Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: The Palace Lord's Offer
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The chilling voice that Suli Tae uttered instantly froze the atmosphere.
Glancing sideways at Hyeok Mulin, he slowly paced inside the meeting hall as he spoke.
"I've been wary of your appearance from the very beginning."
Of all times, to show up in this chaotic period.
Was he truly entering in a state of ignorance, or did he have some ulterior motive?
On the first day, to confirm that, Suli Tae had refrained from a long conversation and let Hyeok Mulin go.
Afterward, he had observed his movements, and the meeting with the Little Palace Lord had taken place immediately.
Of course, that guy must have approached first, but the outcome—what conversation had transpired inside—was obvious without needing to be said.
"So, are you going to join hands with that guy and aim for my neck as well?"
What reason could the Little Palace Lord, who harbored enmity toward the current Palace Lord and the regime, have for secretly meeting the Heavenly Demon?
There could be nothing other than trying to win him over to his side.
A heavy weight filled Suli Tae's voice.
Hyeok Mulin fell silent for a moment before slowly parting his lips.
"I entered the Southern Frontier as an envoy of the delegation. I intend to stay faithful solely to that purpose."
"...Faithful to the purpose."
Suli Tae's face hardened at Hyeok Mulin's response.
His answer seemed superficially principled at first glance, but its true meaning was clear.
The purpose of the delegation.
It could be seen as building ties between the two groups, but in truth, the fundamental purpose was something else.
That was.
'One's own gain.'
All alliances were ultimately built for the profit one could personally reap.
Thus, Suli Tae could perfectly interpret the indirect message Hyeok Mulin had conveyed.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult could side with neither faction.
So, if you wanted the Divine Cult as an ally, offer greater benefits than the opponent.
Suli Tae furrowed his brow at Hyeok Mulin's blatant overture.
"This is the Southern Frontier, yet you have quite the nerve."
Sususu―
Without any warning, a sharp killing intent, like that emanating from a ferocious beast, erupted from Suli Tae's entire body.
In an instant, it filled the interior, pressing in on Hyeok Mulin from all directions as if about to touch his whole form.
Having pressured Hyeok Mulin thus, Suli Tae dilated his pupils and stared straight at him.
"Do you think you can handle that?"
It was then.
Hyeok Mulin slowly raised his hand and swung it once through the empty air.
At that, the killing intent scattered everywhere instantly lost its direction and crumbled away like falling leaves.
As Suli Tae's eyes widened at the sight, Hyeok Mulin spoke.
"If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have set foot in the Southern Frontier from the start. And your words contain a contradiction."
Hyeok Mulin turned his half-lidded gaze.
He stared indifferently at Suli Tae, who was glaring at him, and continued.
"The Heavenly Demon does not handle things—he decides them."
Hyeok Mulin's voice simply crushed the meeting hall.
It was an undeniable fact.
With the Heavenly Demon card suddenly emerging between the Palace Lord and Little Palace Lord, who had been locked in a tense standoff, its value was destined to skyrocket.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult possessed more than enough power to significantly influence the outcome of the bloody war they were about to unleash.
And their appearance was, to Suli Tae, like encountering a poisonous mushroom in a state of starvation.
Ignoring it now would put him in a dangerous situation, but consuming it would bring enormous repercussions later.
To Suli Tae, every direction meant greater losses than gains.
"Kuh... Kuhuh..."
Having heard Hyeok Mulin's words, Suli Tae displayed an utterly unexpected reaction.
His lips began to twitch upward, and suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.
"Kuhahahahaha―!"
Letting out a hearty bellow, he laughed for a good while.
Then, as the sound died down, he grinned and said,
"Interesting."
Suli Tae had been a man who spent his life in the position of choosing.
Yet now, that role had reversed, leaving him in a position where he could only hope to be chosen by the Heavenly Demon—how could laughter not escape him?
"Double."
Suli Tae raised his index and middle fingers toward Hyeok Mulin and continued.
"No matter what that guy promised, I promise to pay double that amount without fail."
Suli Tae unconditionally pledged to offer more than the opponent.
It might seem like an excessive proposal at first glance, but in reality, it was his best option.
Clinging too tightly to what he had in an attempt to preserve even a little more could result in losing everything.
"Double, you say..."
As Hyeok Mulin trailed off, Suli Tae added to the offer.
"If you wish, I can even hand over my Black Tigers."
Suli Tae went so far as to readily offer up the Black Tigers at his side.
At those words, Hyeok Mulin paused for a moment before giving a non-answer in response.
"Your proposal... I'll consider it."
Hyeok Mulin did not give him a firm commitment right away.
Having only made light contact with both sides so far, it was still too early to decide which was better.
"Understood."
Suli Tae nodded and emphasized his intent with follow-up words.
"Take your time to think it over. Then, it will become abundantly clear where you should stand."
"We'll meet again soon."
Having set the next meeting, Hyeok Mulin turned to leave.
As he was about to exit the meeting hall,
"The Little Palace Lord's ideology is exceedingly dangerous."
Suli Tae directed one final remark toward Hyeok Mulin's retreating back.
"If you decide to join hands with him, it will bring not only ruin to the Southern Wild Beast Palace but to the Divine Cult as well. I hope you make a wise choice."
"...I'll consider that as well."
Leaving Suli Tae's ominous warning behind, Hyeok Mulin exited the meeting hall.
Man Ho, who had been waiting out front, immediately fell in step behind him.
"No issues, I hope?"
"None for now. Let's walk a bit."
Hyeok Mulin moved to a spot sufficiently away from the warriors' gazes before relaying to Man Ho the conversation he had with Suli Tae.
Man Ho put on a deliberately grave expression as he spoke.
"We've come at a troublesome time."
"But for the Southern Wild Beast Palace, this is also the moment when our Divine Cult's value is higher than ever."
Man Ho stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Suddenly recalling something, he asked Hyeok Mulin,
"Did you come to the Southern Frontier knowing this?"
"Indeed."
Man Ho couldn't help but be impressed by the answer.
The Southern Wild Beast Palace was part of the outer martial world with a closed-off nature, making it exceedingly difficult to obtain information from outside.
Thus, even Man Ho had been completely unaware of these internal affairs, yet Hyeok Mulin had already grasped the full situation and deliberately chosen this timing to arrive.
'Impossible with just the Intelligence Division's capabilities.'
Not entirely accurate, but Man Ho had a rough idea of the quality and scale of information handled by the Intelligence Division under Sima Geuk.
Their intelligence network was formidable, but such minute insight into the outer martial world was beyond them.
'There were rumors that the Cult Leader had split the intelligence organizations and run a separate one, and it turns out they were true.'
Apart from the Intelligence Division managed by the Cult, Hyeok Mulin had his own intelligence organization.
It was a story he had heard in passing without much attention, but now Man Ho was convinced of its truth.
However, he could never know.
That this information came not from the Intelligence Division or the Secret Affairs Hall, but from his past life.
"Then, whom will you choose, Cult Leader?"
Man Ho asked Hyeok Mulin.
With the Palace Lord stepping forward personally, retreat was no longer an option.
In truth, based on the Cult Leader's actions so far, it seemed he had never intended to back down from the start.
"......"
Hyeok Mulin closed his eyes briefly and sank into thought.
After meeting the Palace Lord, there had been a slight change in his considerations.
'Suli Tae already knew.'
About his son, connected by blood—the Little Palace Lord.
He already knew that his son was plotting the ultimate outrage of aiming for his neck.
That alone made Hyeok Mulin even more cautious in his decision.
From their recent conversation, Suli Tae was fully aware of the Little Palace Lord's rebellion and must have prepared accordingly.
Yet, in his previous life, the outcome had still ended with Suli Tae's death.
'Does that mean the gap was already that wide?'
Where exactly?
Why had such a difference arisen?
Hyeok Mulin had faced both the Palace Lord and Little Palace Lord head-on.
And after roughly gauging their levels, it was clear as day that the current Palace Lord was stronger than the Little Palace Lord.
It was only natural, in a way.
With the age difference between them representing a gap in experience, the Little Palace Lord didn't seem to possess the overwhelming talent to surpass it.
But despite that, history had ultimately recorded the Little Palace Lord's victory.
Since the detailed reasons were unknown, the mystery only deepened.
Thus, Hyeok Mulin couldn't give Man Ho a definitive answer.
"I still lack sufficient grounds for a decision."
Hyeok Mulin had yet to settle on siding with either the Palace Lord or the Little Palace Lord.
The sword was in Hyeok Mulin's hand anyway.
There was no need to rush the choice.
Moreover, through these meetings, Hyeok Mulin had gained one more clue.
'Both of them were hiding something.'
What was it?
If he could uncover even one of them, the choice would be easy.
Until that was revealed, it wasn't yet time to commit with certainty.
"But this much I can say for sure."
Still, there was one unwavering principle.
"I will choose the path that brings the greatest benefit to our Divine Cult. That alone will influence the decision."
"Understood."
Man Ho nodded in agreement at Hyeok Mulin's assurance.
As expected of the Cult Leader.
The Hyeok Mulin he had observed thus far always prioritized the Cult in his actions.
It was such a prominent trait that even Man Ho knew it well, proving he possessed ample qualifications as a leader in mindset.
"So, what are your plans now?"
"The Southern Wild Beast Palace isn't just home to the Palace Lord and Little Palace Lord."
Hyeok Mulin surveyed the entire palace grounds and continued.
"We need someone who can provide a third-party perspective, unbound by their influence..."
Right at that moment.
Leap!
From the dense thicket, a massive leopard with enormous front paws lunged toward Hyeok Mulin.
Its lithe body soared through the air as if floating, its gaze fixed solely on Hyeok Mulin.
And at the same instant.
Chalak―
Man Ho blocked its path, instantly drawing his blade.
He raised it high above his head to cleave the leopard in a single stroke.
Just as he was about to bring it down.
"No!"
A woman's urgent cry echoed from afar.
But Man Ho's movement didn't waver.
As his sword descended straight toward the leopard.
Hyeok Mulin, who had been watching, calmly opened his mouth.