Chapter 18 : Return

Chapter 18: Return

The only thing capable of creating a beehive of that size was one thing.

The monster controlled by the insect creature called “Giant Bee Monster”.

It was the hive made by those creatures.

“They didn’t summon the Giant Bee Monsters, they were trying to hatch them here.”

Each one of those monsters was like a poisoned throwing knife.

He imagined what would happen if hundreds of those creatures hatched and attacked the branch.

The martial artists of the branch wouldn’t be able to stop them.

‘No, perhaps even the main headquarters might struggle.’

As he realized the plans of the insect creatures and the Thousand Demon Sect, Hwang An shuddered, goosebumps rising on his skin.

“They’re over here.”

When he turned his head in the direction Ma Choong-won pointed, he saw a prison-like space dug into the cliffside.

Of the three spaces, two were already empty, and the last one held people who had lost consciousness.

Crrrrunch.

Kwak Dong-ha clenched his teeth and moved toward the prison door, breaking it down.

Most of the survivors were children.

Their parents had sacrificed themselves first to save their children.

“You bastards, I killed you too easily. I should have broken your limbs and cut you up piece by piece.”

He went inside to check if the children and some adults were still alive one by one.

“Thankfully, they’re all alive. Min-ah, Chan-ah, let’s get them out.”

While the twin brothers helped Kwak Dong-ha pull people out of the prison, Jang Woo-hyun stood in front of the giant beehive.

There didn’t seem to be any fully grown Giant Bee Monsters inside, and there was no reaction when he approached.

It seemed that all the Giant Bee Monsters had been mobilized for the attack when called earlier.

Ma Choong-won and Hwang An wandered around, gathering dry branches and fallen leaves.

Then, they piled them up under the beehive and set them on fire.

As the fire began to catch on the branches, Jang Woo-hyun placed his hand on the hive.

Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, he sensed movement inside.

Screeech.

Soon after, he heard a scream-like sound from inside, and he channeled his internal energy inward.

With the internal cultivation technique he’d learned while fighting the Iron Armor Monkey, he began to destroy the inside of the hive.

Bang! Bam! Bang!

Something inside kept bursting.

Only after some time did Jang Woo-hyun step back, removing his hand.

By now, the fire had spread fiercely, engulfing the hive.

Whenever the flames died down due to the viscous liquid dripping from inside, Ma Choong-won and Hwang An continued to feed the fire with more wood.

After some time, the giant beehive was completely engulfed in flames.

Along with the burning hive, the mission was coming to an end.

“We’ve lived in this area all our lives. Where would we go?”

They tried to take the rescued children and the few surviving adults to the branch of the Demon Extermination Sect, but the villagers refused.

Even after all they had gone through, leaving their homeland was too difficult for them.

In the end, Jang Woo-hyun and his party couldn’t persuade the villagers and handed them some money before leaving.

Just in case, the twin brothers decided to accompany the villagers on their way back to the village.

Jang Woo-hyun intended to stop by the branch and report the capture of the Five Monsters, but Hwang An stopped him.

“This is no small matter. You should report it directly to the main headquarters. There might be a spy, after all. Let’s inform the Vice-Sect Leader immediately.”

Jang Woo-hyun agreed with his words and changed his destination to the main headquarters of the Demon Extermination Sect.

Since they decided to move quickly, the group chose the mountain path instead of the main road.

Upon reaching the last village, they decided to rest.

Since they would be crossing a mountain, there wouldn’t be any more villages or towns, so they planned to rest here for a while before leaving.

Before they entered the inn after arriving at the village, Ma Choong-won sensed something strange.

It was a feeling, something that couldn’t be explained precisely.

“You two stay here. Warrior Jang and I will go in.”

“Why suddenly? I’m tired to death.”

“Just do it for now. Please.”

“Ugh… I don’t like it, but fine. We’ll wait out front.”

Leaving behind the grumbling Kwak Dong-ha and Hwang An, the two headed for the inn’s entrance.

“Warrior Jang, do you trust me?”

Standing at the entrance, Ma Choong-won suddenly asked.

“Excuse me?”

Jang Woo-hyun was briefly taken aback by the sudden question, but quickly nodded.

Regardless of his skills, Ma Choong-won was someone trustworthy.

“Then from now on, do not question me and follow my lead.”

“I understand.”

Seeing the seriousness in his tone, Jang Woo-hyun agreed, and the two entered the inn.

“Welcome!”

A young man, who appeared to be a servant, approached them with a bright smile and greeted them.

Ma Choong-won observed the approaching servant.

He seemed ordinary, yet he didn’t flinch when faced with armed martial artists.

Moreover, the calluses on his palms…

Now he understood why he felt that strange sensation.

His eyes scanned the inn, and he quickly realized what was happening.

“Of course.”

“Excuse me… Is there anything uncomfortable, sir?”

“No.”

“Then where would you like to sit?”

Before the servant could finish his sentence, Ma Choong-won swiftly drew his bow and fired an arrow.

“Ugh!”

The servant twisted his body to dodge one of the two arrows and barely deflected the other.

It was a movement impossible for an ordinary servant.

“Attack the roof and the second floor!”

Without hesitation, Jang Woo-hyun drew his sword and slashed as Ma Choong-won shouted.

A massive crescent-shaped Sword Qi flew towards the ceiling and the second-floor railing.

The slash split the roof, and at the same time, blood splattered as bodies were sliced in half and fell to the ground.

The people on the second floor suffered the same fate.

Tables and chairs were cut apart, and the martial artists who couldn’t react in time were killed.

“Master level!”

At the servant’s shout, two martial artists emerged from a corner on the first floor, cleverly hidden out of sight, while another masked figure jumped out from under the counter.

Including the servant, four people charged at them.

By then, Ma Choong-won had already retreated, and Jang Woo-hyun stepped forward, spinning and drawing a large circle with his sword.

It was the final stage of the Three Wheels Sword Art, the Grand Wheel.

The assassins attacked in staggered timing, but as if it were a lie, they were all deflected by Jang Woo-hyun’s single sword sweep.

Before they could even grasp the strange situation, Jang Woo-hyun’s sword and Ma Choong-won’s arrows rained down on them.

Once discovered, the assassins had no chance of victory.

Moreover, Jang Woo-hyun’s skills exceeded their expectations.

The assassins in the inn were quickly dealt with.

“Boss! What’s going on here?”

Kwak Dong-ha entered the inn, dragging someone by the collar, followed by Hwang An, who was also holding a weapon.

“We were waiting outside, and they suddenly attacked us. What the hell is going on?”

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t know either, having been suddenly attacked.

If it weren’t for Ma Choong-won, they wouldn’t have been able to handle it so easily.

He hadn’t noticed at all.

“Senior Ma, how did you know?”

“At first, it was just a feeling.”

When Ma Choong-won felt a slight sense of something being off, he trusted his instincts and closely examined the inn.

The servant approached them too cheerfully, even after seeing two armed martial artists.

Most people wouldn’t act that way.

“Moreover, when I looked at his hands, I saw calluses. Like someone who has practiced with a sword.”

They hadn’t hidden everything perfectly.

On top of that, the number of people in the inn was far too few.

There were no other nearby villages, and the village wasn’t small, so it seemed strange.

“There’s no way the inn would be empty unless it was under control. An inn under control and a servant who knows martial arts. It was a pretty obvious situation. That’s why I shot the arrow and told you to attack the suspicious areas. If it was a trap, then everyone inside the inn would be in on it. Those outside were likely keeping watch or preventing anyone from approaching the inn.”

“Wow… There’s a reason they say to be wary of the elderly in the martial world. Senior Ma, you’re amazing.”

Kwak Dong-ha clapped his hands in admiration.

“But who are these guys?”

They didn’t know why they had been attacked.

It had happened too suddenly.

To figure out their identities, they searched the bodies of the dead.

“These guys look like assassins, so I don’t expect them to leave any traces. Unless they’re idiots… Oh? These bastards?”

Contrary to Kwak Dong-ha’s expectations, the assassins had left behind identifying marks.

It wasn’t because they were fools but because they were confident in their skills and power.

“They’re from the Autumn Soul Assassination Sect.”

Ma Choong-won recognized their identity.

“The Autumn Soul Assassination Sect?”

“Look at this.”

He rolled up the sleeve of one of the dead assassins, revealing their arm.

On the assassin’s forearm was a tattoo of a sword piercing through a skull.

“They are an assassin sect called the Autumn Soul Assassination Sect, based in Guizhou. It’s not a large sect, but they have a decent reputation in Guizhou. They’re a group of assassins skilled in tracking their targets. Up until now, they’ve never let a target escape.”

“I’ve heard of them before too. They’re notorious for only taking on targets they are confident they can eliminate. But why would they come all the way here? This is far from Guizhou. Does anyone here have a grudge against someone from Guizhou?”

“It seems they weren’t after me but after Warrior Jang. Do you have any guesses?”

All eyes turned toward Jang Woo-hyun.

“Well…”

Even after thinking about it, Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t think of anyone who would hold a grudge against him.

He had only just stepped into the martial world.

If anything, it made more sense that the Thousand Demon Sect would target him, given that he had caused the most damage to them.

“I’ve only recently entered the martial world, so I haven’t gotten involved with anyone.”

“Boss, did you ever operate in Guizhou?”

“Guizhou? Guizhou… Ah!”

A thought crossed Jang Woo-hyun’s mind.

“That’s right.”

“What’s right?”

“I had a run-in with a sect in Guizhou called the Cloud Sword Sect.”

“What kind of run-in?”

“I killed the sect leader and the elders.”

“What? Wait… Then it makes sense they’d send assassins after you. But why did you kill them?”

“They tried to kill me first, so I had no choice.”

Jang Woo-hyun briefly explained what had happened with the Cloud Sword Sect.

“Well, well.”

“Those guys were insane. They deserved to die.”

“Seems like you’ve had quite a rough time too, Jang Hyung. But these guys are pretty skilled. If they’ve tracked you down all the way here, they must be competent.”

“They’re somewhat famous for their tracking skills. They were also decent at hiding their presence.”

“It’s been months since that happened, and they’ve tracked you down here… Why do you look so serious?”

At the mention of being tracked, Jang Woo-hyun’s expression hardened.

If they had followed his trail all the way from the Cloud Sword Sect, they would have passed by the White Tiger Martial Hall.

“I need to head to Guizhou.”

Seeing the sudden change in Jang Woo-hyun’s expression, the others were startled.

He hadn’t even looked this concerned when facing the Iron Armor Monkey or the Five Monsters.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s someone to whom I owe a great debt. They’re practically a benefactor. If these guys followed my trail, that person could be in danger. I’m heading to Guizhou. The three of you should head to the Demon Extermination Sect.”

Jang Woo-hyun finished speaking and moved to leave the inn immediately, but Hwang An grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait a minute.”

Jang Woo-hyun looked at Hwang An with a questioning expression.

“Do you remember what you said to me when we first met?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You mentioned something about ‘the Beggars’ Sect’ or ‘Hao Sect’.”

– Beggars’ Sect?

– Hao Sect?

Suddenly, Jang Woo-hyun recalled the conversation they’d had before taking the exam, where he’d speculated about Hwang An’s identity.

“That’s right.”

“The one you guessed back then was correct. So, I can help you with this. Let’s head to the Demon Extermination Sect first. We can gather information much faster that way, rather than you rushing off to Guizhou.”

Though Hwang An didn’t say it directly, he was acknowledging his affiliation with the Beggars’ Sect.

And just as he had said, if they used the Beggars’ Sect’s network, they could quickly find out what was happening at the White Tiger Martial Hall and with Yang Hyo-myung.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then. Senior Ma, can we move quickly without rest? Would that be alright?”

“If it’s urgent, of course. But I’ll stay here with Dong-ha. Someone has to take care of things here.”

Ma Choong-won pointed to the mess on the inn’s floor.

Shattered bodies and blood-soaked floors.

They definitely needed someone to clean things up.

“Then we’ll head off first. Let’s go.”

“Dong-ha, we’re going ahead. See you at the Demon Extermination Sect.”

“Got it. Don’t worry about this place, we’ll handle it. And here, take this with you.”

Kwak Dong-ha handed over the burnt hand of the Fire Monster and the ring taken from the insect creature.

Hwang An accepted them, and the two of them left the inn, running as fast as they could.

A few days later.

The two arrived at the main headquarters, and naturally, the Demon Extermination Sect was in an uproar.