good. Stop the bleeding and bring him to me.”

“What about that corpse over there?”

“Leave it where it is.”

I briefly turned my head to look at Jin Yangje.

“Anything to say?”

“…What exactly do you want me to say?”

“I thought at the very least, you’d thank me.”

“…What…? Thank you?”

“I just took care of a filthy insect within the Hanbing Sect. Shouldn’t you be grateful?”

“…You… What are you trying to say?”

“It seems you’ve already forgotten what I told you earlier. I spoke about the race between truth and lies… And yet, here you are, still not getting it.”

Cho Sehui was a very important figure.

He was in Yangnyeong and had close ties with Jeong Mugwi, the governor there, as well as connections with the four major sects.

What would come out of his mouth next?

That wasn’t up to him. It was up to me.

In a world where even if someone died without speaking, as long as I said they had spoken, that would become the truth.

In an instant, the blood drained from Jin Yangje’s face.

“Uncle,” I said in a soft voice, hands clasped behind my back. “I’ll count to five. Within that time, you will do exactly what I expect of you. If not, within the next four days, the Hanbing Sect will be wiped from existence.”

I began to count, my voice low and calm.

“One.”

What I was about to do next was entirely up to me.

And what Jin Yangje imagined was entirely up to him.

“Two.”

I gave the Hanbing Sect plenty of chances.

I gave Seol Unhae a chance too.

I kept giving them chances.

I wasn’t the one who threw them away.

Public humiliation — I could tolerate it if I had to.

Being criticized for my mistakes — as irritating as it was to hear excuses without any acknowledgment of wrongdoing, I could still tolerate that too.

However.

A blatant lack of respect for authority was hard to endure, and acting as if they were above the Descendants of the Extreme North was even harder to stomach.

I closed my eyes slowly.

“Three.”

I said it and then opened my eyes.

Jin Yangje was right in front of me.

With a voice full of suppressed rage, he spoke to me.

“…I apologize.”

I sneered.

“Four.”

“…I said I apologize!”

“Is that what passes for an apology these days? An apology must be delivered with utmost sincerity. What you just said wasn’t an apology. You’re still clinging to that empty sense of authority. Let’s just forget about it.”

There was no need to count to five.

I was about to turn around when —

Thud.

Jin Yangje fell to his knees in front of me.

Then, he pressed his right arm to the ground, then his left. Finally, he lowered his head until it touched the ground.

A full prostration.

“I committed a grave offense against a Descendant of the Extreme North… Please, I beg your forgiveness.”

This was it.

This was what an apology was supposed to look like.

I raised my foot and pressed it down on Jin Yangje’s head.

“Uncle.”

“…Yes…”

“As I’ve said before, debts and grudges are extremely important.”

“…”

“You’re quite old, and yet you keep showing me how clueless you are about distinguishing right from wrong. It pains me to see it.”

“…”

“So, please don’t let this happen again. And today, because of you, I wasted a considerable amount of time. You’ll have to compensate me for that.”

“…I will.”

“The Hanbing Sect must have plenty of medicinal resources. I’ll be taking some of those, along with a few spiritual pills. You’re also known for your weapon-crafting techniques, so I assume you have some decent swords and daggers. I’ll be taking a few of those as well.”

“…Do as you please.”

I lifted my foot and crouched down beside him.

“This is your last chance. I won’t give you another.”

I reached out, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and pulled his head up.

Then, I leaned in close and whispered into his ear in a low, chilling voice.

“If you ever crawl up to me again, I will kill you.”

“…”

“I promise you. I will inflict upon you a pain beyond anything you could ever imagine. The Hanbing Sect will be reduced to ashes. Every single one of the bastards under you will be slaughtered, including your daughter — who will become my Third Wife. Not just her, but every single one of your ancestors, every single one of your descendants — they will all die.”

I tightened my grip.

“And I promise you this as well. They will die writhing in agony. You will watch every single one of them suffer and die, and all of their resentment will be directed at you. And you — you will be the very last one to die. So, before you do anything, you had better think it through very carefully.”

Jin Yangje began to tremble. His eyes started to turn bloodshot.

Not out of fear.

Not out of sorrow.

Out of sheer, uncontrollable rage.

I ignored it.

A worm like him, no matter how much he seethed, couldn’t touch me.

“This is your one and only chance. A chance you will never get again in your entire life. If you understand, nod.”

Jin Yangje slowly nodded.

That was enough.

I shoved his face to the side and stood up.

I had no more time to waste on this garbage.

I had to recover Jin Sohyeop’s body.

****

Chief Steward Seong spoke up.

“…I’m a bit worried. Are you really going to be okay?”

I chuckled.

“You worry too much. Even if they can’t let this slide due to internal regulations, no punishment will fall on you personally.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh? Then what else is there to worry about?”

“There is.”

Chief Steward Seong pointed to my chest.

“That haul you took from the warehouse… Are you sure that’s alright?”

“What’s the problem?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be a problem for the Hanbing Sect? Jin Yangje probably didn’t expect you to take that much.”

I understood why he was saying this.

I had told Jin Yangje that I would only take a few spiritual pills, some resources, a couple of swords, and a few daggers.

And that’s what I did.

Except, I took every single spiritual pill in the warehouse, as well as every valuable resource.

I took fifteen swords and forty daggers.

“Like I said earlier, the one pulling the strings behind the Four Great Sects is the Hanbing Sect.”

“They promised to clean up after the job if the Four Great Sects managed to kill you. And if you died, they would destroy those sects themselves and erase all traces of their involvement… Is that right?”

“That’s what he said. And I told Jin Yangje that if he handed over Cho Sehui, I’d consider the matter settled. But he rejected that offer. Expecting a better offer than the initial one is pure delusion. What more is there to say?”

Chief Steward Seong then asked with a genuinely curious expression.

“Were you really going to settle it?”

I nodded.

I really was going to settle it.

The Hanbing Sect still held some value to the Everlasting Snow Palace. Their weapon-crafting techniques were a major asset to the Snow Mountain — there was no need to explain that further.

But unfortunately, their mindset was severely flawed.

So, I decided to correct it.

“That level of humiliation you inflicted on him just now… Don’t you think he might try something behind your back?”

“If he does, I’ll wipe them out.”

“Will you kill the Third Wife as well?”

“She’s ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ not my mother, is she?”

“…That’s true.”

I looked at Chief Steward Seong.

He was asking too many questions, and the direction of those questions was inconsistent.

Which meant that whatever was truly bothering him was something else entirely.

And it wasn’t hard to figure out what it was.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep