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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Sky-Spanning Gang
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"I'll be back."
"A master's duty is to take responsibility for his disciple's failings."
"It's time to clear a path for your disciples now."
At Do Cheon's words, his master halted in his tracks.
Do Cheon pressed on with even greater resolve.
"I'm twenty-one years old. It's time I stepped out from under your shadow, Master. Entrust this to me, and I'll bring back Yi Yeol."
"The Sky-Spanning Gang... won't be easy."
"They're the ones who underestimated it. They've poked the Iron Lion Sect in all the wrong ways."
At Do Cheon's words, his master turned back to face him.
Do Cheon fell silent.
His master had always trusted his foolish disciples unwaveringly. Even three years ago, when Do Cheon announced he was heading out into the world to broaden his horizons, all his master had said was that he'd wait. He knew full well it wasn't about gaining experience—it was frustration with his own powerlessness, a desperate bid to escape reality for a time—yet he offered no other words.
The man who constantly preached that the sect's revival hinged on its great disciple had held his tongue that day, gazing at him with eyes full of faith, promising only to wait, as always.
"We'll wait."
"Yes. I'll be back."
Do Cheon bowed deeply to his master, then turned to Iron Mountain.
"Lead the way."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As Iron Mountain appeared in the marketplace, rough-looking thugs began gathering one by one. They were the Viper Gang cronies he'd run with before.
"You slunk off like a whipped pup, and now you show your face? What's the deal?"
"I got no business with you lot."
Iron Mountain shoved past the thugs blocking his path. But they only pressed in closer.
"Your senior brother got himself locked up by the Sky-Spanning Gang, and here you are, wandering free as a bird!"
"They say they feed him once a day—dog slop at that."
"Hey, hey, leave him be. That coward won't dare set foot anywhere near there."
These were supposed to be his old drinking buddies, yet instead of comfort or aid, they were just stoking his temper.
Something felt off.
Do Cheon's eyes gleamed sharply as he scanned the crowd. Off to one side stood a burly man with arms crossed—a familiar face.
"Hey, looks like that ugly mug of yours wants to split even wider."
The burly man uncrossed his arms, his face twisting into a scowl.
"You son of a—!"
He charged forward with murderous intent, only to freeze mid-stride, mouth snapping shut.
His eyes shook as they locked on Do Cheon, then widened in horror, as if he'd seen a ghost. He stumbled back a step without realizing it.
He'd clearly recognized Do Cheon.
And Do Cheon had clocked it too.
"We were headed to the Sky-Spanning Gang, but looks like I need to have a little chat with you first."
Do Cheon smiled.
But his eyes weren't smiling.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A full month passed.
They'd scoured every inch of the area but found no trace of the mysterious figure. The fragile alliance between the righteous and unorthodox factions shattered because of it, and as Heaven-Rending Legion Kang Yi-wi departed with the unorthodox forces, he left behind a chilling ultimatum.
"Whatever that man took, if the righteous factions seize it first, not a single trinket can be hidden from us."
It was a naked threat of war.
The righteous faction leaders bristled and fired back in kind. If the unorthodox were scheming, they wouldn't stand idly by.
"It seems unity between righteous and unorthodox is as elusive as ever."
Volcanic Divine Sword Yi Jo-yang watched Kang Yi-wi and the unorthodox depart with regret.
He believed even among the shameless unorthodox there were worthy souls—and Kang Yi-wi was one such man.
Once they were gone, Yi Jo-yang turned to Celestial Insight Maiden Byeon Ryeo-gun.
"Can you find him?"
"Finding people relies on eyes, not just brains."
"A brilliant mind would speed things up—like how you led us through that secret chamber. I'd like you to take a look. What say you?"
"...!"
Byeon Ryeo-gun hesitated.
Inside the chamber, everyone had been watching, so there was no room for schemes or concealment—no cause for suspicion.
But outside was different.
Especially when tracking someone down, which inevitably involved handling information. The longer it dragged on, the more suspicion and misunderstandings would brew. And those could easily spark disaster.
"Entrust it to me, and I'll do it."
Byeon Ryeo-gun replied.
She wanted to find it. The legacy of the Generation's Heavenly Demon, hailed as the greatest of his era—it was worth the risk.
"You guided us safely through that trap-filled maze. I'm sure you'll succeed."
Yi Jo-yang held something out.
Byeon Ryeo-gun accepted it with both hands. It was a small golden plaque.
Engraved on both sides: Great Righteous Alliance and Secret Shadow Pavilion.
It marked her as leader of the Secret Shadow Pavilion under the Great Righteous Alliance.
Righteous sects were scattered across the land. Spanning such vast distances made forming a central alliance no simple task.
Once formed, they needed martial forces as its hands and feet—but dispatching warriors to the alliance weakened each sect's own defenses. Thus, the righteous created the Great Righteous Alliance in name only, and beneath it, a single covert organization.
The Secret Shadow Pavilion.
It gathered intelligence from every corner of the world.
Its network was vast and intricate, funneling reports of local incidents straight to the righteous sects there, preparing them for crises.
Yi Jo-yang was the current Alliance Leader, and he'd just handed the Pavilion's leadership to Byeon Ryeo-gun.
The moment she took the golden plaque, a man approached and clasped his fists in salute.
"Deputy Leader reporting to the Pavilion Lord."
Byeon Ryeo-gun's eyes widened.
The man bowing so formally was none other than Spear Freak Ga Gyeom-chang, one of the Seven Freaks of the Rivers and Lakes.
"You've always loved roaming far and wide, saying the world feels too small. Guess the Leader got jealous and dumped this heavy seat on you. Anyway, let's make it work. I'll be your mouth and limbs even if I'm lacking—just handle the thinking and decisions, Lord."
"Lacking? Nonsense. With Spear Freak as Deputy, I'm not sure I'm worthy of the Lord's seat myself."
"Worthy or not doesn't matter. You've got the plaque now—no turning back."
Ga Gyeom-chang joked lightly.
Yi Jo-yang watched with a faint smile and spoke to Byeon Ryeo-gun.
"Issue your first order. What should we do first? I've been at a loss, and it's weighing on me."
Without a moment's thought, Byeon Ryeo-gun turned to Ga Gyeom-chang.
"Track down everyone from late teens to early thirties who's suddenly risen to prominence. Unless they've hidden in the mountains, great power always leaves a trail."
The man who'd snatched the Generation's Heavenly Demon's legacy right under the noses of righteous and unorthodox elites. That was Celestial Insight Maiden Byeon Ryeo-gun's first command as Secret Shadow Pavilion Lord.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Sky-Spanning Gang.
With over three hundred men under their banner, they boasted the largest force in the area.
Neutral between righteous and unorthodox—neither side claimed them.
Or so the rumors went. But their willingness to dive into any profitable scheme screamed unorthodox leanings.
Do Cheon and Iron Mountain arrived at the gang's main gate as the sun dipped low.
"You Sky-Spanning Gang bastards! All of you, come out! I'll kill every last one!"
Iron Mountain bellowed at the gate.
Before the gang's gatesmen could react, a fist shot out.
Crack!
"Why'd you hit me?"
Iron Mountain spun around.
"Idiot, the Sky-Spanning Gang's on a whole different level from the Viper Crew."
"Different or not, now that I know it was their scheme, I'm slaughtering the lot. Don't try to stop me!"
Iron Mountain whirled back toward the gate, fuming.
"Which punk is this?!"
"Huh? That's that coward!"
"What the hell?!"
The gang's gatesmen poured out at Iron Mountain's shout.
Some recognized him; others bolted toward the inner compound. Do Cheon took it all in at a glance, then spoke to the back of Iron Mountain's head.
"I'll watch your back, so go wild."
The moment his words ended, Iron Mountain charged.
"Block him!"
"Block? Just beat him down!"
The gang's men rushed in swinging wicked blades and iron clubs.
The Iron Lion Sect might have fallen into ruin, but it had once terrified the world. Even if their ultimate arts were lost, the basics remained.
Iron Mountain had run with marketplace thugs, sure—but that was because he craved a wild life, not because he was weak enough for these low-rank gang grunts to dismiss.
Thwack!
Dodging incoming weapons, Iron Mountain smashed his fist into face after face with pinpoint precision.
"Gah!"
Gang members clutched their faces and crumpled. Blood poured from their noses, dripping through their fingers.
Iron Mountain's enraged fists showed no mercy. All his pent-up injustice, fury, and guilt over his second senior brother exploded outward, pulping every face in reach. But reinforcements kept flooding from beyond the gate—twice as many as he could drop.
"Yeah, you bastards! Die! Die!"
Iron Mountain raged on, fighting like a madman, but his breath was already ragged.
'Should've at least mastered One Strike Kill...'
Regret always comes too late. What good was it now?
Iron Mountain dodged a club swinging at his head and swept the attacker's leg. As the man toppled with a yelp, Iron Mountain smashed a fist down into his face—he went limp and cratered into the dirt.
"Huff... huff!"
Iron Mountain heaved, shoulders pumping as he twisted his heavy body to face the next foe. What he saw left him stunned.
After felling a dozen or so through sheer grit, even more lay sprawled around him—blood streaming from their heads as they groaned.
"You gonna stand there, or come on?"
Do Cheon's voice.
Iron Mountain glanced back to see Do Cheon's back as he strode past the gate, clutching one of the gang's iron clubs in hand.
Iron Mountain hurried after him.
"Well, well! Who's this? You were nowhere when we waited, but today you've gone berserk—what'd you eat wrong?"
A silk-robed middle-aged man sneered.
The Sky-Spanning Gang's chief steward.
"You sons of bitches! I know you picked a fight with me on purpose, let me beat you down, then used that as an excuse to screw with our sect! Drop the crap and hand over Second Senior Brother!"
The steward's face hardened at Iron Mountain's words—but only for a flicker.
"So what?"
The steward leered.
Iron Mountain boiled over at the attitude.
"The Viper scum sang like a bird, so quit stalling and cough him up!"
"Oh ho! You hit the Vipers? That guy next to you?"
The steward kept sneering, eyes flicking to Do Cheon.
'Who the hell is he? Who'd this idiot drag in to act so cocky?'
The steward was curious about Do Cheon's identity. Knowing that would dictate how to handle them.
"Big Brother! This guy's got no manners. Let's beat him down first and storm the gang leader next!"
Iron Mountain yelled.
"Big Brother? The Iron Lion Sect's great disciple everyone's saying vanished?"
The steward's eyes lit up.
He'd worried they might be righteous knights, but Iron Lion Sect? No threat at all.
"Boys! Our guests aren't leaving today. Shut the gate."
At his order, the main gate slammed closed.
Iron Mountain flinched and looked back; Do Cheon just stared silently at the steward. That calm unnerved the steward for a moment.
'No. It's a decayed sect. They handled the underlings with basics—that's their limit.'
Shaking off the unease, the steward straightened up.
"I was worried your second senior brother might've botched things, but dragging the great disciple here? Good work. You even thrashed our grunts on the way in—perfect."
The steward grinned at Iron Mountain, face beaming with satisfaction.
Five days ago, provoking Iron Mountain had gone smoothly. Storm the Iron Lion Sect, and it was done. The underlings didn't know, but the guy Iron Mountain beat was supposed to die en route.
His death would justify seizing everything. But then Second Senior Brother showed up and ruined it.
In the crowded marketplace, kneeling and kowtowing—no pretext for invasion.
They'd planned a public spectacle to make it ironclad, but the crowd's eyes stopped them cold.
That day still pissed him off.
'Getting heated again. No escape today. They walked right in—no witnesses. Perfect.'
As the steward narrowed his eyes in a smile, a man rushed from inside and whispered to him.
"The Leader says bring them in."
The steward nodded and sneered at Do Cheon and Iron Mountain.
"Got the guts to come inside? If not, we'll drag you."
Do Cheon stepped forward.
"Better than getting beaten first, eh?"
The steward chuckled and signaled.
Gang members surrounded Do Cheon and Iron Mountain front and back as they moved.
Sky-Spanning Gang's grand hall.
It was vast, befitting their size.
At the high seat inside sat a portly old man in arrogant repose.
Sky-Spanning Gang Leader Man Gwa-hae.
And at his feet writhed a young man in his late teens, beaten to a pulp.