Obtaining the Darkness (1)
It was a question that truly shook the soul.
Would you throw away everything to crush the Three Sects?
Of course.
If it had been the Yeon Hojeong of the past, the answer would have come without the slightest hesitation.
Indeed. The Three Sects, and especially the Mad Blood Cult, were his mortal enemies in the truest sense.
Was it different now? Should he not rage over something that had yet to happen?
That was nonsense. The Three Sects, led by the Mad Blood Cult, were already eyeing the Central Plains with clear intent. Countless people would die in the process.
And among those who would fall into danger were his own family.
In truth, not only Yeon Hojeong but everyone participating in this invisible war had to risk their lives. Otherwise, they could never drive those invaders out.
For Yeon Hojeong, who carried the full weight of past resentment and fury, there was no need to even speak of it. He was fully prepared to throw away his life to destroy the Mad Blood Cult and expel the Three Sects.
Yes. That resolve and sense of purpose had not changed.
But?
“The scope of the question Lord Yang is asking is far too vast for me to answer easily.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes gleamed.
“Unexpected. I thought you, of all people, might hate them even more than I do.”
“That is an undeniable fact. And not just you, Lord Yang. No one in the Central Plains harbors deeper hatred and revulsion toward them than I.”
“Yet the power of the very targets you hate and revulse so deeply is so immense it defies imagination.”
“Correct.”
“Then shouldn’t you be prepared to throw everything away? Yet hearing your lukewarm response, it seems that isn’t the case?”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“I am prepared to burn this single life if necessary. However, I have no desire to cross the line.”
“You don’t want to cross the line…”
Yang Cheon tilted his head.
“You said the same thing before. That you wouldn’t cross the line. Yet you also admitted that even you find the concept of that ‘line’ rather vague.”
“It’s the same now. I still cannot define exactly what that line is. But I have a rough sense of it.”
“A sense, huh…”
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly.
“My father hopes that his unworthy son, while hunting monsters, does not become a similar monster himself.”
Yang Cheon frowned.
“You have already established your own house. Whether in martial arts or in spirit—whatever it may be.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“The teachings of parents and masters do not discriminate based on the child’s condition. Still, I didn’t realize you cared so much for your father’s teachings.”
“If it’s merely a difference in thinking, I can take it as reference. I won’t change my own principles just because of it.”
“Then?”
“……”
“Perhaps I myself felt uneasy. About how I was gradually becoming more and more like them.”
To be precise, it wasn’t exactly becoming the same.
Yeon Hojeong’s extreme hatred, the more he fought against them, turned him into a monster even worse than the Three Sects rather than making him identical to them.
That was the problem. If it were simply becoming the same—if it were merely ruining himself and eventually leading to his own destruction—he wouldn’t have agonized this much.
Yeon Hojeong was certain. The moment he abandoned that abstract and utterly vague concept of the ‘line,’ he would become a cataclysmic disaster that no one in the future could stop.
It wasn’t a matter of his ability.
It was about the weight of the name Yeon Hojeong in the current Murim world—how much influence a single word from him carried, and what kind of events he could set in motion if he truly decided to act.
Yeon Hojeong’s capabilities were immense. To put it bluntly, if he used the trust he had built so far to call for an attack on the Imperial Palace, and prepared thoroughly, the Martial Alliance could at least wage war against the Imperial Court.
An overinterpretation? Not at all.
Bu Seon had reduced Botam to that state in merely three years. If Yeon Hojeong, who surpassed her in every aspect, set his mind to it, shaking the entire world was not entirely impossible.
That was why.
Because he clearly understood the power he possessed, his current status, and his sphere of influence.
That was why he was agonizing. Because he knew what kind of aftermath his choices would bring, and because he could dimly foresee a future where the consequences would not end with just his own ruin.
Looking at Yeon Hojeong’s complicated expression, Yang Cheon spoke.
“May I say one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“You are so full of self-respect that it has crossed into arrogance.”
“……”
“I don’t think you’re afraid. Nor do I think your feelings toward them have dulled. But one thing is clear—you seem to have become far too arrogant.”
“Is that how it looks?”
“There isn’t a single person who would deny that you are an exceptional talent. However, did the Murim of the Central Plains look so weak that it would be shaken simply because you became a monster?”
“……!”
He hadn’t thought that far.
Yang Cheon continued with a slightly displeased expression.
“The reason I have spared you despite having many chances to kill you over the years is partly due to various interests, and partly because I found the person called Yeon Hojeong himself intriguing. But make no mistake—if I truly decide to kill you, you will not survive.”
“……”
“And it’s not just me. The other strong ones among the Holy Thirteen Seats would be the same, and there are countless reclusive experts in the world who possess similar power.”
The corner of Yang Cheon’s mouth rose.
“Given your age and status, that level of arrogance isn’t even a flaw. But aren’t you distrusting everyone besides yourself far too much?”
“It’s not distrust.”
“If it’s not distrust, then it’s even more arrogant.”
Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.
“It’s not easy to receive such a shocking moment of self-reflection so gently.”
“Do you acknowledge it?”
“I’m not sure yet. However, there is certainly logic in what you said. Indeed, if I weren’t arrogant, such thoughts wouldn’t have occurred to me.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes took on a strange light.
Yang Cheon thought to himself.
As expected of this bastard…
Even after rising high enough, even when scolded by someone who is not yet a clear ally, he can still listen and reflect on himself.
This is something.
At first, seeing him show weakness and then speak with such arrogance, I thought he was finally starting to fade. But seeing this side of him now, it feels like another facet of Yeon Hojeong is being revealed.
Right. This guy wasn’t born like this from the start.
Godly insight worthy of being called divine technique, supreme martial prowess that didn’t match his age at all, and on top of that, an incomparably sharp sixth sense.
Truly, no one is born with such abilities. Yeon Hojeong must have endured bone-cutting effort and unbearable pain to become what he is now.
Still, it’s hard to look down on him. That open-minded attitude of his.
This was a world where even a small issue could wound one’s pride and lead to blades being drawn. At least in that regard, Yeon Hojeong possessed a truly decent character.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“Whatever the case, the final destination of my fight is clear. However, in order to reach that end, I will do my utmost to avoid selling out my family or disregarding even the minimum standard of morality.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“By the way, why did you ask that question?”
“I simply wanted to hear it. Now it’s your turn to ask.”
After quietly observing Yang Cheon’s expression for a moment, Yeon Hojeong opened his mouth.
“Is what you desire, Lord Yang, perhaps a three-way war using Botam as a proxy battlefield?”
Yang Cheon let out an honest sigh of admiration.
“You saw that far?”
“One is Mukryong. One is the Martial Alliance. That leaves one more. Surely that last one is…”
“The Mad Blood Cult.”
“……”
“Your insight never fails to surprise me, even though I already knew about it.”
Yang Cheon interlaced his fingers.
It was a gesture signaling that the real conversation was about to begin.
“That’s right. I want to drag the Mad Blood Cult into Botam’s war.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes turned icy.
“Setting aside how difficult and dangerous that would be, you must already know how undesirable such an act is, Lord Yang.”
“Why? Does it seem like a scheme that crosses the line you mentioned?”
“……”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t see it that way. Even if it does cross the line, I won’t feel any regret. In any case, Botam and our faction have always been incompatible. We strike first to eliminate the risk factor, and furthermore, we use Botam as a proxy to land a blow on the Mad Blood Cult. I don’t think this idea is wrong.”
“You are correct.”
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
“At least that plan would not be a mistake for you. The problem is…”
“The problem is?”
“That you only know one side and not the other, Lord Yang.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes sparkled.
“I shall listen with utmost attention.”
“Botam is a Buddhist sect. And the Buddhist sects of the Central Plains, though they belong to different branches, are mostly connected as one. Even Botam and Shaolin currently maintain a rather amicable relationship.”
“Hmm.”
“If this fact becomes known, the entire Buddhist faction will immediately rise up and begin tearing at Mukryong-bu. There is no guarantee that Shaolin will not join them.”
“That may be so.”
“If that happens, it can be interpreted as your impulsive action temporarily reducing the forces capable of driving out the Three Sects.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew colder and colder.
“Do you understand? I know how much you hate the Mad Blood Cult, but because of that hatred and desire for revenge, the overall strength of the Murim that must face the Three Sects has weakened.”
“……”
“If you wanted to end it, why not do so after the war is over? If we lose the war and are defeated? Then in the end, wouldn’t it all be a meaningless struggle? So why did you recklessly drive Botam to that state?”
From a macro perspective, Yang Cheon’s actions clearly had problems.
Yang Cheon opened his mouth.
“Even so, attacking Botam was…”
“If you’re going to say that you merely stirred up trouble from the shadows and that the Botam monks’ cultivation was simply too lacking to resist being swayed by it, then stop. That’s putting the cart before the horse.”
“……”
“You should not have touched Botam, Lord Yang.”
Yang Cheon frowned deeply.
“Then what would you have me do? The situation has already reached this point.”
“We must clean it up. However, we will not hide the fact that Mukryong-bu exerted effort to bring down Botam.”
“That’s a bit disappointing.”
“This is something that cannot be hidden, whether publicly or privately. Nor should it be.”
“Don’t worry. From the moment I decided to act, I was prepared to bear that responsibility.”
“Then that’s fortunate.”
“The problem is that I have no intention of cleaning up Botam.”
“……”
Even as Yeon Hojeong stared at him intently, Yang Cheon did not lose his smile.
“To be precise, it has already left my hands.”
“……?!”
“……”
“Don’t tell me…?”
“You’re thinking correctly.”
A dark shadow fell over Yang Cheon’s face.
“Among Botam’s branch sects, the last one—Cheonimun—has sent people toward the Mad Blood Cult. Just as Cheonanmun went to you, and Yeonhwamun came to us.”
“That damn…”
“What can we do? If the deed is already done and cannot be undone, the only choice is to push forward as originally planned.”
Yang Cheon lifted his cup with a mischievous expression.
“Aren’t you curious too? How the Mad Blood Cult will react. If things go well, this could be an opportunity to see their full military strength and internal situation clearly.”