Chapter 132:

Chapter 132:

The Divine Thief’s Hidden Cavern

Tang So-mi and her escort warriors, upon entering the Sin-to Bi-dong, cleverly utilized other martial artists to navigate through traps and crossroads comfortably. However, as they ventured deeper, the number of pursuers dwindled rapidly.

Unbeknownst to her, this was partly due to groups attempting to control the entrance of the Bi-dong, and the multiple crossroads had reduced the number of those following her direction. Ultimately, unable to wait for the rear group, she and her guards had to make choices at the crossroads, leading to traps that claimed the lives of two of her escort warriors.

Her disguise was ruined, her clothes torn to shreds, and her hair loose, revealing her true appearance. Another new crossroad appeared, and realizing the dangers of the traps, she decided to wait for the rear group again. Shortly, five new martial artists appeared from the rear.

Clang!

They drew their weapons as soon as they spotted Tang So-mi’s group. Having lost two of her escort warriors, she played her last card to avoid conflict.

“We have no intention of fighting.”

“Hmph. Do you think we don’t know you’re trying to reap the benefits of our work!”

“I give you my word, in the name of Tang So-mi of the Sichuan Tang Clan, that we mean no harm.”

Revealing her identity since her disguise was already compromised, she hoped her name would hold weight.

“Hahaha.”

“Do you think that treacherous clan name can protect you here? Hehehe.”

Instead of fear, they chose to eliminate her. Tang So-mi, always cautious, prepared to use poison while conversing with the new arrivals.

“Don’t give her time to use poison! Attack!”

An old man in the rear shouted, swinging his iron staff, disrupting her chance to use poison. The four martial artists charged, and red energy emanated from the iron staff swung by the old man.

“Ugh...”

The escort warrior who stepped forward to protect Tang So-mi was overwhelmed by the old man’s attack, losing his stance. He was quickly killed by the four charging martial artists, leaving Tang So-mi and one escort warrior against the four attackers.

‘Black Claw Blood Demon! Why now of all times....’

Distracted by the old man watching with his hands behind his back, Tang So-mi couldn’t fight effectively, fearing the devastating martial arts she had witnessed earlier.

Pressed into a dire situation, her and the remaining escort warrior’s lives were at constant risk.

“More newcomers have appeared!”

“They emerged from inside!!”

The battlefield suddenly shifted.

* * *

“Finish off that Tang Clan girl and her guard. I’ll handle those newcomers. Hehehe.”

The Black Claw Blood Demon leisurely approached those who appeared with the treasure. He initially planned to navigate the Bi-dong alone but created temporary subordinates due to its complexity and numerous traps.

He had enticed the usable martial artists he met in the Bi-dong to serve under him.

‘Hehehe. I’ll dispose of them after we escape.’

They were merely temporary subordinates, as he was not the type to keep followers. He also felt no guilt, knowing they intended to kill him for the treasure eventually.

Meanwhile, as the Black Claw Blood Demon approached Mu-jin’s group, Tang So-mi shouted urgently despite being in a critical situation.

“Be careful! That man is the infamous Black Claw Blood Demon!”

Though she couldn’t recognize Mu-jin’s group due to their disguises, she extended her goodwill as a member of the righteous sect.

“Hahaha. Where are you looking!”

Her brief distraction cost her a slight injury, but her warning made Mu-jin’s group’s eyes widen in shock.

“Black Claw Blood Demon!!”

“The infamous one!!”

“Wow!!”

Mu-gung, Mu-gyeong, and Mu-yul exclaimed in shock, prompting Mu-jin to frown and ask.

“Who is the Black Claw Blood Demon?”

A character who never appeared in the novel, Mu-jin had no idea.

“I don’t know either.”

“Me neither.”

“Ha ha, I just mimicked because Senior Brother Mu-gung and Senior Brother Mu-gyeong seemed surprised.”

“...Then why did you pretend to be surprised?”

“They said he was notorious, so I tried to act like I knew.”

“Hmm. I thought Senior Brother Mu-gung knew.”

“Hehe. A dying man hastens his death.”

“Your evasive answer proves me right. You’re just a coward who runs away from stronger opponents, but kills weaker ones to satisfy your pride, aren’t you?”

“You really want to die, don’t you?”

Clearly hitting a nerve, the Black Claw Blood Demon’s facade of calmness began to crack, his forehead veins bulging.

But instead of charging at him, Mu-jin added another provocative remark.

“By the way, old man, did you know? I was also balding.”

“You brat!!!”

The Black Claw Blood Demon, enraged by Mu-jin’s seemingly nonsensical taunt, wildly swung his iron claws. The idea that this young man with a full head of hair could also be balding was pure provocation.

Of course, Mu-jin’s comment was a reference to Choi Kang-hyuk, his former self. It was the damned hair loss that had led him to read martial arts novels and ultimately brought him to this world.

Having shared the misery of hair loss, Mu-jin understood the sorrow of bald men better than anyone.

Boom!

Bursting through the red energy net again, Mu-jin launched his Golden Locking Hand technique, aiming his grasp at the Black Claw Blood Demon’s head, specifically at the remaining hair.

“!!!”

The Black Claw Blood Demon hurriedly raised his iron claws to block Mu-jin’s grasp.

Smack!!

“Ugh....”

But the Golden Locking Hand was just a feint. With the Black Claw Blood Demon’s defense down, Mu-jin drove his left fist into his opponent’s abdomen. The force of the blow caused the Black Claw Blood Demon to spew blood and collapse to his knees. Mu-jin smirked as he gently touched his own hair.

“Well, not anymore.”

* * *

Tang So-mi was in a daze. Newcomers had appeared and quickly dealt with the four martial artists who had cornered her. On top of that, a young man, seemingly her age, was single-handedly facing the infamous Black Claw Blood Demon.

But what shocked her the most was:

‘I’ve seen that martial art somewhere....’

The golden aura used by the young man who defeated the Black Claw Blood Demon seemed incredibly familiar. Recognizing the martial art, she immediately identified Mu-jin’s true identity.

Realizing who Mu-jin was, it wasn’t hard to infer the identities of the others.

‘Where did that red monkey come from, though? But that’s not important.’

‘Could it be that the one who broke through all those traps was Mu-jin?’

She had encountered several traps on her way, which had torn her clothes and cost the lives of two of her escort warriors.

The formidable martial artist who destroyed those dreadful traps to reach this point—she now understood it was Mu-jin.

‘I thought he was a master ever since his fight with Namgung Jin-cheon, but...’

She realized she needed to reassess Mu-jin’s capabilities upward.

While she was lost in thought, trying to gather herself, Mu-jin, who had defeated the Black Claw Blood Demon, approached her.

“My name is Kang-hyuk. How did you get here, young lady?”

Though he used an alias, she decided to play along.

“Thank you for helping me, young hero.”

She thought it best not to reveal that she had recognized his identity.

“And I got here by simply choosing the crossroads.”

“I meant, how did you find this cave? Do you know what this cave is?”

Tang So-mi tilted her head. How could she not know?

“This is the Sin-to Bi-dong.”

“How do you know that...?”

“What do you mean? From Gan-yang-hyeon to Zhang Bodo, the news is widespread.”

Mu-jin’s face hardened at her words.

She didn’t understand his reaction, but for Mu-jin, it was serious.

‘Damn. Was there a preliminary Zhang Bodo?’

If what she said was true, countless martial artists might have already entered the Sin-to Bi-dong. This could mean hundreds or thousands of battles just to get out with the treasure.