Chapter 171: Beast King Sect (1)

“What is this?”

Jang Woo-hyun asked as he looked at the large silver nail placed in front of him.

The nail, about two spans long, had no rounded head, making it look more like a small spear.

“It’s something I took off the Dragon King’s Scale.”

“This?”

Originally, what had been attached to the Dragon King’s Scale from True Immortal’s attack was a silver icicle about one span long.

But what was now before his eyes was different in both size and shape. The only similarity was its silver color.

“Once I took it off and roughly worked on it, it turned out like this. Keep it well.”

At Cho-yul’s reply, Jang Woo-hyun picked up the silver nail.

He had thought it was just a sleek-looking silver nail, but it wasn’t ordinary at all.

“This…”

“You’ll probably only be able to use it once, but it will be of help.”

Jang Woo-hyun was surprised by the power he could feel in his hand.

He didn’t know how it had been done, but the silver nail was imbued with considerable power—enough to kill most enemies instantly if used.

“I’ve done everything I could now. I couldn’t treat Ha-un’s chest injury, but I did put something useful under his clothes. The one I gave before was completely destroyed.”

While Cho-yul was taking the object off the Dragon King’s Scale, Cho-su had been taking care of Jin Ha-un.

Previously, after killing the cultivator in the Giant Tree Grove, Cho-su had given Jin Ha-un a protective Dharma Treasure, but it had been smashed in a single blow from the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord’s attack.

“You’re leaving now, right?”

Cho-su asked Jang Woo-hyun, who was reattaching the blade scales of the Dragon King’s Scale.

“Yes, I have a lot to do.”

“Where will you go next?”

“To the Beast King Sect.”

“Is that so? Wait a moment.”

Cho-su went inside, making a series of clanking noises, and soon came back out.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“I said, let’s go.”

“Where? You’re coming with us?”

“Yes. Why? You don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not that… it’s just sudden.”

“If you don’t go with me, how are you going to deal with Shin Jin-cheol? I can give you a contact, but finding him isn’t easy. Only authorized people can enter Nation of Mechanical Marvels.”

“Ah…”

Realizing he hadn’t thought that far, Jang Woo-hyun nodded slightly.

“And I can’t let just the two of you go. I’d be too worried. You two are just too ignorant.”

Aside from being strong, Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un were severely unprepared. They had no knowledge.

In Cho-su’s eyes, they were just two fools who happened to fight well.

“Let’s go together. I’ll contact you once I’m ready, and then we can head out. I can’t say how long it’ll take—Shin Jin-cheol is no ordinary matter.”

After saying their farewells to Cho-yul, the three went to find Gwak Yu-chan and Pung So-bong. Thanks to the Dragon Blood Pill, Gwak Yu-chan had recovered considerably.

“I’m in your debt. If you ever need help, even if it’s unlikely, be sure to contact me.”

“Travel safely. It was nice to meet you. And thank you.”

With the two seeing them off, Jang Woo-hyun, Jin Ha-un, and Cho-su left the house.

It was the start of their second journey together.

The giant’s ship modified by Cho-su was faster than they could have imagined.

‘Is this even faster?’

It felt fast enough to outpace Yong Seo-hee when she used the Wind Path, so they reached the territory of the Beast King Sect in no time.

Since they hadn’t stopped anywhere and had traveled quickly from the start, nothing noteworthy had happened along the way.

However, a problem arose when they entered deeper into the Beast King Sect’s territory and used the Teleportation Array.

The array near the Main Division of the Beast King Sect.

The moment they stepped out, they were met by over a dozen beastkin.

“Who are you!”

The group radiated hostility from the start.

Without asking for a reason, the beastkin glared at them menacingly, leaving the three bewildered.

“I said, who are you? Can’t you hear?”

The dozen beastkin formed a semicircle, surrounding the party.

Jang Woo-hyun was about to react as usual to the sudden provocation, raising his fist, when Jin Ha-un, sensing it, grabbed his arm first.

“Hyung-nim, let me talk to them.”

Having traveled with the Beast King Sect for a while, Jin Ha-un stepped forward to calm the situation. He assumed they would recognize him, as his face was somewhat known.

But no one here knew his face, and all still radiated hostility.

“Don’t you know me? I am—”

“Master Jang! Isn’t that Master Jang? Hey! Step back! All of you, step back!”

Before Jin Ha-un could even say his name, beastkin on flying apparatuses arrived from one side.

The canine beastkin flying in front was familiar to Jang Woo-hyun.

‘His name was…’

“I’m Yeo Sang. We worked together when tracking Bi Ik-ryeon last time.”

As the other introduced himself first, Jang Woo-hyun brightened.

“I remember. You were the one with the keen nose. Thanks to that, we rescued the captives.”

Yeo Sang, the canine beastkin, had played a crucial role during the pursuit of Bi Ik-ryeon.

He had sniffed out the scent of the beastkin in Sa Do-woong’s Floating Stronghold, leading to their rescue and the exposure of Ascension Cult’s plot.

“I’m honored you remember me.”

Yeo Sang was moved that Jang Woo-hyun remembered him.

“Are these your companions?”

“This is Cho-su from Nation of Mechanical Marvels, and—”

“Jin Ha-un.”

A curt voice.

Jin Ha-un was slightly peeved that no one recognized him.

Upon hearing his name, the beastkin began to murmur.

“Are you perhaps the Azure-Red Sword Demon, Master Jin?”

“That’s right.”

The murmuring grew louder. Because they operated in different regions, the beastkin here hadn’t recognized Jin Ha-un at first.

“My apologies. You’re someone who helps us, but we didn’t recognize you…”

Jin Ha-un, still annoyed, seemed about to say something, but Jang Woo-hyun grabbed him by the collar and stepped forward.

“It’s fine. But what’s going on? The atmosphere doesn’t seem good.”

Yeo Sang hesitated, then cautiously spoke.

“Well… the Sect Leader has been gravely injured.”

At the news about the Beast King Sect Leader, Jang Woo-hyun’s party widened their eyes.

* * *

“Wu-hahaha! Look who it is! Hey, look who’s here!”

Thanks to Yeo Sang notifying ahead of time, the group was able to meet Kang Yong, who had come out to greet them.

“It’s hot, so don’t come near.”

Dodging Kang Yong, who tried to hug him, Jang Woo-hyun frowned.

“So cold-hearted.”

At the scolding, Kang Yong briefly frowned, then smiled again. He was overjoyed to see Jang Woo-hyun again.

“By the way, where’s Senior Maeng? Is she very busy?”

Not seeing Maeng Ye-ju, who had always been by Kang Yong’s side like thread and needle, he asked. Kang Yong didn’t answer right away but led the group instead.

Jang Woo-hyun could tell from his expression that something had happened.

“Let’s move somewhere else and talk.”

The place where the Beast King Sect was established was a plain surrounded on all sides by mountains.

In its original geography, it would have been a place one had to cross mountains to reach, but long ago, when the founder of the Beast King Sect settled here, he had forcibly broken through one side, creating a massive canyon.

That became the entrance and exit to the plain.

Inside the plain, a huge city had formed—this was the seat of the Beast King Sect, a nation of beastkin, and also their capital.

Leaving behind the countless beastkin roaming the streets, Kang Yong guided Jang Woo-hyun’s group to a high-class inn.

He rented an entire annex and ordered a feast of delicacies, but not one person touched the food.

“Now tell me. What happened to Senior Maeng?”

“Well…”

After hesitating for a moment, Kang Yong spoke.

“She’s currently under confinement.”

“Confinement? She’s locked up? What did she do wrong?”

“So here’s what happened.”

Kang Yong explained the reason Maeng Ye-ju had been imprisoned.

The problem began with the Sect Leader of the Beast King Sect being injured.

The Beast King Sect Leader had directly attacked one of their enemies, the Flying Shadow Silver Sword Sect, and ultimately tore the Flying Shadow Silver Sword Sect Leader to death.

But then, the Sect Leader of the Ban-go Eternal Life Sect and the Head of the Divine Dragon Family suddenly launched an ambush. The Beast King Sect Leader was injured and forced to retreat.

And that was the problem.

It wasn’t from a head-on clash—it was from an ambush.

Every member of the Beast King Sect became agitated. Naturally, the Sect Leader was also not in his right mind.

The Beast King Sect Leader summoned all sect members and ordered a full-scale attack.

Most members, enraged by the Sect Leader’s injury from the ambush, were ready to obey. After all, the injury of the Sect Leader, who was like the king of beastkin, was a serious matter to them.

However, some questioned the order.

“A full-scale attack now?”

It was the wrong idea. Even now, Bi Ik-ryeon often appeared in the Beast King Sect’s territory to abduct beastkin.

And it wasn’t just them—there were also the cultivator group known as the Ascension Cult, the surviving assassins of the Flying Shadow Silver Sword Sect, and the Ban-go Eternal Life Sect. They still needed forces to defend their territory.

“Master, we can’t launch a full attack. We must protect the beastkin.”

Maeng Ye-ju, who would have once followed her master’s orders without question, spoke up.

Moreover, her master had lost an arm and an eye.

In the past, when she revered her master to the extreme, Maeng Ye-ju would have gone on a mad rampage, vowing to kill them all.

But she was no longer the same as before.

‘Woo-hyun risked his life for us.’

Jang Woo-hyun had stayed behind to fight the Wind-Passing Great Sage for the sake of the beastkin and the Beast King Sect—even though, at the time, he had no deep ties to them.

If Jang Woo-hyun, who wasn’t even part of the Beast King Sect, had acted that way, then the Beast King Sect must not abandon the beastkin.

Revenge for an injured master or fallen comrades, war for the sake of the sect—those were all important.

But equally important, Maeng Ye-ju believed, was protecting the powerless beastkin.

That was the Beast King Sect’s duty and the reason for its existence.

“Master, we must protect the beastkin.”

Maeng Ye-ju strongly opposed her master’s opinion—and was ultimately confined.

“Elder Dan and the Vice Sect Leader have been holding them back for now, so they haven’t moved yet, but they will soon. Everyone in the sect is furious.”

“And Senior Maeng?”

“She’ll probably remain imprisoned. She’s never disobeyed the Sect Leader’s orders before, but this time she directly opposed him. The Sect Leader is very angry.”

“Is she safe?”

“Of course. She just can’t leave her place. It’s not like she betrayed the sect or killed anyone.”

“I see. That’s a relief, then.”

It seemed unlikely he would get to meet Maeng Ye-ju this time. This was another sect’s internal matter, so he couldn’t intervene.

‘Then I’ll just meet Nokgak Baekmyeon through Kang Yong and leave quickly.’

With Maeng Ye-ju absent, he decided to leave soon. Since the Beast King Sect was preparing for war, there was no reason to stay long.

“Can I meet Nokgak Baekmyeon? I want to—what are you doing?”

In the middle of talking to Kang Yong, Jang Woo-hyun called out to Jin Ha-un. At some point, Jin Ha-un had stood up and was packing his belongings.

“Aren’t we doing it?”

“Doing what? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“A match, of course.”

Jin Ha-un threw a few punches into the air, then slashed at the air with his hand like a sword.

“What?”

“Hyung-nim, it has been too quiet. There are thirteen sects that represent the Central Heavens Martial Realm, and we haven’t clashed with even one yet. If people in the Central Plains who knew of ‘One Sword, One Kill’ heard about this, they’d all be shocked.”

“What? Hehehe… Hahahaha!”

At Jin Ha-un’s matter-of-fact declaration that they would obviously fight, Jang Woo-hyun burst into laughter.

He had been planning to let it go—he couldn’t interfere in another sect’s affairs.

He had thought there was no justification. In reality, his connection to the Beast King Sect wasn’t through the sect itself but through his friendship with Kang Yong and Maeng Ye-ju.

But then he realized otherwise.

Not long ago, he had rescued Dan Hong, Maeng Ye-ju, and other members of the Beast King Sect.

He hadn’t done it expecting a reward, but he could certainly receive one.

‘And this is the murim.’

It was the Central Heavens Murim, and they were martial artists.

A world where the law of strength applied—

And where one could enforce one’s own sense of justice and beliefs through power.

Cho-su, listening to the two from the side, saw the smile forming on Jang Woo-hyun’s face and gave up trying to dissuade him. Kang Yong, on the other hand, sat there blankly, not understanding.

He didn’t get it at all.

‘So they’re planning to fight the Beast King Sect? Seriously? Just the two of them? No, the three of them?’

“Look at his face. He’s not going to stop.”

Seeing Jang Woo-hyun’s shining eyes and upturned lips, Cho-su had already given up.

But Kang Yong was different. This madness had to be stopped.

“Hey! No way! You lunatic, what are you thinking?!”

Ignoring Kang Yong’s shout, loud enough to shake the annex of the inn, Jang Woo-hyun stood up from his seat.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep