Chapter 24 : Auction House (3)

Chapter 24: Auction House (3)

No one reacted to the sudden incident.

“Uh…”

The host on the platform, who had been observing everything, was left speechless by the incomprehensible act.

So suddenly?

Someone killed a person in the auction house run by the Shangguan Family?

No one could have predicted this. After all, this place was within the territory of the Shangguan Family.

“That bastard’s eyeing someone else’s possession. Do you even know what that is?”

“W-Who the hell are you?!”

Seeing the monkey-masked man cursing at the person he had just killed, the host finally regained his senses and shouted. Only then did the warriors of the Shangguan Family rush in.

“Kyaaa!”

“Move! Get out of the way!”

“I said move, you bastard!”

“Please maintain order!”

“Block the doors!”

The auction house turned into complete chaos.

People screamed, others ran to escape, and the warriors tried to apprehend the monkey mask. It was as if time, which had been paused, suddenly started flowing all at once.

“Brother Jang, let’s get out of here for now.”

Hwang An stood up, holding the box filled with gold ingots and silver taels. He didn’t know who the masked man was or why he was acting like this, but there was no reason to get involved. However, the masked man seemed to think differently.

“You?”

The monkey mask, glancing around once again, pointed his sword at Jang Woo-hyun. Amid the commotion, his voice was still clearly heard.

“You’re the one, right? The one who won the Yin-Yang Twin Hands? Why the hell are you lusting after someone else’s possession too? You trying to die?”

“You bastard! Do you even know where you are?”

The warriors of the Shangguan Family surrounded the monkey mask, cutting off his conversation with Jang Woo-hyun. About a dozen martial artists encircled him.

“Capture him!”

“Get lost, you idiots.”

A fight broke out between the monkey mask and the martial artists. Even though the Shangguan warriors had the numbers, they were being overwhelmed.

Jang Woo-hyun watched the monkey mask closely, thinking the figure looked strangely familiar. Despite the face being hidden behind a mask, there was something about him.

‘Who is he?’

He tried to recall if he knew the person, but no one came to mind. He hadn’t made many connections in the Martial World, so it shouldn’t have been difficult to remember. Yet, the familiarity was strange.

While Jang Woo-hyun was observing the monkey mask, all the attacking warriors were knocked down. At that moment, someone emitting a fierce aura appeared and struck. For the first time, the monkey mask was forced to retreat from a powerful attack.

“I don’t know what your goal is, but you won’t die easily.”

Right after that statement, an old man appeared like a ghost and caught the monkey mask from behind.

“To pull something like this off against the Xuanwu Alliance… I’ll at least acknowledge your guts.”

Unlike the warriors earlier, these two newcomers were Master Level martial artists.

‘This won’t be easy.’

In Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes, the monkey mask was also at the Master Level.

Though exceptionally skilled for someone presumed young, he was still no match for the two who had just arrived.

Despite being surrounded front and back by two Master Levels, the monkey mask continued to laugh, as if finding the situation amusing.

“You’ve got guts, old man. Showing your back like that. Or maybe… you’re just an ignorant fool?”

“What nonsense are you spea—ugh!”

A sword suddenly pierced through the old man’s chest, silencing him.

Behind the old man stood a man wearing a tiger mask. He had moved so swiftly that no one had noticed him until now.

Thud.

As the sword was pulled out, the old man collapsed to the floor, dead.

And then, the man in the tiger mask revealed his full presence.

Hwaaak—

An overwhelming pressure radiated in all directions.

Even those who had been fleeing, and the warriors rushing in to catch the monkey mask, stopped in their tracks.

This wasn’t because they were startled by another sudden change.

The sheer presence of the tiger mask was crushing the entire auction hall.

“Crazy…”

Startled, Hwang An dropped the box he was holding. He could tell just how powerful the aura was.

Jang Woo-hyun finally understood why the monkey mask had seemed so familiar.

These two were people he had met before.

The two men from the inn. They were the monkey mask and the tiger mask.

As he suspected back then, the middle-aged man was a peak-level Master.

“W-Who… who are you… and how are you here…”

The middle-aged man, who had confidently rushed in to apprehend the monkey mask, stammered in fear. Behind him, the Shangguan warriors tried to form up, but they were already being overwhelmed by a single presence.

Step.

When the tiger mask took a step forward, the Shangguan warriors instinctively took a step back in unison, as if it had been rehearsed. They had numbers but were utterly overpowered.

“D-Die!”

Unable to retreat any further, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and charged.

His sword emitted sword qi.

A Master Level martial artist, the middle-aged man wasn’t weak, but his opponent was simply too powerful.

From the tiger mask’s sword burst forth a brilliance incomparable to mere sword qi. Unlike the faint, formless energy of sword qi, this light had a clear, solid form. The sword itself looked twice as large.

Sword Qi Projection.

The strongest form of attack a martial artist could wield.

Said to cut through anything—the ultimate essence of martial arts.

Slash!

The charging middle-aged man was effortlessly sliced in half. His sword qi couldn’t withstand the Qi Projection.

Then came the massacre.

“Gaaaah!”

“P-Please spare—”

With each swing of the blade, two or three people died.

“Where did such a monster come from…”

Even among martial artists, Master Levels were rare. To see one wreaking havoc at an auction house like this was even rarer.

No matter how hard he tried, Hwang An couldn’t figure out who they were.

“The Demon Cult.”

Unlike Hwang An, Jang Woo-hyun muttered his guess.

A young man escorted by a peak Master.

At first, he thought he’d misjudged. But now he was sure. The tiger mask was protecting the monkey mask.

And to kill someone in an auction run by the Shangguan Family?

Even if the Shangguan’s martial power was weak, they were still part of the Xuanwu Alliance, a group that ranked among the Ten Demonic Paths along with the Grand Sabre Sect.

Causing a ruckus in the business grounds of one of the Ten Demonic Paths wasn’t something even a sect leader from the Nine Sects would easily dare. Yet these two acted without a care, as if they feared nothing at all.

The only force capable of causing such chaos and having a peak-level master as a guard—there was only one place like that.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Those two… they’re from the Demon Cult.”

“What!”

Hwang An’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.

Although the terms Orthodox and Unorthodox were used to categorize many sects, there was only one place truly represented by the word “Demon.”

An external force rooted in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang: the Tianshan Demon Cult.

The Demon Cult, a single massive force, was powerful enough to rival all of the Nine Sects combined.

Moreover, while the Orthodox and Unorthodox fought for territory within the same realm, the Demon Cult operated outside of it, targeting all equally. They were the common enemy of both good and evil.

The martial arts practiced by members of the Demon Cult were bizarre and unnatural compared to those of the Central Plains, sometimes even driving people insane. That’s why they were called “Demonic,” and the martial artists of the Central Plains feared the cult. Their martial techniques were those of lunatics with immense power.

This current situation made no logical sense, but if they were members of the Demon Cult, as Jang Woo-hyun claimed, then everything added up. Madmen doing mad things.

“W-Why are they here…”

“What’s this? You even know who we are?”

“How could I not? You’re tearing up the Shangguan Family’s auction house. What other group would do that but the Demon Cult?”

“Huh… Well, you’ve got a point.”

Apparently agreeing with Jang Woo-hyun’s logic, the monkey mask scratched his head.

While speaking, Jang Woo-hyun carefully measured the distance.

He did feel a slight desire to fight a peak master, but he judged it was too early and tried to back away. However, the person in front of him didn’t seem intent on letting that happen, so he changed his mind.

‘No choice but to fight.’

Perhaps because they had been confident that no lunatic would cause trouble at an auction house, the Shangguan Family hadn’t strictly banned weapons on entry.

He had both of his swords with him, and his physical condition was good. But there was one problem.

They had a Master and a Peak Master. He had himself, a nonstandard Master, and Hwang An, who was only First-rate.

It had been a mistake not to act earlier while the Shangguan’s two Master Level warriors were still alive.

“Brother Jang, what do you plan to do?”

Hwang An asked cautiously in a low voice as Jang Woo-hyun gradually closed the distance, studying the tiger mask.

Since he was still concealing his true skills using the Secret Flowing Body Technique, the enemy would likely underestimate him. If that were the case, he could take advantage of the situation and take out the monkey mask first with a surprise attack.

Crash!

Just as Jang Woo-hyun drew his sword and was about to move, a section of the auction house was smashed apart, and all remaining Shangguan warriors were flattened. There were no more incoming reinforcements.

Inside the now-spacious auction hall, aside from a few people fleeing, only Jang Woo-hyun, Hwang An, and the two members of the Demon Cult remained.

“Wol-ah, gather the goods. It’s time to go. If the Grand Sabre Sect gets here, it might get annoying.”

“Just let me deal with those guys first. I don’t care about the rest, but the one who tried to take my treasure needs to be taught a lesson.”

The monkey mask grinned as he approached. Jang Woo-hyun also drew his sword, watching for the right moment. He slightly crouched, ready to pounce—but just then, the tiger mask placed a hand on the monkey mask’s shoulder.

“Stand back.”

“Huh? Why?”

The middle-aged man in the tiger mask stepped forward.

“You were planning a sneak attack, weren’t you?”

Though the opponent hadn’t fully recognized Jang Woo-hyun’s strength, he had perfectly sensed the killing intent. Regardless of ability, he had noticed the intent to strike.

With the ambush foiled, Jang Woo-hyun relaxed his stance. There would be no point in charging now.

“You were hiding your strength? Impressive. To the point where even I couldn’t sense it.”

In the eyes visible through the tiger mask, curiosity gleamed.

Not good for Jang Woo-hyun. He had drawn attention, making it harder to exploit carelessness.

Under the pressure exuding from the peak master, Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t make the first move. Until now, he had always initiated the fight, regardless of the opponent. But this time, it wasn’t so easy.

“Brother Jang, is there no way?”

“Fighting both would be hard.”

“Of course, both would be hard. No way we can beat—huh?”

Hwang An didn’t quite understand what he was hearing.

Both would be hard? Then was he saying fighting just one might be possible? Even with a peak master standing there?

Shocked, Hwang An stared at Jang Woo-hyun’s profile.

There was no joke or bravado in that face. He genuinely believed that if it wasn’t two of them, he had a shot.

“To think you believe it’s possible if it’s just one. That’s quite a claim. I admire your mindset. I didn’t know someone like you existed in the Central Plains.”

The man removed the tiger mask covering his face.

He was a middle-aged man with strong features and a sharp impression. His eyes, filled with powerful light, focused on Jang Woo-hyun.

Simply taking off the mask gave him an even heavier presence.

“I am Ha Jung-do. As you guessed, I’m of the Divine Cult—”

“Martial Uncle! I told you it was dangerous! Let’s just go!”

“Hey now, Pung-yu. How can you say that? Even if our paths differ, we owe him a debt. A debt from even one night should be repaid, shouldn’t it?”

“Still, this is… ugh! We’re screwed! Martial Uncle! What are you doing?! Fall back, quick! This is bad… we’re so screwed…”

Someone suddenly entered the auction hall, interrupting Ha Jung-do. Though he didn’t recognize the voice, Jang Woo-hyun remembered the name he heard.

Pung-yu. The Taoist from Mount Qingcheng he met when he first hunted the Ong-hwa. And beside him was his Martial Uncle, a Master Level martial artist.

“Uh… this might’ve been a poor choice after all.”

Faced with Ha Jung-do’s overwhelming aura, Jin Ha-un of Qingcheng faltered. He had come to help, only to find a monster waiting inside—naturally, he was shaken.

Watching his confusion, Jang Woo-hyun smiled. At this moment, he was genuinely glad to see him.

Now he only needed to handle one of them.

Jang Woo-hyun took off his mask and looked toward Jin Ha-un.

“Huh? Brother Jang? It is you, right? Do you remember me? I’m Jin Ha-un of Qingcheng. We met before while you were hunting Ong-hwa. But what’s going on here… and who are these people…”

“Master Jin!”

“Yes?”

Startled, Jin Ha-un turned at the sudden loud call from Jang Woo-hyun.

“The monkey mask!”

“What are you—”

Before the question even finished, Jang Woo-hyun moved.

Boom!

He launched himself with a strike aimed straight at Ha Jung-do.