Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Now Confirmed?
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That day had arrived.
The day specified in the invitation stating that the Great Righteous Alliance's new alliance leader wished to meet.
Do Cheon set out from the Iron Lion Sect, accompanied by Byeon Ryeo-gun, Yi Yeol, and Little Sparrow. Byeon Ryeo-gun's face was veiled with thin fabric, concealing her expression. Yi Yeol wore his usual near-cold demeanor, while Little Sparrow looked utterly shrunken and tense.
"Do I really have to go too?"
Little Sparrow asked, her face scrunched in a pout. She hated showing her face in front of people, and the thought of meeting the high-ranking officials of the Great Righteous Alliance—who held sway over the entire martial world—was something she truly dreaded.
"Yeah, you do. We've gotta recoup the cost of those clothes somehow, right?"
Do Cheon said, giving Little Sparrow a quick once-over from head to toe.
She wore a martial robe of pure white accented with harmonious blues, the longsword in her hand completing the look of a promising young talent freshly stepping into the martial world.
"I told you I didn't need clothes like this!"
"You do need them. The uniform's necessary, and so's the experience."
"But...!"
Little Sparrow looked ready to halt in her tracks at any moment, so Yi Yeol, walking beside her, reached out and gripped her shoulder.
"I'll be right here beside you. Until we're back at this very spot, I'll stay by your side the whole time. If it gets tough, just turn your head—you'll see me."
"Brother Yi Yeol..."
"Even if a fight breaks out, don't just close your eyes. Put some strength into your gaze and watch Eldest Brother and Maiden Byeon fight. That's our role."
The mention of a fight terrified Little Sparrow even more. Yet the idea of watching Do Cheon and Byeon Ryeo-gun in battle strangely stirred her heart. Suddenly, she recalled the previous swarm of Great Righteous Alliance experts—how Do Cheon had unilaterally demolished that massive horde all by himself. Her heart began to pound fiercely, not from fear, but something entirely different.
"Yes. I'll do that."
Strength entered Little Sparrow's voice.
Yi Yeol smiled at her, and a smile bloomed on Little Sparrow's lips as well.
Do Cheon watched the exchange with a pleased smile as he walked along. At that moment, someone spotted the four of them and hurried over with quick steps. It was Man Gwa-hae, his one arm wrapped tightly in white cloth.
"You've come out! All four of you together today."
"No problems?"
"None at all. Everything's going smoothly. As Young Master Do's reputation rises day by day, business here keeps getting better. Even when we go procure materials, they hand over the finest quality without a peep once we mention the Iron Lion Sect."
"Good to hear."
"Yes, sir. No hitches whatsoever. Once all the construction's wrapped up, you'll see this street overflowing with people."
"That's the plan. This street's the project I'm most excited about. So keep putting in that effort, Leader Man."
"Just leave it to me."
"Alright, I will. Keep up the good work."
"Ah, you must be in a rush. Safe travels!"
Man Gwa-hae perceptively stepped back.
Do Cheon glanced over the bustling construction site with a satisfied smile. Seeing that, Man Gwa-hae's face lit up even brighter.
"What are you lot doing? Get back to work! I promised generous pay if you finish this properly! Hurry up, hurry! Stone worker! That section needs to be extra sturdy—don't skimp on materials!"
Man Gwa-hae's voice boomed thunderously.
Watching the scene, Yi Yeol asked in a tone edged with irritation.
"Do we really need that guy?"
Do Cheon turned back.
He knew exactly why Yi Yeol was asking. After what had happened with Iron Mountain last autumn, just seeing the man's face would be enough to spark rage.
"Yeah, we do."
Do Cheon replied firmly and continued on his way.
Honam Merchant Jeong Ga-bo.
A manor the Great Righteous Alliance was using as temporary lodging. As Do Cheon and the others reached the main gate, the firmly shut doors swung wide open.
Do Cheon strode through without hesitation.
Warriors were visible. A considerable number filling Jeong Ga-bo's front courtyard. Mostly disciples from the Seven Great Sects. They'd cleared only a central path for Do Cheon to walk through.
Meant to flaunt the Great Righteous Alliance's might?
Might wasn't like this—it didn't even elicit a chuckle. Do Cheon walked ahead without sparing them a glance. Trailing him, Byeon Ryeo-gun and Yi Yeol walked side by side with Little Sparrow in the middle.
"Are you the Iron Divine Dragon donor?"
"That's me."
Do Cheon didn't know who the man was. The closely shaven head suggested a Shaolin monk.
"This way, please."
"Lead on."
Do Cheon followed the middle-aged monk, who guided him to a spacious reception hall.
"Please wait a moment. The Alliance Leader will arrive shortly."
The middle-aged monk smiled with a characteristic Shaolin bow.
Do Cheon spotted the reason for his smile smack in the center of the hall. There was a chair. Pathetically small and insignificant-looking. The sort used for interrogating criminals.
The intent was blatantly obvious. Would he submit and sit? Rage and smash it? Or simply stand and wait?
A test. Show your true colors.
Standing might mean they'd make him wait forever. Whoever came up with this was utterly vile. Irritation welled up.
"Am I supposed to sit and wait?"
"Yes."
"Very well."
Do Cheon sat.
Not on the chair, but comfortably in mid-air. He stretched out his legs, propping his feet casually atop the chair. Floating there. More precisely, he'd manipulated the atmosphere to buoy himself up.
The middle-aged monk's face stiffened. It was completely unexpected—and a genuinely astonishing feat. But soon enough, his expression turned icy.
'Demonic arts! Sorcery! Nothing but a sly trick!'
The middle-aged monk dismissed Do Cheon's supernatural display as mere sorcery. The idea of someone barely past his early twenties wielding otherworldly energies was simply absurd.
Do Cheon picked up on the monk's inner thoughts. He leaned back even more comfortably, his face blooming into a full, unmistakable mocking smile.
"No tea? Normally, hosts at least offer tea to guests."
"None."
"What a stingy place."
The monk remained cold; Do Cheon just grinned cheekily. Starkly opposing reactions to the shifted situation. After a brief wait, commotion stirred outside, and a group appeared.
At the forefront was a wrinkled old monk.
Do Cheon, seated facing inward in the hall's center, couldn't see him. He could stand and turn, but he didn't. He just lounged there in comfort, lips curled in blatant mockery.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The old monk—Hyeoncheon Daesa—demanded in an angry tone. Do Cheon's bizarre seating arrangement was to blame.
"He dares to use sorcery in this place."
"Out!"
Hyeoncheon erupted in fury. The middle-aged monk nodded vigorously in agreement.
"To your eyes, it looks like sorcery?"
"My apologies."
"Fetch a proper chair at once!"
The middle-aged monk vanished in a flash at Hyeoncheon's bellow.
Hyeoncheon then took a seat opposite Do Cheon. The experts who'd accompanied him lined up long to either side, forming a three-sided encirclement around Do Cheon's group.
Do Cheon didn't bother eyeing them individually, but he instantly recognized them as extraordinary masters. Former Four Vajras, former Seven Swords of Wudang—elders from the Seven Great Sects and Five Great Families. Even so, he maintained his seated posture unchanged.
"Are you the Iron Divine Dragon?"
"Do Cheon. This chair's so uncomfortable that sitting and standing would be a hassle, so I trust you'll understand."
"Discomfort and hassle always stem from the heart—what sin has the chair committed?"
"If the chair's innocent, I shouldn't torment it."
Do Cheon used his foot to shove even the chair he'd been propping on aside. Now he floated completely unsupported in mid-air, legs fully extended.
"Doesn't look comfortable."
"You said discomfort comes from the heart."
"Then your heart's at ease?"
"No wrongdoing means no reason to fidget."
"You claim innocence?"
"You twist words so oddly. What law in this land lets you prattle on about crimes?"
"There may be no law, but justice exists."
"That justice any person with a heart would know?"
"Precisely."
"Then the Great Righteous Alliance must have quite a few sins. You okay with that?"
"Hah, the Alliance has sins?"
"Shall I recount White Sword Sect's deeds through the Sky-Spanning Gang?"
"The Sky-Spanning Gang's under your command, isn't it?"
"I've reformed them."
"Well done. Evil must be turned to good. Since White Sword Sect belongs to the Alliance, they ought to pay the price if guilty."
"Just let it be."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want it."
"Hah, so the Alliance must obey because you don't?"
"Yes."
"Remarkable confidence."
"Touch White Sword Sect, and I'll expose every underhanded act every Alliance sect has committed, overtly or covertly. How much of them is clean from head to toe? Go ahead if you think you can handle it."
"Now you're resorting to threats."
Hyeoncheon let out a hollow laugh.
Right then, Do Cheon rose from his spot. He fixed Hyeoncheon with a cold stare.
"Enough. I don't care for word games, and I especially hate nitpicking."
"Must we stop just because you don't like it?"
"Volcanic Divine Sword!"
Do Cheon bellowed loudly.
He'd deliberately infused it with inner power; the room didn't just vibrate—the entire building shuddered.
"He acted as a buffer to prevent clashes between the Alliance and me. He prioritized everyone's safety over your pride. But now, the one who played that buffer role has been driven from his position. Do you know what that means?"
"What does it mean, then?"
"No one left to hold me back."
"Such confidence!"
Hyeoncheon's voice boomed louder. It carried the fierce aura unique to Shaolin, resounding through the hall.
Do Cheon stared him down directly. He'd come intending to talk, but the chair in the room had changed his mind. He was determined to ensure they'd never treat him like a criminal again—or dare to underestimate him.
"Vajras, step forward!"
At Hyeoncheon's shout, grasping Do Cheon's unyielding resolve, three old monks advanced. They were the former Four Vajras, alongside Hyeoncheon himself. As they stepped up, Hyeoncheon turned his gaze back to Do Cheon.
"We'll confirm that confidence first—talk can wait."
The moment Hyeoncheon finished speaking, the three former Vajras stomped in unison, raising their auras. They dropped into horse stance, bringing their right fists to their bowed left hands—the iconic stance of Shaolin's Vajra Naham Fist.
"I'll show you that the Iron Lion Sect existed before Shaolin!"
Do Cheon roared.
He clenched his fist and spun around.
In an instant, the three old monks moved their iron-pillar legs, extending Vajra Naham Fist strikes. Do Cheon thrust his Thunder Wall Fist toward the nearest one charging in.
Kwarung!
Thunderous clash erupted.
The Thunder Wall Fist—now even fiercer of late—collided, instantly halting the Vajra Naham Fist strike. The monk's face twisted in agony.
Seizing that momentary gap, Do Cheon lunged forward, wrapped his hand around the monk's nape, spun like lightning, and hurled him away using the centrifugal force.
The monk flew and slammed into the wall. The other two charged like enraged tigers, unleashing a barrage of Vajra Naham Fist techniques. Each blow carried power enough to pulverize boulders into dust—clearly their sect's elite strikes.
Do Cheon didn't hesitate, thrusting his fists alternately.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deafening explosions rocked the room in succession. As the clashes ended, one could see the two monks' faces contorted in shock and pain.
"Be careful!"
Hyeoncheon issued a sharp warning. But it was too late.
Do Cheon had already shifted position, simultaneously grabbing both monks' heads and smashing them together like thunderous applause. Reeling from the skull-cracking impact, the two staggered; Do Cheon mercilessly hurled them away. They too crashed brutally into the walls. As Hyeoncheon failed to hide his astonishment at the one-sided spectacle, five former Wudang Seven Swords drew their blades and charged simultaneously.
They showed no regard for the safety of Byeon Ryeo-gun, Yi Yeol, and Little Sparrow standing in the room's center, encircling Do Cheon and the three while slashing down. It was no conduct befitting famed upright experts. Cold calculation underpinned it: Iron Lion Sect was beyond redemption. Seize this chance to uproot it entirely—even inflict irreversible wounds on Byeon Ryeo-gun, Yi Yeol, and Little Sparrow. Killing intent roiled palpably as a result.
A terrifying sword formation from monstrous experts.
Little Sparrow's legs trembled. In that instant, Yi Yeol reached out to grip her shoulder. Byeon Ryeo-gun extended a hand to grasp Little Sparrow's arm. Bolstered, Little Sparrow gritted her teeth and endured, eyes fierce.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, the air churned violently.
'That technique!'
Byeon Ryeo-gun's eyes widened as she recognized the familiar method. At that moment, the rapidly layered atmospheric pressure not only blocked the killing intent poured out by the former Wudang Seven Swords but also bound their movements.
Yet the former Seven Swords were supreme masters. They channeled their full power into their blades, slashing through the atmospheric pressure. It was a reflexive response the instant their motion was impeded. But in that fleeting split-second gap—so close to instantaneous—it gave Do Cheon all the leeway he needed.
Paak! Bbang! Bbang!
Three of the former Wudang Seven Swords had their heads snapped back viciously. Do Cheon's palms had struck one side of their faces. What seemed mere finger jabs sent the three flying like leaves in an autumn gale.
"Sorcery! Careful...!"
One who tried to shout a warning choked on empty air. Do Cheon had appeared right before him. The moment he spotted Do Cheon, a kick swept his legs, unbalancing his form and launching him airborne.
Paak!
A powerful strike.
Do Cheon's palm smashed down from above; the man lost consciousness instantly, his head slamming into the floor first.
Now only one remained.
He thrust his sword in a straight line at Do Cheon's fully exposed back. The timing seemed perfect—utterly unavoidable. So swift that even a monster like Do Cheon couldn't dodge; he fully expected to pierce the back and rend the heart. Not just him, but most of the Great Righteous Alliance elders foresaw the same outcome.
Yet a sharp metallic clang rang out, and the sword failed to pierce Do Cheon's back, halting abruptly. The attacker—and everyone else—gaped in shock. A powerful rebounding protective aura had blocked the blade.
Do Cheon turned slowly. Leisure oozed from him. Like an absolute being flaunting his supremacy, he turned with the air of "Is that all?"
'This... this is Eldest Brother's true power?'
Shock spread across Yi Yeol's face.
'Eldest Brother!'
Little Sparrow was simply awestruck.
Byeon Ryeo-gun, meanwhile, was stunned for a different reason.
'Freely blending the Generation's Heavenly Demon arts and Iron Lion King arts!'
As the three stared wide-eyed in amazement, Do Cheon utterly ignored the last remaining former Wudang Seven Sword and fixed his gaze on Hyeoncheon.
"My confidence—now confirmed?"
Do Cheon asked.
Hyeoncheon's face hardened.
Suddenly, the words of the Volcanic Divine Sword came to mind.
He had resided at the Iron Lion Sect to prevent clashes between the Iron Divine Dragon and the upright sects. Heaven-Rending Legion Kang Yi-wi was there to stop him from becoming an upright faction member.
The absurd, excuse-like words suddenly made forced sense and clicked into place.
'Did we drive away the wrong person?'
Complexity flooded Hyeoncheon's face.
Right then—
Someone burst into the reception hall.
"Demonic Cult! Heavenly Demon Cult! They're invading!"