Chapter 1210

<Chapter 1210> The Path of Radiant Ascension

Keeeeeeeeeeng!

The massive, 3-meter long Zanmadō of Eun Taemang vibrated and let out a deafening sound. His inner energy wrapped around the blade spirit, transforming into swirling winds.

“Wind Rushing Swift Strike (Fēng Jìn Kuài Jī)!”

Eun Taemang shouted as he swung his colossal Zanmadō at me. Though yelling move names makes him look like an idiot, the power is absolutely not to be underestimated.

A giant wind slash tore through the ground, hurtling toward me.

Woooom.

I raised my sword, now glowing with azure blade energy.

Zanki Dōhō (Zan鬼刀法) – Ten Evil Spirit Annihilations. Swinging my blade in an X-pattern, I unleashed a cross-shaped blade energy. It collided mid-air with Eun Taemang’s wind strike. My cross-shaped energy cut through his, heading straight for him.

But Eun Taemang didn’t retreat.

Instead, he stepped forward forcefully, advancing despite the blue cross energy reaching his body. His armor absorbed the blade energy without taking any damage.

Eun Taemang charged forward and brought his sword down vertically. I blocked it horizontally—his strength was immense, matching his towering physique.

“Hahahaha! Your knees are shaking from one slash! I thought you had some skill with all that confidence, but it’s all just bluffing! Boy, I’ll enjoy devouring your Oindan!”

“…”

I gritted my lips.

It’s not his attacks that concern me—it’s the rising urge within me to use Raitenryū.

‘I want to fry this guy with Raitenryū… But no. Yōmatsu Seki can’t use lightning energy. If I use it now, everything we’ve worked for will be wasted.’

Zanki Dōhō Reverse Demon Pursuit (逆鬼追).

I explosively swung my blade upward, deflecting his massive Zanmadō skyward. I prepared for the next attack.

‘Aim for the shoulder.’

Instead of retreating, Eun Taemang pushed forward aggressively. His steel armor reacted, creating shockwaves. Caught in the blast, I was sent flying backward, rolling across the training ground.

Eun Taemang leaped high into the air, his massive Zanmadō flashing downward. I jumped sideways to dodge. KABOOM! The enormous Zanmadō embedded itself into the ground.

“Hohohohoho! Jumping around like that—you look just like a locust!!”

Eun Taemang pulled his embedded Zanmadō free while mocking me.

“Hohohohoh! As expected of our Master, what a great line!”

“Even laughing during combat… Master truly is incredible!”

“Master! Crush that arrogant brat!”

His excited subordinates cheered. Eun Taemang listened to their encouragement with a smug grin.

“Hmph. Han Subyeong of Jeoksuwon has some skill. Here’s a proposal: become my subordinate, and I’ll forgive your rudeness.”

“I’d rather die than become your underling.”

“Hahahah! To reject such a final offer! I respect your integrity! However, you shall meet a miserable end!”

Eun Taemang gathered his inner energy. A greenish mist enveloped his entire body as he charged at me, faster than before.

‘Just using Zanki Dōhō won’t be enough. Time dilation.’

In the slowed-down vision, it became clear—this isn’t just martial arts power.


This power of the mystical artifact! The *Intangible Net Armor* is fueled by my inner energy, enhancing its host’s physique to godlike levels!

Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, Intangible Net lifted his massive Demon-Slaying Blade and swung it straight at me!

I leaped sideways in an instant, dodging the attack. *Screeeech!* My shoes squealed against the floor as friction heated up the soles.

“Flash Step!”

I activated consecutive Flash Steps, closing in on Intangible Net. My spirit-infused blade slashed across his shoulder, tearing through the armor and drawing blood. But the reinforced plating blunted most of the impact.

“Your futile struggles mean nothing!!”

My accelerated body felt heavy, yet I pushed myself faster…

“Flash Step!”

On the third activation, I spun mid-air, imbuing my sword with centrifugal force.

“Flash Step!”

The fourth activation allowed me to pinpoint my trajectory perfectly.

*Demon-Ghost Blade Art: Raksha Whirlflash!*

My sword became a blur of sapphire light, slicing cleanly through Intangible Net’s defenses. He didn’t even have time to react – completely unable to track my movements.

*KRAAANG!*

His enchanted armor shattered, sending blood spraying everywhere. At the same time, my fabled Demon-Killer Blade snapped clean in two, tumbling through the air like a broken toy.

With a thud, Intangible Net collapsed onto his knees.

“M-Master!!!”

“P-P… prepare the Iron Formation!!”

Ignoring their cries, I dashed forward, seizing his hair and pressing the jagged blade against his throat.

“Don’t move. You’re still alive, Intangible Net.”

“Ghhrrrgh…”

He gagged, spitting out blood. Though grievously wounded, the armor kept him clinging to life.

His subordinates fell silent, nervously glancing between us.

“F-Foolish ones… stand down…”

At his command, the room fell deathly quiet.

“Hmph. Good that you’ve seen reason. Intangible Net, admit defeat.”

“I… I admit it. Release me. Kill me now, and my men will not forgive you.”

“I have no intention of killing you. As the victor, Dao Yang Sect belongs to me now. Honor our agreement.”

“T-The Dao Yang Sect recognizes you as its new master…”

Though defeated, his tone betrayed lingering defiance. Still, this would suffice for now. Everything was going according to plan.

“You there!”

I pointed at one of the lackeys.

“Y-Yes, me?”

“Bring me the Five-Person Seal.”

“B-But…”

He hesitated, glancing at Intangible Net. In response, I delivered a sharp blow to the back of his head.

“Intangible Net is no longer your master. He has lost, and acknowledged me as the new leader of Dao Yang Sect.”

“Y-Yes, Master!”

Reluctantly, he handed over the seal, which I carefully stashed away. Fun fact: this seal was actually a cultivation pill I’d received as a login bonus from the Celestial Gangster System.

Standing atop Intangible Net’s back, I surveyed the gathered crowd.

“Hear me! I am Han Su Ping, your new sect master!”

“Master!”

They all knelt instantly, heads bowed.

In Black Path sects, might truly makes right.

“Hmph. Much better. Now then, let’s wrap this up cleanly.”

I kicked Intangible Net’s prone form, making him writhe in pain. Quickly, I applied pressure to specific acupoints to stabilize his condition – though he mustn’t die just yet.

“Do you remember what you said earlier?”

“…Yes. I already recognize you as master. Dao Yang Sect is yours. Please spare me.”

“Spare you? You may yet prove useful. That wasn’t what I meant. You threatened to chop off my limbs and feed them to fish as a special treat, didn’t you? Surely you recall how I responded?”

His face turned ashen.

“N-No! Please forgive me! I swear eternal loyalty! Anything you want!”

“Final Words…”

“Great Hero! Spare me! I’ll give you all my hidden treasures!”

The broken blade pressed ever closer to his throat.


“Silence is golden.”

“……Worth a thousand words.”

“Remember this: I, Na Hansu, am a man who delivers when I act. That’s me, Han Su of the male gender.”

I infused my broken blade with inner power and hurled it at Euntaemang’s junk.

Euntaemang opened his mouth wide like a fish out of water and let out a scream.

“AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

That deafening shriek surely echoed across the entire city.

“Euntaemang.”

“UUURGH! AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“Euntaemang, listen carefully.”

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“It’d be wise for you to listen. There’s nothing good about upsetting me. Do you want your subordinates to devour you like dogs?”

“…”

“From now on, you will absolutely submit to me. If you don’t want your subordinates to eat you alive like dogs. Got it?”

“P-P-Please… I pledge loyalty! Just not that…”

“I’ll be watching.”

I slammed Euntaemang’s head and looked around. Filled with fear, their gazes were all on me. Looks like I’ve successfully intimidated them.

“Today’s a joyous day. On days like these, we can’t do without alcohol and women. We’re going to the pleasure house today. Make preparations.”

My underlings’ eyes lit up. At the mention of alcohol and women, their eyes gleamed with greed.

“Yes, Master!”

I ordered my subordinates to tend to Euntaemang’s treatment and entered his room. I began rummaging through everything.

‘There it is.’

I found the hidden money and ledger. Flipping through the ledger roughly, I saw recorded transactions with Baeksan Gold Family.

This could take down Baeksan Gold Family! Or not at all. The Baeksan Gold Family isn’t so loose that they’d collapse from just a ledger.

‘Still, I can apply some pressure like in the original story.’

Not like I need to use it myself anyway.

Just hand it over to Cheonyuun, and Jegal Mosoon will know how to handle it properly.

“The matter with Yemu Seok is finished. Now… I need to deal with Sung Yoojin’s issue.”

For now, I decided to rest since I’m tired.

•••

The next day.

I came out of the highest-rated pleasure house in Baeksan City, called Lanlan Tower (Chaotic Orchid Tower), after enjoying the company of their top courtesans overnight. Before leaving, I took a bath to wash off the powder scent and headed back to my lodging.

“123. You didn’t come back last night. Where have you been?”

Cheonyuun asked me. I confidently replied.

“There’s a dark path sect called Doyang Monastery. I just took it over.”

“…What? Took over a dark path sect?”

Cheonyuun stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.

“That’s not a bad choice,” Jegal Mosoon said. He was sitting at his desk reviewing documents. Glancing over, they were documents containing information about Baeksan City.

“Dark path sects are sensitive to information. For illegal activities, information is paramount. Doyang Monastery is the only dark path sect in Baeksan City. Properly utilized, we can obtain useful information.”

I half-listened to Jegal Mosoon’s words and handed the ledger to Cheonyuun.

“123. What’s this?”

“This is a ledger I found in Doyang Monastery leader’s room. It seems to be related to Baeksan Gold Family.”

“Ho, really? Looks like you caught a big fish.”

Cheonyuun happily accepted it, and Jegal Mosoon suddenly stood up from his chair and approached Cheonyuun.

“A ledger… interesting. Let me see it too.”

I didn’t care whether they reviewed the ledger or not.

“Where are the others?”

“151 is monitoring Chanyeong Alliance and checking their movements. 567 and 290 went out temporarily to report. They should be meeting the instructor at the appointed place by now.”

“No significant progress yet, huh?”

“We’re still in the information-gathering phase. We’ll start moving seriously from tomorrow. According to the current plan, I intend to personally visit Baeksan Gold Family to negotiate.”

“I see.”

“Aren’t you curious about what kind of negotiation you’ll conduct?”

“With you, I trust you’ll handle it well.”

After replying, I turned my body.

“123. Is there anything else?”

“I’ll be living at Doyang Monastery from now on. If I find any useful information, I’ll bring it back.”

Without hesitation, I walked out of the lodging.