Opportunities Fly Like Birds (1)
Two carriages carrying the Ten Shadows of Darkness arrived in Hubei.
They were escorted by the White Tiger and Black Tiger squads, moving with minimal personnel and maximum stealth to reach their destination.
The carriages entered a remote estate far from Wuhan.
A formation had been set up here as well. It wasn’t as advanced as the Black Abyss Formation, but it was formidable enough to fend off most intruders.
Galsaryang had absorbed the remaining wealth of the Ten Shadows and prepared a safe house for them in advance.
Now, there were three safe houses in Hubei: one on the island where the women resided, another where his father, Song Woo-kyung, and Galsaryang stayed, and this was the third.
The Ten Shadows of Darkness looked around the courtyard with a mix of fear and resignation. When had they ever found themselves in such a situation? They didn’t like it, but they had no choice if they wanted to stay alive.
White Tiger, standing before them, spoke up.
“A formation has been set up here to prevent any external intrusion. It’s quite formidable, so you needn’t worry about safety.”
The Ten Shadows exchanged glances, understanding the formation wasn’t just to keep others out.
“You also can’t leave without permission. If you try, you’ll surely die. So don’t even think about it without my say-so.”
“Understood. No need to worry.”
“Oh, and I’m sorry, but we’ll have to suppress your internal energy for the time being.”
As the Black Tiger squad approached, one of the Ten Shadows, the Fifth Shadow, protested cautiously.
“You’re taking away our internal energy after already dismissing our subordinates?”
They weren’t martial artists of great skill, but the difference between having and not having internal energy was significant. It felt like they were being treated as criminals.
But White Tiger was firm.
“I’m sorry, but it has to be done. Please understand.”
The tense atmosphere was broken by the First Shadow.
“Let’s just go along with it. We’ve entrusted our lives to them, after all. Do as you will.”
The others followed his lead. Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
White Tiger showed no leniency. These were unscrupulous merchants. Any kindness would surely be exploited.
The Black Tiger squad suppressed the energy centers of all the Ten Shadows.
The Fifth Shadow grumbled.
“I’d like to see Master Byeok.”
He said this, looking at both the First Shadow and White Tiger, hoping to argue his case. White Tiger responded.
“You’ll see him when the time is right. Now, please, head inside.”
With such a businesslike response, there was nothing more to be done.
Following White Tiger’s lead, the Ten Shadows entered the house. Outside, forty members of the Black Tiger squad stood guard.
“You’ll be sharing rooms, two to a room.”
The Ten Shadows frowned again. Considering the money they had handed over, they felt they deserved better treatment.
“We could find a more luxurious estate, but that would increase the risk of exposure to your enemies. This is a special consideration.”
This time, the First Shadow changed the mood.
“Everyone’s on edge, but it’s better to have company. It won’t be so lonely.”
He entered a room, followed by the Second Shadow. The others paired up with those they were closest to.
White Tiger stationed two guards at each end of the hallway before stepping outside. With the powerful formation and the Black Tiger squad, escape was impossible.
Inside the room, the First Shadow sat on the bed. As soon as the Second Shadow sat across from him, he spoke.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“Byeok won’t be satisfied with just this. He’ll try to take all our assets.”
“I know. But for now, he has to deal with the Heavenly King Army, so he won’t show his true colors yet.”
“Do you think Byeok can defeat the Heavenly King Army?”
“I don’t know. But since we’ve sided with Byeok, we have to hope he wins.”
The Second Shadow sighed, expressing his feelings.
“This is a tough situation. It’s like waiting for two tigers to fight, unarmed, until the winner comes to devour us.”
“There’s a saying that even if a tiger bites you, you can survive if you stay alert. Besides, we have a pretty good bargaining chip for now.”
The bargaining chip was likely the fight against the Heavenly King Army, but the Second Shadow thought it might be the remaining eight Shadows, possibly including himself.
“Everyone knows that saying, but I’ve never seen anyone return alive after being bitten by a tiger.”
The First Shadow replied.
“Then we have to make sure both tigers kill each other in their fight.”
“Do you have a plan for that?”
The First Shadow whispered, meeting the Second Shadow’s hopeful gaze.
“I have a move I intended to use if Byeok wins. If necessary, we’ll use it.”
As the celestial chaos unfolded, a warrior rose.
He was the seventh Dark Celestial Weapon created from the chaos.
Amazingly, he was a well-known figure in the martial world: Do Yang-myung, the master of the One Sword Hall, famous for his swordsmanship.
He had come to meet the Martial Alliance Leader, Ma Cheol-gun, and shared drinks with him. After losing consciousness from a potent drug in the drink, he awoke reborn as a Dark Celestial Weapon.
He remembered everything from his past—his family, friends, and subordinates.
But he felt nothing about them. He didn’t miss them, nor did he even want to think about them.
His mind was filled only with loyalty to the Heavenly King Army.
Now, unless his head was severed, he possessed incredible healing abilities and could wield his martial skills with even greater power as a Dark Celestial Weapon.
Despite having created seven such powerful weapons, the Heavenly King Army’s leader was not pleased. Instead, he erupted in anger.
“Only two celestial chaos devices have been completed. How long will it take to mass-produce Dark Celestial Weapons at this rate?”
The subordinate bowed his head and replied.
“I’m sorry, but we lack the funds to produce multiple devices simultaneously.”
“I don’t want to hear excuses.”
Thud!
The leader’s fist crushed the man’s skull. The headless body fell backward, and the researchers behind him held their breath.
The leader’s wrath then turned to Cheon So-seon, standing nearby.
“Have you still not found the underground market scum?”
“We’re tracking their movements, but they’re very meticulous…”
“I don’t want to hear excuses!”
Cheon So-seon flinched. The last time he said those words, he had crushed a man’s skull.
Fortunately, he didn’t crush her skull.
Instead, his gaze was so intense that she couldn’t meet his eyes.
His eyes traveled from her neck to her chest. Though she kept her eyes lowered, she could feel the heat of his gaze.
This time, it wasn’t just lust. It was mixed with frustration and anger at things not going his way. It was a gaze that made her whole body tingle, a gaze that made her fear she might die if she made a wrong move.
“Sell your body if you have to, but get the money. We need more celestial chaos devices immediately!”
“Understood.”
She no longer considered him her grandfather, so the suggestion to sell her body didn’t anger her. She just felt that the end of their relationship was near, and it would likely be her head that would be crushed.
‘I have to find a way to increase the number of celestial chaos devices, no matter what.’
At that moment, I was floating in the sky, overlooking the Martial Alliance.
In the distance, I could see the internal conflict within the Alliance. I wanted to fly over and confront the Heavenly King Army right away. The powerful energy of the Eleven Celestial Arts surged within me.
I was confident I could kill him. But I wasn’t sure I could do it perfectly.
What if I failed to kill him?
Everyone around me would die.
How could I accurately gauge his strength? But even knowing his strength didn’t guarantee the outcome of a fight.
Both he and I had transcended human martial arts, so the course of a battle was unpredictable.
Moreover, there might be hidden techniques beyond what was apparent.
Currently, the Demon God Art was at eight stars, and the Demon God Wind Step was at seven stars.
If I could elevate the Demon God Art to its full potential, I could surely eliminate him. It was the most certain method, but…
[Hey, Cheon-gwang.]
[What?]
[Is there a way to focus on martial arts training? Can we create a space stronger than the Celestial Mind Training Chamber?]
[That doesn’t seem easy.]
[I’ve thought about it, but our sect doesn’t have such martial arts.]
[Alright. I’ll try to find a way.]
[As expected!]
[As expected what? That I’m a caught fish?]
[You’re the ocean, I’m the fish.]
[If you can’t say anything nice…]
Then, in the distance, I saw someone leaving the Alliance Leader’s residence. It was someone I knew.
That woman?
Cheon So-seon emerged from the underground chamber of the Alliance Leader’s residence and headed to Ma Cheol-gun’s quarters.
Ma Cheol-gun greeted her visit with indifference. His face was shadowed with deep despair.
“Why have you come? To watch me make a fool of myself?”
“Watching someone fall is always entertaining.”
“Hmph! You told me to survive, and this is what you have me doing?”
The person he had invited had been taken underground and hadn’t returned. Whether they were dead or alive was unknown, but it was clear they hadn’t met a good fate.
“It wasn’t my decision.”
“Well, it wasn’t mine either, was it?”
“Inevitable sacrifices can’t be avoided. You need to look at the bigger picture.”
“That’s ridiculous. How can you talk about the bigger picture when chaos is right in front of us? What could be bigger than this?”
“Haha.”
“Are you laughing? How can you laugh right now?”
“Do you know you’re quite amusing? You’ve got a sharp wit.”
“What? This is insane!”
Ma Cheol-gun couldn’t say anything more. The sight of Cheon So-seon smiling so brightly was too captivating. He was already under her spell.
Cheon So-seon’s charm wasn’t just a fleeting act. She had grown up embodying both masculine and feminine traits. Though she mostly lived as a man, the woman within her had matured alongside. Now, she was unleashing her hidden allure without restraint.
The moment Ma Cheol-gun felt his heart waver, she spoke again.
“I’m really sorry.”
Her expression was genuinely apologetic, but the words that followed were completely unexpected.
“I need money. A lot of it.”
Ma Cheol-gun stared at her in disbelief before shouting.
“Damn it! What kind of person are you?”
“I’m sorry. But if I can’t get the money, I…”
“Shut up!”
Silence fell between them.
After a long pause, Ma Cheol-gun asked, “What happens if you can’t get it?”
“I’ll fall into Cheonwang-gun’s hands.”
“Fall into his hands?”
“He’s after my body. You must have realized by now that he’s not my grandfather.”
“Damn it!”
Another silence ensued.
“How much do you need?”
“The more, the better.”
“Alright. I’ll try to gather as much as I can through Cheondo-mun.”
“Thank you.”
With a relieved expression, she approached Ma Cheol-gun and gave him a light kiss.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
As he felt the softness of her body, Ma Cheol-gun’s face lit up with delight.
Just as his hand began to wander, she caught his wrist, stopping him.
“Later.”
She stepped back.
“I know you’re a good person. Don’t let a moment of weakness ruin our future.”
“Understood, I’m sorry.”
“I’ll be back.”
She left the room.
Ma Cheol-gun watched her until she disappeared from sight.
I hovered in the air, observing them.
She was the one I had met at the place where the Heavenly Demon’s great technique was once held. She had used the same wind technique Cheon So-seon had employed to escape. I had already confirmed through the Heavenly Demon that she was indeed Cheon So-seon.
There was a peculiar tension between the two, a mix of attraction and desperation.
[What are those men up to?]
[It just shows how desperate Cheon So-seon is.]
In that desperation, I saw an opportunity.