Episode 126 The Last Gate (3)
Hill near Myeonggyo Ilbong Somyeonggung
The cold wind blows through her black hair. Her deep eyes, like a bottomless pit, scan the crowd gathering at Somyeonggung Palace.
An endless procession continues like the galaxies in the night sky.
This is probably the first time since the construction of Somyeonggung that it has been so crowded.
And that too in the middle of the night, when there was no owner.
Their visit is not to celebrate the ascension of the leader of the Macheonso sect. They are armed with sharp weapons and carry bundles on their backs like people going on a long journey.
A person who watches this indifferently.
They were archers who gathered under the command of the sect leader, Ma Tae-pyeong.
“Everyone gathers here.”
When he heard Han So-so’s elegant voice, Ma Tae-pyeong opened his mouth without even looking back.
“Where are the later indices?”
“I sent it to the underground missionary station as you instructed.”
“Who was with you?”
“The blood demon has arrived.”
“Enough… … . Go away.”
When Matae Ping withdrew his attention, Han So So bit the tender flesh in her mouth and frowned.
Former Gwangmyeongcheonma Daeju Eul Tae-sik, who had followed him for a long time, or other princesses might have been accustomed to this kind of attitude from the cult leader, but Han So-so was not one of them.
Less than an hour after the princesses arrived here, Ma Taiping ordered all of his immediate family to be sent out of Tian Shan.
‘Disobedience is not tolerated.’
They say it’s the name of an omnipotent being, but I just can’t believe it.
If you’re going to send them, send them all. The remaining archers were ordered to stand guard at the Somyeong Palace without even informing them.
As if building an iron fortress.
“Is there anything left to do?”
“… …Reverend.”
“Speak.”
“I guess I… … have to ask.”
Matthew turned around. As his eyes met hers, a chilling wind blew and she felt a weight as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on her shoulders.
Han So So bit her lips and held on.
“You’re quite good. Have you mastered the Yin-Yo Ice-Gong? Your master has always been proud of you.”
The smiling face and the momentum do not diminish, but rather become more intense.
“I… … am a person who has decided to serve the young sect leader. So… … I must know.”
He lay face down on the ground with his hands on his trembling body and barely managed to utter a word.
“I would have said it clearly. Death would have silenced me.”
“If it weren’t for the Little Leader, the Palace of Hwanhee… … would be a place of recurring nightmares. So rather than harming Him… … I would rather die here.”
“… … If you really want to die. Alright, go ahead and ask.”
Swaaaah.
The aura of the absolute being completely disappeared. Han So So took a deep breath, knelt down in an upright posture, and straightened her clothes.
“The cult leader clearly said that he knew the heavenly palace.”
“however?”
“But why did you just leave them alone? If the Little Leader hadn’t been here… …they would have taken control of the Myunggyo with the Blood Princess at the forefront.”
“If it were as urgent a matter as you think, it would have already been lost to me.”
Matthew Ping looked down at the Somyeong Palace again and continued speaking.
“Who are they?”
It can’t be dementia. Who are you that I called together? Han So So tilted her head.
“… … Aren’t they the secret family members who support the young sect leader?”
“Wrong. They are the Heavenly Palace. They are also the lights that protect the Ming Religion.”
Han So-so covered her mouth with her delicate hand and was deep in thought. Then she opened her eyes wide and said.
“Are you saying… there is a spy among them?”
“The Heavenly Palace Master is a sorcerer from the Western Regions. Whether it was intended or not, it would be ridiculous to plant one of those many.”
“I don’t understand. If there was a liver, it means that he was aware of all our movements… … .”
“Don’t try to understand everything on your level. The magic of the Heavenly Palace Lord is on a different level. You may be a loyal archer now, but depending on his needs, you can forget everything and become a warrior of the Heavenly Palace.”
“Then… … why did you gather them all together? If there were any internal strife, wouldn’t it be dangerous? We need to identify them and separate them right now… … .”
“Because there was a deal.”
“Deal… … Rani?”
“It is true. He came to me alone before the coronation ceremony. He asked me to bring about a bloody disaster in Cheonsan just once.”
Although Mataepyeong seemed to speak casually, the hidden secrets of Mingjiao were by no means a light matter.
What an intentional bloodbath.
This is a tragedy. It is something that exists, and it cannot exist.
“No way. Did you… accept that? Is that why you gathered them all in one place? How…?”
At the agitated appearance, Ma Tae-pyeong looked down with a calm expression.
“Are you normally the type that doesn’t listen to what other people say?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Yes. Of course I refused. There was no way he would stand above me and talk to me, who had no rivals. But he was strong. Even though we fought day and night, we never won. Then suddenly, I felt like having a drink with him. So I reached out to him. I asked him if he would be my friend.”
“Do you think that makes sense now? Someone who doesn’t even know who the leader of the Myunggyo is… … .”
Han So So sighed. I’ve heard from my master many times that he’s a monster who lives in his own way, but this isn’t it.
How can you hold someone’s hand when you don’t even know who they are? You’re thinking of drinking.
“I thought he was a really good friend. I had no desire for the Ming school, but I climbed the mountaintop alone because I had inherited Bukmyeongsingong from my grandfather. I always felt empty. I wanted to face someone. And… … he was the one who deserved it.”
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“It is a luxury that can neither be taken nor should be taken. It is the arrogance of one who simply wants to ignore everything and live in peace alone.”
“Is that why you named me that?”
“Are you kidding me right now…?”
It’s a joke that’s neither funny nor laughable.
When Han So-so frowned, Ma Tae-pyeong raised his eyebrows and snickered.
“Yes, it was arrogance, as you said. It was an illusion. I just wanted him to be by my side as my confidant. I thought he would be the same. As time passed, my doubts became dull, and I began to trust and rely on him. That was until he realized that someone’s life was just a moment to him.”
“What on earth is he… … .”
In response to Han So-so’s question, Ma Tae-pyeong stopped laughing and expressed a variety of emotions, including worry, resentment, and longing.
“Mountain Elder. We called him the eleventh elder. An old demon from the Western Region who had lived for hundreds of years, changing bodies. I did not know. That humans cannot be friends with monsters… … . I was proud and did not doubt.”
“He who lives… … eternal life… … .”
“His greed did not end there. As time passed and he took on more bodies, his strength also weakened. So he began to look for another way. He began to search for a perfect body that would never age or become weak. At first, he was interested in Dongjagong, and then he searched for Bukmyeongsingong, which absorbed true energy and reached the legendary Banrohwandong. After much research, he finally found a body that suited him perfectly. That was Yongche.”
The eleventh elder.
The story about the mountain elder was too much for Han So So to accept.
Who could easily believe this? No matter how much the leader said it, it was a matter that could not be judged without question.
But Matthew Ping continued speaking, regardless of her acceptance, as if he had made up his mind.
“But fate, as it were, discovered his true identity around that time, and placed the dragon body in my hands. I regretted it, and was angry. But by then, I could no longer escape the trap he had laid out. So I hid the dragon body and offered him a deal. When I returned, I would return the dragon body and dye the mountains in blood.”
“Why? Then wouldn’t his power be even stronger? And on top of that, it’s a bloody disaster. Then surely the reason you gathered them together… … .”
“If they don’t die, the younger cult leader will take their place. The mountain elder must have already gone to the Holy Palace to meet him.”
The leader of the religious sect dies. Those words were the only thing that came to mind as if they were repeated in Han So-so’s ears. Her thoughts stopped and she became dazed.
“What on earth… … are you trying to do? No, why are you showing up now and doing this!”
I felt resentful. What on earth did you want? What kind of deal did you make?
If you were planning to save the sect leader, you could have come and protected him a long time ago. But even if you weren’t… … .
At the moment when I was about to spit out the words that had been lingering in my mind, I heard Ma Tae-pyeong’s firm tone first.
“I cannot escape the mountains unless I break the link with him. So… … sacrifice is inevitable.”
“So… … you’re going to hand over your body to them for that sorcery and offer up all your family members gathered here as sacrifices? You are truly wicked. You are truly reckless! I will defeat them right now and go to the Holy Palace.”
I didn’t even feel like setting an example anymore.
Han So So got up on her knees and shouted venomously.
Matthew Ping faced her with calm eyes.
“That’s why I told you, if you face the truth, you will have to shut your mouth with death.”
Kwaaaaah!
As soon as Mataepyeong reached out, Hansoso’s body and internal energy were completely sucked into him.
He gritted his teeth and hurriedly used the Yinyou Binggong to freeze his body to the ground, but it was useless against the Bukmyeong Shingong.
Crack, crack.
The ice shattered into pieces and was absorbed into his hands.
The absolute martial art that absorbs all true energy without distinction and uses it in harmony is the Bukmyeong Shingong and the Dokmun martial art of the Ma family.
“ah…….”
Swish, slap! Han So-so’s Adam’s apple is caught in his hand as her internal energy disappears like a bottomless pit.
Hmph! My breathing stops and my feet float up.
“Oh, by the way, there’s one thing I haven’t told you.”
Matthew Ping’s voice mixed with laughter is faintly heard.
She listened, her mind wandering.
What on earth is going on? What is your purpose?
“The dragon body will not be handed over. They will block the heavenly palace together with me. So the sacrifice will be… … the small cult leader.”
“Ah… … No… … No… … .”
After Han So-so’s struggle, her eyelids drooped. Ma Tae-pyeong held her in his arms as she fainted and placed her gently on the floor.
Soon, as he put his backpack on, the figure wearing a golden mask appeared, leaving behind an afterimage.
He is one of the delegations that entered the Myonggyo with the leader, Ma Tae-pyeong.
“Seoryu. Take this child and go to Cheonghae first with your successors.”
“Your name.”
The one called Seryu, along with the golden masked warriors, lifted Han Soso up and overturned him, then disappeared into the darkness again.
Matthew Ping remained there alone and did not leave his seat.
As if waiting for someone.
After about an hour, a doll appeared along with the darkness that was fading away in the distance.
Matthew Ping raised the corners of his mouth and faced him.
“Are you here?”
“It’s been a while, Reverend.”
“Banya.”
The three elders, Banya, stepped forward with a big smile.
He neither prostrated nor bowed his head.
Because he came as a messenger from heaven.
“I have come to receive the item you promised.”
“Was there something like that? I don’t remember.”
“Haha, why are you like this? Did you come back empty-handed? You must know what the price is.”
“Well, if there’s anything I can give you, I’ll take it. But that’s not for you to choose, it’s for me to decide. So, go back now. I’ll give it to you when the time comes.”
Banya’s smiling face becomes unnaturally distorted.
“Don’t you know very well that you can’t do that? He won’t allow it.”
“It is he… … .”
“Yes. Do not make a mistake. The promise with Him is a strict one. There is nothing the Master can handle… … .”
“Banya.”
Matthew Ping’s low tone flows ominously.
“Since when has a mere elder like you started talking nonsense in front of me?”
“Just now… …what did you say?”
Matthew laughed bitterly. Then Banya took another step forward with a distorted face.
“Please reconsider. If the leader comes out here, the resentment of those gathered there will not be erased even after death.”
“You seem to be mistaken. They have already left my embrace. There is no need to worry about them. Do as you wish. However, you cannot pass in front of me. I have commanded so.”
“profit……!”
Banya stepped forward, using his powers to guide the leader. Then, a bleak wind blew, and warriors wearing evil spirit masks and black blood robes covering their heads began to appear one after another from all over the surrounding area.
They are the warriors of the heavenly palace.
It was difficult to estimate their number because of the darkness, but it was not a small number, exceeding several hundred.
Matthew Ping raised the corners of his mouth.
“You are being foolish. Tell him straight. I will pay for my actions with the life of the cult leader. And… … I will personally teach him what the price is for disobeying my orders.”
The laughter fades and Matthew’s robe flutters.
Kwaaaaah-!
An overwhelming energy swirls around the body like a dragon ascending to the sky.
An absolute being who has inherited the internal energy of the previous sect leader and ascended to the throne.
First in the hierarchy of prestigious schools.
First in the martial arts world hierarchy.
The best in the world, Matthew Ping.
At his majesty, Banya’s face hardened and she stopped in her tracks.
But that was only for a moment. Soon, he clenched his teeth and cut his palm with a dagger.
“Do you think we will back down like this? We will definitely receive the price for breaking our promise. From now on, I will convey the divine word… … Listen. Our night will be long and sacred, and their night will be dark and painful. Let them know that we will be at the end. We will allow the bloody purge… ….”
Banya raised his hand, tightly clenching his palm from which blood was pouring out.
Then, dozens and hundreds of black mists spread out all over the mountains.
“Kkaaaaaaah-!”
At the same time, a loud noise and screams are heard from the palace below the hill.
The spies from the palace who had been hiding in the secret palace began to cut down their allies as if they had lost the whites of their eyes and were possessed.
“I didn’t say that. I don’t care whether they live or die… but I wonder if the princesses feel the same way.”
Matthew Ping’s eyes grow cold.
At the same time they appeared.
These are the princesses of the Seven Great Palaces who follow the Little Leader.
“Sun Wu.”
“yes.”
“Bear.”
“I will follow your orders.”
The first ones to move were the Sword Demon Swordsman and the Swordless Swordsman.
A small whirlwind splits into hundreds and rushes through the enemy lines, slicing through their enemies.
“Keep on going. You’ve planted a lot. What are you doing? Why don’t you go and give me a bowl of medicine?”
This time, the East sent a signal. Then, the Iron Guard, made up of Germans, rattled the iron chains on their arms and scattered blue mist.
Passssss.
Before them, any weapon is nothing more than a dust that corrodes and disappears.
Finally, Cheon Se-min, who was watching this, laughed and said with his arms crossed.
“Birang.”
“… … .”
“Oh no. Everyone has gone to carry the goods. Then I will go alone!”
The flying Jeon Na-geo-gu-ma Cheon Se-min with a golden aura.
Their appearance was enough to decide the situation.
“Are they… alive…?”
Banya opened her mouth in disbelief.
But it was too late to regret.
The warriors of the heavenly palace advance, hiding in the darkness.
A battlefield was formed in Somyeong Palace.
