Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Dispatch
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The spot where Unhwi had departed.
The Dark Lord stood atop the Prosperity Pavilion for a long while, gazing down below.
A thick fog clung to the air, making it hard to see clearly—just as Unhwi had said—but there was no way the Dark Lord, who had reached such a realm, couldn't pierce through it.
He was truly beholding the world from this place.
A world that seemed graspable yet forever slipped away.
At times, it all felt like this fog, escaping between his fingers no matter how tightly he clenched his fist.
"...It's difficult."
As the Dark Lord murmured softly, the Leader of the Verdant Zombie Division, Tang Sauk, appeared at his side.
He held a gourd flask in one hand.
The Dark Lord's face lit up in an instant.
"Oh? What's this, you bringing booze? In your hand, no less?"
"You seemed lonely, so I brought some."
"Hahaha! The guy who was always desperate to snatch drinks from me."
"Should I take it back?"
"Hey now, that's a breach of the Way of Liquor. We need to down it quick and get rid of it. Hand it over."
Tang Sauk shook his head side to side and offered the cup he held in his other hand.
"Who're you planning to shove that under the nose of? Bring the whole thing."
Before Tang Sauk could even respond, the gourd flask flew into the Dark Lord's grasp.
Tang Sauk was utterly exasperated.
To deploy such sublime void-grasping technique just for a drink?
Monsters of the sacred frame were impossible to comprehend with mortal logic, after all.
Gulp, gulp!
"Kuh! This stuff's got a real bite I like. You got a good one."
"It was just some cheap baijiu you can find anywhere in the marketplace."
"That's why I like it even more. Bah, booze is only fun when your head splits the next morning. These days, everyone's so cautious with their bodies—obsessed with stuff like sword tonics or five-tael elixirs. Tsk tsk! What's the point? Just drink till you're wasted."
"......"
Tang Sauk was well aware that the Dark Lord's tastes in liquor weren't particularly refined.
No, it wasn't just liquor.
He lacked deep discernment in clothing, poetry, music, rituals, painting—hobbies across the board.
No wonder the people of other prestigious orthodox sects sometimes called him uncultured or vulgar behind his back.
It was all because he'd been too busy surviving in his youth to cultivate any refinement.
Thus, the Dark Lord's preferences were frozen in his childhood.
Cheap baijiu from the marketplace. Syrup from street stalls. Tales from street storytellers. Operas from wandering troupes.
His eye for people was similar.
Look at the ones he gathered: Tang Sauk, who nitpicked every word he said; Tang Hosan, who used to cause endless trouble back in the day despite being calmer now; or types like Noble Zhuge or Tang Gon.
Even showing favor to Unhwi, now the top troublemaker in the Tang Clan, fit that pattern.
He valued a matching temperament first. And once he gave his heart, he poured it out endlessly. Unhwi was proof.
"This is a place where you've rarely brought anyone besides me and Hosan. You said you didn't want to show it to others."
"......"
The Dark Lord's motion of chugging from the gourd paused for a moment.
Pretending not to notice, Tang Sauk cast his gaze toward the fog.
"But you showed it to Unhwi. Was there a special reason? It didn't seem just because he's Hosan's son."
Tang Sauk had been shocked when the Dark Lord lent Unhwi the Serene Sky White Robe.
It was a major matter that could paint him as the official successor to outsiders, yet the Dark Lord seemed utterly unconcerned.
Tang Sauk couldn't ignore the political dynamics that might unfold within the Tang Clan.
This could stir far greater turmoil internally than externally.
But the Dark Lord, who surely knew better, merely wore an inscrutable smile.
"Well. Because he's my disciple?"
"I know you cherish those you consider disciples. You've shown the same favor to the Azure Blade of Purity or the Flying Fox Gourd."
"......"
"Yet you seem to pay extra attention to Unhwi—"
Tang Sauk trailed off upon seeing the Dark Lord's face and let out a light sigh.
"My apologies. I overstepped. I'll stop here."
As Tang Sauk retrieved the now-empty gourd and turned to leave, the Dark Lord suddenly spoke.
"It's not that I'm paying extra attention just to Unhwi. Merely."
Smirk.
A wry smile spread across the Dark Lord's lips.
"Just searching for something."
"......"
Tang Sauk had a faint inkling of what it was and bowed his head slightly before quietly withdrawing.
* * *
—Conflicts within the Kongtong Sect have long been brewing and intensified with the Nine Dragons Great Battle as a turning point.
—The anti-Tang Clan faction from below will be dubbed "Hawks," the pro-Tang Clan faction "Sparrows."
—The Hawks, centered around the Doctrine Scholar, argue that the Tang Clan's ambitions must be repelled. They harbor a victim complex, claiming that for centuries, they—not the Tang Clan—blocked the Demonic Cult's invasions, only for the Tang to swoop in last and steal the credit.
—Accordingly, the Hawks treat the Demonic Cult and Tang Clan as one and the same. They view all external forces as threats to the safety of Gansu martial world and the Kongtong Sect, declaring they must all be rejected.
—Thus, they refuse Tang Clan aid and categorically reject joining the alliance.
—The problem is that the Hawks command over seventy percent of the Kongtong Sect's forces. As the mainstream opinion, it's not easily overturned.
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—Conversely, the Sparrows judge that the Kongtong Sect's current strength cannot repel the Demonic Cult's midplains invasion ambitions.
—Still unrecovered from losses in the clash with the Fist Demon Beast Clan a dozen years ago, they insist cooperation with the Tang Clan is inevitable, but public opinion won't budge.
—Thus, the sect leader and some elders are lending their strength, but it's woefully insufficient.
.
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—On the recent Gapjin Day, at a grand assembly summoning the main sect, branches, and affiliates, the Hawks abruptly proposed and passed a no-confidence vote against the sect leader, confining Perfected Sunhak.
—Simultaneously, Hawk affiliates attempted to arrest and suppress the Sparrows in one fell swoop, sparking civil strife on Kongtong Mountain.
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—In the chaos, command broke down, allowing some Sparrows to escape.
—The escaped Sparrows regrouped. Full-scale civil war has erupted.
.
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—The Sparrows are currently requesting Tang Clan cooperation.
—Confirmed South Palace Dark Thunder Division involvement with the Hawks.
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—Some Dark Thunder Division agents are secretly protecting the Doctrine Scholar, while a considerable number are searching Gwangseongja's cave.
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—The Phantom Sect Leader, briefly sighted near Kongtong Mountain, has vanished again. Expected South Palace contact, but none yet.
—Pursuit ongoing.
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.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Inside a large carriage ascending the official road north from the Tang Clan stronghold.
I organized the documents Kong Sonbeom had compiled and the letters from Wind Flower Hall.
If I summed up the recent developments on Kongtong Mountain in one word:
"What a mess."
It was a total mess, literally.
How could this happen?
With a kind-hearted sect leader right there, they shout, "We don't trust you, so shut up and stay locked in the sect leader's quarters!"
They stage a coup, botch the command, and let captured fish slip away.
Things escalate, turning Kongtong Mountain into a full-blown civil war battlefield.
The Kongtong Sect might be less renowned than Shaolin or Wudang, but it's still one of the Nine Great Sects, a prestigious powerhouse.
Yet their actions are straight out of third-rate thugs.
I had to question if this was really the sect that repelled the Divine Cult's midplains invasions multiple times.
「But judging from the contents, it can't be pinned solely on the Kongtong Sect's incompetence.」
「Indeed. The blow from the war with the Beast Clan remains unhealed, and above all, the South Palace's schemes have been relentlessly persistent.」
「The ghosts' consensus is that this is the result of the South Palace's cunning thoroughness.」
I agreed with the spirits on this.
On paper, the South Palace's influence was exquisitely precise.
And insidious.
It had been festering for over a decade.
They slyly blocked supplies to prevent force recovery, stoked conflicts between main sect and affiliates, and sowed subtle discord among the Taoists to escalate tensions.
The result: someone like the Doctrine Scholar emerged.
His arguments were compelling on the surface.
Uphold the righteous, expel the evil.
Only the Kongtong Sect's traditional rules and teachings are true. All worldly things are corrupt and must be rejected.
Self-reliance with Kongtong strength alone... Of course, it sounds good superficially, but peel back the layers, and it's pure malice.
Fine, self-reliance is great. Who doesn't know maintaining independence is ideal?
But when that's impossible, you interact with the outside world and accept help when needed.
In a situation where that's not happening properly...
In the end, the fractured Kongtong Sect became a proxy battlefield for the Tang Clan and South Palace.
Tang backing the Sparrows. South Palace the Hawks.
And behind them, the Phantom Sect.
「But the most dangerous and tricky part for us now is surely Gwangseongja's cave.」
「Guangcheng Temple is a holy site even within the Kongtong Sect. The Doctrine Scholar, who's seized the main sect, won't open it easily—」
「At this rate—」
'Yeah. Securing it will be tough.'
From a selfish standpoint, the proxy war held no losses for me.
No, it was pure gain.
A chance to completely purge South Palace and Phantom Sect shadows and pull the prestigious Kongtong Sect fully to our side.
Not just any ally—one I could potentially sway to my side if needed.
For me, dreaming of the Divine Cult's revival, breaching the midplains' barrier held immense significance.
Thus, this Kongtong civil war was a golden opportunity.
But what was my original purpose in coming to Kongtong Mountain?
To seek traces of my master.
Gwangseong Temple held great meaning to Kongtong Taoists but little strategic value.
It would naturally fall lower in priorities for securing.
By the time it was secured, the Phantom Sect might have caused who-knows-what chaos.
Filling that gap was key.
It needed to benefit the Tang Clan while providing justification to secure Guangcheng Temple.
'I should meet the vampire demon first thing upon arriving at Kongtong Sect. Need a clearer read on the situation.'
As I sorted my thoughts, a tug on my collar snapped me back.
Across from me, Kong Sonbeom was quietly pulling at the Serene Sky White Robe draped over me.
"What're you doing?"
"...Examining the fabric."
"Why the fabric all of a sudden?"
"It looks comfortable. Is it nice?"
Kong Sonbeom, who always restrained his emotions, stared at me with a sullen expression.
Pure envy.
That's when it hit me.
No wonder his hair seemed thin. He's a baldy geezer fanboy?
Comfortable?
Duh. If it weren't, that'd be weirder.
Made from top-tier spiritual items—a human-faced stele and unicorn web, no less.
The robe itself was a spiritual treasure and dharma relic, self-repairing from damage, radiating warmth that greatly aided inner energy circulation.
Circulating qi while wearing it doubled my accumulation speed—purity even higher?
It was like constantly consuming spirit pills. Hehehe! Baldy geezer forever!
But I ignored Kong Sonbeom's jealous glare and yanked the collar back.
Don't touch. It'll get dirty. I barely wear it myself for fear of dust. Scram. Bad luck. Shoo, shoo.
Changing the subject to deflect his grumpy look, I tossed him another question.
"More importantly, I have something to ask, old man."
"...What?"
"You've been chummy with the Doctrine Scholar. What's he like?"
In an instant, Kong Sonbeom's eyes deepened.