Chapter 508: You Use a Great Blade as Well
Chapter 508: You Use a Great Blade as Well
Geom Mu-geuk and Seo Dae-ryong stood side by side on a rooftop, overlooking the Bongsan Sword Gate in the distance.
The Bongsan Sword Gate wasn't tucked away in some remote mountain; it was built right in the heart of a bustling district with heavy foot traffic. From their vantage point, its scale was impressive. The mere fact that such a massive complex sat adjacent to the marketplace spoke volumes of the sect's prestige and influence.
One by one, the various sects invited to the meeting were arriving. Though the appointed hour hadn't yet come, many had arrived early to pay their respects.
Seo Dae-ryong was flipping through a stack of documents. He was currently reviewing information on the Bongsan Sword Gate and the other invited sects—data provided, of course, by the Tongcheon Pavilion.
"Bang Cheong-mun, the leader of the Bongsan Sword Gate, is someone who utterly loathes our Cult," Seo Dae-ryong noted. "The purpose of today’s meeting is to form a coalition against us. Ah, look over there."
He pointed as another group approached the gates.
"The sect arriving now is the Namjung Sect. We expected twelve attendees... and yes, there are exactly twelve. Their leader, Won Hong, is actually favorable toward the Cult. He often serves as a bridge between us and the Orthodox Murim of Chongqing, yet he was still invited to today's meeting."
"The official banner is unity against the Cult, but in the end, it’s just a political gathering," Mu-geuk remarked.
Nodding, Seo Dae-ryong continued, "Since the enemy's goal in annihilating these sects is to incite the anger of the Orthodox faction, Sect Leader Won Hong is likely the person furthest from being their target."
Then, Mu-geuk said something unexpected. "If it were me, I would have targeted the Namjung Sect."
"Pardon? Why?" Seo Dae-ryong asked, looking surprised.
"If they strike the Bongsan Sword Gate, which is openly hostile toward us, the Orthodox world will be furious, but they’ll also see it as an expected outcome. This place is a known enemy of ours, after all."
"That’s true."
"But what if they struck the Namjung Sect? Would the Orthodox people be happy that a faction favorable to us was wiped out?"
"They are still fellow members of the Orthodox faction, so no, they wouldn't be happy."
Mu-geuk leaned forward, his eyes sharp. "Exactly. And what would their perception of us be then? Wiping out a place that was actually friendly toward us? Wouldn't they think we’ve truly gone insane? How would they feel seeing us commit such irrational, barbaric acts? I believe the hatred toward us would be even greater, not less."
It was a perspective Seo Dae-ryong hadn't considered. Hearing it now, he realized the fallout from attacking the Namjung Sect would indeed have been far more devastating to the Cult's reputation.
"And you still say I’m smarter than you, Young Cult Leader?"
Seo Dae-ryong was certain of one thing: if Geom Mu-geuk ever became an enemy, he would be a thousand times harder to deal with than any current foe.
"You are smarter. Didn't you memorize all those records?"
"I did memorize them, yes."
This time, it was Mu-geuk who was startled. "You memorized them? All of them? I was asking as a joke."
"..."
"You're joking too, right? Right?"
"...It’s a joke."
"Don't say it's a joke with such confident eyes!"
There was a clear sense of composure in Seo Dae-ryong that only someone who had truly mastered the material could possess.
But there’s no way, Mu-geuk thought. He couldn't have memorized all of this in such a short time.
Then again, when they first met, Seo Dae-ryong had arrived having memorized the personal files of every single soldier in the Demon Army. Could it be? No, surely not.
"Let's go."
Before departing, Mu-geuk used his Heat Yang Energy to incinerate the documents in his palm. The papers turned to ash instantly, scattering into the wind.
Whoosh.
"When will I be able to do that?" Seo Dae-ryong asked, his voice tinged with longing.
This was what he envied most. Once he was capable of it, he intended to do it in front of all his subordinates. He would read a secret scroll and then nonchalantly burn it atop his palm. A casual whoosh. Just thinking about it was incredibly cool.
Then, Mu-geuk said something he hadn't expected. "Your internal energy is sufficient now."
"Really?"
"It won't be long."
At those heart-pounding words, Seo Dae-ryong felt once again just how immense the fated encounter he had recently gained truly was.
"Now, let's move!"
Mu-geuk leaped away using a lightness skill, and Seo Dae-ryong followed close behind. With his Dantian overflowing with internal energy, every movement Seo Dae-ryong made was filled with newfound confidence.
*
Sects participating in the meeting were streaming through the main gate of the Bongsan Sword Gate. As expected, the leaders of each sect had brought dozens of subordinates. Given the recent bloodbaths, they were taking every possible precaution.
Since they couldn't enter through the front, Mu-geuk and Seo Dae-ryong scaled the outer wall. Security was tight, but not so tight that the two of them couldn't infiltrate undetected.
"Is it alright for us to just walk around like this?" Seo Dae-ryong whispered.
After crossing the wall, Mu-geuk began walking openly and boldly through the courtyard.
"Straighten your shoulders. Act like an invited guest."
"Won't the great blade stand out?"
"It will only stand out the moment you start worrying about it."
Indeed, even the Bongsan Sword Gate martial artists they encountered merely gave a slight nod of greeting and didn't question their identities. No one imagined that a culprit would be walking around in broad daylight carrying a massive great blade.
"Keep a sharp eye out," Mu-geuk warned. "The scouts might already be inside."
"Do you think they'll launch a surprise attack with a large force, like they did at the Chongqing Branch?"
"I don't know. It could be one person, or it could be a hundred. But one thing is certain: they will try to kill the leaders using the Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form."
As Seo Dae-ryong imagined someone slaughtering the gathered masters with that technique, his heart pounded. One thing was for sure: If we don't stop them, countless people will die here today.
If he told that to the people here, no one would believe him. With so many masters gathered, who would dare come to kill them? And in broad daylight, no less. Furthermore, since the Bongsan Sword Gate wasn't in a remote location, such a clandestine attack was even harder to imagine.
But they would come. Just as they had come for him when he was in the dungeon.
"What do we do now?"
Mu-geuk had already formulated a plan. "I need to meet the leader of the Bongsan Sword Gate."
Seo Dae-ryong was startled. He had assumed they would hide and wait for the enemies to appear before intervening.
"If we just try to react without knowing how they'll attack, the casualties could be high. I need to speak with the Bongsan Sect Leader in advance, even if I don't talk to anyone else."
"Will he actually believe us when we say we're here to help?"
He probably wouldn't even believe Mu-geuk was the Young Cult Leader.
"I'll have to make him believe."
Seo Dae-ryong felt this plan was only possible because it was Mu-geuk. He had faith that Mu-geuk could somehow persuade the leader of the Bongsan Sword Gate.
"Let's go. The Sect Leader's hall is that way."
"I'm going to meet him alone," Mu-geuk said, pointing at Seo Dae-ryong's great blade. "If you're there carrying that when I reveal myself as a member of the Cult, the Sect Leader will suspect the culprit is playing tricks."
"That makes sense. Then where should I be in the meantime?"
"Look for anyone suspicious."
"By myself?"
Mu-geuk smiled. "Isn't finding the enemy in a dangerous place even cooler than burning paper on your palm?"
Leaving Seo Dae-ryong behind, Mu-geuk made his way toward the Sect Leader's hall. He judged that it was still safe for now. The enemies would likely move once the meeting was officially underway.
*
Bang Cheong-mun, the leader of the Bongsan Sword Gate, stood by the window of his hall, watching the martial artists from various sects arrive.
A subordinate entered to report. "The invited sects are arriving one after another, sir."
"Has anyone declined?"
"Not a single one."
"Good. Go and double-check the preparations for the meeting."
"Yes, sir!"
After dismissing his subordinate, Bang Cheong-mun wore a satisfied expression. This meeting was an opportunity for a great leap forward.
One shouldn't use another's tragedy as a stepping stone, but the annihilation of the Daejeong Sect was undoubtedly an opportunity for the Bongsan Sword Gate. They had been rivals, clashing at every turn. Now, Bang Cheong-mun's sect had begun naturally absorbing the various interests and rights the Daejeong Sect once held.
Today's meeting was intended to display the might of the Bongsan Sword Gate while uniting with sects close to him.
I will use this chance to become the number one sect in Chongqing.
That was his goal.
Just then, someone opened the door and entered. If it were a subordinate, they would have announced themselves first.
When he turned around, he saw a young man he had never seen before. Bang Cheong-mun secretly circulated his internal energy and asked calmly, "Who are you?"
This was a place his subordinates were guarding like an iron fortress. Furthermore, even the guards who were supposed to appear in an emergency were silent. It meant they had already been neutralized.
"I am an uninvited guest, but I am the guest you need most today."
The young man was, of course, Geom Mu-geuk.
"What happened to my men?"
"I only suppressed their acupoints, so do not worry."
Fortunately, the scent of blood was nowhere to be found.
"Who are you?"
Mu-geuk did not hide his identity. "I am Geom Mu-geuk, the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Bang Cheong-mun’s eyes widened. Had it not been for the bloodbath that recently occurred in Chongqing, and had the official purpose of today’s meeting not been to unite against the Demonic Cult, he would never have believed such an absurd claim.
"That is hard to believe."
Bang Cheong-mun drew his sword. It was a sword he had to draw regardless. If the man truly was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, he couldn't have come with good intentions. If he wasn't, the sword was even more necessary, as he was a dangerous person impersonating him.
Mu-geuk had no intention of persuading him through dialogue alone. He knew well that words wouldn't solve this.
Swoosh.
Mu-geuk charged toward Bang Cheong-mun in an instant. In a flash, Bang Cheong-mun thrust his sword at the Mu-geuk who had appeared right before his nose.
But the tip of his blade met only empty air.
Slide.
The Black Demonic Sword was already aimed at his throat from behind.
Though he was the leader of a great sect like the Bongsan Sword Gate, he could not stop Mu-geuk’s Underworld King Step.
"I didn't come to kill you," Mu-geuk said calmly.
"Then why did you sneak in? Why are you pointing a sword at me?"
"I couldn't exactly walk through the front gate of a meeting held to oppose my Cult, could I? The reason I drew my sword was to verify my identity."
Mu-geuk withdrew his sword.
In that instant, Bang Cheong-mun spun around like a bolt of lightning and swung his sword.
Whish!
But again, the space behind him was empty.
Slide.
Once more, a sword was pressed against the back of his neck.
"I can understand twice, but there won't be a third time," Mu-geuk whispered. "I have no desire to deal with someone that foolish."
When Bang Cheong-mun nodded, Mu-geuk withdrew his sword again.
Bang Cheong-mun no longer had any desire to attack. Even if he could claim he was caught off guard the first time, he had clearly launched a preemptive strike the second time. He had confirmed an overwhelming difference in skill.
"If I had come to kill you, you would already be dead, and I would be writing on that wall with your blood."
Bang Cheong-mun turned around slowly.
"Today, someone who actually intends to do that will come."
"!"
Bang Cheong-mun’s heart sank. Mu-geuk’s clear, deep eyes were not those of a liar.
"Who is it?"
"I don't know either. There are those who wish to drive a wedge between us and the Orthodox faction to start a war."
Bang Cheong-mun still looked skeptical. "A wedge? I heard the martial art used to kill the Daejeong Sect Leader was a technique of a Demon Lord."
The Murim Alliance wouldn't have spread such a rumor intentionally, so the culprits must have been the ones to leak it. Even if they hadn't, it was a rumor bound to spread.
"That is why I came personally today. To uncover what is happening."
Bang Cheong-mun didn't let go of his suspicion entirely, but he seemed more relaxed than before. Among martial artists, showing one's skill once produced faster results than a hundred words.
"To be honest, it's hard to believe. That the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is wandering around alone like this."
"I understand." Mu-geuk looked out the window. "More unbelievable things will happen today."
His gaze shifted from the outside back to Bang Cheong-mun.
"If you can't trust me, then trust this sword that has spared you twice. It is the sword that will spare you a third time."
Bang Cheong-mun had a strong premonition that the man before him really was the Young Cult Leader. To subdue him in a single move at such a young age? It would be impossible unless he was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
Whether all his words were true or not remained to be seen, but for now, he had to ask.
"What is it you want?"
*
Seo Dae-ryong was walking around, observing the people.
Act bold.
Because he walked with his shoulders squared, no one suspected him. He moved from place to place, checking for anyone suspicious.
"I don't recognize your face."
A white-haired martial artist with twin swords at his waist spoke to him. It was likely because the great blade on Seo Dae-ryong's back had caught his eye. While many of the gathered martial artists carried blades, Seo Dae-ryong was the only one carrying such a massive weapon.
As the attention of those nearby focused on him, Seo Dae-ryong replied smoothly, "I'm hurt, Martial Artist Yang. I met you back then and even greeted you. You even said we should have a drink next time."
"Ah, was that so? My apologies. As I get older, I keep forgetting things."
Since Seo Dae-ryong seemed to recognize him, the man called Martial Artist Yang didn't press further.
Seo Dae-ryong knew this old martial artist's background. Fortunately, there was only one person in the records who was white-haired and used twin swords. He really had memorized all the characteristics of the people in the files.
Just as Seo Dae-ryong was feeling inwardly relieved, someone spoke to him from behind.
"You use a great blade as well."
Seo Dae-ryong turned around to see a young man standing there. He was tall and handsome, and he carried a blade on his back that was just as large as Seo Dae-ryong's.
Who is a young martial artist that uses a great blade like this?
He didn't even need to try and remember. There was no such person in the records.
The man began walking toward Seo Dae-ryong with a genial smile.