Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

A heavy silence weighed on the room. Despite the exquisite refreshments and tea laid out on the long table, no one dared to touch them.

The Patriarch Namgung Cheon sat at the head of the table, while the Former Patriarch Namgung Jaehak, several Elders, the commanders of the martial units, and the Chief Steward filled the rows next to him.

The three sons of Namgung Cheon were also in attendance, and since most of the Namgung Clan’s core figures were here, the eldest and second sons stiffened, their faces taut as they struggled to maintain perfect posture.

Only Namgung Su remained as expressionless as ever, no different from his usual self.

After a lengthy silence, Namgung Cheon asked, "In the end, even you failed to identify the intruder?"

"I never saw their face. They fled while showering me with blinding lightning, and when I finally caught up, they disintegrated into dust and vanished," Namgung Jaehak replied politely. Although he was the Former Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, he always addressed the current Patriarch with proper formality on official occasions.

"Do you think they used evil arts?" the Heavenly Wind Commander asked.

Namgung Jaehak paused for a moment to consider the possibility, then replied, "I cannot say for certain if it was evil arts, but it was definitely sorcery. Extremely high-level sorcery, at that."

For someone to shake off the Blue Sky Sword King and escape, they had to be a sorcerer of extraordinary skill.

One of the Elders said gravely, "There are only a few sorcerers in this world with such ability. The Sect Leader of the Mount Mao Sect, the Dark Heaven Goddess of the Black Tortoise Academy, the remnants of the Quanzhen Sect that was annihilated years ago, or…"

"…The Blood Cult," Namgung Cheon whispered.

Silence fell over the room. The Blood Cult. That name alone carried a weight that pressed down on their chests, and the older the martial artists were, the grimmer their faces grew.

Paying no heed to the suffocating tension, Namgung Cheon continued, "I'm sure you're all aware that a group suspected to be the Blood Cult has been causing some unrest here and there lately. I wouldn't be surprised if they were also behind this incident."

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The truth was, he had convened this family meeting precisely because he suspected a connection between this incident and the Blood Cult. Even though it was the worst possibility he could think of right now, the chances of his speculation turning out to be true weren't small.

"Are you suggesting that someone from the Blood Cult infiltrated our estate?"

"If that's the case, this is no small matter."

"What could their objective be?"

"Are you sure the Blood Cult is involved? That seems like a hasty conclusion…"

The Elders and the heads of the martial units started chattering all at once, each offering their own view.

Meanwhile, Namgung Jaehak quietly sipped his tea, lost in thought.

The Blood Cult… is it really them?

He recalled the Yin Yang Demon Lord buried beneath the sealed well. Although twenty years had gone by, he could still clearly recall the demonic elder's face as the man coughed up blood and spat curses at him.

"Sword King, do you think this is the end? One day, the descendants of our Cult will come to destroy the Namgung Clan."

"I'm not afraid. By then, the Namgung Clan will have become the world's most powerful martial family."

"Fufufu… Indeed, crashing down from the highest point would be more interesting, wouldn't it? I'll be watching you from hell…"

"Demon Lord, do not provoke me further. I'm only granting you this final moment of mercy because of our old ties."

"Ufufufu…"

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Knowing that the Yin Yang Demon Lord would soon die anyway, he had turned and left without delivering the final blow.

Now, two decades after that day, events were unfolding exactly as the Yin Yang Demon Lord had foretold. The Namgung Clan had grown into the world's mightiest clan, while the Blood Cult was showing signs of resurgence.

Even if the Blood Cult rises again… I will not allow them to topple the Namgung Clan!

On that fateful day, Namgung Jaehak had single-handedly wiped out the remnants of the Blood Cult in the secret cavern, destroyed all records of their dealings, and forced those in the know to swear to secrecy.

After that, he had passed the position of Patriarch to his son.

In other words, the current Patriarch Namgung Cheon knew nothing about the clan's connection to the Blood Cult.

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I will carry that filthy past with me to the grave alone. You children need only enjoy the glory.

Namgung Jaehak looked around at his son, the current Patriarch, and his grown-up grandsons with a pleased expression. Even though he had killed innocent children to keep the secret, he felt no regret.

Everything I did, I did for the sake of the Namgung Clan.

Sweeping his gaze across everyone present, Namgung Jaehak said firmly, "It doesn't matter even if they're from the Blood Cult. If those bugs dare to crawl out, we will simply sweep them away as the leader of the orthodox murim."

The Elders and Commanders nodded with pride. They were members of the great Namgung Clan. If war broke out with the Blood Cult again, they would be the first to enter the fray, hoisting the banner of the world's greatest martial family up high as the Blue Sky Sword King led them to crush the vile Blood Cultists.

"The Former Patriarch is right!"

"This time, we will erase the Blood Cult completely!"

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"We must never shy away from bloodshed if it brings peace to murim!"

With passionate looks and raised voices, the Namgung Clan leaders demanded the Blood Cult's destruction.

The Blue Sky Sword King nodded approvingly at the Namgung Clan's soaring morale.

Blood Cult, this time I will annihilate you without a trace.

To do that, the first priority was to catch yesterday's intruder.

A single name drifted into Namgung Jaehak's thoughts.

That punk Baek Suryong is suspicious.

At first, he thought the intruder who broke into the Heavenly Ears Headquarters was Baek Suryong, but it turned out to be a sorcerer instead. Even so, his doubts about Baek Suryong remained.

Once this meeting ends, I need to find him and question him, even if I have to resort to a bit of force…

Considering how powerful Baek Suryong's martial arts were for his age, and how he ruthlessly used any means necessary to achieve his goals, he felt too brazen for someone from an orthodox sect. Most importantly, the brief glimpse of the young instructor's martial arts that he had seen during the Azure Dragon Academy entrance exam kept nagging at him.

Back then, I definitely sensed something familiar about Baek Suryong…

"First thing first, we should track down the intruder," Namgung Cheon declared, snapping Namgung Jaehak out of his thoughts. "Sorcery always leaves a trail. Fortunately, our guest, the Erudite Sage, is quite knowledgeable in such arts, so we should start by consulting him…"

"BLEARGH!"

Suddenly, the sound of someone vomiting could be heard from outside the meeting room.

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Namgung Cheon paused mid-sentence and looked toward the door. "What's going on outside?"

All of those present were expert martial artists, so they had all heard someone outside retching. Some cast reproachful glances at the Heavenly Wind Commander.

"Ahem! What's with all this noise?" the Heavenly Wind Commander barked, cheeks burning with shame. As the one in charge of security, this disruption was a blow to his pride.

Which idiot puked while on duty? I'll punish…!

"C-Commander! You need to come out now! The First Squad Leader suddenly…"

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"What about the First Squad Leader?"

"KEUUAAAAAH!"

A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, causing everyone to flinch.

BAM!

Flinging the door open with such force that it almost broke, Namgung Jaehak and Namgung Cheon activated their movement arts and rushed outside in perfect sync… only to come face-to-face with a ghastly sight.

"W-What… is this madness?"

"Ugh!"

There was blood splattered all over the place. The Second Squad Leader's lifeless body lay on the ground, his head severed from his shoulders. Nearby, several members of the Heavenly Wind Corps had collapsed, their limbs riddled with deep, gruesome wounds.

"Fufufu…"

Despite being encircled by more than ten swordsmen, a man with disheveled hair drenched in blood cackled sinisterly. Although his appearance had changed so drastically that even his closest family members would have a hard time recognizing him, his martial arts uniform revealed that he was none other than the First Squad Captain of the Heavenly Wind Corps.

"GRAAAWR!" he roared like a feral beast, swinging his sword wildly and sending waves of sword qi slicing through the air.

The Heavenly Wind swordsmen surrounding him quickly attacked him in unison, but never mind subduing him, they could barely hold him back.

Seeing this, the Namgung Clan leaders who followed the Patriarch and Former Patriarch out of the meeting room were dumbfounded.

"W-What in the world?"

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"Is that really the First Squad Captain?"

"That's a demonic art, right…? The First Squad Captain of the Heavenly Wind Corps learned a demonic art?"

"Impossible! Myeongjung! Explain yourself! Why are you in such a state?"

The Namgung Clan was a martial faction made up of blood relatives, and most of its leaders were direct or near-direct descendants. To those here, the First Squad Captain was a close relative, perhaps even a beloved son, brother, or nephew. They could not kill him recklessly.

"…Restrain him for now," Namgung Cheon commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

The Heavenly Wind Corps Commander joined the fray, and after dozens of exchanges, he and his subordinates finally managed to capture the First Squad Captain without killing him.

"KEUAAAAAK!"

Even with his acupoints sealed, the First Squad Captain of the Heavenly Wind Corps still thrashed around like a beast, making everyone watching him sick to their stomachs.

Only Namgung Jaehak kept his gaze fixed on the lifeless bodies of his young descendants, his eyes vacant and hollow. "Why is this happening…?" he muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, the Namgung Clan's nightmare was only just beginning.

"GRRRAAAAH!"

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"EUAAAAAAK!"

"KYAAAAAGH!"

A deafening cacophony of anguished screams and bestial howls echoed throughout the Namgung Estate. The wind carried a thick stench of blood. Flames rose from some of the buildings. All around the estate, people were dying.

The heightened senses of the Namgung Clan leaders allowed them to feel every detail with terrifying clarity.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Namgung Jaehak's face paled in horror. Despite being a supreme master who stood at the pinnacle of the murim, there was no way he could remain calm in the face of this calamity befalling his family.

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"Stop them! We must stop them! Commanders! Lead your troops to restore order! Elders, please assist them!" he bellowed.

"Yes, sir!"

SWISH! SWOOSH! WHOOSH!

The Namgung Clan's leaders immediately scattered in all directions to quell the sudden disaster.

"I'll go to the new instructors," Namgung Su volunteered, making a beeline toward the new instructors' dorms while his brothers panicked and scurried about like headless chickens.

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In the end, only Namgung Jaehak and Namgung Cheon remained behind at the initial scene.

"Which bastard dares do this?! I will catch them and grind their bones to dust!" Namgung Jaehak roared, mad with fury.

Namgung Cheon asked grimly, "Father, do you know anything about this?"

"What? Why are you asking me that? If I knew anything, don't you think I would have said it already?"

"Father… Do you know why I suspected the intruder to be from the Blood Cult?" Namgung Cheon said through gritted teeth, his resolve firm. Just as he was about to reveal something crucial, however, his conversation with his father was cut short by an ambush.

SHWAAA!

A thrown projectile zipped toward Namgung Jaehak's heart at a speed that not even he, the Blue Sky Sword King and one of the Ten Supremes, dared to overlook.

Startled, Namgung Jaehak whipped out his sword and deflected it.

SQUELCH!

With a sickening sound, the object split in two, then crashed and rolled across the ground.

Namgung Jaehak looked down at the object he had just struck. It was a severed human head, its face frozen in a terrified expression. To his abject horror, he recognized that face.

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"Azure Sky Brigade Commander!" he gasped, horrified.

The commander of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade had remained at the peak of Mount Tianzhu to prepare the next day's practical lessons. Who had killed him?

"Long time no see, Sword King old man," a playful voice rang out from above.

SHAAAA…

A curtain of inky darkness stretched across the night sky, blotting out the moon and stars.

STEP… STEP…

A young man leisurely strode out from the darkness. He was a pretty boy with half-black and half-white hair loosely tied in a ponytail, giving him a mysterious charm.

"You…!" Namgung Jaehak's eyes widened as he glared at the newcomer. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he braced himself to attack at a moment's notice.

This was an enemy worthy of such vigilance. He was the leader of the Ten Great Villains, the strongest among the Three Blights, and a man with many aliases: the Heavenly Blight, the Sage of the Unorthodox, and…

"The Night Emperor…" Namgung Cheon muttered, drawing his blade.

BOOOOOM!

A massive explosion thundered from somewhere deep in the Namgung Estate, behind the Night Emperor.

"Night Emperor! Are you the mastermind behind this madness?" Namgung Jaehak snarled.

The Night Emperor raised his hand, causing the surrounding darkness to undulate as if it were alive. "No, and I only joined in for my own reasons… but I do know that this is your retribution for all the bad karma you've accumulated," he sneered.

The Blue Sky Sword King's blade flashed toward the villain's throat.

Translator's Note: Welcome to the Namgung Zombie Apocalypse, you commenters were right. Maybe I can squeeze out one more chapter… one with a worse cliffhanger… kukuku…