Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Thud! Thud!

A head with its eyes wide open tumbled on the ground.

The expression on its face was filled with disbelief, as if it couldn’t believe its own death.

The head rolled across the ground and stopped before Pyo-wol’s feet.

Pyo-wol silently looked down, staring at Gu Ja-hwang’s face.

Life was gradually disappearing from Gu Ja-hwang’s bulging eyes.

Fwoosh!

Pyo-wol kicked Gu Ja-hwang’s head, and the head that was kicked away disappeared into the flames.

“He’s… crazy!”

Yu Suhwan shook his head.

Although Gu Ja-hwang was not known in the Jianghu, he was still a skilled martial artist who deserved respect.

Especially with a body as sturdy as steel, any warrior would have a hard time against him. However, Pyo-wol killed him too easily.

It wasn’t just a matter of surprise attacks or compatibility.

Pyo-wol’s martial arts were simply that strong.

“He has already surpassed the limit of an assassin. How frightening! To think that there is such a warrior in this world.”

Yu Suhwan clenched his fist.

Unbeknownst to him, his palms were already drenched in sweat.

That’s how shocking Pyo-wol’s martial arts were, now that he saw them in person.

In his entire life, only two people had given him such a strong shock.

One was his master, Jeon Mu-ok, and the other was Dok Gohyang.

And now, added to that list was Pyo-wol.

Although they shocked him in different ways, it was true that Yu Suhwan’s values were shaken to the core because of them.

At that moment, So Gyeoksan spoke bluntly,

“This is not the time for leisurely sentimentality. If we stay here like this, we’ll all burn to death.”

Because of Gu Ja-hwang’s madness, the entire underground space was filled with blazing flames and thick smoke.

It was clear that if they stay here any longer, they would either suffocate or burn to death.

In fact, all of Gu Ja-hwang’s subordinates who could not escape the flames were already burned to death.

Pyo-wol looked around and said,

“It’s already too late to escape.”

The flames were a problem, but more than that, the greatest obstacle was the thick, black smoke. If they inhaled the high-temperature smoke, their lungs would melt, and they would die instantly.

The black smoke filled the vertical hole, the only passage leading to the outside. It would take a considerable amount of time for that smoke to clear.

If Pyo-wol was alone, he might be able to hold his breath and escape somehow, but it was impossible to get out while taking others with him.

“So, what should we do?”

“All we can do is lock the iron door and wait until all the smoke is gone.”

Pyo-wol looked at the tunnel where Hong Yushin and others had been confined.

There was a huge iron gate at the entrance of the tunnel.

If they close the iron gate, they could at least avoid the flames and smoke.

Hong Yushin agreed with Pyo-wol’s opinion.

“There are still people in there who haven’t managed to get out. We need to save them as well. I will follow Master Pyo-wol’s decision.”

“There’s no other choice.”

“Darn it!”

In the end, the other two had no choice but to follow Pyo-wol’s opinion.

The four of them re-entered the tunnel.

“Argh!”

“Save us!”

As they felt the presence outside, the people trapped inside the iron door cried out.

They also realized that something had happened in the underground cavity.

As they entered the tunnel, Pyo-wol closed the iron door.

Thud!

With a dull sound, the iron gate slammed shut, and darkness descended.

* * *

Black smoke billowed out of the vertical cave.

“What the hell?”

“What’s going on?”

The martial artists guarding the entrance of the Prison of No Return had puzzled expressions on their faces.

Black smoke suddenly started to flow out without any warning.

They had heard stories about smoke being emitted like this before a volcano erupts. But this was Mount Longhu.

It was not a volcano.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason for black smoke being emitted like this.

Something had happened inside the Prison of No Return.

“Quickly lower the basket! We need to save the people inside!”

“Unravel the rope!”

It was then.

“Cut the rope.”

A voice as cold as ice stopped the guards in their tracks.

“What?”

The martial artists who were preparing to lower the basket cautiously turned around.

A strange man wearing a crimson martial arts robes came into their view.

He had long, disheveled hair, and a beard that covers up both his face and chest.

All that could be seen on his face were his two eerie eyes and nose.

For a moment, the martial artists froze.

‘The Ten Thousand Man Slayer!’

They instantly recognized the identity of the strange man.

The monster who had killed the most people in the entire world.

He was given the nickname, Ten Thousand Man Slayer, because he was said to have killed ten thousand people.

Although he hadn’t really killed ten thousand people, it was certain that countless people had died at his hands.

As the Ten Thousand Man Slayer approached, the martial artists carefully stepped aside.

The guards sensed the smell of death emanating from Ten Thousand Man Slayer. His scent instilled fear even to his fellow allies.

The Ten Thousand Man Slayer walked leisurely down the vertical passage.

Sniff, sniff!

He smelled the thick black smoke gushing out of the vertical hole.

He frowned and said,

“The fuel that caught fire is no ordinary oil.”

“Yes! It’s a specially formulated oil that produces intense heat even with a small amount. Once it catches fire, it doesn’t extinguish easily.”

“How much fuel is inside?”

“There are twenty barrels in all.”

“How long will that amount burn?”

“It will burn for at least twenty days without going out.”

“Twenty days?”

The Ten Thousand Man Slayer frowned.

He had never heard of a fire burning for more than twenty days in his life. However, he thought that the Kowloon Assassin Guild was capable enough to create such a precious artifact.

“Looks like I’m late. No wonder why that old Gu asked for help.”

When he received Gu Ja-hwang’s letter, the Ten Thousand Man Slayer couldn’t immediately respond due to his own circumstances.

No matter how urgent it was, there was something he absolutely had to take care of.

Above all, he trusted Gu Ja-hwang.

He may have a nasty temperament, but he was definitely a man deserving of that.

The Golden Mighty Blood Demon Technique that Gu Ja-hwang had cultivated was a martial art technique that even the Ten Thousand Man Slayer was reluctant to face.

Because their martial arts were incompatible.

The martial art of the Ten Thousand Man Slayer maximized destructive power.

Gu Ja-hwang’s body, on the other hand, was the most robust in the world. It was impossible to land a blow in a single attempt.

Even for Ten Thousand Man Slayer, knocking Gu Ja-hwang down would require substantial effort. Therefore, he highly regarded Gu Ja-hwang.

He thought that no matter what enemy invaded or what problem occurred, Gu Ja-hwang could hold on until he arrived. However, contrary to his calculation, it seemed that the enemy who had intruded was more than Gu Ja-hwang could handle.

Otherwise, Gu Ja-hwang would not have stood by while the oil barrels caught on fire.

“Is he aiming for mutual destruction?”

The eyes of the Ten Thousand Man Slayer narrowed.

If a high-level martial artist like Gu Ja-hwang aimed for mutual destruction, it was clear that he faced an extraordinary opponent.

The Ten Thousand Man Slayer wanted to see the face of the person who killed Gu Ja-hwang himself. But going down the vertical cave in this situation was nothing short of suicidal for him as well.

He gave a cruel order.

“Cut the rope and seal the entrance.”

“But inside–”

“Do you think anyone could survive in that inferno? They must all be dead. Seal the entrance and erase all traces.”

“U, Understood.”

The warriors responded with helpless expressions.

The men inside were no different from their brothers. The fact that they had to sever their only lifeline with their own hands pained them, but they had no choice.

Snap!

The rope attached to the basket was cut off.

What the warriors had prepared next was dynamite.

They intended to completely collapse the entrance with dynamite.

It was something they had prepared since the Prison of No Return was built here.

The dynamites were meant to completely bury all evidence of the prison in case the secret were to be leaked out. They all had hoped they would never have to use it, but now was the time.

The warriors who had set up the dynamite looked at the Ten Thousand Man Slayer.

The Ten Thousand Man Slayer nodded his head.

“Detonate it!”

“Yes!”

The men replied as they set off the dynamites.

Boom boom boom!

With a loud explosion, the entrance collapsed.

The dark smoke that had been billowing out abruptly stopped. The entrance was completely sealed.

There was no way to climb the vertical cave, and even the entrance was buried.

There was no way for those trapped inside to get out. Even if there were survivors, they would either starve to death or suffocate in the flames.

The Ten Thousand Man Slayer gave an order to the warriors.

“Clear this place and evacuate.”

“Understood.”

“Remember. All evidence related to us must be thoroughly erased.”

“Yes!”

The warriors began to move busily in response.

Their hands erased all traces of the Prison of No Return ever existing on Mount Longhu.

As the Ten Thousand Man Slayer watched the scene, he muttered to himself,

“Who on earth could it be?”

The Prison of No Return was located in the most perfectly isolated place in the world.

Even if someone discovered the existence of the Prison of No Return, it would be impossible to sneak in.

Even the Ten Thousand Man Slayer himself would rather have chosen a frontal assault, since he did not have the confidence to infiltrate secretly without anyone noticing.

Judging by the reaction of the warriors guarding here, they too seemed to have no idea who infiltrated and what happened inside the Prison of No Return.

That meant that the infiltrator had snuck into the Prison of No Return without them knowing.

“Is there such a person in the world?”

Suddenly, a man’s name popped into his mind.

“The Reaper, if it’s him, it might be possible…”

If he was as great of an assassin as he was rumored to be, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to sneak into the Prison of No Return.

“If it’s really him, then I’ve caught a big fish! Hahaha!”

The Ten Thousand Man Slayer burst into laughter.

There was only one entrance to the Prison of No Return.

As long as the entrance was buried with dynamite, it was impossible to escape from inside.

“Whether it’s the Reaper or someone else, it doesn’t matter. Once they are trapped in there, they will never be able to get out.”

The rocks blocking the entrance formed a huge mound.

It would be impossible for any warrior to break through and come out of here. However, the Ten Thousand Man Slayer never let his guard down.

He set up a temporary seat on the spot and guarded the entrance of the Prison of No Return.

It was only a month later when the Ten Thousand Man Slayer left the Prison of No Return.

“He’s dead.”

* * *

Luxi River1 was a large river that circled Mount Longhu.

The river was clear and deep, with no strong currents, so fishermen who lived near the area would float their rafts to catch fish.

The scenery of Mount Longhu as viewed from Luxi River was truly picturesque, resulting in many poets and visitors coming to witness it out.

However, on this day, there were no fishermen or people who came to enjoy the scenery.

This was due to the fact that the weather had been bad since the morning, raining heavily all day.

From the cliffs connected to Luxi River, rainwater poured down like a waterfall. Because of this, the usually placid waters of Luxi River flowed as ferociously as a raging bull.

Launching a raft on such a day was nothing short of a suicide attempt, so people refrained from even approaching the Luxi River.

Kwakwakwa!

The towering cliffs turned into a gigantic waterfall, gushing out an enormous volume of water. However, not all of the cliffs were wet.

Bizarrely enough, not a single droplet of water fell on a deeply indented area at the bottom of the cliff.

At the bottom of the indented cliff, There was a tiny hole, just large enough to fit a finger. Something seemed to wriggle in the hole, and soon enough, a figure emerged.

It was a tiny snake, about the thickness of a child’s finger.

Its scales were strangely a burning red color.

The snake stuck its head out, looked left and right, and then slithered out completely.

Pfssss!

Immediately afterward, the hole it came out of crumbled like sand, and a hand popped out, followed by a face and shoulders covered in dirt.

“Hoo!”

The man knelt on the ground, taking in ragged breaths.

The red snake slithered up the man’s arm and coiled itself.

The man, after catching his breath for a moment, washed his face and hair in the cascading waterfall.

As the dirt washed away, his true appearance was revealed.

There was only one man in all the world with such pure white skin and a beautiful face.

Pyo-wol.

He had finally come out of the world.

And, he wasn’t the only one to have made it out.

“Heua!”

“I, Is it the outside?”

“We survived.”

Following him, a dozen men were emerging from the narrow cave.

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

Thank you for reading!

Luxi River. Raws: 노계하(瀘溪河). 瀘 lú – old name of a river in Jiangxi / place name 溪 xī – creek / rivulet 河 hé – river