Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 474

There was a woman.

She was admired for her kind heart, beautiful appearance, and ability to excel above others.

Her name was Goo Moon-hye.

People called her a saint.

Goo Moon-hye was a close aide and lover of Go Geom Wol, the leader of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

“She was truly beautiful and incredibly wise. It was thanks to her wise advice that Go Geom Wol was able to lead the Celestial Demon Troupe well.”

Goo Moon-hye had the saint-like ability to somewhat predict the future. Thanks to this, Go Geom Wol could focus solely on external matters.

At that time, the Celestial Demon Troupe was located deep within Yunnan Province.

They had wiped out the Lotus Sect, one of the traditional strong martial arts factions, and claimed the entire Yunnan Province as their territory.

“The problem began when the celestial demon troupe grew too large. As their scale grew, naturally, their gaze turned outward. Moreover, the Great leader of the Celestial Demon Troupe, Go Geom Wol, always dreamt of supremacy. As the power of the Celestial Demon Troupe reached its zenith, he embarked on his journey to conquer the central plains.”

The wind saint spoke as if he had witnessed all the scenes with his own eyes.

Pyo Wol listened silently to the Wind saint’s words.

“Nobody could stop the Celestial Demon Troupe. They were unstoppable. Yes! The Celestial Demon Troupe surged towards their goal with unstoppable momentum. It was the Jade Heaven Alliance that stood in their way.”

The Jade Heaven Alliance possessed tremendous power.

It was divided into four halls: Inner, Outer, Main, and Intelligence, each of which held immense power.

Even just the Main hall had two groups, three teams, and four units of martial organizations.

At this time, the Jade Heaven Alliance was also at an all-time high in prosperity.

Naturally, their power was not inferior to that of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

“However, there was a big difference between the Celestial Demon Troupe and the Jade Heaven Alliance. It was the presence or absence of the great sword emperor Go Geom Wol. The Celestial Demon Troupe had Go Geom Wol, while the Jade Heaven Alliance did not.”

Go Geom Wol fiercely cornered the Jade Heaven Alliance.

He was unstoppable, and the Jade Heaven Alliance was pushed back.

It seemed that no one could stop him.

In reality, that was the case.

No one could dare to block even a single blow from Go Geom Wol.

It was then that Lee Gwak suddenly stepped forward.

He led his followers to participate in the war.

It marked the beginning of the Mad Martial Sect, the ultimate martial power in Kangho at the time.

Lee Gwak was a low-ranking warrior in the Jade Heaven Alliance.

This seemingly insignificant third-rate warrior overcame trials that heroes often faced and grew into an absolute expert in the world of martial arts.

With a single blade, he vanquished countless absolute masters from the Celestial Demon troupe.

The clash between Go Geom Wol and Lee Gwak was inevitable.

Go Geom Wol welcomed Lee Gwak’s appearance.

He had been watching Lee Gwak for a long time, so he knew Lee Gwak’s growth process better than anyone else.

He eagerly anticipated the decisive battle with Lee Gwak.

He acknowledged Lee Gwak as his last opponent.

That is how powerful Lee Gwak’s martial arts were.

“He was truly terrifyingly strong. I have never seen a more powerful technique in my life. Once his sword moved, an expert from the Celestial Demon Troupe would certainly lose his life.”
Go Geom Wol wanted to fight Lee Gwak.

At the very end, on the final battlefield, where the victor would be decided.

“However, the saintess who was assisting Go Geom Wol was different. I don’t know what kind of future she saw, but she didn’t want Lee Gwak to fight Go Geom Wol. So she sent her closest aide, the Moon Shadow Sword, to kill Lee Gwak.”

Of course, Lee Gwak didn’t die.

If he had died, there wouldn’t be the current Mad Martial Sect.

Eventually, Lee Gwak defeated the moon shadow sword and arrived at the battlefield.

“Go Geom Wol was furious when he learned that the saintess tried to kill Lee Gwak by sending the Moon Shadow Sword. He was greatly disappointed in her and ordered her to go into hiding.”

“Hiding? During the war?”

“Yes! He made her completely withdraw from the Celestial Demon Troupe. Goo Moon-hye regretted her actions too late. By that time, it was already too late. Grandmaster Go Geom Wol was resolute, and he never went back on his word. In the end, the Saintess went into seclusion. The place of her seclusion was the New Moon Manor.”

“Uh-huh!”

Pyo Wol let out a thoughtful sound.

Even he hadn’t expected such a secret to be hidden.

“Ultimately, the great war of Heaven and Earth ended in victory for the Mad Martial Sect, led by Lee Gwak. Go Geom Wol was defeated by Lee Gwak, and the dreams of the Celestial Demon Troupe rising to the top crumbled like a sandcastle.”

Upon hearing the news of Go Geom Wol’s death, Saintess Goo Moon-hye cried for days. She couldn’t forgive herself for going against Go Geom Wol’s will.

Spending years like a recluse, Goo Moon-hye eventually regained her senses. From then on, she became frantically involved in outside affairs. As if that was the only way she could forgive herself.

“That was the beginning of the Guryongsalmak. The saintess gathered those who still had connections with the remnants of the Celestial Demon Troupe and began to grow her power in earnest. She chose to do so in foreign lands since it was impossible in Kangho. She did anything that could make money. She was like a ghost obsessed with gold.”

“Uh-huh!”

“She had done great things within the Celestial Demon Troupe. Expanding her power in foreign lands was not difficult for her. That’s how Guryongsalmak was born. A woman’s regret, resentment, and obsession created an enormous group. Once Guryongsalmak reached a certain point, she handed everything over to her son and went into hiding, as if she had finished everything she needed to do.”

“Is her son the current New Moon Manor master, Go Jang-myeong?”

“She took a talented orphan as her adopted son and gave him the surname ‘Go’ from her lover Go Geom. It’s likely she wished to atone to Grandmaster Go Geum Wol in this way.””……”

At this unexpected Kangho secret history, Pyo Wol was silent.

He had not known that such a tale lay behind the emergence of the great underground force, Guryongsalmak.

At that moment, the Wind Saint continued speaking calmly.

“In the end, everything that happens in the current Kangho is connected to the past. The Great War of Heaven and Earth completely changed the old order of the Kangho, and amidst the chaos, various forces grew.”

“And you are?”

“What?”

“Who are you that know so much about the hidden world of martial arts? How come you know such detailed information about events that are unknown to the rest of this world? It’s as if you’ve witnessed everything firsthand.”

“I am……”

Wind Saint’s words trailed off.

His face was full of conflict.

Pyo Wol asked again.

“Wind Saint Jang Cheon-sa, who are you?Why do you live without intervening when you know all about Kangho’s history?”

“I am an observer.”

“An observer?”

“Yes, a cowardly observer. That’s me.”

“Do you think you lack courage?”

“If I had courage, I wouldn’t be known as the Wind Saint. I am called so not because I live as freely as the wind, but because I evade the truth like the wind. A cowardly old man who’s called the Wind Saint, that’s me.”

Although he didn’t say much, his words were filled with self-hatred and bitter self-reflection.

Turning away, Wind Saint spoke.

“Now is not the time to talk. And even if I don’t tell you, as long as you act as you are now, you will naturally uncover all the secrets.”

“What do you mean, like now?”

“Pyo Wol! You are the one who instinctively penetrates the core of Kangho. The flow of Kangho
will lead you to the truth. Live like you do now.”

With that, Wind Saint walked towards the Gi Family Clinic.

Pyo Wol silently watched Wind Saint’s retreating figure.
＊＊＊
Squeak!

A man pushed through the rusted hinges and entered the mansion.

He placed his arms around his waist and looked around the interior of the mansion.

The interior of the mansion, devoid of any signs of life, was a complete mess.

There were bloodstains everywhere, as if to prove the devastation that had just occurred.

The man examined the bloodstains on the floor and walls with a gloomy expression.

“Twelve people died here.”

There were twelve martial artists who usually stayed here.

All of them had lost their lives.

He felt suffocated.

“Hoo!”

Anger rose on the face of the man who sighed.
He had no connection with the people who died here. Nevertheless, he was angry because they were all part of the Hao Clan.

The man’s name was Hong Yushin.

The mansion he was in was the Soyang branch of Hao Clan.

The regular news from the Soyang branch had been cut off just yesterday.

Hong Yushin was not far from Soyang at the time.

He had naturally entered the Hunan Province while pursuing Guryongsalmak.

As soon as he lost contact with the Soyang branch, he instinctively realised that something had happened. Therefore, he rushed to Soyang against all odds.

The bodies had already been removed by officials. But there was no doubt that they had been killed.

Just by looking at the bloodstains on the walls and floor, one could tell how horribly the people of the Soyang branch had died.

“Did it turn out like this? How little must they have thought of the Hao Clan to do such a thing?”
Hong Yushin clenched his teeth.

Hao Clan was a place that was often beaten like a neighborhood drum. This was because, despite having the largest number of members, they did not possess significant military power.

Of course, there were a few elite branches, but the vast majority were not. Still, it didn’t really matter.

The Hao Clan was not a sect that stood up with the military powers like the Mad Martial Sect or the Heavenly Martial Sect.

It was a group that used its vast numbers to gather information and use that information to survive.

As a result, powerful sects and martial artists tended to look down on Hao Clan. However, that was because they did not know the true nature of the Hao Clan.

Hao Clan never forgot its grudges.

Even if it takes a long time, it will seek out and retaliate against those who have harmed it.

It’s just that its methods are very stealthy and not many people realise it.

“I must call the Black Tiger Squad ”

The Black Tiger Squad was a kind of execution squad operated by the Hao Clan.

It was an extreme force that tracked and executed those who had caused great harm to the Hao Clan.

They gathered martial artists with the most persistent and cruel personalities in the Hao Clan and trained them harshly. Their methods were equally brutal.

Hong Yushin, as the chief inspector of the Hao Clan, had the authority to summon the Black Tiger Squad.

“If they want war, I’ll give it to them.”

As Hong Yushin came out of the mansion, the inspector’s martial artists greeted him.

The deputy commander of the inspector team asked cautiously.

“Did you check it out?”

“It was brutal.”

“I have confirmed the bodies. As expected, they were laid to rest in the coffin.”

“What about the cause of death?”

“It seemed like they were tortured with poison.”

“Poison?”

“Yes! All the major organs were melted.”

“Those bastards!”

“Yes?”

“Is there only one culprit?”

“No. Judging by the different wounds on each body, it seems like an organization was involved.”

“As I suspected!”

Hong Yushin shook his head.

He had already guessed this. So there was no surprise.

Hong Yushin ordered the deputy commander.

“Summon the Black Tiger Squad to Soyang.”

“Understood.”

Knowing the severity of the situation, the deputy commander responded without hesitation.

“Until the Black Tiger Squad joins us, the inspector team will gather information on those who attacked the Soyang branch.”

“I will carry out the order.”

The inspector team dispersed in all directions.

Hong Yushin, left alone, began to move.

‘Pyo Wol!’

He already knew that Pyo Wol was staying here.

It was because as soon as Pyo Wol arrived, the deputy commander reported it to him.

The problem was that they didn’t know where Pyo Wol was staying.

With the Soyang branch annihilated, finding Pyo Wol’s whereabouts was even more difficult.

However, Hong Yushin was not too worried.

Not many people in the martial world knew Pyo Wol well.

‘He prefers the slums.’

His handsome appearance might suggest that he would never seek out such a dirty place, but the reality was different.

Pyo Wol didn’t care much about his surroundings.

He would not hesitate to go to the dirtiest places for his goals.

What Pyo Wol needed now was to block the leakage of his information. The slums were perfect for that.

Most people were reluctant to approach the slums.

Pyo Wol would use people’s psychology to hide there.

As he approached the slums, a foul smell stung his nose.

It was such a disgusting smell that it seemed like he could vomit at any moment. However,
Hong Yushin’s expression remained unchanged as he continued walking.

For someone from Hao Clan, this smell was all too familiar.
If one were to vomit from just this much, they would not be worthy of the Hao Clan.
To Hong Yushin, this place felt like home.

The slums were very wide and complex.

Over a long period of time, the influx of the poor had gradually expanded their territory, and the slums had expanded without any rules, resembling a maze. However, Hong Yushin was not worried.

He believed that if Pyo Wol was here, he could definitely find him.

The poor people saw Hong Yushin appear in their territory and murmured among themselves.

They would inform Pyo Wol of his presence.