Chapter 186: Maitreya Luminous Cult (2)

On the outskirts of Gulang County, where only the faint moonlight settled.

In this pitch-black night, only one estate stood illuminated by torches—a compound bearing the nameplate "Red Serpent Gang."

"Haaaaah."

One of the Red Serpent Gang’s men on watch yawned, prompting his companion to offer him the gourd hanging at his side.

"Here, drink some of this."

The guard brought the gourd to his nose, and the sharp smell of cheap rice wine hit his nostrils. But he didn't seem bothered by it; he gulped it down without hesitation.

"Ugh, damn it. Who the hell's gonna attack us in this backwater village? We're gonna freeze our asses off standing watch."

Hearing the complaint from the one who'd been drinking, his companion extended his hand as if asking for the gourd back.

"That's exactly why I brought this along. Without it, how could we stand living in such a miserable situation?"

The guard who'd been drinking handed back the gourd, then glanced toward the inner courtyard of the estate. It wasn't because he was afraid of getting caught drinking and gossiping while on duty.

"That girl's got quite the pretty face, doesn't she?"

His eyes gleamed with lustful desire.

"Heheh. That’s why the boss set up her moron of a father. She’ll fetch a fine price on the market.”

"Before we sell her for a good price, we should have some fun with her ourselves."

“Get in line. We’ll get our turn once the boss has had his fill. He’ll toss her to us when he's done.”

The two continued their crude conversation while passing the cheap rice wine back and forth.

Just then, the guard who'd brought the wine tilted his head with a puzzled expression, then narrowed his eyes and pressed his face to the window.

Peering through the tiny opening cut into one side of the gate, he muttered, "Someone's coming."

Through the darkness, a figure dressed in black robes was approaching.

"Isn't that the girl's father?"

His companion asked, recalling similar incidents from before, but the guard staring intently through the window shook his head.

As the distance closed, the face of the approaching figure became visible in the moonlight.

'A mask?'

The person was wearing a mask that looked vaguely familiar from his childhood visits to temples. It had an angry expression etched into it.

Thud. Thud.

With steady footsteps, the masked intruder approached the gate. The guard watching through the window called out, “Who the hell are you!”

"I am the incarnation that Maitreya has sent ahead to this world to cleanse you bastards."

At the masked man's response, both guards burst into mocking laughter.

"This guy's completely insane."

“Looks like he came here looking to die.”

The two guards exchanged glances and jokes, but soon felt something was wrong.

'Hey, why are you falling sideways?'

'What about you?'

The colleague in front of him was tilting over.

No, the entire world was tilting.

Slice!

A delayed cutting sound echoed through the air, and their upper bodies began falling as it separated from their lower halves.

Creeeeak.

CRASH!

And so did the gate as it crashed in two.

***

Inside one of the Red Serpent Gang's halls.

"Fuck."

A young man spat out curses as he glared toward where the boss's quarters were located.

“I’m the one who did all the goddamn work.”

He was the one who had brought a woman to the Red Serpent Gang today.

She was someone he'd known before. A woman he'd approached with romantic interest, only to be coldly rejected.

"I prefer men who live honestly, like my father."

It had been a humiliating answer. It felt like she looked down on him for being involved with the Unorthodox Path.

How dare a mere commoner disrespect him, a martial artist? He wanted revenge.

So he'd tricked her father into borrowing money and kept quiet for six months, waiting for the debt to multiply tenfold.

In just a few months, the debt had indeed grown ten times larger to an impossible amount for that "honest" man to repay. Eventually, she was forcibly sold off.

He thought his revenge had succeeded. He'd get to have his fun with that bitch who'd looked down on him before she was sold off as a prostitute.

But as soon as it was revealed that she was inexperienced with men, that damn boss's eyes lit up with greed.

Whether it was because of his half-baked revenge or his anger toward the boss, the young man couldn't fall asleep at all.

Creeeeak.

CRASH!

Just then, a dull and heavy boom echoed in the man's ears.

"Who goes there!!"

The Red Serpent Gang's thugs, awakened by the commotion, began rushing out one by one with weapons in hand.

"Fuck."

The young man also stepped out, his face brimming with killing intent as he drew his saber.

He wanted to vent his frustration on the boss.

Once outside, his eyes fell upon the sight of a man surrounded by his Red Serpent Gang comrades.

The stranger wore a bizarre get-up of black robes and a wrathful deity mask.

But his curiosity about the strange outfit was brief. More than anything, he felt disappointed.

"Heheh. I've been bored these past few days without tasting blood."

"I'll turn you into a damn pincushion."

Before he could even get involved, his colleagues surrounding that man would tear him to shreds.

'Am I too late again?'

Just as the young man clicked his tongue in disappointment at missing another chance to vent his anger—

"Tsk."

Suddenly, light flashed across the cloudless night sky like lightning.

The young man wondered if he was seeing things.

But he wasn't mistaken.

Like lightning followed by thunder, a delayed sound came after the flash of light.

Slice!

Immediately after, the bodies of his colleagues surrounding the intruder collapsed like puppets with cut strings.

"..."

Still wondering if he was hallucinating, the young man unconsciously rubbed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the courtyard floor was soaked with blood, and the heads of those who'd fallen like puppets were all separated from their bodies.

"Holy shit..."

Finally grasping reality, the young man's entire body broke out in goosebumps.

'I need to run...'

His face paled with terror.

The young man quickly tried to turn and flee, but his feet wouldn't move.

It wasn't because his body had frozen with fear. It was simply because...

Slice!

His head was already falling toward the ground.

***

The Red Serpent Gang boss's quarters.

"Heheheh."

A middle-aged man gazed with a sinister smile at a woman dressed in clothes that revealed glimpses of her skin.

Despite the heavy makeup and outfit making her appear older, she looked too young to be called a woman.

"To come forward to pay your father's debt, what a filial daughter you are."

The Red Serpent Gang boss spoke to the trembling girl.

"No need to fear. I'm not going to do anything that would damage your market value. Heheh. Think of tonight as a lesson from a seasoned veteran. Pay attention, and you’ll learn what you need to know to pay off your father's debt."

Upon hearing that the woman had no experience with men, the Red Serpent Gang’s boss was more than willing to personally "educate" her.

It was the boss's way of showing consideration for a woman about to be sold as a prostitute.

He'd done this often enough before to know exactly what to prepare, even having outfits like the one she wore right now.

“First, come here and try pouring me a drink.”

When the young woman only trembled harder, his expression turned menacing.

"Do you want to see your father die?"

Startled by the boss's threat, the woman approached him with tears welling in her eyes.

Just as she was about to pick up the wine bottle—

CRASH!

A dull noise echoed from beyond the quarters.

"Who goes there!!"

The Red Serpent Gang's thugs began shouting one after another.

The boss frowned as the woman flinched at the commotion and began to tremble.

"Now, now. Hurry up and pour the wine."

Confident that his subordinates would handle whatever was happening outside, the boss reached out his hand toward the woman.

When the boss's hand touched the woman's hand holding the wine bottle, she shuddered as if a snake were crawling up her arm.

Even as the sounds of commotion, screams, and clashing metal continued from beyond the quarters, she endured.

'Please...'

She fought back the tears, forcing herself to be strong for her father’s sake.

The boss's blatant stare at her exposed skin made her feel as if snakes were slithering all over her body.

Just as she poured wine into the boss's cup, overwhelmed by shame—

Slice!

With a clean cutting sound, as if the neck of a snake were being lopped off, the door to the chamber was sheared away.

***

“Well, you’re certainly having the time of your life.”

Il-mok scoffs at the sight of the boss enjoying himself with the woman in his quarters and completely oblivious to his subordinates dying outside.

“Who the hell are you!!”

The boss finally bellowed, fumbling for the massive blade at his side.

"Is that the Red Serpent Gang’s official greeting? Why does every bastard who pops up say the exact same thing? I can't figure it out."

Despite Il-mok's provocative words, the Red Serpent Gang boss didn't dare attack recklessly.

‘He defeated all of them in that short span of time?’

Several seconds had passed since the strange, masked intruder arrived at his hall, yet there was still no sign of any subordinates chasing him from behind.

Only the bodies of a few subordinates could be seen lying on the ground in the darkness.

While the masked intruder and the Red Serpent Gang boss faced each other—

"Please help me!!"

The girl hurriedly threw herself toward Il-mok as she cried out.

"You bitch, how dare you!!"

The enraged Red Serpent Gang boss quickly swung his saber at the girl, but—

Clang!

The Sword Qi that Il-mok had fired instantly sent the Red Serpent Master’s saber flying.

With the girl safe, Il-mok looked at her as she rushed toward him.

Facing Il-mok in his wrathful deity mask, the girl cried out with a tear-streaked face:

“P-Please, s-save my father and me. P-please.”

It was an explanation that omitted all context, but Il-mok could grasp the general situation.

"Step back, close your eyes, and cover your ears."

After telling the girl this, Il-mok approached the Red Serpent Gang boss.

Watching the angry-masked intruder approach him, the Red Serpent Gang boss swallowed hard.

He already knew the truth.

The man approaching him was a master on a completely different level.

It wasn't just because he'd killed all his subordinates in such a short time.

When his sword had been blocked by this man's Sword Qi earlier, the Red Serpent Gang boss hadn't even been able to properly see the motion of the intruder drawing his sword.

So the Red Serpent Gang boss shouted, "S-stop! Don't you know that the Heavenly Orchid Society backs our Red Serpent Gang?"

"Heavenly Orchid Society?"

When Il-mok halted his steps and repeated the name, the Red Serpent Master hurriedly shouted.

"Y-yes! Our Red Serpent Gang pays tribute to the Heavenly Orchid Society!"

Seeing the angry-masked intruder stop, the Red Serpent Gang boss's tongue worked frantically.

"You must not know, great hero, but nothing will change even if you kill this boss! We don't do this because we enjoy it! To meet the tribute demands from the Heavenly Orchid Society, we have no choice but to..."

The Red Serpent Gang boss's excuse trailed off.

He'd finally seen the cynical smile plastered on the lips visible through the intruder’s wrathful deity mask.

To Il-mok's ears, the Red Serpent Gang boss's excuse was absolutely ridiculous.

It wasn't just because of the absurd pretext spat out by a man who had been luring a young woman into his room to make her serve him in strange ways.

"The Heavenly Orchid Society is your backing, huh? Then who do you think backs me?"

The sight of this fool invoking the Heavenly Orchid Society as his backing in the presence of the mighty Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was simply too amusing.