Chapter 317
Chapter 317
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: Shock in the Great Assembly Hall
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A shock crashed down upon the great assembly hall.
The eyes of those who read the words "Bicheon Society Joins the War" shook violently, as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.
They looked as though they had been struck by lightning.
And rightly so. Even amid the war with the Evil-Black Alliance, the Murim Alliance had never neglected to monitor the Bicheon Society's movements.
No, it wasn't just the Murim Alliance—the Evil-Black Alliance was surely doing the same.
After all, weren't they the central powers of the Nine Provinces, excluding the Bicheon Society?
It was only natural that the war between the two colossal factions—the Murim Alliance and the Evil-Black Alliance—would shift dramatically depending on the Bicheon Society's actions.
That was why the Murim Alliance had even dispatched agents from the Non-Hidden Party, one of its two intelligence divisions, to keep tabs on them.
After trembling as they stared at the paper for a moment, they snapped to attention all at once and shouted in unison.
It was almost simultaneous.
"Th-the Bicheon Society is joining the war?!"
"Wh-what?!"
"This can't be...!"
Their voices rang out in agitation.
Some even slammed their hands on the table and rose to their feet, shoving their chairs back.
At the same time, the air in the great assembly hall grew taut, like a bowstring pulled to its limit.
Their sharp, anxiety-laced true energy roiled and enveloped the hall.
It happened in an instant.
All those gathered here were masters renowned throughout the jianghu.
Their emotional turmoil had manifested as true energy, proving their prowess—yet it also showed how deeply this news had shaken even them.
"They were sitting idle just a few days ago, so why now...?"
"I thought they wouldn't join since they'd stayed quiet all this time!"
"Are they planning to strike from behind?!"
Speculation erupted from all sides.
Dozens of anxious, flickering gazes then turned toward the Alliance Leader and Military Strategist at the head table, sharp as arrows.
And questions followed immediately.
"What is going on?"
"What on earth has happened?"
Their eyes and tones brimmed with impatience, almost accusatory.
It was understandable, perhaps.
Until now, the Bicheon Society had maintained strict neutrality without any notable movements, putting them at ease subconsciously.
But now, intelligence had arrived of their intervention at the most unexpected time.
Yet the Murim Alliance Leader paid no heed to their reactions.
He remained utterly indifferent to the piercing glares directed at him, as if they were nothing.
This lasted for a moment.
Smoothly—
He slowly lowered his gaze.
His abyss-like black eyes gleamed mysteriously, dropping straight down like falling dew.
It was a profoundly calm and leisurely look, as if chiding them for making a fuss over nothing.
His clear eyes then swept over each person seated around the round table in turn.
"Do you have more to say?"
Suddenly, his lips parted.
His voice carried a profound dignity.
At that, the atmosphere seemed to clear, and the roiling energy subsided.
Soon, silence blanketed the hall.
His voice had commanded quiet.
The Alliance Leader stared at those who had fallen silent, then slowly spoke again.
"Just as it says."
He turned his gaze to Military Strategist Zhuge Gong and continued.
"The details will come from the Strategist."
Zhuge Gong nodded.
The moment he was called, he rose crisply beside the Alliance Leader at the head table and opened his mouth.
"Four days ago, we received a report from the Non-Hidden Party that nearly a hundred warriors from the Nangong Family had left Anhui Province."
Groans arose here and there.
The Nangong Family was one of the Eight Great Families, vying for the top spot.
Their movement was proof positive that the Bicheon Society had entered the fray.
At that moment, Iron Wire Sword urgently asked,
"Where is the Nangong Family headed?"
His voice trembled.
His sect, the Heavenly Center Sword Sect, was located very close to Anhui Province.
The moment he heard of the Nangong Family's movement, he had been on edge, wondering if they might target his sect, and now he couldn't hold back from asking Zhuge Gong.
"They are heading toward Zhejiang..."
Zhuge Gong met his eyes and spoke.
His voice was as impassive as ever.
"Their target is presumed to be the Mansu Gate."
"The Mansu Gate!"
"That place..."
Everyone's eyes widened in an instant.
The Mansu Gate was a major faction dominating Zhejiang under the Evil-Black Alliance.
And it was the Nangong Family's sworn enemy, with whom they shared a deep grudge to this day.
"Revenge."
"They're using our war with the Evil-Black Alliance to settle the score."
The gathered leaders murmured at Zhuge Gong's words.
The rift between the Nangong Family and the Mansu Gate ran deep.
It made sense.
Hadn't the Mansu Gate Leader killed a promising young talent of the Nangong Family?
The Nangong Family Head had even led his retainers to attack the Mansu Gate in vengeance back then.
But it had come to nothing.
The Evil-Black Alliance had threatened all-out war if they touched the Mansu Gate.
No matter how mighty the Nangong Family, facing the Evil-Black Alliance was no easy task.
Meanwhile, Iron Wire Sword breathed a sigh of relief.
His Heavenly Center Sword Sect wasn't the target.
Then, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Then, does that mean the Bicheon Society is targeting the Evil-Black Alliance?"
His voice rose slightly.
The Nangong Family going after the Mansu Gate was tantamount to the Bicheon Society striking the Evil-Black Alliance.
And to that question,
"That is our assessment."
Zhuge Gong replied calmly.
The great assembly hall erupted in an instant.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
If the Bicheon Society targeted the Evil-Black Alliance, the war might end swiftly.
Then, Grandmaster Wonjong quietly asked,
"Is there no chance the Nangong Family acted on their own?"
It was a highly cautious question.
In the hall's excited mood, it could pour cold water on the atmosphere.
However,
"It's the Nangong Family."
Zhuge Gong dismissed it with a single phrase.
Grandmaster Wonjong, who had asked, nodded and closed his eyes.
He was convinced instantly.
The Nangong Family.
That name carried exceptional weight.
The oldest among the Eight Great Families, it had held the title of the world's foremost for ages, even if now overshadowed by the Sichuan Tang Family and Zhuge Family.
"The Nangong Family wouldn't act in a way that invites conflict with the Bicheon Society. And even if they tried to move independently, the Bicheon Society would have stopped them."
Zhuge Gong said softly.
Grandmaster Wonjong had no rebuttal.
It was the truth.
The Bicheon Society was more prominent now than ever.
Unlike the weakening Murim Alliance and Evil-Black Alliance amid the war, they had preserved their full strength.
For the Nangong Family to move alone without permission in such a situation?
The possibility was exceedingly low.
"That Nangong Family Head isn't the type to act recklessly anyway."
Dragon Lord Beggar bolstered Zhuge Gong's words.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The current Nangong Family Head was infamous in the jianghu for his meticulous calculations of gain and loss.
It was hard to imagine such a man acting on emotion.
"Still, it's unexpected. I figured that sly fox would wait until after the war..."
As Dragon Lord Beggar recalled the coldly rational Nangong Family Head,
"He couldn't just sit by and watch his mortal enemy get wiped out by someone else's hand."
Hyeondo immediately responded.
His voice was edged with steel.
He fully understood the Nangong Family Head's mindset.
Hadn't he felt the same?
Having your enemy right in front of you, unable to strike properly—it tore at the heart like a knife to the chest.
Let alone if that target vanished before proper revenge?
Unthinkable.
"Indeed."
Dragon Lord Beggar nodded, looking at Hyeondo whose face twisted like a wrathful demon.
"Nothing's more hollow than your enemy dying by another's hand."
Then, he whipped his head up.
Gazing at Zhuge Gong and the Alliance Leader, he said,
"So, we're accelerating the mission."
Dragon Lord Beggar's eyes darkened deeply.
He led the Hundred Thousand Beggars Clan and had the world's information at his feet as their Chief.
Reading the Strategist's intent from this intel was no challenge.
"Correct."
Zhuge Gong replied evenly.
Then, eyeing those with expectant gazes, he unleashed a chilling glare.
His voice was ice-cold.
"Shouldn't we make good use of the moment while the Nangong Family targets the Mansu Gate?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Cheonhwi read the detailed intelligence on the paper in his hand, then clenched his fist.
The paper crumpled.
Whoosh—
It burst into flames in his palm in an instant.
Samadhi True Fire.
Seolgeom watched the series of actions unfold in the blink of an eye and gripped his whisk tightly.
His hand grew slick with sweat.
'He's changed.'
His eyes sank.
Cheonhwi's aura had altered.
He was present, yet seemed absent.
Ghostly.
'They said he'd secluded himself in his chambers for days... Did he have an enlightenment?'
Last time, when he'd visited with others, he'd been too flustered to notice. But facing him properly now, that presence felt far stronger than before.
A chill crawled up his spine.
At the same time, a smile spread across his lips.
'Good pick.'
His gaze deepened.
The Cheonhwi before him was the Grand Commander of the Extermination Squad under his charge. The higher Cheonhwi's fame rose, the better for him.
Gazing at Cheonhwi, Seolgeom unfurled his whisk to carefully cover the smile that wouldn't leave his lips.
"Have you confirmed everything?"
At the question, Cheonhwi shook the ashes from his palm and replied,
"I get the gist. When all eyes are on the Nangong Family, investigate the Black Ghost Group's appearance in Wuxue alongside Wind and Thunder, right...?"
Cheonhwi chuckled midway.
"In the end, it means kill them, doesn't it?"
"Hahaha. Yes."
Seolgeom laughed awkwardly.
It was exactly that.
Though it said "ascertain their purpose," extracting info from those moving covertly meant clashing head-on eventually.
"Hm, fine by me."
Cheonhwi twisted his lips.
Chasing their tails for intel was a hassle; better to smash them outright.
"Then when do we depart?"
"As soon as the Extermination Squad is ready. I came after hearing the Heavenly Center Squad is prepared."
"Oh? Then let's go now."
Cheonhwi rose immediately.
"Right now?"
"You said they're ready. Why dawdle? It said the situation is urgent."
With that, Cheonhwi turned and lightly draped the pristine white cape hanging on one side of the room over his shoulders.
The snow-white cape fluttered slightly over his black-red daoist robes, as if dancing in the wind.
"Send word via messenger bird if more intel comes."
Cheonhwi said as he stepped forward.
"Haha, don't worry. That's my mission."
Hearing Seolgeom's reply from behind, Cheonhwi exited the hall at once.
"Hah!"
Outside the hall, in the training grounds, Extermination Squad members and Flame Spirit Unit warriors trained vigorously as usual, intermixed.
Cheonhwi looked at them and spoke.
"We're deploying. Everyone, prepare."
His crystalline voice spread like sunset glow.
Those training snapped to attention at his voice, their eyes gleaming.
"Deployment...!"
"Finally!"
The order they'd awaited endlessly had come.
"Understood!"
"We'll prepare right away!"
They hurried into the hall.
Moments later, not just the Extermination Squad but the Flame Spirit Unit too had assembled in the training grounds.
Every one wore the pristine white capes that had become the Extermination Squad's signature uniform, without exception.
"Let's go."
Cheonhwi said, taking a step.
The Extermination Squad and Flame Spirit Unit followed.
Thud, thud.
Their steady footsteps soon echoed beyond the hall's grand gates.
How long had they walked?
As they passed the Murim Alliance's central grounds, murmurs began rippling around them.
"The Extermination Squad...!"
"Are they deploying?"
They had begun recognizing the Extermination Squad.
But it was brief.
"......"
The commotion quickly died down.
Instead, they began paying respects to the Extermination Squad with clasped fists.
It was a grand sight.
Most Extermination Squad members felt their chests swell at the scene, while the Flame Spirit Unit marveled at their splendor.
The spectacle continued.
All the way to the Murim Alliance's main gate.
"Great hero, we wish you fortune in battle."
A gate guard spotted Cheonhwi, bowed deeply, and said.
Then flung open the gates.
Groooan—
As sunlight streamed through the opening, shimmering and enveloping Cheonhwi and the Extermination Squad,
Thud.
Cheonhwi crossed the light and advanced.
It was departure.