Chapter 35: Martial Alliance (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: Martial Alliance (1)
Southeast of Guizhou Province.
A manor on the western outskirts of Ganggu County.
An urgent report arrived at the meeting hall of the main building.
A Blood Cult warrior, kneeling on one knee before Baek Ryeonha, Blood Hand Witch Han Baek-ha, and Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma, delivered his report.
"The Yikyang So family and the Johang Song family have both successfully secured their spots as representatives for the Successor's Martial Discussion."
The tension that had gripped the three of them finally began to thaw. It would have been a disaster if they had stumbled at the very first step.
"That is a relief."
"Indeed it is."
However, the atmosphere shifted with the next part of the report.
"There was a complication involving Deputy Unit Leader So Woon-hwi."
"A complication? What happened?"
Baek Ryeonha tried to hide it, but her eyes were filled with unmistakable worry. At her question, the warrior continued.
"At the time he secured the representative spot, the head of the Yikyang So family claimed to have made a request to the Black Pavilion in Mangok Village. Deputy Unit Leader So Woon-hwi headed there to investigate."
"…That deviates from the plan," Han Baek-ha said, her brow furrowing.
Seo Gal-ma found himself unintentionally defending the boy.
"If there was a possibility that the Black Pavilion had accepted a contract, he could hardly have ignored it, could he?"
"Continue," Baek Ryeonha urged, ignoring their exchange.
The warrior went on.
"After discovering that the Black Pavilion had refused the request because of our Cult’s current operations, Deputy Unit Leader So Woon-hwi encountered Falcon Warrior Na Yuk-hyeong on his way back."
"The Falcon Warrior?"
Everyone’s expression hardened. Na Yuk-hyeong was a notorious villain even within the Evil Faction. He was known as a top-tier master, one who had survived a duel with the Namcheon Sword Guest.
"Unless there was a specific reason for them to cross paths, they shouldn't have fought… unless?"
The image of the Namcheon Sword Guest flashed through Baek Ryeonha’s mind. Currently, So Woon-hwi was posing as a scion of the Yikyang So family and a disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest to participate in the Grand Martial Assembly.
The warrior opened a bundle he was carrying. Inside was a wooden box large enough to hold a human head.
Baek Ryeonha stood up, her eyes widening.
"…What is that?"
A dark premonition gripped her. She was terrified that his severed head might be inside. Na Yuk-hyeong was a master so powerful that only those at the level of the Four Venerables or the Seven Blood Stars could hope to face him.
The warrior opened the lid.
In that moment, gasps of shock escaped everyone’s lips.
"Ah!"
"Ha…"
Inside the box was a head with salt-and-pepper hair and no eyes. Seo Gal-ma, who was familiar with Na Yuk-hyeong, looked on in sheer disbelief.
"How did this happen? Did Brother Hae—no, did the Venerable One intervene?"
"No, sir. By the time the Venerable One and our group arrived, Deputy Unit Leader So Woon-hwi and the two Great Leaders had already killed the Falcon Warrior, his disciple, and his subordinates."
"Good heavens. You’re saying they took down the Falcon Warrior?"
Even Han Baek-ha, who usually remained stoic regardless of the situation, could not hide her astonishment. Na Yuk-hyeong was a master whose strength was such that even she couldn't be certain of victory against him. Even if it was a combined attack, taking down such a master was an incredible feat.
Young Master So. You really are…
Baek Ryeonha sat back down, her mind reeling. She was relieved he was safe, but she hadn't expected him to shock her like this.
No, wait.
Come to think of it, he had exceeded her expectations every single time. He was truly a peculiar man.
Seo Gal-ma spoke up again.
"Are the three of them safe?"
"They would have been in danger from their injuries if the Venerable One hadn't arrived in time, but they are safe now. The Venerable One told me to convey that they will recuperate for the remainder of the allotted time before departing for Wuhan."
Recuperating for the remaining time meant the injuries were significant. Seo Gal-ma nodded, finding this plausible. He stared at Na Yuk-hyeong’s head and muttered as if it were absurd.
"It seems my boys didn't lose to him for nothing."
By 'his boys,' he meant his two disciples. Though he had excommunicated one, they were students he had poured his heart into raising.
Feeling somewhat reassured, Baek Ryeonha spoke.
"They should do that. If they head to the Grand Martial Assembly without recovering, it will jeopardize the plan. The Venerable One’s judgment is correct."
"Thank you, My Lady," the warrior said, bowing.
Judging the report to be over, Han Baek-ha said to the warrior, "If that is all, take the head and—"
"It is not over yet. The Venerable One insisted I deliver an additional message… um."
He hesitated, mumbling his words.
"What is it?" Baek Ryeonha asked, wondering what could be the matter.
"He said that since he has provided the Falcon Warrior’s head, it should be recognized as a great achievement, and Deputy Unit Leader So Woon-hwi should be promoted to Unit Leader…"
The three people listening were left speechless. After a moment, Seo Gal-ma let out a short laugh and shook his head. It was a comment perfectly characteristic of the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon.
Oha County, Anhui Province.
Late at night.
A manor of average size.
From the outside, guards stood at the gates, making everything look peaceful and ordinary. However, stepping just a few paces inside revealed a scene so gruesome it would steal one's breath.
Corpses lay everywhere, their limbs severed. Figures in black masks were moving quickly to clear the bodies.
Following the trail of corpses led to the main hall of the manor. Inside the master bedroom, a woman wearing a bamboo hat stood looking out the window. Her black military attire was stained a deep crimson from the sheer number of people she had killed.
"The moon is bright. It’s a perfect day to die, isn't it?"
She turned away from the full moon and looked at a middle-aged man kneeling on the floor. His mute point had been struck, and he shook his head frantically like a madman, unable to speak.
She chuckled and raised her hand. At her signal, the masked man beside the middle-aged man pulled away the sharp blade he had been holding against the man's throat.
The middle-aged man teared up in relief.
The woman in the bamboo hat approached, leaning down to grab his chin. She tilted her hat back.
"!?"
Eyes that glowed with a blood-red light met his. The moment he saw them, the man’s eyes bulged, and his body began to tremble violently.
She was Baek Hye-hyang, the woman closest to the pinnacle of the current Blood Cult.
"With your skills, you can hide these eyes, can't you?"
The man hesitated. In response, her five fingers dug into his thigh.
Thuck!
"Mmmph!"
"Can you do it? Or not?"
The man nodded frantically through his agony. Baek Hye-hyang smiled brightly and stood up.
"You should have cooperated from the start. Then we wouldn't have had to see blood on such a moonlit night."
The man was inwardly horrified by her demeanor. To him, she was a literal god of slaughter. He had never seen anyone smile so innocently while killing.
"I’ll give you three days."
With those final words, she left the room. As she walked out onto the wooden porch, one of the masked men approached her. Judging by the fine wrinkles around his eyes, he was a man of considerable age.
"You're here already?"
At her words, the masked man bowed slightly and spoke.
"All five have successfully infiltrated."
What did he mean by all five? Her red lips curled upward into a smirk. She whispered to herself.
"I wonder how many our Ryeonha managed to get in."
The masked man replied with a voice tinged with mockery.
"That side won't have nearly as much strength to spare. Even if they did manage to sneak someone in, they will never be able to win. Do not worry. We will surely bring the sword to you, My Lady."
Fifteen, then twenty days passed.
Wuhan, Hubei Province—the place known as the holy land of the Orthodox Martial World.
We had just entered the outskirts of the city.
It’s been a while.
Before my regression, this was my main stage. It was the place where I had spent eight years as a spy, my heart constantly racing with the fear of being discovered.
Of course it is. This is the heart of the Orthodox Faction. Since two of the Central Plains Eight Great Masters protect Hubei Province, no Evil Faction or Black Path sects could exist here.
Taoist Master Zhongxian, the Taiji Sword Emperor and leader of the Wudang Sect, and Baek Hyang-muk, the First Sword of Wuhan and Alliance Leader. These two were the ultimate martial power and the spiritual pillars of the Martial Alliance.
The Lesser Conversation Sword sounded impressed by my words.
Yes. Within the Martial Alliance alone, there were two of the Eight Great Masters, those referred to as superhumans. Not only that, but they had joined forces with Peerless Fortress, which had produced two of the Eight Great Masters itself. It was no wonder the Blood Cult was destined to lose the Great Orthodox-Evil War.
The Lesser Conversation Sword asked, sounding confused. The Namcheon Iron Sword, who knew more about the history of the martial world, answered in my stead.
Ah, you didn't know. Before their defeat in the Great Orthodox-Evil War, the Blood Cult operated under a system of Six Lords and Twelve Blood Stars. Nearly half of them died in battle, which is why it became the current Four Lords and Seven Blood Stars. And after two of the Five Great Villains died, the era of the Four Great Villains began with the emergence of a new monster, Killing Fiend Jue Xin.
No. That’s not true.
I knew that one of the Four Lords had entered the realm of superhumans. The Blood Cult had kept that information so well-hidden that it never reached the ears of a low-rank spy like me.
I suspected it might be the First Venerable, but there was no way to be sure. Unlike the Seven Blood Stars, the martial prowess of the four Venerables didn't differ that much. Furthermore, a major incident was set to occur in exactly six months.
The Eight Great Masters are going to change.
In the ten years before my regression, two of the Eight Great Masters were replaced. The first to go was the leader of the Wudang Sect, the Taiji Sword Emperor Zhongxian.
He dies at the hands of the Killing Fiend Jue Xin. What’s even more shocking is that he meets his end on Wudang Mountain itself, not somewhere else. Looking at it this way, the power of the Blood Cult and the Martial Alliance would eventually become almost equal.
Before my regression, the martial world was in a state of delicate balance between various powers: the Blood Cult, the Martial Alliance, Peerless Fortress, and other superhumans who claimed neutrality.
Exactly.
This is the calm before the storm. The breaking of the alliance between the Martial Alliance and Peerless Fortress, along with the death of the Taiji Sword Emperor, would plunge the martial world back into a chaotic era of warring states. Of course, certain events were already accelerating that timeline.
"That’s the place."
Hae Ak-cheon, who was leading the group, pointed toward an inn. A small navy-blue flag fluttered in the wind above the awning. The name of the inn was the Doyen Inn. Located slightly away from the Martial Alliance’s fortress, this was where we were supposed to meet the spy embedded within the Alliance.
"Damn it. It’s hot. Let’s get moving."
Hae Ak-cheon practically ran toward the inn, waddling as he went. Having forcibly reduced his frame with the Bone Shrinking Art, wearing a human skin mask, and hiding his muscles under thick clothing, he looked much hotter than everyone else.
Tell me about it. Wuhan in midsummer was no different from a boiling pot. Originally, this task was supposed to be handled by Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma. The mission was to wait outside the Martial Alliance’s fortress on the final day of the Successor's Martial Discussion to prepare for emergencies or open an escape route.
Because Hae Ak-cheon’s physique and appearance were so well-known, Seo Gal-ma had offered to take the role, but Hae Ak-cheon had stubbornly insisted, even learning the Bone Shrinking Art just to do it.
"Phew. It really is hot."
Hearing the heavy breathing, I looked to my side to see Jo Seong-won drenched in sweat. It seemed even worse for him because his face was covered by a human skin mask.
Circulating internal energy can ward off the heat to some extent. But how many masters have enough internal energy to spare, or are willing to waste it, to keep it circulating constantly while traveling? Even Hae Ak-cheon was conserving his energy just to maintain the Bone Shrinking Art.
Huh?
I looked to my left and saw Sama Yeong. Despite wearing a human skin mask, she hadn't shed a single drop of sweat and looked perfectly refreshed. When I looked at her, she gave me a playful grin.
........
Well, I guess she decided consuming internal energy was better than being hot. Come to think of it, I wasn't sweating much either. I wasn't specifically using my internal energy to protect myself from the heat, but strangely, I didn't feel particularly hot or sweaty.
Ah…
So that’s why a warm energy occasionally rose from my middle Dantian even when I wasn't thinking about it.
When we reached the inn, Hae Ak-cheon and the Song brothers had already claimed a spot under the awning and were gulping down water.
The seats are…
It was a table for six, but with those three large men sitting there, there was no room left. I wished they had individual chairs instead of those long wooden benches.
The inn was packed with customers. Despite being on the outskirts of Wuhan, there were many guests, likely because of the upcoming Grand Martial Assembly. More than half were martial artists. None of them looked particularly famous or powerful.
Hmm.
Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed we would have to keep standing until a seat opened up. Hae Ak-cheon noticed this as well and spoke to me.
"We’ll stay here, so you lot go inside and see if there are any seats."
"Understood—"
I was about to answer when I heard a voice.
"There are no seats inside either. Young men, why don't you join us?"
I looked toward the source and saw two people sitting under a nearby awning. One of them, an elderly man with white hair wearing hemp clothes, had addressed us. He was looking our way, while the person sitting across from him had their back to us, a pipa-sized object strapped to their back.
Hae Ak-cheon nodded, indicating it was fine. I cupped my hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward the old man.
"Thank you for your kindness."
I approached the table with the others to join them, but then—
!?
The moment I saw the person sitting with their back to us, I froze in my tracks.
The Lesser Conversation Sword asked, puzzled.
It’s… it’s the Ardent King Hegemon.
A middle-aged man with an intense gaze, thick eyebrows, and a short beard. He was Jin Gyun, the Ardent King Hegemon—one of the Eight Great Masters of the Central Plains.