Chapter 294
Chapter 294
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 294
Chapter Title: The Alliance's War Council
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Four days had passed since the Battle of Emei Citadel.
During that time, throughout Sichuan, the recent clash at Emei Citadel had become the talk of the town.
"Grr, didn't everyone see it three days ago? Mount Emei shaking like there was a landslide!"
"Heavens! You think it was just one or two? Not a hundred or a thousand, but two thousand! Two thousand troops assaulted the Emei Sect!"
"The supreme master of the unorthodox sects, one of the Seven Great Evils, the Blood Furnace Flame King Nong Jil, met his end at the sword of the Plum Blossom Divine Hero, who blooms beautiful plum flowers..."
In the markets and inns around Mount Emei, gossips competed to share tales of the Emei Citadel battle. They chattered tirelessly, their mouths running dry.
This rare burst of excitement in the once-quiet Sichuan was more than enough to fill the storytellers' purses.
Thanks to them, the rumors spread like wildfire.
And the more they spread, the more people's attention focused on Cheonhwi, who had displayed overwhelming might.
Amid the clamor, Cheonhwi suddenly welcomed two unexpected guests inside.
The visitors were a man and a woman.
'Why are they here?'
Cheonhwi stared at them impassively.
They had arrived at the Emei Sect two days prior, serving as deputy commanders of the Escort Guard Corps and the Faction Destruction Corps, respectively.
"Sorry for dropping by unannounced."
The middle-aged man with striking dark eyebrows scratched his head sheepishly, exuding charm.
He was Dong So-gang, deputy commander of the Escort Guard Corps, renowned across the Murim Alliance for his moniker, Eight Flying Phantom Sword.
Cheonhwi looked at him and asked,
"So, what's this about?"
"Well, you see..."
Just as Dong So-gang started to speak,
"We have something to deliver to Young Hero Cheonhwi."
The woman beside him cut in.
She appeared to be in her early twenties.
Her face was so pale it seemed almost ghostly white, framed by flowing locks of hair.
Seong Ye-bin, the White Face Jade Hand.
Before Cheonhwi, she had been the youngest to rise to deputy commander of an Alliance unit, a prodigious female expert.
She drew a piece of paper from her sleeve and placed it on the table, speaking softly.
"It's a summons from the Alliance."
* * *
The grand hall of the Murim Alliance.
Despite the abrupt summons from Military Strategist Zhuge Gong, more than half of the thirty-odd seats around the round table were filled.
This included everyone except the Third Corps and Fourth Corps out on missions, as well as the Murim Alliance Leader and Sword Pavilion who had not attended even prior assemblies.
Zhuge Gong scanned the group, their lips tightly sealed in the tense atmosphere.
Then, he carefully parted his lips.
"Heavenly Sword Hall has fallen."
"What?"
"Heavenly Sword Hall..."
Soft sighs escaped here and there, like breaths long held.
Suddenly, someone spoke up.
"I heard reinforcements were sent to Heavenly Sword Hall earlier... What in the world happened?"
With those words, Elder Cheol Su-bi-geom of the Heavenly Central Sword Sect glared sharply at the strategist.
He was visibly agitated.
The ties between Heavenly Sword Hall and Heavenly Central Sword Sect had been close for ages.
Hundreds of years ago, sworn brothers Heavenly Sword and Thousand Repairs Ten Thousand Swords had each founded their sects—it was only natural.
"Heavenly Sword Hall isn't some major sect, but surely they sent more than riffraff?"
As Cheol Su-bi-geom's voice rose in anger, his upper body rising with emotion,
"The Forbidden Guard Corps was dispatched."
The strategist's calm, low voice reversed the situation.
"The Forbidden Guard Corps...?"
"Yet it was still destroyed?"
Not only Cheol Su-bi-geom but those around him gasped in shock.
Their eyes wavered simultaneously.
Among the Alliance's Three Corps, the Forbidden Guard Corps excelled in mission execution.
They had no failures in over a decade, completing every task flawlessly.
Thus, they were only deployed for the gravest missions... yet even they.
Cheol Su-bi-geom swallowed hard.
If the Forbidden Guard Corps had been sent—not just anyone—it meant the Alliance had paid Heavenly Sword Hall utmost attention.
"Th-then what happened?"
Cheol Su-bi-geom's voice trembled.
The Forbidden Guard Corps possessed enough might to eradicate a minor sect in a blink.
Yet Heavenly Sword Hall had fallen despite their aid.
"Thousand Face Fox, Yin Ming True Heaven Lord, Broad Cold Ghost Mother, Blood Eagle Bird..."
The strategist abruptly listed monikers.
The listeners' faces hardened.
These were leaders of minor sects infamous in their regions, all pinnacle experts at the Ultimate Realm.
After naming about ten such figures in a low voice, the strategist paused, surveying the room before continuing.
"They led their disciples and ambushed Heavenly Sword Hall without warning."
"......"
Silence blanketed the hall.
Even combined with the Forbidden Guard Corps, Heavenly Sword Hall couldn't have withstood such forces if the strategist spoke true.
Ten Ultimate Realm masters.
And their disciples besides.
No ordinary force.
Zhuge Gong glanced at the silent assembly and added,
"Fortunately, the acting hall leader and a few disciples escaped with the Forbidden Guard Corps to the safe branch in Uichang."
"......At least that's something."
Cheol Su-bi-geom muttered bitterly.
He had been furious at first, but now understood the Alliance's full effort.
Even a handful surviving was a blessing.
"But that's not all."
Zhuge Gong said calmly.
"The Fourth Platoon of the Divine Dragon Corps guarding the Yangtze Basin was annihilated, and the Iron Blood Corps, attempting to thwart a secret meeting between the Ten Night Gate Lord and the Returning Origin Divine Palace Lord, was repelled instead."
"Such a thing..."
"The Divine Dragon Corps and Iron Blood Corps failed their missions?"
As all fell speechless,
Song Baek, elder of the Jicheong Sect, spoke urgently with uneasy eyes.
"Th-the Fourth Platoon of the Divine Dragon Corps was completely wiped out?"
"Yes."
"Impossible..."
Song Baek closed his eyes, face ashen as if the sky had fallen.
He was not alone.
All the elders of the Nine Great Sects felt the same.
The Divine Dragon Corps consisted solely of the Nine Great Sects' young prodigies.
"What of the Iron Blood Corps? Repelled, but not annihilated?"
Elder Ok So-sin-geom of the Elder Council asked, eyes narrowed.
His expression sharpened amid successive ill tidings.
"Forty-eight dead, two hundred lightly wounded, and one hundred severely injured, requiring at least a year of rest, per the Iron Blood Corps commander's report."
Groans arose from all sides.
No one had foreseen this.
"What of other areas?"
Shaolin's Elder Won Jong spoke.
"No losses elsewhere. In fact, the Escort Guard Corps and Heavenly Martial Corps guarding the Yangtze detected and captured Evil-Black Alliance warriors attempting a covert crossing, handing them to the authorities."
For the first good news, all exhaled in relief.
The heavy mood lifted slightly, faces regaining some color.
Then,
"Strategist."
Do Yang-hyeon of the Qingcheng Sect, fidgeting anxiously, spoke as if waiting.
"What of the Blood Phantom Corps and Ghost Phantom Corps that crossed into Sichuan?"
So Yeon-sa-tae, showing similar unease beside him, added,
"Did the Faction Destruction Corps' Third Platoon and Escort Guard Corps' Second Platoon arrive in time?"
Her tone brimmed with urgency.
Zhuge Gong silently turned to Seol Geom seated nearby.
"The deputy strategist will explain that."
All eyes shifted there.
"Haha."
Seol Geom chuckled awkwardly.
He scratched his head with his folded fan, lips twitching.
"Those who crossed the Yangtze headed straight for the Emei Sect upon entering Sichuan."
Seol Geom spoke slowly, then glanced aside.
"The Beggar Clan had solid intel. Isn't that right, Clan Leader?"
Yong Ju-gae stared at Seol Geom in disbelief before replying.
"Indeed."
His confirmation froze the room.
Then,
"S-so then..."
So Yeon-sa-tae stammered.
Having heard the details, her distress deepened.
She knew blocking them with Emei's forces alone was nearly impossible; her face darkened.
"......What became of our sect?"
Seol Geom smiled faintly and replied,
"The Emei Sect emerged victorious."
"I-is that true?"
"Why would I lie?"
At Seol Geom's confirmation of Emei's victory, So Yeon-sa-tae slumped as if deflated.
The tension had drained from her.
"Amitabha. That's a relief."
"As expected of the Emei Sect."
Sighs of relief echoed.
"Fortunately, the Faction Destruction Corps and Escort Guard Corps arrived faster than expected."
Do Yang-hyeon added,
"Not at all."
Seol Geom cut him off sharply.
'Can't let that slide.'
His eyes gleamed as he continued.
"The Faction Destruction Corps and Escort Guard Corps arrived after all the assaults had ended."
"Without the Faction Destruction and Escort Guard Corps?"
"You mean Emei repelled them alone?"
Seol Geom smiled slyly.
As if he had awaited this question.
"Before that, reinforcements arrived to aid Emei. Great Hero Go Cheong-geom of the High Blue Sword led Qingcheng disciples there, and warriors from the Alliance branch mobilized swiftly."
"Impressive. Sending disciples to aid a fellow righteous sect in peril."
"A model for the righteous factions."
Admiration rose from all sides.
Do Yang-hyeon beamed proudly, while So Yeon-sa-tae expressed gratitude.
"Thank you."
"Haha, no need. It's only right for fellow righteous sects. If Qingcheng were attacked, Emei would do the same, no?"
"True Man..."
As So Yeon-sa-tae gazed at Do Yang-hyeon with moved eyes, Seol Geom spoke again.
"And among those gathered, one shone brightest."
All leaned in.
"Shone brightest?"
"Who?"
"Extinction Commander, Plum Blossom Divine Hero."
Seol Geom deliberately wove in the title "Extinction Commander" as he murmured.
"Do you know who led the Blood Phantom and Ghost Phantom Corps, commanding two thousand troops?"
"The Blood Phantom and Ghost Phantom commanders, surely?"
"Only those two."
"I've heard the Ghost and Blood Phantoms heed no one but their commanders."
As most nodded in agreement with Song Baek's words,
Seol Geom dropped a bombshell.
"Nong Jil led them."
"N-Nong Jil?"
"The Blood Furnace Flame King...?"
Most couldn't hide their shock.
One of the Seven Great Evils, Blood Furnace Flame King Nong Jil.
Her name was renowned not just in the Evil-Black Alliance but across the world as a top-tier master.
Then Seol Geom uttered an even greater shock.
"And she met her end at the hands of Extinction Commander, Plum Blossom Divine Hero Cheonhwi, the young hall leader."
"......!"
"W-what?!"
Mouths gaped around the table.
Especially those who had witnessed Nong Jil's prowess firsthand—their eyes bulged nearly out of sockets.
"He repelled the Green Forest Great Emperor, and now even Nong Jil..."
Murmurs rose, some gulping dryly.
It was prowess beyond his years.
A realm so distant it awed them.
Unbidden, their gazes converged on one spot.
True Man Hyeon Do.
'Only now do they recognize my Hwi.'
He smiled proudly.
Just then,
"Though we have these victories, as I said earlier, the situation remains dire."
Zhuge Gong redirected the mood.
Joy was fleeting.
"If we merely defend the Yangtze indefinitely, we'll eventually be overwhelmed by the Evil-Black Alliance's onslaught."
Yong Ju-gae reacted.
"So, you're suggesting we strike first?"
Zhuge Gong nodded.
"......Not easy, is it?"
"If we continue like this, we'll keep trading losses and wins without end."
"True enough."
Yong Ju-gae conceded.
To end the war, either the Evil-Black Alliance or the Murim Alliance must fall.
"......Have a target in mind?"
Elder Won Jong asked cautiously.
Switching to offense meant choosing the first strike carefully.
"Ten Night Gate and Returning Origin Divine Palace have allied via their meeting, making them hard to hit. Wave Dark Manor in Guangxi is too far—we lack time for a rushed assault."
All agreed with Zhuge Gong.
Indeed, the allied pair posed risks for a preemptive strike, and Wave Dark was distant.
"Then the Sun Moon Sect. Their forces are depleted from the recent war with the New Spear Yang Clan."
Kunlun elder Gok Pyeong suggested approvingly.
But,
"I'm excluding the Sun Moon Sect as well."
"Hm? Sun Moon too?"
"Reason?"
"Their lord likely thought the same. The moment war broke, they probably requested Evil-Black aid."
"Hmm."
Groans spread.
With Evil-Black backing, Sun Moon wouldn't be easy.
"Then the remaining one...?"
At Gok Pyeong's question, Zhuge Gong nodded.
"Only one option. The closest of the Five Desolate Gates to Guizhou, the most aberrant evil cult in the Central Plains..."
Zhuge Gong narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Immortal Heaven Church. That's the sect we'll target."