Chapter 750: Reform (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 750: Reform (2)
CRACK—!
"Groan...!"
Just as Peng Jeowoo was being systematically dismantled, the spectators in the pavilion watched the scene with their jaws agape.
"...What in the world is this?"
"No matter the circumstances, that’s just...!"
Every gaze was fixed on the center of the arena. To be precise, they weren't looking at the Dao King, who had been reduced to a bloody mess, but at the young man who was tearing him apart.
He was the most famous youth in Henan of late, an individual who had captured the attention of every martial artist in the land. In a single stroke, he had snatched the title of the next Zenith Under the Heavens—a title previously held by the Heavenly Dragon. By revealing the power he had kept hidden, his value had skyrocketed in an instant.
Overwhelming martial prowess and achievements that defied his age. Looking at such a young man, people called him a monster, and it gave rise to many questions.
He was once called the youngest to ever reach the Fusion Realm. After the Heavenly Dragon Academy Incident, the boy once known as the True Dragon became Lesser King of Hell. At the time, rumors swirled that he had already reached the Fusion Realm. Those rumors had only died down when the Alliance officially recognized the Heavenly Dragon as the youngest to reach that stage.
Perhaps that was why whispers had begun to circulate again—that Lesser King of Hell had, in fact, reached the Fusion Realm back then. The problem was, if that were true, why had the Alliance recognized the Heavenly Dragon instead?
Such questions lingered, but now, they were irrelevant. What mattered was the existence of Lesser King of Hell himself.
"What in the world is that?"
"...The Dao King is being beaten that badly?"
The pavilion was a place where not only the heads of the top merchant associations but also the lords of noble clans and the leaders of prestigious sects had gathered. Each of them was responsible for a region or held a significant role within the Orthodox Faction. Yet, as they watched Lesser King of Hell, none of them could maintain their composure.
"I’m certain they said Lesser King of Hell was just past twenty."
"I saw him during his duel with the Heavenly Dragon, but... isn’t this too much?"
It was far too much. That was the consensus regarding Lesser King of Hell.
Just past twenty years of age. For someone of that age to reach the Fusion Realm was an unprecedented feat, with the sole exception of the Heavenly Dragon. But Lesser King of Hell’s current state was beyond even that. His level of mastery was on a different plane entirely.
If the Heavenly Dragon had barely reached the Fusion Realm and was just taking his first steps, this one was already soaring through the sky. He showed not a hint of retreat against the Dao King.
CRASH—!!
A wave of internal energy rippled out. The explosive burst of Qi reached all the way to the pavilion.
The Dao King, Peng Jeowoo. Though some whispered that his martial prowess didn't live up to his reputation, he was undeniably a master of the Fusion Realm. Yet that same Peng Jeowoo was now staggering, bleeding from Lesser King of Hell’s fists.
Resistance was impossible. It was less a duel and more a one-sided assault.
"...What... what should we even call that?" someone among the spectators muttered.
No one could answer. How could one even describe it? Was the word ‘genius’ enough to capture such a level? Even calling him a ‘monster’ seemed like too small a vessel to contain him. Lesser King of Hell’s current appearance was precisely that.
"...This makes no sense."
Was this all just an illusion, or a dream? If it was an illusion, it was a terrible sight. If it was a dream, it was a nightmare. Yes, this was the nightmare of every martial artist. Otherwise, such an existence could not be possible.
To overwhelm the Dao King so completely—how could that even be real?
As everyone shared the same thought, letting out only stunned groans, a voice spoke.
"Heh heh."
Someone on one side let out a laugh. It was an old man with a full head of white hair. He was the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect and one of the Ten Great Masters’ Seven Steel and Three Fists: the Celestial Plum Blossom.
"That child has a talent for surprising people every time I see him."
He thought he had been surprised enough during the duel with the Heavenly Dragon. But this fight with the Dao King was even more astonishing.
‘Just how much are you hiding?’
What did that child truly hold within him? To call it mere potential and brilliance felt insufficient.
‘Like father, like son, is it?’
Or perhaps, should he be seen as his grandfather’s grandson? No matter how he framed it, the words felt frustratingly inadequate. However, the Celestial Plum Blossom decided that simply witnessing this moment was enough.
‘I have seen a new era.’
A new era, moving forward. He felt as if he was facing its very center. That’s right. That child was the center. No matter what kind of era unfolded from now on, that child would be at its heart, or at its forefront. Witnessing that process was enough.
Just as the Celestial Plum Blossom came to this understanding, a nitpicking voice cut in.
"Judging by your expression, you’re off in your own gloomy world again."
"..."
The Celestial Plum Blossom turned his head. He slightly covered his nose and said, "No wonder... I smelled something foul..."
"Huh? What?"
"It was nothing."
"I heard you perfectly well, what do you mean nothing... Ah, forget it."
The leader of the Beggar’s Sect, Drunken Beggar Woo Bong, shook his head at the Celestial Plum Blossom’s reaction. "Well, since all your disciples were eliminated... I suppose you have a right to be displeased with everything."
"..."
The Celestial Plum Blossom’s eyes narrowed slightly. As Drunken Beggar Woo Bong had said, all the disciples from Mount Hua who had participated in the martial arts tournament had been eliminated. Part of it was due to the matchups, but another reason was that he had intentionally brought children who were not yet fully seasoned. With even Yung Pung, who had lasted the longest, now eliminated, Mount Hua no longer had a place in this tournament.
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong had pointed that out precisely. The Celestial Plum Blossom, who had been momentarily annoyed, suddenly broke into a grin.
"What is it? Why are you smiling—"
"Still, isn’t it a little better than the Beggar’s Sect, who couldn’t even participate?"
"...What did you say?"
This time, it was Drunken Beggar Woo Bong’s turn to scowl. It was true that not a single member of the Beggar’s Sect had participated in the tournament. The reason being...
"As part of the Alliance, don’t you know that participation in the tournament is impossible for us?"
The Beggar’s Sect was directly affiliated with the Murim Alliance, and thus, they were forbidden from participating.
"Hmm, but even if you had participated... I doubt the results would have been very good..."
How well could a bunch of beggars fight, anyway? The Celestial Plum Blossom’s gentle tone scraped at his nerves.
"You...!"
Just as Drunken Beggar Woo Bong was grinding his teeth, a harsh sound drew everyone’s attention once more.
CRASH—!!
"Ho ho. It seems to be over."
At the Celestial Plum Blossom’s cheerful words, Drunken Beggar Woo Bong clicked his tongue. "...Let’s have a private chat later, shall we?"
"My, my. Unfortunately... I have quite a few appointments today... Keh heh heh."
"Grit...!"
Even as they exchanged such trivial banter, their eyes remained on the dueling stage. They could see the middle-aged man with a massive physique collapsing. His face was so swollen it was unrecognizable. The thoroughly broken Dao King, Peng Jeowoo, lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
"...In the end, it happened."
"Did he really win?"
Everyone groaned at the sight. The Dao King had been defeated by a man significantly younger than him. Those who finally confirmed this fact bit their lips.
With this, tremendous events were sure to unfold. It was a disaster for the Peng Clan. And it was the starting point of a massive storm that would sweep through the Central Plains.
As everyone was lost in their shocked thoughts, contemplating the repercussions, the judge stepped forward.
"Gu... Gu Yangcheon of the Gu Clan of Shanxi... is the vic—"
Just as the judge was about to declare Lesser King of Hell’s victory...
"...!"
"...Hah!"
Shing—! Shing, shing—!!
Inside the pavilion, martial artists suddenly began to grip their swords.
"...This is..."
An intensely sharp energy began to swirl around them. As they were all exceptional martial artists, they all felt the same thing simultaneously.
"Woo Bong. This is...?"
The Celestial Plum Blossom was no different. He was about to call out to the Beggar’s Sect Leader, his body completely stiff, when...
VMMMMMM—!!!!
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE—!!!
Suddenly, vibrations erupted all around them.
"Ugh!"
"What is this—!!"
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE—!!!!
Was it a sudden earthquake? While most were too stunned to even keep their balance, a few managed to steady themselves. Among them was one of the Seven Steel and Three Fists, the Captain of the Guardians, Jinnyeong Geomje. He widened his eyes as he looked up at the sky.
Something was beginning to spread across the crystal-clear sky.
ZIIIIIIING—!!!
It was a massive, vermilion line.
How did something like that appear in the sky? The long, intense lines, vast enough to cover the entire heavens, began to connect with each other in an instant. Something was slowly taking shape.
The Sword Emperor was observing it, but then something else happened.
FWOOSH—!!
"Hah!"
"Wh-what is this now...!"
A barrier suddenly appeared and began to envelop the area around the pavilion. It was a vermilion barrier, the same color as the lines in the sky. Seeing the unknown barrier begin to enclose the pavilion, several people inside moved immediately.
SWISH—!!
The Celestial Plum Blossom of Mount Hua, the Sword Emperor, and the Alliance Leader—the Sword Immortal—moved simultaneously, swinging their swords in unison.
KWHAAAAA—!!!
Three of the Ten Great Masters joined forces, unleashing their Sword Qi. An immense amount of Combat Qi poured toward the barrier. Normally, it would have been enough power to lay waste to the entire region, but...
PANG—!!
The Sword Qi struck the barrier and dissipated without leaving so much as a scratch. And then...
VWOOM—!!
Unable to stop the barrier’s advance, the vermilion light completely covered the entire pavilion.
A completely unexpected situation. Confirming this, the Sword Emperor’s brow furrowed deeply. He wasn’t the only one. Everyone here could tell instinctively: right now, here in Henan, something catastrophic was beginning to happen.
* * *
Henan.
A bizarre sight unfolded above the Murim Alliance, which stood at its center. Watching the widespread phenomenon, an old man smiled brightly.
"Finally...!!"
It was the sight he had longed for. That sky was a domain of profound sorcery, a ritual he had created with his own power—a sight he had painstakingly prepared after decades of sharpening his blade. How could he not be ecstatic?
"Hah!! Finally... is it finally coming to pass?"
The old man looked around with eyes full of yearning. People were gathered in droves. They were all people who had once borne the Zhuge surname. Now, they were people who had hidden their names, dreaming only of revenge.
Among them, a giant rock was emitting light. It was the material that formed the basis of the sorcery, a raw stone that sealed a being hidden within the land of Henan. A total of six such rocks were hidden throughout Henan, and the old man had succeeded in finding them all and performing the Unsealing Ritual.
"Just a little, just a little more..."
Soon, he would be able to show the Murim Alliance, which had cast them into darkness for so long, a true hell. The sorcery formation in the sky grew denser. Watching it, the old man clenched his fist and turned around.
"Everyone, listen."
"Yes, Captain!"
At the old man’s words, dozens of people knelt.
"The time we have waited for has come. Remember the days when we all lost our names and lived as sinners at their hands."
Thud—!
The blunt weapon he gripped struck the ground.
"Today, at last, we will wash away the shame of the past and show them."
Vwoom—!
A deep fighting spirit flowed from the old man’s shoulders. Resentment and anger—an energy filled with these emotions spread in all directions, and as if influenced by it, the expressions of the others began to change.
Flutter—!
Meanwhile, the old man draped a robe over himself. It was a black robe with the character for ‘Demon’ (魔) embroidered in violet on the back. As the old man put it on, those around him began to don the same clothes.
Everyone wore the same attire. The only slight difference was that the old man’s robe had more pronounced embroidery and an armband. It was a rather conspicuous uniform, but there was a reason for wearing it.
"I’ve worn it as promised. Now, may we proceed?" the old man said, looking behind him.
A woman, Nahee, was standing there. She glanced over the old man and his people before nodding.
"Yes."
"...When will the Cult Leader be arriving?"
When would the Heavenly Demon, the one who made them wear these clothes, appear? To that question, Nahee replied:
"He is currently occupied and cannot show himself, but he said he will arrive without being late. Also..."
Rustle.
Nahee took out a robe identical to the old man’s and put it on.
"He also said that he will not forget his promise... and that you should be sure to achieve what you desire."
The old man nodded. It was strange that the Cult Leader had not yet shown himself, but his mind was entirely focused on the sky. At most, half an hour from now, a great being would descend from beneath the lands of Henan.
If that happened, the Murim Alliance—the very root of the Orthodox Faction—would crumble, and the bloody reform would begin.
Grip—!
The old man gripped his weapon, his face hardening as if engraving a deep resolve onto his expression.
"...Let’s go. For the reform."
"For the reform—!"
As if entrusted with a grave mission, the dozens of people began to walk toward Henan. Revenge, reclamation—dreaming of their goal, the group moved forward.
"..."
Nahee watched their backs, and only after their presence had completely vanished did she turn her head. At that moment...
Thud, thud, thud—!!
As if on cue, figures landed around Nahee. They were all martial artists dressed in yellow uniforms. At the forefront was a familiar face: the Lord of the Hwangbo Clan, Savage Beast Fist, Hwangbo Yeolwi.
He, who had appeared so suddenly, took out a set of clothes from his robes and handed them to Nahee.
Ssk.
Nahee took the clothes as if she had been waiting and immediately began to change.
Thump.
The black uniform she had been wearing fell to the ground. Over it, she donned the yellow clothes that marked her as a martial artist of the Hwangbo Clan. After putting on a hood to cover her face, Nahee slowly loosened her body and spoke.
"...Everything. As the Cult Leader wills."
With those words, she began to move, following the others.
On the Heavenly Demon’s orders, they would now punish the "evil" that had just attacked Henan.