Chapter 68: Jaseung, Absorbs the Berserk Starving Ghouls

To avoid the incoming punches, the Frenzied Ghost had no time to think.

Thud!

The striking sound rang out. It did not come from the Frenzied Ghost’s body. A ghoul who had rushed in from the left to help the Frenzied Ghost was struck in the chest by Lee Jaseung’s elbow and went tumbling backward.

Lee Jaseung immediately continued to attack the Frenzied Ghost in succession.

During this process, the Berserk Starving Ghouls were being subdued one by one. While facing the Frenzied Ghost, Lee Jaseung was dealing with the others who came at him, one after another.

It was possible only because he used the martial body techniques of the Limitless Iron Chest. Without giving his opponent a chance to recover, he pressed the Frenzied Ghost while subduing those who attacked from the side.

After a hundred exchanges, Lee Jaseung stopped his assault.

Barely managing to block the attacks, the Frenzied Ghost panted heavily and looked around. All twenty-nine of his subordinates were rolling on the floor.

What was even more frightening was that not a single one of them was dead. To subdue those who fought with their lives on the line without killing a single one of them was truly unimaginable.

Only belatedly did the Frenzied Ghost realize that throughout the fight, Lee Jaseung had been using him as a hostage.

It was not only when a blade was at one’s neck that someone became a hostage.

By pressing the leader, the subordinates would inevitably become anxious.

And most importantly, fearing for their leader’s safety, they could not use large-scale techniques like Sword Qi or Sword Force. Cleverly, Lee Jaseung had taken advantage of this.

Of course, in this regard, the Frenzied Ghost was greatly mistaken.

Lee Jaseung was not trying to avoid such attacks to protect himself. He was being considerate because he did not want the Berserk Starving Ghouls to die.

If their Sword Qi and Sword Force clashed recklessly, unintended deaths would occur. Lee Jaseung wanted to keep them all alive.

At that moment, Lee Jaseung’s figure cut through the air swiftly. As if to prove the earlier suspicion, this time the Frenzied Ghost could not evade.

Thud!

He flew through the air and tumbled to the ground. He wished it had been a dream, but it was not. The pain was so great that he could hardly breathe.

However, he could tell that Lee Jaseung had intentionally refrained from killing him.

Lee Jaseung walked over and looked down at the Frenzied Ghost.

"W-Who are you?"

Looking down at him, Lee Jaseung spoke coldly.

"You have two choices for who I am to become. The first is the murderer who wiped out your group."

With fearful eyes, the Frenzied Ghost asked again.

"And the other?"

Lee Jaseung answered with overwhelming authority.

"Your new master."

* * *

"Still no word?"

At the Celestial Ghost’s question, Jongno answered quietly.

"Not yet."

It had already been one hour since the Berserk Starving Ghouls were sent in. But there had been no contact from them.

A foreboding feeling crept over him, as if they were facing an enemy who could swallow everything without a trace.

"I don’t feel good about this. You should leave now."

The Celestial Ghost never revealed his destination. But now that the Berserk Starving Ghouls had been deployed, the two of them were waiting for the Frenzied Ghost’s report in a nearby forest.

"Let’s wait just one more quarter hour."

He could not imagine the Berserk Starving Ghouls failing.

How much longer had they waited?

"Let’s go."

Just as the Celestial Ghost decided to leave that place,

Shaaang!

A strange sound came from behind.

Startled, the Celestial Ghost turned sharply and widened his eyes.

Someone was standing there, gripping Jongno by the collar.

Jongno’s eyes had rolled back white, and black energy was emanating from the stranger’s eyes.

The Celestial Ghost was so shocked he felt as if his heart might leap out of his chest.

Jongno was a man whose martial arts had reached the peak of mastery. Yet he had been silently and instantly subdued. It was a sight that was hard to believe even when witnessing it firsthand.

Of course, it was possible because the opponent was Lee Jaseung.

"You bastard! Let him go!"

The Celestial Ghost shouted as he drew his sword and leapt forward.

Clang!

Someone swung a sword and blocked him. It was Mujin.

The Celestial Ghost looked at the hand holding his sword. His wrist throbbed painfully, and the blade quivered. From just that single clash, he knew.

‘He’s more skilled than I am!’

The Celestial Ghost had the ability to build a remarkable organization, but he was not himself an exceptional martial master. The reason his group was strictly a cell-based organization was because he lacked the strength to overpower them all.

He tried to run in another direction, but someone else was already blocking the way. Carrying a spear over his shoulder, it was Ma Young-gi.

He turned to the opposite side, but there stood Mook Young, masked.

The Celestial Ghost despaired at the fact that all three were stronger than him.

‘Where did such masters come from? I must stay sharp!’

His eyes shifted toward Jongno.

Jongno, unconscious, now had no black pupils in his eyes, only the whites showing.

The Celestial Ghost shouted in shock.

"Black Spirit Confession Art? No!"

Those struck by the Black Spirit Confession Art would answer any question asked, only to meet death afterward.

Mujin spoke coldly.

"If you know about the Black Spirit Confession Art, this will be easy. Reveal who commissioned this job."

The Celestial Ghost’s face twisted.

"I cannot do that."

Mujin shrugged and replied.

"I thought so. Then do not pretend to care for your subordinate. Stay quiet and wait."

The Celestial Ghost’s expression grew vicious at Mujin’s words. Mujin only sneered in response.

The Celestial Ghost knew then. All of the Berserk Starving Ghouls had been defeated. And the ones who had done it were the very people in front of him.

Lee Jaseung asked Jongno,

"Who ordered you to kill the Lord of the Northern Sky Clan and her husband?"

His voice echoed deep and resonant like within a cave.

"I-I do not know."

Blood trickled from Jongno’s eyes and ears.

"Who was it that commissioned this job?"

"I… I… I do not know."

The moment he finished speaking,

Thud!

With a thick cracking sound, Jongno’s body went limp.

He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The black aura faded from Lee Jaseung’s eyes.

"So only you knew who the client was."

The Celestial Ghost had kept the client’s identity a secret even from Jongno. He trusted no one.

The Celestial Ghost looked at Lee Jaseung and flinched in recognition.

‘That man! Is he not Seop Mu-pyeong, the one who won the tournament?’

He quickly assessed the situation.

‘No matter what happened, this is bad. It is best to preserve my life now and plan for the future.’

He made his decision and fell to his knees.

"Please spare me!"

It was a gamble for his life. One wrong move, and he could die without striking back once.

"If you spare me, I will serve you with the utmost loyalty."

"Prove it."

As if waiting for the cue, the Celestial Ghost acted.

Tap tap tap.

Surprisingly, he suppressed his own vital points.

"I place my life in your hands."

Swoosh!

Lee Jaseung drove a dagger down mercilessly, and the Celestial Ghost rolled to the floor to avoid it. He had only pretended to suppress his vital points.

He had practiced this countless times for situations like this, certain he could fool anyone.

The Celestial Ghost’s eyes narrowed.

"You son of a bitch!"

Lee Jaseung smiled.

"And you said you were entrusting your life to me?"

The Celestial Ghost rose slowly, speaking.

"Seop Mu-pyeong you bastard, what trick are you playing?"

Swoosh!

In the next instant, a dagger flew at incredible speed and pierced his chest.

It was too fast to dodge.

Looking down at the hole in his chest, the Celestial Ghost asked in disbelief,

"Why?"

Lee Jaseung replied coldly,

"I do not need your loyalty."

Lee Jaseung knew better than anyone that the most important thing in what he aimed for was justification.

But in the world, the Undying Ghouls had only infamy. There was no need to bring them in. Moreover, as a cell-based organization, they would eventually disappear from the world on their own.

He only planned to take in the Berserk Starving Ghouls and merge them into the group he had absorbed earlier, reborn under a new name.

Keep the Berserk Starving Ghouls, discard the Celestial Ghost. That was the balance of gain and principle Lee Jaseung chose in this matter.

As the Celestial Ghost slowly collapsed, he asked one last question.

"…Why did you not ask me about the client?"

Lee Jaseung answered without hesitation.

"Because I know you have Self-Destruction Art on you."

The Celestial Ghost’s eyes widened.

"How could you know that?"

No one knew he had learned the Self-Destruction Art.

If forced to reveal the client’s name, his body would explode, annihilating everything within tens of meters. It was a vicious art to ensure he would not die alone.

There was only one martial art capable of seeing through that.

The Absolute Evil Eye that the Leader of the Black Way Alliance was said to have mastered.

"Could it be?"

Lee Jaseung told him,

"Yes. I am the Leader of the Black Way Alliance."

In that moment, countless thoughts passed through the Celestial Ghost’s mind. Now he understood why he had been so easily defeated.

And he realized the one who defeated him was not the person the world believed to be the Black Way Alliance Leader.

He regretted it deeply. It was bitterly frustrating to die in such a way.

The Celestial Ghost’s eyes closed slowly as he lay on the ground.

In his final moments, a hollow laugh escaped his lips. It had taken him a long time to build all this, but it took only days to crumble.

A few wrong judgments, and the resulting wrong decisions. That was all it took to destroy his entire life.

Creating something took hundreds or thousands of decisions and efforts, but destruction happened in an instant. The Celestial Ghost realized this bitter truth as he died.

As he breathed his last, Mook Young emerged.

Mook Young used the Bone-Melting Powder and dissolved the bodies of the Celestial Ghost and Jongno into nothingness.

Chhhhh.

Lee Jaseung watched silently as they turned into nothing more than a splash of blood and vanished.

Who knew how many times such events would repeat?

He would simply continue to be careful, to work hard, and to fight. Otherwise, the next person to vanish in a splash of blood would be himself.

Mook Young, having disposed of the bodies, spoke quietly.

"So he had the Self-Destruction Art. What a waste."

If not for that, they could have forced the client’s name from him.

Lee Jaseung walked away slowly and replied.

"We will find another way. And do not be disappointed. Soon enough, everyone in the world will be trying to kill me. The entire Jianghu will be the enemy behind this."

* * *

"Where has Master Seop gone?"

At Chu Sang-gi’s question, Baek Seolyoung replied,

"He said he has business to attend to."

Lee Jaseung had not said what it was. He only said it would take a few days before leaving the clan, and indeed, several days had passed without his return.

‘How could such a thing be acceptable!’

She truly felt like yelling in frustration.

‘Did he become mad because I slapped him? Even so, this is too much!’

All sorts of thoughts came to her.

Just then, a subordinate entered to report.

"Master Seop has returned."

Speak of the devil. Finally, the prodigal returned.

Moments later, Lee Jaseung entered.

"I will leave you two to talk."

Sensing the mood, Chu Sang-gi stepped outside. Now, only Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung were in the room.

Looking at him, she asked sharply,

"Where have you been?"

Originally, she had intended to let it slide without asking. Confronting him would feel like losing.

But the moment she saw his face, the relief she felt was accompanied by a surge of anger. And as always, Lee Jaseung’s answer was unexpected.

"I went looking for the one who tried to kill us."

"What?"

"Didn’t I tell you before? I will never forgive the one behind this."

Of course, he had said that. She just had not expected him to set out the very next day.

"So did you find them?"

He shook his head.

"No. But I found a way to track them."

Baek Seolyoung asked with a slightly tense expression.

"What way?"

Lee Jaseung looked at her and spoke quietly.

"To find them, I need your help."

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