Chapter 63

A small boat was silently approaching the island.

The men on board were all masked.

There were young men and old men with graying eyebrows. Their martial attire was yellow, with dragons and phoenixes embroidered on them. It was the same attire as the instructors on the island.

But they were not instructors. The eyes visible through the masks were incredibly cruel and filled with a dark murderous intent.

A man stood alone at the bow of the boat, arms crossed.

With his disheveled hair flying in the wind, he exuded an extraordinary presence. He had an aura that could only be described as a mass of murderous intent.

He was Yin Demon Insect, known as The most lecherous devil.

Yin Demon Insect was a truly cruel and heinous figure.

After the Orthodox-Demonic War, he emerged into Jianghu and gained great notoriety, having raped countless women. Many masters of the orthodox faction tried to capture him, but they were repeatedly defeated. This was because they underestimated him as a lecher. He was a master of unparalleled skill before he was a lecher. His whereabouts had been scarce recently, but he had revealed himself here today.

He stared at the island with cold eyes.

One of the masked men behind him gave a brief report.

"We will arrive in one round."

The man nodded slightly and turned to look back.

"Are you ready?"

A unified answer of 'Yes' flowed out.

The boat slowly approached the land.

At that moment, someone appeared on the rocks.

As he lowered his pants to urinate, an instructor noticed a boat quietly approaching.

The moment his eyes met the man standing at the bow, the instructor felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

Instinctively, the startled instructor turned and ran. His legs caught on his pants, which he hadn't fully pulled up, causing him to stumble. He pulled up his pants as he ran.

Meanwhile, Yin Demon Insect kicked off the deck and soared into the air. His figure flew through the air and landed on the shore.

After three leaps, his figure was right behind the fleeing instructor.

The instructor turned and unleashed a double palm strike.

Swaeeeeek!

It was an incredibly powerful attack.

Whooooosh.

Yin Demon Insect waved his left hand. An enormous Strong Energy poured out from his hand. The Strong Energy dissipated the instructor's attack and continued forward.

"Kuaek!"

The instructor, struck in the chest by the Strong Energy, coughed up blood and collapsed.

The man picked up the fallen instructor.

Crack.

The instructor's neck twisted, and he fell to the ground.

Following him, the masked men flew down to the shore.

Yin Demon Insect licked his lips and looked up at the sky.

"The weather is good."

They thought it was a single path, but there were many paths.

The forest was much larger than they had expected, and the Dragon Phoenix naturally split into three groups.

Jeok Leegeon and his group chose the path that the other two groups had not taken.

"As the saying goes, exploring uncharted and rugged terrain is what gives a journey great meaning."

Jeok Leegeon chattered on, but Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) and Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) did not respond.

Well, I guess I have to do it myself.

"When did you start traveling?"

"Since I was ten."

"That's young."

"That's when I completed one of my Martial arts."

I'm afraid to even ask what kind of answer he'll give.

"Anyway, they only allowed me to travel when I was able to protect myself."

"If you've been traveling since you were ten, you must have traveled to many places."

"There's hardly anywhere I haven't been."

"That must have been nice."

Jeong Charyeon was genuinely envious. She thought that the amazing things Jeok Leegeon sometimes showed were all from his travel experiences.

"But that friend over there looks old, doesn't he?"

Jeok Leegeon said, looking at Cheol-sin (Iron Trust).

Oh! That's rude.

In fact, he looked at least thirty years old.

"Are you hiding your age?"

Jeok Leegeon questioned him with suspicious eyes.

Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) didn't say anything. He was a very taciturn man.

Instead, Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) answered.

"He's twenty years old this year."

"Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Jeong Charyeon poked Jeok Leegeon in the side to stop him.

"He needs to know that he looks old. It's not right to keep it a secret. Friendship isn't just about saying nice things like sycophants."

You need to know too! How many annoying things you say!

As they chatted and moved forward, they arrived at the first mechanism.

In front of them was a single log bridge.

It was a place where they had dug a pit in the ground to make it look like a cliff. Of course, the depth wasn't enough to kill them if they fell. The problem was that falling meant elimination.

"They said there would be an instructor, where is he?"

Jeok Leegeon looked around.

"He's probably hiding."

At Jeong Charyeon's words, Jeok Leegeon scratched his cheek.

"I have a strange feeling."

"Why?"

"I don't feel anyone's presence around here."

Hearing those words, the surroundings felt eerie.

Why is it so scary?

"Instead of that, think about how we're going to get across."

"What's there to think about? Just go across."

Jeong Charyeon was surprised and grabbed him as he tried to step forward.

"No!"

Jeok Leegeon grinned.

"Oh! Are you worried about me?"

I should just push him off right now.

Jeong Charyeon held onto Jeok Leegeon's sleeve tightly and asked Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) and Cheol-sin (Iron Trust), who were behind them.

"What do you think?"

Then Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) stepped forward.

Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) carefully looked around. Soon, Cheol-sin (Iron Trust), who was looking at the log and the surrounding trees, found something and pointed his finger.

Something was installed on the branch of the tree he was pointing at. It was hidden by the leaves so that it was difficult to see unless you looked closely.

There were four such mechanisms on the trees around them.

"Arrows will be fired when we walk to the middle."

At Cheol-sin (Iron Trust)'s words, Jeok Leegeon exclaimed.

"Wow, amazing? Good observation skills, calm too. Manor Lord Hwa would really like you, wouldn't she?"

Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) briefly sent a look asking who Manor Lord Hwa was, then went back to stand next to Heuk-hwa (Black Flower).

"Who wants to go first?"

At Jeok Leegeon's words, Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) stepped forward.

"I'll go first."

Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) climbed onto the log. She carefully moved her steps.

Shwik shwik shwik shwik!

As expected, arrows flew when she reached the middle of the bridge.

Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) kicked off into the air. The arrows passed under her feet. A few steps away, Heuk-hwa (Black Flower) landed lightly.

But the arrows didn't stop.

Shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik!

More arrows flew even faster.

"It's dangerous!"

Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) drew his sword and threw himself forward. The situation was so urgent that he had to run.

Tadadadang!

The two stood in opposite directions and deflected the flying arrows.

Shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik!

The number of flying arrows increased even more. It was a number that the two could not handle. It was impossible to dodge by flying through the air because they were pouring in from all directions over a wide area. The two seemed likely to be hit by the arrows at any moment.

"No!"

This time, Jeong Charyeon threw herself forward.

Tadadadang!

Jeong Charyeon deflected several arrows and jumped over the heads of the two. Jeong Charyeon, who jumped down, helped the two by wielding her sword.

Shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik!

Arrows poured down like falling rain. Where on those branches was such a huge amount of arrows hidden?

"What a crazy mechanism!"

Jeong Charyeon shouted, wielding her sword.

It was then. Jeok Leegeon picked up a stone and threw it at the mechanism on the tree.

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

It hit the mechanism accurately, and the mechanism changed direction.

Shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik!

The mechanism continued to fire over a hundred arrows before finally stopping.

Kiiiiiiing.

The sound of the machine stopping echoed unpleasantly.

The three people on the bridge were completely shocked.

What surprised and shocked them the most was not the large number of arrows that had been fired.

"These are real arrows?"

The arrows stuck all around were all real.

"They were really trying to kill us."

If Jeong Charyeon hadn't helped, or if Jeok Leegeon hadn't turned the mechanism, there would definitely have been casualties.

Jeok Leegeon looked down at the sharp arrowheads and said.

"To be precise, not just us. Since we don't know who will come here."

"What does that mean?"

"It was aimed at everyone who came here."

It was at that moment.

"Aaaaaaack!"

A scream was heard from across the forest.

"Let's go!"

Jeok Leegeon and his group hurriedly ran to the place where the scream came from.

"Aaaaaaack!"

The person who had been screaming until they arrived was Ga Yang-hui of the blood king sect. Everyone was staring at one place, without stopping her from screaming.

Sangguan Eok was dead, with blood flowing from his groin and the top of his head.

A Hidden weapon had pierced through his groin and head. It was a truly gruesome sight.

The Dragon Phoenix who were with him were completely stunned.

The gate they were trying to pass through was crossing logs that were connected like stepping stones in a shallow stream. Sangguan Eok, who was crossing at the front, could not avoid the Hidden weapon that popped out from the bottom of the log. No one had even guessed that the Hidden weapon would shoot up so quickly. Moreover, they didn't even think that the Hidden weapon would be for real killing.

Jeong Charyeon hugged Ga Yang-hui and comforted her.

"Uh... uh........."

Ga Yang-hui, who was hugged in Jeong Charyeon's arms, was completely lost. Sangguan Eok was her senior brother.

Jeok Leegeon used a tree branch as chopsticks to pick something up.

The Hidden weapon stained with blood was the one that killed Sangguan Eok.

It was emitting a cool green light.

"It's even coated with poison."

Ga Yang-hui, who saw the Hidden weapon, seemed to realize her senior brother's death again and collapsed, pounding her chest. She couldn't believe the death of her senior brother, who had been taking care of her until just now.

"Uheoeong!"

Jeong Charyeon hugged her and sat down with her. Tears welled up in Jeong Charyeon's eyes. She just felt so pitiful and sorry for her.

"Please, come to your senses, please."

Two of the Dragon Phoenix who were watching turned back the way they came and ran.

"We have to let them know about this!"

They were the heirs of the Sky Way Clan.

After laying the fainted Ga Yang-hui on one side, Jeong Charyeon stood up.

"We have to go back! Something is seriously wrong!"

Then Jeok Leegeon shook his head.

"It's no use."

"What?"

"The mechanism has changed. This island has turned into a huge trap. If someone did this intentionally, they wouldn't have thought about us going back. There's probably the strongest one installed, right?"

Indeed, Jeok Leegeon's words were true.

Soon, the two people from the Sky Way Clan returned with terrified faces.

"An Array Formation has been set up."

Jeong Charyeon asked Jeok Leegeon.

"Can you dismantle the Array Formation?"

Only after asking the question did Jeong Charyeon realize how much she trusted Jeok Leegeon.

Oh my god. Can you dismantle the Array Formation?

Setting up and dismantling Array Formations was something that only Array Formation masters who were proficient in Array Formations could do. I'm talking about old masters with deep eyes and white beards.

Jeok Leegeon shook his head.

"I could get out alone, but..."

He can get out alone?

"Then go out alone. Go and tell them."

Those who were listening had expressions that they couldn't understand. It seemed absurd that Jeong Charyeon believed Jeok Leegeon's words that he could break through the Array Formation if he was alone.

Jeok Leegeon grinned.

"I can't just leave you behind."

"I'm okay."

Jeok Leegeon looked around and said seriously.

"This forest is not okay."

So you're not going because of that? To protect me?

Heuk-hwa (Black Flower), who had been silent until then, said.

"First, we need to find the others. They must be in danger too."

It was a good judgment.

Jeok Leegeon and his group set out to find the others.

Cheol-sin (Iron Trust) carried Ga Yang-hui, who had not regained consciousness, and moved.

How long had they walked?

"Was the forest this big?"

"It's not because it's big."

"Then?"

"It's made into a maze. Designing it as a maze has the effect of making it look several times bigger."

As they wandered through the forest, they met another group in front of another gate.

A group of Dragon Phoenix were standing in front of a large iron gate.

They were the heirs of the Four Hegemons, including Im Ha-gi.

When Im Ha-gi saw Jeok Leegeon's group, he approached them happily. Of course, it was because of Jeong Charyeon.

Jeong Charyeon pretended not to see Im Ha-gi and approached Sa Ma-yeong.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes? What do you mean?"

Rather, Jeong Charyeon was the one who was embarrassed.

"Didn't you experience anything?"

"No. We safely passed the first gate, and this is the second gate."

Sa Ma-yeong was surprised to see Ga Yang-hui, who was covered in tears.

"What happened?"

"There was an accident. No, it's not an accident. Someone deliberately changed the mechanism. To kill us."

Then Jang In-geol scoffed.

Then Jang In-geol scoffed.

"Humph! You must have been defeated because you didn't have the skills."

That damn bastard, I should have made him cross that place alone earlier.

Jeong Charyeon ignored Jang In-geol's words and said quietly.

"Sohyeop Sangguan is dead."

Everyone's faces changed at the news that Sangguan Eok was dead.

Jang In-geol was embarrassed, perhaps feeling guilty. But soon he spat out harsh words.

"He should have been more careful."

At those words, Ga Yang-hui's eyes rolled back.

"You crazy bastard!"

Jeong Charyeon and Sa Ma-yeong rushed to stop her as she drew her sword and tried to attack.

Jang In-geol scoffed.

Yang Suchang, who was not on good terms with him, gave Jang In-geol a warning look.

Jang In-geol frowned and turned away from him.

'Just you wait. The moment I get a chance, you're dead!'

He hardened his heart once again.

Im Ha-gi was nonchalant even after hearing that there had been an accident. Although he didn't express it, Im Ha-gi had the same thought as Jang In-geol. He thought that they must have had an accident because their Martial arts were weak. Moreover, they had safely passed the first gate.

"We will continue to move forward."

The decision-makers were Im Ha-gi and Yang Suchang. No one had any complaints about it.

"What should we do?"

Jeong Charyeon asked Jeok Leegeon.

"We can't go back anyway. We have to go together."

Even as she nodded, Jeong Charyeon couldn't shake off her fear.

Then Jeok Leegeon tilted his head.

"But it's strange. Why weren't they attacked at the first gate?"

Now that he mentioned it, it was strange.

Jeok Leegeon looked at them with meaningful eyes and said.

"Among them..."

He didn't say the rest. But Jeong Charyeon guessed what Jeok Leegeon meant. He meant that there might be someone among them who was involved in this.

Jeong Charyeon trembled in surprise. If that was the case, it was a really scary thing.

Jeong Charyeon slowly looked at the people she had just met.

They were Im Ha-gi of the Northern Sky Hegemon Clan and Sa Ma-yeong of the Sima Clan, Yang Suchang of the Shoutern Mountains Alliance and Seol Byeokhwa of Green Water Villa, Sado Pung and Yang Ok-ran of wind cloud city, On Se-cheol of the Black Blade Sect and Min Seol-a of Four Poison Castle, and Jang In-geol and Wan A-yeong, Jang In-hwa and Im Yang-gu, Im Ha-gi's younger brother.

Could the person behind this be among them?

Jeong Charyeon looked at Jeok Leegeon's expression. Jeok Leegeon's serious expression as he stared at them clearly showed that he was convinced of it.

Im Ha-gi slowly opened the iron gate.

Kiiiiieeeek.

The iron gate opened with a sound.

Everyone stepped inside. It was a space like a box made of iron on all sides.

As they all went inside, the door closed automatically.

As the door closed, the light-emitting objects attached to the wall illuminated all sides.

"Oh, amazing."

Jeok Leegeon looked around and exclaimed.

"Oh! I should ask them to make something like this for me later."

Then Jang In-geol shouted.

"Shut up. Do you think the current situation is a joke?"

"You're too uptight."

"You bastard!"

Jeok Leegeon scurried over to Seol Byeokhwa.

"Was that the guy who said you were just pretty and empty-headed, Miss?"

Seol Byeokhwa frowned and scowled. She didn't want to bring up that story again in front of so many people.

Everyone sent interesting glances, and Jang In-geol was embarrassed. Yang Suchang's expression was distorted again. He didn't want to clash with him again.

Jang In-geol's face turned red at the sight of Jeok Leegeon sticking out his tongue at him with a spiteful look.

"You crazy bastard! You're really going to wake up when your coffin is opened!"

Just as he was contemplating whether to run over and attack him,

Im Ha-gi shushed everyone and drew their attention.

Everyone watched Im Ha-gi. Im Ha-gi's ears perked up.

"Don't you hear something?"

Everyone quietly listened.

Saaaaaaa.

Indeed, there was a sound.

"It sounds like water!"

Everyone nodded and agreed with Sa Ma-yeong's words.

The sound was getting louder and louder. Everyone was nervous.

It was then.

Clang.

Holes the size of adult heads opened on all sides. At the same time, water poured into them.

Swish!

"Uwaaa!"

Everyone was startled and flustered.

The water quickly rose from their ankles to their thighs.

Im Ha-gi said quickly.

"Find the walls, quickly. There must be a device to open a door somewhere."

The Dragon Phoenix scattered in all directions, groping the walls. It was truly an unexpected mechanism.

Gush, gush, gush!

The amount of water pouring in increased even more.

"I, I can't swim!"

Seol Byeokhwa turned pale.

Most Rising Stars from prestigious families learned to swim as a mandatory skill from a young age. However, Seol Byeokhwa had almost drowned as a child and had been terrified of water ever since.

Even now, her face was deathly pale, and she looked like she was about to lose consciousness.

"H, help me!"

Seol Byeokhwa approached Yang Suchang as if she would cling to him at any moment, but Yang Suchang instinctively took a step back.

In that instant, Seol Byeokhwa's expression changed.

Realizing his mistake, Yang Suchang said defensively.

"I'm not comfortable in the water either. So..."

Seol Byeokhwa turned away without listening to the end. He retreated when she asked for help? It was truly an absurd thing to happen in her life. How many men had sworn to risk their lives for her until now? And yet, he dared! She felt truly wretched and disgusted.

Yang Suchang was angry in his own way. To save someone who has fallen into water, you have to knock them unconscious first. Did she not know how terrifying it was to have someone thrashing around in the water?

He could take a step back, couldn't he? To show such an attitude over something so trivial.

Meanwhile, the water had risen to their waists.

"There's no device no matter how much I look!Everyone was so surprised and flustered that they didn't have the composure to pay attention to the two people's argument.

Seol Byeokhwa looked like she was about to collapse at any moment.

She didn't ask anyone for help because of her pride, but she was now at her limit.

It felt like someone was pulling her leg from below.

Glug.

Her foot slipped, and she swallowed a mouthful of water.

Seol Byeokhwa was on the verge of losing consciousness. It was then. Someone grabbed her from both sides.

"Relax. Don't panic."

"It's okay. Grab my arm."

It was Jeok Leegeon and Jeong Charyeon. As the two held her hands from either side, her body, which had been about to convulse, calmed down a little.

"How can a pretty woman like you die from drowning?"

Normally, she would have slapped him, but now she grabbed Jeok Leegeon's arm even more tightly. She didn't dislike being called a pretty woman.

Jeong Charyeon smiled and said.

"I understand. He's always like that."

Seol Byeokhwa bit her lip. She was still displeased that Jeong Charyeon's beauty was being compared to hers simply because of the Unrivaled Beauty of the Murim title.

But at least for this moment, she was grateful to Jeong Charyeon.