Chapter 255
Chapter 255
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 255
Chapter Title: Returning to Where It Began (2)
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In the Evil Ocean region of Lake Dongting, the Murim Alliance's main headquarters stood.
Though the Murim Alliance had been established here not long ago, its scale was immense enough to claim the title of the greatest under heaven.
Countless pavilions visible above the high walls displayed the Alliance's formidable presence. In the beginning, when the Murim Alliance was first formed, it had drawn personnel from various sects, but now its power had expanded to the point where it could train its own warriors independently.
Especially after the war with the Demonic Cult broke out, many sect warriors and ronin seeking a place to rely on came to the Murim Alliance of their own accord. Thanks to them, the number of warriors stationed at the Alliance had already surpassed ten thousand.
The Murim Alliance's prestige had reached its absolute peak. However, separately from that, the Alliance's walls and pavilions still bore ugly scars. They were traces of the massive damage from the Demonic Cult's recent surprise attack.
The Demonic Cult's raid had been carried out like a bolt from the blue. No one had anticipated it. Fortunately, Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san had led the elites and responded swiftly, repelling the enemy, but the losses were still tremendous.
The number of warriors killed or injured that day exceeded three thousand. It was a truly enormous loss of life.
Setting aside the human casualties, the greatest problem was that the Murim Alliance's prestige had plummeted to the ground. As a result, the atmosphere in the Alliance was deeply depressed.
After the Murim Alliance suffered the raid, Namgung Chang, who had been at Shaolin, hurried back to headquarters with his forces.
In the Alliance Leader's hall, the Murim Alliance's top leaders had gathered. The faces of Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san and the others were filled with profound gloom.
Since the great war with the Demonic Cult had erupted, the Murim Alliance had achieved nothing noteworthy. On the contrary, it had lost the Sakju branch, and when the Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect suffered their bloodbaths, it hadn't provided any aid.
The very reason for the Murim Alliance's existence was to protect the murim world from the Demonic Cult, yet its failure to respond properly had caused it to lose all trust. Because of this, the top leaders felt a great sense of crisis.
A heavy silence hung in the hall. No one, not even Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san, could easily open their mouth.
The mood in the room was that somber.
After a long time, the first to speak was Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san.
"Strategist."
"Please speak, Alliance Leader."
"You must have had a hard time going to and from Shaolin."
"What hardship is there in simply going and coming back?"
Namgung Chang gave a bitter smile.
Leading reinforcements to Shaolin had been entirely his judgment. He had anticipated that the Demonic Cult would launch a major offensive there.
Indeed, the intelligence he had gathered using the Murim Alliance's information network pointed to the same conclusion.
Shaolin was the central pillar of the murim world. If Shaolin fell, half of the murim world would collapse. That's why he had gone to defend it, but the Demonic Cult had struck unexpectedly at the Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect.
For Namgung Chang, there was no excuse, even if he had ten mouths. The Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect were among the Nine Great Sects. Their downfall meant a direct weakening of the Murim Alliance's forces.
Nam Cheon-san scanned the leaders in the hall with heavy eyes.
"You all know it. Our headquarters is facing its greatest crisis right now. Because we haven't accomplished anything notable in the war against the Demonic Cult, murmurs questioning the Murim Alliance's usefulness are starting to spread in parts of the murim world."
"Who dares?"
"Is that true, Alliance Leader?"
The leaders, who had kept their lips tightly shut until now, raised their heads and looked at Nam Cheon-san. Seeing this, he let out a low sigh.
"Haa! It's true."
"Who dares speak of the Murim Alliance's uselessness? Those people are traitors undermining the Alliance's authority. We must root them out immediately."
The one raising his voice was Jang Hak, appointed as the leader of the outer hall of the Murim Alliance. His nickname was雄風刀, the Heroic Wind Blade. He had earned it through his brutal dominance with the blade.
"Indeed. Such people are of no help to the Murim Alliance."
"At a time when we should be uniting even more tightly, they're scheming division. We must never forgive them."
Several warriors nodded in agreement with Jang Hak's words. Nam Cheon-san shook his head.
"That's not the point. The important thing is that the Murim Alliance has shown nothing in this battle. Who would follow us like this? Strategist."
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
"What do you think?"
"You are right, Alliance Leader. This won't do."
"Then what should we do? Leaving aside everything else, the Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect have suffered massive blows. They are the mainstays of the Murim Alliance. We must support them somehow, no?"
"Support for those two sects needs to be approached with caution."
"Caution? Are you saying we should just leave them be?"
"Both sects possess tremendous hidden strength. Even without the Murim Alliance's support, they can survive on their own power."
"Strategist."
Nam Cheon-san's voice rose. Anger flickered across his face. But Namgung Chang's expression, gazing back at him, showed not the slightest wavering.
"Please speak, Alliance Leader."
"Does that even make sense right now? The Zhongnan Sect's damage is relatively light, but Mount Hua Sect has suffered enormous losses. According to reports, nearly all the sect elders are dead, with only young disciples barely surviving. If we just stand by and watch, Mount Hua Sect will vanish into the dustbin of history."
"I understand your concerns, Alliance Leader. However, supporting Mount Hua Sect would require us to bear tremendous losses."
"Losses?"
"Eoyang, where the Murim Alliance is located, is over five thousand li from Hwaeum County, where Mount Hua Sect is. Physically and geographically, aiding them would consume vast amounts of manpower and resources. Even if we endure such massive losses to support Mount Hua Sect, restoring their vitality in the short term is impossible. In that case, wouldn't it be better to redirect the supplies and forces intended for Mount Hua Sect elsewhere?"
"What?"
Nam Cheon-san's face twisted.
Namgung Chang was openly refusing support for Mount Hua Sect.
'Hah! Blinded by grudges against the Fist Demon. To reject aid to Mount Hua Sect like this.'
The Murim Alliance's strategist needed to maintain the coldest rationality above all. Yet, due to personal grudges, Namgung Chang was giving an absurd answer. The problem was that many others were agreeing with him.
"Hoo!"
Nam Cheon-san unwittingly let out a sigh.
Namgung Chang continued, looking at him.
"Mount Hua possesses tremendous hidden strength. Even without the Murim Alliance's help, it will surely rise again on its own. So let's redirect those forces elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?"
"With that level of force, we can locate the Demonic Cult's main headquarters."
"Hmm!"
"The moment we find the enemy's base, we launch a counteroffensive. That's the only way to restore the Murim Alliance's prestige."
Namgung Chang's voice, filled with conviction, echoed through the room, and everyone listened intently.
***
After the great clash at Mount Hua, the war between the Demonic Cult and the orthodox faction entered a temporary lull. The Demonic Cult had suffered unexpected heavy losses at Mount Hua. Above all, the death of four out of the Seven Great Demonic Lords at the hands of the Tiger of Mount Hua was a massive blow.
The loss of four of the Seven Great Demonic Lords was a tremendous shock even to the Demonic Cult. Time was needed to recover from it. Thus, the Demonic Cult restrained external activities and focused on reorganizing its forces.
For the Murim Alliance and murim sects that had been in dire straits, this was sweet news like rain falling on parched fields. Thanks to it, they too gained time to regroup their disrupted forces.
Namgung Chang hurriedly returned to the Murim Alliance to reorganize, and Shaolin along with the Nine Great Sects and other families did the same, bringing a brief peace to the murim world.
However, people knew. Once this momentary peace passed, an overwhelming storm would come. Still, many rejoiced in and savored the brief respite.
But there were sects and people who could not enjoy the peace. The warriors of the Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect, which had suffered the greatest damage, were foremost among them. The downfall of the Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect led to the decline of the Shaanxi murim.
Mid and small sects and warriors restrained their external activities, plunging the Shaanxi murim into a long dark age.
Hwaeum County, home to Mount Hua, had also lost its vitality. The faces of people passing through the streets lacked energy, and streets and inns that would normally bustle with crowds were empty.
Into such streets of Hwaeum County came a shabby carriage. Having traveled a long distance, the roof was thickly covered in white dust.
As it entered Hwaeum County, the carriage window opened, revealing a face.
"Hmm!"
The one sighing at the sight of the lifeless Hwaeum County was none other than Immortal Hyeon So. Riding beside Immortal Hyeon So was Jong Ri-yeon.
"Mount Hua has lost its vitality."
Immortal Hyeon So let out a sigh.
It had been merely half a month since Mok Il-gwang returned to Mount Huang. The moment he heard from Mok Il-gwang that Mount Hua Sect had suffered massive damage, he had immediately set out on the return journey.
Even galloping without rest, it had taken half a month. During that time, his heart had rotted away.
Mount Hua was everything to him. Though he had left Mount Hua due to conflict with Immortal Hyeon Cheon, there had never been a moment he didn't think of it.
As they passed through Hwaeum County toward Mount Hua, Immortal Hyeon So's face never relaxed. Jong Ri-yeon looked at his face with a worried expression.
Throughout the journey here, Immortal Hyeon So hadn't slept properly even once. It was only natural to worry.
At that moment, the coachman spoke.
"We've arrived, Immortal."
The coachman was Mok Il-gwang. Having traveled a long distance in a short time, exhaustion was evident on his face. But his eyes shone clearer than ever.
"Hah!"
Stepping down from the carriage, Immortal Hyeon So let out a sigh.
The sight of Okcheonwon, the gateway to Mount Hua, thoroughly destroyed, entered his eyes. Normally, countless Mount Hua Sect warriors stayed at Okcheonwon, but now only ruins remained.
There was no sign of human presence, only the aura of death everywhere. Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sight and eerie feeling, Immortal Hyeon So closed his eyes tightly.
"How did Mount Hua come to this..."
"Are you alright, Immortal?"
"I'm fine."
At Jong Ri-yeon's question, Immortal Hyeon So forced a composed expression. But his eyes held an unmistakable tremor.
Immortal Hyeon So and Jong Ri-yeon alighted from the carriage. Following them came the children under Immortal Hyeon So's care.
Immortal Hyeon So led Jong Ri-yeon and the children up Mount Hua.
The treacherous paths of Mount Hua, represented by Cheoncheok Hall and Baekcheok Gorge, remained the same. The beautiful scenery was unchanged. But there were no people.
Normally, by this height, he would have seen at least dozens of Mount Hua Sect disciples. Though Mount Hua was vast and tall, disciples were stationed everywhere.
The silence of Mount Hua felt alien to Immortal Hyeon So. In his memories, Mount Hua was always brimming with vitality. But such scenes had become distant memories.
Immortal Hyeon So climbed with a forced calm expression. But the higher he went, the more his face twisted, and by the time he reached Changryong Ridge, tears were flowing.
"Oh, Primordial Heavenly Lord..."
The ruins of what was once Mount Hua Sect spread before his eyes. The elegant pavilions had collapsed miserably or burned, leaving only traces. Immortal Hyeon So was speechless at the devastation so different from his memories.
"Martial Uncle!"
From the ruins of a distant Taoist temple, a group came running. Immortal Hyeon So recognized them.
"Un Gyeong, Myeong Gyeong."
The ones rushing like the wind using lightness skill were Un Gyeong and Myeong Gyeong. Upon reaching Immortal Hyeon So, they immediately bowed their heads.
"Martial Uncle!"
"You've returned."
Their shoulders trembled faintly.
All the sect elders had died. Now, they were the greatest elders of Mount Hua Sect, a heavy burden pressing on their shoulders. In such a situation, the appearance of Immortal Hyeon So—a reliable elder figure—stirred their emotions uncontrollably.
Seeing his face brought tears automatically.
"It's alright. It's alright."
"Martial Uncle!"
"Hic!"
Immortal Hyeon So patted their backs.
That warm touch and voice brought them an inexplicable sense of relief.
Immortal Hyeon So's heart ached as if torn apart. But he could not show sorrow before his weeping disciples.
He spoke with forced composure.
"Decades ago, Mount Hua Sect suffered a bloodbath. Even when everyone said it was impossible, Mount Hua rose again. It rose once—what could prevent it from rising twice? Don't grieve. Your martial brothers in the afterlife wouldn't want to see you cry."
"Yes, Martial Uncle."
"We're sorry for showing such an unsightly side."
Only then did Un Gyeong and Myeong Gyeong compose their surging emotions.
They realized.
How great a blessing it was to have a reliable elder in the sect. Just the fact of Immortal Hyeon So's presence filled their hearts to the brim.
Un Gyeong and Myeong Gyeong looked at Immortal Hyeon So's face. Only then did they notice the profound energy in his eyes.
It was a gaze full of profound energy, unlike anything seen in Immortal Hyeon Geom or Immortal Hyeon Cheon. It soothed their hearts. If immortals truly existed, they would have such eyes, they thought.
'Has Martial Uncle attained the Dao?'
The thought suddenly struck them. To think such a thing from mere eyes would make others call them mad. But they couldn't shake the feeling. Immortal Hyeon So's eyes held such deep profound energy.
Only then did they understand what the Tiger of Mount Hua had said.
Immortal Hyeon So was not someone who could step forward like Immortal Hyeon Cheon or Immortal Hyeon Geom to lead the sect. But his mere presence could unite the Mount Hua disciples as one.