Chapter 522
Chapter 522
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 522
Chapter Title: The Poisoned Zealots
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The Apex Brigade is an intelligence unit.
The most crucial mission for an intelligence unit is acquiring information and disrupting enemy forces.
Moreover, the most difficult and challenging mission for an intelligence operative is incitement and disruption.
But under Bu Eun-seol's guidance and training, the members of the Apex Brigade...
...had mastered not only exceptional martial arts but also subterfuge and infiltration techniques.
"Begin!"
Had it been any other intelligence unit, they would not have known where to even begin with such a mission.
But they, as if it were nothing, scattered and began to disrupt and incite the common folk in the vicinity of Danyong County.
In the minds of the brigade members...
...Bu Eun-seol's words, which had summarized the key points for a successful mission, echoed endlessly.
"The Celestial Cult incited the common people by exploiting the emotions of anger and hatred."
"And you must turn that very method back on the Celestial Cult."
The lives of the common people are always arduous and weary.
Therefore, they always needed an outlet for their anger.
The masses are always captivated by sensational topics.
And the more clear and grand the target, the more effective it is.
The Celestial Cult exploited this, labeling the warriors of the Martial Alliance as a wicked group that would destroy their homes.
The common folk, in particular, already held a certain degree of animosity toward martial artists, who would lay waste to the entire area whenever they fought.
Given the right circumstances and a stage, they acted of their own accord.
"However, there is a weakness in the method of incitement the Celestial Cult employed."
Bu Eun-seol explained to his members.
"Spread a rumor that the Celestial Cult planned from the very beginning to use Danyong County as a sacrifice to block the Martial Alliance's forces."
And he added one more thing.
"And when you spread the rumors, never do it empty-handed. However, you must ensure they don't feel like they've received a grand treat; just make them feel good enough."
Persuading the common people is not something that can be accomplished in a short time.
However, by using money, one can quickly win their favor and spread rumors rapidly.
But one must not spend a large sum of money.
This is because they might develop resentment or feel as if they've been bought, making them passive about spreading the rumors.
"Those who blocked the road were mostly common folk, with only a very small number being from the Celestial Cult. From now on, our brigade just needs to turn their own stratagem back on them."
Bu Eun-seol imparted the strategy to his members.
Create something from nothing.
It means to create something from nothing, a strategy of mixing truth and lies to create a new truth.
The superior strategies mentioned in all books of warfare involve understanding the enemy's core strategy and then cleverly turning it against them.
Bu Eun-seol began to use the very method the Celestial Cult had employed, but in reverse.
"Tch, what utter bastards!"
The Apex Brigade infiltrated every corner of the town and began their incitement and fabrication.
The members used their ample funds to gather people, mixing truth with lies to once again plunge them into fury.
And the arrows of that fury were all aimed at the target that was the Celestial Cult.
In a short period, the town's public opinion had been completely reversed.
Of course, the people of the Celestial Cult were no fools.
They had their informants scattered throughout the town, observing the situation of the common folk.
When the members of the Apex Brigade incited and manipulated public opinion, they immediately tried to report to their superiors.
But that was their mistake.
Bu Eun-seol had already mobilized the Soul-Reaping Brigade and seized control of the information network in the Yellow River region.
As soon as the Celestial Cult's spies made a move, he instantly rooted them out and publicly shamed them... once again igniting the anger and condemnation of the townspeople.
"I heard that one was pretending to be a townsman!"
"Turns out he's a member of the Celestial Cult!"
The hidden members of the Celestial Cult were going mad.
While they were all mixed together...
...how could these outsiders so brilliantly single them out, when even the townspeople couldn't tell them apart?
"The Celestial Cult members who hid their identities to deceive the common folk, they say they couldn't bear the guilt and took their own lives!"
Not only that, he disguised their deaths as suicides and then incited public opinion even more sensationally.
It was an even more cunning use of the Celestial Cult's own vicious method of incitement.
"It seems we misunderstood."
"Indeed. Even though we caused such a ruckus, didn't the people from the Martial Alliance leave without a word?"
"Not only that, I hear the Martial Alliance warriors have been staying in town recently and helping people."
"They were so sincere and dedicated, right? They even helped repair houses."
And so, after four days, then six, the common people's opinion of the Martial Alliance had swiftly turned favorable.
"A remarkable man."
Thanks to the Apex Brigade's efforts, the Heavenly Martial Division, led by Muk In-hyeok, passed through Danyong County receiving a warm welcome from the common folk.
Turning public opinion back after it has soured requires a great deal of time and money.
Yet Bu Eun-seol changed it in just six days.
This was because he had turned the Celestial Cult's own scheme against them, planting the seeds of doubt.
He had mixed lies and truth to cloud their judgment, then gave them a clear target for their outrage.
It was like setting fire to a haystack and watching it burn down on its own.
"Seonu Jin. He is truly no ordinary man."
I had thought he was just someone leeching off Commander Gongson to covet power.
But he was a man of unimaginable strategic brilliance.
"Why has such a person gone unnoticed until now..."
The Apex Brigade had always been treated as an outcast since its time as a third-rate unit, due to its unaffiliated status.
But after continuously achieving great merits and succeeding in making peace with the Rehe Celestial Palace, the name of the Apex Brigade's leader began to circulate within the Martial Alliance.
Until then, Muk In-hyeok hadn't paid much attention.
In fact, he had only learned the name Seonu Jin after rumors of a romance with Commander Gongson Dan-gyeong started spreading.
To think he was such an outstanding individual?
"I thought he was just someone clinging to power."
Now I see, Commander Gongson must have recognized his exceptional abilities early on.
And because she kept him close by her side, unfavorable rumors had spread instead.
"Is she planning to promote him yet again?"
Muk In-hyeok himself was a man who had been through all sorts of things to rise to the position of Vice-Commander of the Heavenly Martial Division.
He had a hunch that Bu Eun-seol being appointed as the temporary strategist for this expedition was no coincidence.
"But unfortunately, becoming a first-rate unit leader isn't something one can achieve with strategic brilliance alone."
After the Heavenly Sword, becoming a first-rate unit leader in the Martial Alliance had become extremely difficult.
It was nearly impossible, especially for someone young.
This was because the rules had changed, now requiring the approval of more than half of the Martial Alliance's Hall Master-level figures for an appointment.
That meant not only the high command...
...but one had to achieve a merit so great that every member of the Martial Alliance would acknowledge it.
To rise to the rank of a first-rate unit leader with mere strategic brilliance was next to impossible.
"Well, it's not my place to worry."
Muk In-hyeok diligently moved his warriors forward.
And finally, in the distance, the main stronghold of the Celestial Cult came into view.
The massive buildings of the Celestial Cult, situated on a vast plot of land, looked like a legacy left behind by a legendary race of giants.
"Money is good. You can practically see how much they've slathered on."
And around the Celestial Cult's perimeter, a solid line of defense had been established.
They were prepared to fight against the Martial Alliance's divisions.
"All units, listen up!"
Muk In-hyeok shouted, short and concise.
"Wipe them out!"
*Fwish!*
With the Heavenly Martial Division's Iron Fortress Brigade at the vanguard, the battle against the Celestial Cult finally began.
*Rumble.*
At that moment, the sky darkened, and a faint mist rose from the ground.
Simultaneously, the movements of the Iron Fortress Brigade members at the front suddenly slowed as if they were trapped in water.
The Celestial Cult had once again unleashed a bizarre art.
"I was wondering when they'd use it."
Watching the battle, Muk In-hyeok smirked.
"A formation might be one thing, but a sorcerous art is easy to break."
From the trap the Divine Might Division had encountered at Jangsan Gorge, he had surmised that there were masters of formations and arts among the Celestial Cultists.
It wasn't just the Celestial Cult; there were numerous heretical sects in the martial world.
To destroy such bizarre arts, the Martial Alliance had the Anti-Heresy Combat Unit, which specialized in researching sorcery and magical techniques.
It was the Moonlight Shadow Unit.
And Muk In-hyeok was a master who hailed from that very unit.
"Looks like I'll have to use the Evil-Repelling Sword Casket for once."
Muk In-hyeok took out a large wooden box tied behind his saddle.
*Shhhhhk!*
As he infused his internal energy, dozens of swords poured out of the wooden box and began to plant themselves in the ground around him in a specific sequence.
"Begone!"
As Muk In-hyeok executed the evil-shattering technique, a white light flowed from the swords.
The darkened sky brightened, and the movements of the Iron Fortress Brigade returned to normal.
"Hah!"
At that, the warriors of the Heavenly Martial Division immediately charged toward the Celestial Cultists, their swords extended.
They unleashed various formations and techniques, hidden weapons and poisons, one after another, but it was not enough to stand against the warriors of the Heavenly Martial Division.
In the end, unable to withstand their superior martial prowess, the Celestial Cult's defensive line was crumbling.
Just as the Heavenly Martial Division members were about to quickly push inward as if they had been waiting for this moment,
*BOOM!*
A tremendous explosion erupted.
At the same time, the bodies of the Heavenly Martial Division members were scattered like shrapnel.
"That is..."
Muk In-hyeok's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
The body of a single Celestial Cultist had exploded like a bomb, scattering in all directions.
Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation.
A technique of the poison masters, where they detonate their bodies with a single breath of true energy to take their enemies with them.
The fragments that spread out upon detonation were laced with a heinous poison, and the bone shards and flesh scattered in all directions like hidden weapons.
It was a secret art banned in the martial world for its extreme cruelty and power.
For the Celestial Cult, which had no connection to poison arts, to have mass-produced poison masters...
...and for them to have learned such a forbidden secret art?
*BOOM! BANG!*
Every time the warriors of the Heavenly Martial Division charged to break the defensive line...
...an explosion would invariably ring out.
The number of Celestial Cultists was ten times greater than that of the Heavenly Martial Division.
Furthermore, because they didn't know which of the cultists who had learned Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation would explode next, the warriors of the Heavenly Martial Division could not penetrate deep into the enemy ranks.
At times, it seemed as if the defensive line in one section would break and the Heavenly Martial Division would charge in.
But then, they would use Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation again, causing mass casualties.
"Dammit."
Watching the battle unfold, Muk In-hyeok's eyes widened.
If the Celestial Cult had been raising poison masters who practiced poison arts, it would have surely been detected by the Martial Alliance's intelligence network.
After all, raising poison masters required immense financial resources and time.
But not only had the Celestial Cult secretly raised masters of poison arts...
...they were making these masters, cultivated with great care over a long period, self-destruct without hesitation?
Among so many cultists, it was impossible to even distinguish who the poison masters capable of using Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation were.
As the situation reached this point, a strange phenomenon occurred where the Heavenly Martial Division, despite having broken the defensive line, could not easily advance.
*Fwoooosh!*
Advancing just a little further inward would result in an explosion, with poisonous fluids and bone fragments scattering in all directions like hidden weapons.
And yet, in the chaotic melee where friend and foe were mixed, they couldn't just unleash sword energy or hidden weapons to kill them.
"Ugh."
Muk In-hyeok bit his lip.
As long as the Celestial Cultists held out in this manner, it was impossible to break through their defensive line and enter the Celestial Cult's grounds.
"Goddammit!"
It was the same situation for Seong Jo-yeong's Divine Might Division, which was trying to enter the Celestial Cult's territory through Jangsan Gorge.
No, in fact, this side was worse; because they were on a wide plain, the Celestial Cultists, who outnumbered them ten to one, were in the process of surrounding the Divine Might Division.
Every time the Divine Might Division displayed its superior martial prowess to break through the enemy's defenses and advance toward the Celestial Cult...
...countless poisonous fluids and bone fragments would spread like hidden weapons, devastating the surrounding area.
More Celestial Cultists were dying, but there was not a hint of fear in their eyes.
If they forced their way in under these conditions, they might face a situation where the entire army was annihilated.
"Retreat!"
In the end, Seong Jo-yeong had no choice but to order his subordinates to retreat.
***
In the Heseo Plains, inside a Martial Alliance tent, Muk In-hyeok and Seong Jo-yeong sat side by side with troubled expressions.
They had suffered significant damage from the Celestial Cult's unexpected strategy and were ultimately forced to retreat.
If they had forced the fight, even if they managed to conquer the Celestial Cult, both the Divine Might and Heavenly Martial Divisions would have suffered fatal losses.
"I just can't understand it."
Muk In-hyeok shook his head.
"No matter how wealthy they are, how could a mere heretical sect restore the technique of Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation and raise so many poison masters capable of using it?"
"That's what I'm saying."
Seong Jo-yeong also let out a frustrated sigh and spoke.
"To turn one's entire bloodstream into a deadly poison potent enough to use Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation would take at least three to five years... And to then make these poison masters, created with so much money and time, self-destruct without hesitation. This is completely nonsensical."
Muk In-hyeok nodded.
"Unless we get a large number of projectile weapons to deal with them from a distance, or reinforcements arrive, it seems impossible to conquer them with our current forces."
Seong Jo-yeong sighed as well.
"You're right. If we advance as things are, even if we win, the damage to our divisions will be severe."
"So, are reinforcements the only way?"
"Hah."
Seong Jo-yeong muttered with a look of bewildered dejection.
"To think we have to request additional troops just to deal with a heretical sect."
Due to the Celestial Cult's completely unforeseen combat methods and defensive tactics...
...the two Vice-Commanders were admitting that without reinforcements, even victory would come at an irreversible cost.
*Step, step.*
Just then, Bu Eun-seol walked into the tent.
Because of his deep, clear eyes and confident gait, the two men stood up from their chairs without realizing it.
"I've heard the story."
Bu Eun-seol cut to the chase and spoke to the two men immediately.
"No reinforcements."
"What do you mean, no?"
As Seong Jo-yeong's eyes widened, Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"As you said, Vice-Commander, two entire divisions of the Martial Alliance have mobilized to deal with a mere heretical sect."
"So?"
"But if we fail to defeat them and have to request reinforcements? That would be no different from announcing to the entire martial world that the Alliance has been defeated in this battle."
"What does it matter if they know we were defeated? We'll just crush the Celestial Cult to pieces in the end anyway."
At Seong Jo-yeong's words, Bu Eun-seol shook his head with a grave expression.
"If it becomes known that the Alliance requested reinforcements, the factions that have so far refrained from siding with the Celestial Cult will begin to make their move in earnest."
The Celestial Cult had considerable ties with the unorthodox factions in the Yellow River region.
And when rumors spread that the Martial Alliance was coming with a large army, the Celestial Cult immediately requested their help.
But not a single faction readily agreed to their request. Because they knew they could never win a fight against the Martial Alliance.
But what if it becomes known that the Celestial Cult successfully defended against two divisions of the Martial Alliance in this battle?
They would think a fight with the Martial Alliance is manageable, and they would surely join the Celestial Cult immediately.
"Even if they don't win, if they can drag it into a long-term war, the Alliance will eventually have no choice but to request a suitable compromise. We must not request reinforcements."
At Bu Eun-seol's explanation, the two Vice-Commanders silently nodded.
Stationing the Martial Alliance's divisions in the Yellow River region for an extended period would mean a massive financial loss, after all.
"Hmm."
A low groan escaped from the lips of Muk In-hyeok and Seong Jo-yeong.
Only then did they realize that annihilating the Celestial Cult was not a simple matter.
"Then what should we do?"
Seong Jo-yeong blurted out the words without thinking and immediately regretted it.
Such words were tantamount to acknowledging Bu Eun-seol as their strategist.
Muk In-hyeok might be one thing, but he had absolutely no intention of recognizing a second-rate unit leader as the Commander's proxy.
But having seen what Bu Eun-seol had accomplished so far, he was instinctively realizing that he was a strategist on par with Gongson Dan-gyeong.
"What I mean is, if you have an explanation, hurry up and give it."
Seong Jo-yeong said with a scoff, and Bu Eun-seol began to speak.
"Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation is a secret art that only exceptional poison masters can learn."
"That's common knowledge."
"If the Celestial Cult had truly raised that many poison masters, they wouldn't need to engage in a sluggish defensive battle; they would have immediately marched on Heseo to challenge our divisions."
Seong Jo-yeong and Muk In-hyeok nodded at the same time.
They, too, had been unable to understand it.
A poison master capable of using Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation would have mastered poison arts to a level renowned in the martial world.
To use such masters of poison arts merely for self-destruction to take enemies with them? It was an action that made absolutely no sense from a cost-benefit perspective.
"In that case."
Bu Eun-seol responded to Muk In-hyeok's murmur.
"They aren't formally trained poison masters, but rather individuals who have been forcibly infused with poison over a short period, pickled in it. If the goal is to use Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation, then all that's needed is to turn their blood into poison, one way or another."
"You mean the Celestial Cult has been researching such a method?"
"There's no need to research it. They just need to recruit those who already know such techniques."
"Recruit?"
"That's right. The most surprising thing I discovered while recently traveling the martial world to gather intelligence... was that Human Pills are being secretly distributed. That also means there are many in the martial world who modify or research the human body."
This time, Muk In-hyeok asked.
"Then are you saying they are Soulless Ones, pickled with Human Pills?"
"I doubt it. Soulless Ones are clearly distinguishable from ordinary people. The Celestial Cult has likely used a secret art like the Poison Infusion Art to rapidly augment their strength and make them adapt quickly to poison."
Hearing Bu Eun-seol's explanation, Muk In-hyeok tilted his head.
"Even if that's the case, if we can't distinguish them, it's of no use, is it?"
"We can distinguish them. Since they were steeped in poison over a short period, they must be suffering from side effects. Noticeable side effects, at that."
"Noticeable?"
"When the human body is steeped in poison, don't side effects appear?"
At that, Seong Jo-yeong, who had been listening silently, spoke coldly.
"No matter how chaotic the melee was, if there were such distinct signs, there's no way I, the Vice-Commander, would have failed to notice."
They were the Vice-Commanders of the Seven Great Divisions.
Although they hadn't been very active in the martial world, they were in no way inferior when compared to those called the next generation of grandmasters.
If there had been something distinct about the users of Dragon's Fall Soul Detonation, they would never have failed to notice the difference.
"They have been preparing for battle with the Martial Alliance for a long time. From the moment they planned to create poison masters in a short time, they would have naturally hidden such symptoms."
"How absurd. Anyone can say that, can't they?"
As Seong Jo-yeong scoffed, Bu Eun-seol didn't answer immediately but changed the subject.
"But there is one part they can never hide."
"Cannot hide?"
"When a martial artist is exposed to poison for a long period, what is the first thing that happens?"
"Well, that depends on what kind of poison they're afflicted with."
"When creating a poison master, the toxicity is naturally weakened using the principle of using poison to fight poison, so as not to threaten their life. It's not about any one specific poison."
Seong Jo-yeong, his pride perhaps wounded, wracked his brain with all his might.
"If chronically poisoned, the skin might peel... or blood might leak out of the vessels."
"Those can hardly be called minor symptoms. If that were the case, there's no way you would have failed to notice, Vice-Commander Seong."
As Bu Eun-seol kept deferring his answer, Seong Jo-yeong's face turned red.
"Anyone can say that, can't they?"
The very words he had just spoken with a sneer.
He realized that the one actually making such empty statements was none other than himself, Seong Jo-yeong.