Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Ironblood Swordsman, Namgung Cheon. If the Former Patriarch, the Blue Sky Sword King, had established the Namgung Clan as the world's strongest sect, then Namgung Cheon was the steadfast guardian who had protected it amidst the endless political maneuvering and covert struggles of the orthodox murim.

However, that unwavering resolve was now being shaken to its core.

As the saying goes, no flower blooms for more than ten days, and no power lasts more than ten years. Anything that once flourished would inevitably decline, and no matter how high the authority, nothing lasts forever…

Since becoming Patriarch, he had lived each day with this idiom etched into his heart. Even the Namgung Clan, hailed as the world's strongest, could face a crisis someday, so he had always strived to be prepared… but the hellscape currently unfolding before his eyes seemed to mock all his efforts.

"So many are dead…" he whispered, despair heavy in his voice.

The Namgung Clan's martial artists lowered their heads in shame and grief. The long, nightmarish night had finally passed, and dawn was slowly breaking. Under the pale light of the nascent day, the full extent of the calamity that had befallen the Namgung Clan was revealed in all its brutal clarity.

Namgung Cheon drew a deep breath, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Each unit, report your losses."

"Storm Wind Corps reporting. Twenty-three dead, forty-eight injured. Among the injured, those critically wounded and hovering between life and death are…"

"The Elder Council's casualties…"

In a single night, the Namgung Clan had lost over half its members. Even during the previous war with the Blood Cult, they had not suffered such devastating losses.

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After today, the Namgung Clan will no longer be able to claim the title of the world's strongest martial family.

Namgung Cheon felt his head spin as a maelstrom of rage and sorrow threatened to consume him. Despite this, he continued to receive the grim reports with an impassive expression, with only his tightly clenched jaw betraying the turmoil within.

Observing the Patriarch's ashen face, the Chamberlain asked with concern, "…Patriarch, are you alright? Your complexion doesn't look good."

"I'm fine."

"Perhaps you should rest and meditate first…"

"There will be time for that after I have heard the reports."

The chamberlain sighed softly at the Patriarch's stubborn refusal. "…Understood."

Although he appreciated the chamberlain's concern, Namgung Cheon could not allow himself to rest.

This is not the time for rest.

His injuries were much more severe than he had originally thought. His qi flow was erratic, and his qi center was damaged. Even if he focused on recuperation for the next few years, he couldn't be sure if he would ever fully recover.

Despite this, he pushed aside thoughts of his own well-being. Assessing the damage and managing the aftermath took precedence.

"Also…" Namgung Cheon looked up at the sky. "I won't be able to rest easy until that battle concludes."

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RUMBLE!

High above, the earth-shattering clash between the Blue Sky Sword King and the Night Emperor raged on. If there was any change, it was that with each passing moment, the two combatants were drifting further and further away from Namgung Estate. �

"They appear to be moving towards Mount Tianzhu."

"The Night Emperor is retreating!"

"Patriarch, should we send reinforcements to assist the Former Patriarch?"

Namgung Cheon shook his head. "That is a battle beyond us, and we would only hinder Father. He is more than capable of defeating the Night Emperor on his own."

The Namgung Clan had unwavering faith in the Blue Sky Sword King. If not for the current era of relative peace within the murim, the Blue Sky Sword King Namgung Jaehak would undoubtedly be someone who could contend for the title of the world's strongest martial artist.

The commanders echoed this sentiment, bolstering the morale of their anxious subordinates.

"The Former Patriarch will soon return, bearing the Night Emperor's head!"

"As long as we have the Sword King, our Namgung Clan is the world's strongest!"

Only Namgung Cheon wore a troubled expression as he watched the receding form of the Blue Sky Sword King. "He said that this was our karmic retribution…" he murmured, the words barely audible.

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"Pardon?" the Chamberlain asked.

"It's nothing." Namgung Cheon shook his head.

For some reason, the words the Night Emperor had said to the Blue Sky Sword King kept coming back to haunt him.

"I'm talking about the karmic retribution you brought upon yourself twenty years ago. Need I remind you of those disgusting deeds you committed while hiding behind a mask of virtue? I am merely one of the calamities born from your actions."

Namgung Cheon stared blankly at the sky, his face a mixture of fear and confusion. Despite losing an eye, he was a martial artist who had reached the transcendent realm, so he could see the nuances of the distant battle with greater clarity than anyone else present.

BOOOOM!

Against the backdrop of the vast sky, the essence of the Namgung Clan's martial arts was on full display. With every stroke of the Blue Sky Sword King's sword, the dark clouds parted, and the encroaching darkness was momentarily dispelled.

However, the darkness conjured by the Night Emperor quickly reassembled, tenaciously engulfing the Blue Sky Sword King time and time again.

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"AHHHHHH!!" No matter how ferociously the Blue Sky Sword King attacked, his roars echoing like a cornered lion, he could not fully shake off the relentless darkness.

The scene was a like stark visualization of the saying: No matter how hard you fight the darkness, every light casts a shadow.

Father, just what happened in the past?

The Blue Sky Sword King had meticulously erased all records related to the massacre he had perpetrated twenty years ago, and silenced all those involved.

Nevertheless, no secret remained hidden forever.

Namgung Cheon knew that his father had destroyed some of the clan's records. Adding that to the Night Emperor's words, he suspected that those records were connected to the Blood Cult and represented a dark stain on the Namgung Clan's history, one that must never be revealed to the murim.

Conflicting emotions swirled within Namgung Cheon.

If the sin you committed has returned as karmic retribution… then I, as Patriarch, will hold you accountable, even if you are my father.

Clenching his fist resolutely, Namgung Cheon turned away from the distant battle. He had a duty to fulfill, and a mountain of reports to attend to.

Fortunately, amidst the despair and devastation, there was a glimmer of hope.

"The Third Young Master has truly outdone himself this time!"

"If not for the Third Young Master, there would have been far more casualties."

"The new instructors from the Four Academies have also contributed greatly. They deserve to be handsomely rewarded."

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Everyone who reported to the Patriarch sang Namgung Su's praises.

"Hmm… Is that so?" Namgung Cheon responded to all of them with a stoic nod, until finally, he beckoned his third son over.

"You don't look well, Su."

"Neither do you, Patriarch."

Unlike his elder brothers, Namgung Su seemed to have inherited his father's bluntness and stubbornness. Despite acknowledging each other's injuries, father and son's outward calm belied the severity of their condition.

Namgung Cheon nodded grimly. "Indeed, my injuries are quite severe. At this rate, I may be forced to retire within a few years."

"……"

"My son, at times like these, you should offer me some words of comfort."

"…I apologize."

"Haha, it's alright," Namgung Cheon chuckled. His gaze turned curiously towards the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute in Namgung Su's hand. "Where did you get that flute?"

"Mr. Baek Suryong entrusted it to me, but I don't know where he found it. As you can see, it has the effect of calming the main family's martial artists who have lost their minds," Namgung Su replied honestly.

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Namgung Cheon asked cautiously, "Is there any possibility that Mr. Baek Suryong is connected to this incident?"

"No," Namgung Su snapped firmly, knitting his eyebrows angrily at his father's grave insinuation. "Mr. Baek Suryong is our family's benefactor. If not for this artifact he gave me, we would still be embroiled in a bloodbath."

Namgung Cheon gaped, taken aback by Namgung Su's vehement defense of Baek Suryong. It was the first time his third son had displayed such open defiance towards him.

"…I-I was only asking just in case, no offense intended. We will, of course, treat Mr. Baek Suryong with the respect and gratitude befitting a benefactor of our family."

"Yes…" Recognizing his disrespectful outburst, Namgung Su lowered his head in apology, but he quickly lifted his head once more and spoke with renewed determination, "Anyway, the main problem remains unresolved."

"…Indeed."

Their gazes fell on the ghouls, who were still mindlessly growling despite the calming influence of the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute.

GRRRR…

Although the flute had neutralized their aggression, it could not restore their sanity.

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"You can't do it even with that flute?"

"I tried many times, but it's impossible. We must address the underlying cause."

"The underlying cause?"

"About that…"

Namgung Su recalled Baek Suryong's parting words.

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"There's somewhere I need to go right now."

He remembered the direction Baek Suryong had run toward.

Namgung Su pointed toward the summit of Mount Tianzhu, still shrouded in darkness despite the approaching dawn. "That place. I suspect that peak holds the key to this mess. There may be formations or artifacts there that are responsible for driving our family's martial artists insane."

"There, huh…" Namgung Cheon muttered, sensing an unusual energy emanating from the place his son was pointing to. "I will investigate that place personally."

"I'm going with you."

"…Will you be okay?"

"Yes."

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"Very well." Namgung Cheon agreed without further question. He was unsure what dangers might await them, and if they ran into more ghouls, he needed Namgung Su to play the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute.

Summoning the unit commanders, Namgung Cheon instructed them to select those who had sustained the least injuries to join the expedition to Mount Tianzhu.

"We depart in one hour. Prepare yourselves."

Meanwhile, Namgung Su relayed the orders to the new instructors.

"Huh? Didn't Suryong-hyung already head there?"

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"Do we really have to go?"

"Everything will be sorted out by the time we arrive anyway…"

This was the general sentiment among the Azure Dragon Academy instructors.

The instructors from the other academies stared blankly at the lot, wondering where their unlimited confidence came from.

"…We are going nonetheless," Namgung Su declared firmly.

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Deep down, he actually shared his Azure Dragon colleagues' opinion, but this was a matter of family honor. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

A short while later, the Namgung Clan's elite forces departed for the mountains.

"This is crazy," Baek Suryong muttered, dumping the Erudite Sage, who he had been carrying over his shoulder, to the ground.

SSSSSSS…

A few steps ahead, an abyss of unnatural darkness yawned, radiating tangible waves of demonic qi that prickled the hairs on his neck.

"Hey, Erudite Sage. What's in there?"

"Kufufu…" The Erudite Sage cackled, his shoulders shaking as if he had lost his mind. With his vital points sealed, he could barely move, so his words came out as little more than a low mumble, "Curious, are you?"

Baek Suryong crouched in front of him. "You'll end up talking eventually anyway, so why don't you do it before we both get annoyed?"

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"Look into my eyes."

"What for?" Baek Suryong glared at the old man.

The moment their gazes met, the Erudite Sage's eyes turned crimson. "Kihihi…"

A master of both martial arts and sorcery, he had been unable to employ his dark arts during his initial clash with Baek Suryong. Now, however, an opportunity presented itself. While Baek Suryong was unguarded, he unleashed his most powerful sorcery—the Soul Seizing Technique.

Baek Suryong's eyes glazed over. "Ahh…"

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The Erudite Sage burst into maniacal laughter, "Kihihihi! You've fallen for it! You've fallen for it!"

He had been waiting for this moment since his humiliating defeat, this moment when Baek Suryong stood unsuspectingly before the Myriad Demons Nightmare Formation the Blood Cult had set up on Mount Tianzhu.

"I will chew you up alive! Heeheehee!" he giggled, his crimson eyes pulsing with a dark energy.

The Soul Seizing Technique was a dark art created through studying the Heaven Defying Divine Art's Blood Demon Eyes. Though significantly weaker than the Blood Demon Eyes, its potency was magnified significantly when amplified by the Myriad Demons Nightmare Formation.

"Kihihi! This formation, the Myriad Demons Nightmare Formation, amplifies the power of our Cult's demonic arts and sorcery many times over!" The Erudite Sage babbled uncontrollably, overcome with excitement.

Even if he's a transcendent master, there's no way he can resist my Soul Seizing Technique within this formation!

A grotesque smile spread across the Erudite Sage's wrinkled face. "Fufufu… Now, unseal my acupoints. I'm going to break every bone in your body."

Baek Suryong, his eyes still glazed over, slowly extended his hand and placed it on the Erudite Sage's shoulder… and nothing happened.

"For some reason…" he began.

"Y-You! How!" The Erudite Sage stared at Baek Suryong in disbelief. His Soul Seizing Technique should have been inescapable, turning Baek Suryong into a mindless puppet… yet there was an alertness in those eyes that terrified him.

"…I'm overflowing with power!" Baek Suryong finished, smirking evilly.

He activated the Blood Demon Eyes.

"KEUAAAK!"

Seeing the hellfire in Baek Suryong's eyes, the Erudite Sage shrieked like his soul was being torn apart.

Translator's Note: Turns out Namgung Su is a real chip off the old block (only his father, of course), what with his personality and his fondness for Mimi.