Chapter 185
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Ten-Year Plan (5)
"You actually managed to find this place. Heh heh heh! That guy's really growing on me. What do you think? Isn't this worth a shot?"
The Heavenly Commander spoke while gazing at the unremarkable wild mountain that had nothing particularly noteworthy about it.
"To my eyes, it looks like a sinister plot of land."
Bukmyeong replied in a calm voice.
"Exactly. A sinister plot of land. That's all most people would see. Heh heh! This place was made to take out those assassin riffraff from the Killer Division, not to lure in someone like Old Gu."
The Heavenly Commander shook his head.
Anyone familiar with mechanisms and formations would recognize that the mountain's shape had been artificially manipulated to a high degree. To the untrained eye, it looked natural, but to experts, it screamed ominous intent.
It was a site for eliminating the traitorous assassins from the Heavenly Annihilation Division's Killer Division. But for those who couldn't be dealt with ordinarily... those so dangerous that even the cleaner crew, the Little Bees, had to risk their lives.
"But Old Gu will come anyway, right?"
"Yes. He will."
"What about cleanup? I hear Namsso's on that side."
"It's only natural for Namsso to be assigned. Four Thousand Four gave advance notice—if he wasn't, that would be suspicious."
"Sounds like you're ready."
Bukmyeong just smiled.
"I've made an intriguing offer to Silent Mian. This time, he'll roll up his sleeves and dive in willingly. Shadowless, Crimson Moon, Silent Mian. If even that can't bring down Old Gu, we might as well dismantle the Heavenly Annihilation Division ourselves. I trust he'll give it his all."
The Heavenly Commander said this while looking at the woman, Crimson Moon.
"Are you really going through with this?"
Crimson Moon asked in a voice as cold as ice.
"Yes."
The Heavenly Commander answered immediately and decisively, as if there was no need to even think about it.
"Do you think Old Gu will fall?"
"That's why we have you and this man here. With the two of you, I believe it's possible."
"I'm not sure we can take down Old Gu, but let's give it our best shot. In return, once this is over, we need to sort out the Heavenly Annihilation Division. No more letting those butchers wield command under the name of the Ten Seats. Bukmyeong, do you already have plans to take me out too?"
"As if."
Bukmyeong chuckled in response.
"Heavenly Commander, step down from your position. After Old Gu's dealt with, you'll be our first target."
"Do assassins always have to lurk in the shadows? We can stand in the light too, if we have the power. That's been my longstanding belief. You already know that... If our paths diverge, so be it. How much of the Heavenly Annihilation Division's shares you walk away with will depend entirely on your abilities. Give it your all. Get ready and wait."
Crimson Moon glanced at Bukmyeong.
Bukmyeong said nothing, staring only at the wild mountain as if the exchange had nothing to do with him.
The Heavenly Commander and Bukmyeong had already anticipated something like this.
Of course... No wolf fears a tiger that's lost its fangs.
If they intended to clean house in the Heavenly Annihilation Division, they should have done it before these men gained their power. You don't tell an emperor who's already ascended the throne to step down, and expect him to comply.
"In the end, we'll end up at odds."
"If it only comes to reddened faces, we'll be fortunate. Some differences in thought alone can cost lives. The solution is to align those thoughts."
"......"
"Well then, good luck to you all."
The Heavenly Commander turned and walked away.
He wouldn't go far. He'd probably watch the outcome from nearby.
This was the extermination of Old Gu.
Toppling one of the pillars of the orthodox sects.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the future of the Heavenly Annihilation Division hung on this operation.
How could he not witness it personally?
"What was with that lecherous look you gave me?"
Crimson Moon blurted out.
"I thought I was being discreet, but you knew?"
"It was too blatant. Impossible not to notice."
"And yet you ignored it?"
"Don't you think ignoring it was the right call?"
"If I stood by your side, would you change your mind?"
"By my side? Bukmyeong? Ha ha ha! As if. Men are so strange. You and Silent Mian both. You know our paths diverge, yet you still shoot those looks."
"That's men for you."
"Disgusting."
"If you say so."
"Bukmyeong, do you know divination?"
"A little."
"How's my lifespan looking? Got much left?"
"Ha ha ha!"
"You should not only divine but curse me too. To fall here. If I survive this place, you'll be the first I sort out."
"Do you know what Four Thousand Four chose this spot for? What they've set up here?"
"......"
"It's the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation. That's why I haven't bothered divining."
"......"
"Ha ha ha! As the saying goes, man's fate rests in the heavens—who knows if you'll survive. Chin up! Ha ha ha!"
Bukmyeong laughed as he walked away.
"Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation!"
Soso Zhuge cried out unwittingly, before she even realized it.
Four Thousand Four had repeatedly emphasized "geographical advantage," with such conviction that she couldn't just brush it off.
What gave Four Thousand Four such confidence?
Did he truly believe they held the high ground, as he claimed?
Four Thousand Four wasn't a fool.
Soso Zhuge had gathered locals from nearby villages who knew the mountains inside out—herb gatherers, woodcutters, hunters... people who roamed the hills like their own backyard—and had them sketch the terrain. In less than half a day, a clear map emerged.
"This is the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation!"
Soso Zhuge furrowed her brow deeply.
Those who studied formations took pride in dismantling absolute formations. The thrill of breaking one rivaled a mountaineer's joy at summiting a peak.
The ecstasy of cracking them one by one.
What happens when such experts encounter an absolute formation never once breached?
They clash with it. They strive to unravel it.
Some give up easily; others cling until death, obsessed with a pursuit that aids life not one bit.
A few absolute formations instill profound helplessness in formation scholars.
The Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation was one such.
Even geniuses versed in ten scrolls and one volume, or those supremely talented in absolutes... before it, they could only shake their heads.
And it was laid out right here.
Death! Even Old Gu would die!
The problem was, even with the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation in place, Grandmaster Jigong would still seek out Four Thousand Four.
Four Thousand Four was the key to toppling the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
Touch Four Thousand Four, and the Division crumbles. They had to strike at its heart through him.
Perhaps Grandmaster Jigong's true target wasn't Four Thousand Four.
Maybe... Green Master... He should have met Green Master, per the Heavenly Annihilation Division's plans.
Green Master was their ace, as was Grandmaster Jigong's.
But the player had changed. From Green Master to Four Thousand Four... Yet Four Thousand Four remained the pivotal piece for both sides. Would he serve as the trigger for Four Thousand Four slaying Grandmaster Jigong and crushing the orthodox martial world, or as the path to destroying the Division's core?
Both sides hungered for this chance.
But with the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation here... the Heavenly Annihilation Division held a hundredfold advantage.
'I was too naive.'
Soso Zhuge's brow creased deeper.
Bukmyeong knew everything.
He'd started with full knowledge from beginning to end, backed by the Division's unlimited resources.
She, on the other hand, was alone.
The orthodox martial world consulted her on nothing. They treated her as nonexistent—no intel, no support, no joint action.
She didn't blame them.
Her father's influence likely drove their stance.
The informed versus the ignorant.
That gap manifested here. One who knew of the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation from the start, versus one learning now.
'Even Grandmaster Jigong can't bulldoze through here. Is that it? That's why Four Thousand Four spoke so confidently. Said he'd kill Grandmaster Jigong? That self-assurance stemmed from this?'
Soso Zhuge stared blankly at the map.
Strictly speaking, she had no role in this affair.
Neither the Eight Great Clans' conference, the orthodox martial world, nor even the Beggars' Sect offered her a scrap of clue.
The Zhuge Clan was thoroughly sidelined.
What did that mean? Too risky, so preserving the Zhuge Clan as a safety measure by the family head?
No. Anyone who knew her father wouldn't think that.
He'd step up willingly even if it meant the clan's annihilation, for the orthodox world's sake. He'd discard the Zhuge Clan without hesitation if it served that cause.
Then what?
Soso Zhuge knew the reason.
Conventional versus unconventional.
Following the set sequence couldn't catch the Heavenly Annihilation Division, always one step ahead. So her father moved in sync with them. The Eight Great Clans' conference did the same.
The Zhuge Clan... Soso Zhuge moved unconventionally.
An unforeseen move, an unexpected strike, a solitary destructive force.
Her father had bet on that.
Thus, she sought no one's aid. No intel gathering. She judged alone and acted on her judgment, conventional or not.
Grandmaster Jigong was coming here. Conventional.
As planned, he'd perish in the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation, and the Heavenly Annihilation Division would begin annihilating the orthodox martial world.
Her father, the orthodox world, the Eight Great Clans couldn't stop it.
'It all comes down to me.'
Soso Zhuge's furrowed brow refused to smooth.
"Silent Mian's arrived."
Her brother said it offhandedly.
"He headed straight into the mountain without stopping by us, so he's probably after Four Thousand Four."
'No. Silent Mian thinks he can kill Four Thousand Four anytime. Doesn't have to be now. But coming now means... Four Thousand Four isn't the goal.'
"Crimson Moon's here too. Confirmed entering the mountain."
Her brother's intel came from the Beggars' Sect.
Silent Mian's movements, Crimson Moon's... all as predicted. Conventional. Just as the Heavenly Annihilation Division—or rather, Bukmyeong—had planned.
'If Silent Mian and Crimson Moon entered together... they're tigers. Two tigers in one mountain. No, three with Four Thousand Four. Three tigers in one spot? Something's off.'
Tigers check each other. They fight.
Them gathering meant either to clash or collaborate.
'Collaborate! The three of them teaming up! Plus the Cataclysmic Imperial Annihilation Formation!'
The Heavenly Annihilation Division's victory was assured!
Even the world's greatest, Grandmaster Jigong, would fall helplessly to such a trap. Repel three tigers' joint assault? Maybe. But the formation? Impossible.
'Unconventional. I need to create the unconventional. What's not normal here? How to twist this sequence...'
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
Four Thousand Four had come to her. Posed a few questions, shared a few facts. To him, she was neither foe nor ally.
Yes. That was unconventional.
"I need to go to Four Thousand Four."
She blurted out.
"What! What did you just—"
"I'll greet Grandmaster Jigong alongside Four Thousand Four. Coming with me, or should I go alone?"
Soso Zhuge looked at Zhuge Myeong.