Chapter 121

The Gui Lang Sect . ’

(T/N: literally translates to Werewolf Sect)

He recalled the name of the sect that the innkeeper mentioned before he died . The faction that dominated this area . It seemed to be a Heretical faction, but he had never heard of it in his previous life . According to the raids, their abilities weren’t that great, but their Lycanthrope bodies helped elevate them regardless of their martial arts level .

“How much longer will you keep going?”

At the end of the town . Lee Sungmin asked with his spear pointed down . In front of Lee Sungmin, lay a Lycanthrope with both legs broken . He looked up at Lee Sungmin through ragged breaths, and Lee Sungmin asked again, guarding against the snowy breeze casually .

“If you didn’t keep coming at me, I would have no intention of fighting you . So why don’t we stop here?”

“Bullshit,” The man spat out, “I’ve been humiliated like this, and you want me to quit now? Nonsense!”

“You were the one who attacked first . ”

“You disrupted the town we govern . ”

Lee Sungmin laughed, feeling dumbfounded at that remark . Disruption? Did he do something that could be called disruption? Would it be better if he just got poisoned and died quietly?

“We never forget our grudges . Even if you leave this place, the Gui Lang Sect will chase you down and kill you . This is the territory of the Wolves… ”

Lee Sungmin didn’t bother to listen any further . He hit the hilt of his lowered spear with his hand . Peuk! The piled-up snow turned red . After confirming that the man had died, Lee Sungmin moved forward again .

“It will be night soon,” Rubia advised . “Vampires and Lycanthropes are the most loved by the night amongst all non-human beings . ”

[Their strength is greatest at night . ]

Heoju added in a deep voice .

[People who become monsters, are favored by the night and the moon . They become stronger and more vicious . Was today a full moon?]

“No . ”

[That’s a relief . I think things are going to become quite a hassle . ]

“… I don’t think it’s to that extent? Their skills are far behind Lee Sungmin . It’s not a full moon tonight, and I don’t think they are strong enough to threaten Lee Sungmin . ”

[They weren’t afraid of death . ]

Heoju laughed . Lee Sungmin did not respond . As Lee Sungmin stayed silent, Heoju continued talking .

[Vampires and Lycanthropes act in a strict hierarchy under one Lord . The higher the Lord’s strength, the stronger their subjects are . ]

“… It’s a blood bridge . Also called a clan . ”

[The term is not important . Do you remember why I didn’t recommend becoming a vampire or lycanthrope?]

“I can’t disobey the Lord who turns me . That’s why you didn’t recommend it . I didn’t intend to be one either . ”

[That’s right . The hierarchy of vampires and lycanthropes is absolute . To get out of the Lord’s control, you have to have enough power to completely overwhelm them . But it’s not that easy . As long as you belong to the clan, everything you do would be monitored and exposed to the Lord . ]

Listening to his words, Lee Sungmin recalled the Ghost Blade . At that time, the Black Archmage Kim Jonghyun, who was pursuing Ghost Blade with Lee Sungmin, saw Ghost Blade and said, “His rank is low . ”

Perhaps the Lord who transformed Ghost Blade into a vampire, made it that way to contain him .

[A lord gets involved in blood clans in various places . In particular, ‘loyalty’ is a symbol of their strength . None of the wolves who tried to kill you feared death . It’s not a loyalty borne of fear, but loyalty by virtue of his ‘rank’ . I don’t know what he plans to do, but he’s likely not going to be an easy opponent . ]

After Heoju had said that much, Lee Sungmin also wondered what kind of person the Lord of the Gui Lang Sect was . Lee Sungmin summoned Neville and asked him for information about the clan . While Neville left to collect information, he left the town .

[Don’t go into the mountains . ]

There was a small snowy mountain near the village . He hadn’t intended to go to the mountain even if Heoju had stayed silent . He didn’t know much about Werewolves, but they were a mix of humans and beast . A beast was bound to have an advantage over humans, especially in a place like the mountains .

He went around the mountain . His destination was Travia . Neville re-appeared soon after with his requested information .

The Gui Lang Sect was the heretical sect that dominated the area, and their power was not so great . They had control over the large and small towns, but not Travia and the other northern cities .

The main characteristic of all members of the sect was that they were Werewolves . He heard that the one in charge was a man named Juwon, who rarely engaged in external activities .

That did not mean that there was no information about Juwon .

‘Predator . ’

As he pieced together the tangled up information, Lee Sungmin frowned .

Predator . It was a type of non-human being . A group of monsters at the apex, especially vicious and powerful . Lee Sungmin pressed down on his temple firmly . Let alone rumors, Lee Sungmin was not even aware of their existence in his previous life .

[Your luck is terrible . ]

Heoju murmured . Rubia was also of the same opinion . She was restless with a noticeably pale face .

“… Are they dangerous?”

“Are you really asking that?!”

Rubia shrieked .

“Predators cannot go out in the sun, but they have absolute power in the dark . Surely you’re not saying that Juwon is a Predator…!”

“There was no information that Gui Lang Sect’s master, Juwon, is a Predator . I just said they might be connected . ”

[Predators are dangerous beings . ]

Heoju laughed . Since he looked like he knew something, Lee Sungmin asked him about them . Heoju answered with a smile .

[They live for a long time . They live as long as the extent of their humanity they’ve given up . They existed even 400 years ago . ]

‘… Are you a predator too?’

[Didn’t I tell you? I am an Ajin . The origins of Yokai are diverse . In the case of this elder, I am not a predator since my origin itself was non-human . But I know they are dangerous . ]

“… It’s all because of me . I’m sorry . ”

Rubia murmured with her ears drooping . If they hadn’t entered the town, this wouldn’t have happened . That’s what Rubia seemed to think . However, Lee Sungmin shook his head .

“This area is under Gui Lang’s jurisdiction . Even if we didn’t stop by the town, we would still be met with trouble if we had only passed through this area . ”

“That’s right . ”

A voice came from afar . Lee Sungmin hardened his expression and looked in the direction of the voice . The strong snowstorm blocked his view, and the sound of the wind swallowed up all sounds . Lee Sungmin looked around with his inner sense . He spread it out beyond the whirring wind and the snowstorm .

A man was standing there, wearing a thick fur suit suitable for the weather . Lee Sungmin grabbed his spear silently . The man’s gaze alone conveyed his ferocity .

Juwon . Gui Lang Sect’s Juwon . The man did not introduce himself . However, Lee Sungmin was convinced that the man was Juwon, Gui Lang Sect’s master . Who else could sit at the highest seat of the Gui Lang Sect if not such a monster?

“Even if you didn’t stop by the town, I would have caught the scent of someone as good as you . Although, I have been wondering whether I should touch you or not . So… who are you?”

He was a long distance away, but Lee Sungmin could still hear his voice clearly .

“Lee Sungmin . ”

“It’s a name I’ve heard a lot about… I remember . You’re that Ghost Gun . I am Juwon . ”

Juwon murmured as he shook his head . Unlike his wild eyes, his voice was low, and his speech was quiet . Juwon started walking . In a few steps, he crossed through the snowstorm and reached Lee Sungmin .

“I heard that you are from the Orthodox faction . ”

As strange as it may sound, Juwon looked tired . No, rather, it seemed like he was bored . The wolves that Lee Sungmin had seen until now had bodies that looked strong, but Juwon did not have a very big physique . However, the glint in his drooping eyes contained a ferocity that couldn’t be hidden away .

“Actually, when I think about it, you don’t seem like you belong to the Orthodox faction either . How should I put it… You’re definitely not of the heretical factions . Rather, you seem more like one of the Wandering Sect . ”

Was it the remnants of the Aura of Favourability? Lee Sungmin looked at Juwon thoughtfully as he stroked the spear behind him . Juwon scratched his chin and thought for a moment .

“What do you think I’m thinking now?”

“I don’t know . ”

“I’m thinking about whether or not to kill you . ”

Juwon replied without any change in his expression . Lee Sungmin knew that remark was not a simple threat . That Werewolf, who had already lived hundreds of years as a monster, had powers beyond his comprehension .

[You changed your name . ]

Heoju murmured . The armor vibrated, and Heoju’s power was released, even though Lee Sungmin didn’t ask for it . Juwon frowned as he looked at the soaring ominous force .

“That feels familiar… ”

[Mad Wolf . ]

(T/N: 狂狼 Gwangrang . Same rang as gui lang . lit . mad wolf)

The air was thrumming . Heoju’s call was directed toward Juwon . Juwon shoulders flinched at the name, ‘Mad Wolf’ .

“… Haha!”

He burst into laughter .

“I can’t forget power like that . Heoju . I heard you died 400 years ago… ”

[I was sealed . ]

“Why did you throw away your body to possess a piece of armor?”

[I don’t know where my body is . It may have been dissipated already . ]

“You pitiful bastard . What did you want to say to me?”

Juwon asked with a glint in his eyes .

[I don’t want to engage in a fight . It’s not like we don’t know each other, and this isn’t a big deal either . ]

“So, you want me to just let him go?”

[That’s right . ]

Juwon’s expression turned strange when he heard his reply . He frowned and alternated between looking at Heoju and Lee Sungmin .

“… I guess 400 years is a long time . I never thought I’d hear such words from Heoju…”

[You may refuse if you want to fight . ]

Heoju had set the stage . A long moment passed before Juwon shook his head .

“No . Like you said, it’s not like we’re strangers, so let’s pretend this never happened . A few werewolves died, but it’s not a big loss . ”

Juwon turned away after saying that and disappeared after taking a few steps . Rubia, who was hiding behind Lee Sungmin’s back, couldn’t say anything and exhaled a sigh of relief . Lee Sungmin asked while putting his spear down .

“Would I lose if I fought him?”

[I don’t know just what kind of person is pushing the winds . Juwon… or rather, Mad Wolf is one of the most powerful monsters among lycanthropes . He is a predator . There is nothing you can gain by fighting him . ]

“Haha!”

Lee Sungmin burst into laughter as he listened to Heoju . The Gui Lang Sect . It was a small, medium-sized heretical sect with barely any rumours to their name, and Juwon, their leader, belonged to the predators and was one of the most powerful monsters among the Lycanthropes . It would have been necessary to prepare for death if he wanted to defeat Juwon .

‘Indeed . The world is wide . ’

Lee Sungmin thought . He headed in the direction opposite to Juwon’s path . Despite already being at the highest level of High Peak, there were still a lot of strong people going beyond Lee Sungmin in this wide world . He felt more joy than lament, knowing that . He felt good knowing that he had a long way ahead before he faced a huge wall .

‘North . ’

A land occupied by non-humans and the Madu people . Who was the being that is neither monster nor human that he could meet there? Lee Sungmin wiped his sweaty hands on his robes . It was the sweat that had collected during the confrontation with Juwon .

‘Let’s pretend this never happened . ’

Juwon kept his word . There were no raids by wolves as they went across the snowy fields . Although she could see several towns ahead, Rubia didn’t ask to stop by any of them, perhaps because of the previous experiences .

Thanks to that, he became homeless once again today . Lee Sungmin skillfully dug a burrow into a snowfield and lay down in it .

The wind blew, and Lee Sungmin curled up and closed his eyes .

***

[T/N: minor correction to the cultivation levels terminology . I did a little hell lot research this weekend trying to figure out how Korean martial arts novels work . Lee Sungmin is currently still in the ‘Peak’ realm, except he’s now at the highest level, although he had reached early-stage transcendence in his subconscious . Wijihoyeon is currently at early to mid-stage transcendence . Sorry about the confusion . Turns out KR cultivation stages are entirely different from Chinese ones despite having their roots there . Now that the research is done, it will be more smooth-flowing going ahead .

Other than that, there’s really a lot of folklore attached to the Heavenly Demon Sect as well as relations between the different types of sects . Like with reading CN wuxia/xuanhuan, you need to know the basics to fully understand it . It’s a lot of info that you can check out on the namu wiki, but to sum it up: Orthodox/Conservative faction: Volcanic Sect +Shaolin+Shaman+Wandering Sect VS Heretical faction: Makyo+Madu+Heavenly Demon Sects is the premise .

Extra info that we only just realised recently:

Volcanic Sect = Mt Hua Sect (i . e . , sect from Volcanic Age)

Wandering Sect = Beggar’s Sect (featured heavily in wuxia novels)

Heavenly Demon Sect is likely the same one as in Chronicles of Heavenly Demon (manhwa) . ]