Chapter 134: Devise a Method-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Devise a Method-2
"That’s absurd!"
Sun-woo raised his voice at the Yin-Yang Demon’s words.
It was a ridiculous suggestion. Slit the throat of the strongest one? That was no different from telling him to start a war with them.
With the Tang Clan’s current strength, they couldn't even handle one of those factions, let alone take down their leader. To Sun-woo, it sounded like a command to go out and get destroyed.
"Why is it absurd?" the Yin-Yang Demon asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"The Tang Clan’s current power isn't enough to face them!"
"Who said anything about facing all of them? You just need to fuck up one."
The Yin-Yang Demon replied calmly to Sun-woo’s protest.
"What do you mean by that?"
"They might call themselves prestigious clans or great sects, but in the end, they are just martial artists."
"Doesn't that make them even more dangerous?"
They weren't like typical merchant houses. Because they were martial artists, they valued justification above all else. If they found a sufficient pretext, they wouldn't hesitate to draw their swords and rise up.
"Normally, yes. But the Tang Clan has an excellent shield."
"……"
Sun-woo fell into thought. An excellent shield? What could the Tang Clan possibly have? What kind of shield could protect them from those who looked down even on an absolute master like the Poison King?
"Tsk, tsk. You stupid brat."
Seeing Sun-woo’s confusion, the Yin-Yang Demon clicked his tongue, lamenting his disciple’s dullness.
"Who is the one person the sect leaders of the Nine Sects and the heads of the Five Great Clans would actually fear?"
"Could it be?"
A name flashed through Sun-woo’s mind. Someone with enough martial prowess to make even the arrogant leaders of the Nine Sects and the Five Great Clans crawl. Someone with a valid reason to protect the Tang Clan.
"……Lee Jae-won."
"Exactly. Don't you have that wild colt of a bastard?"
The Yin-Yang Demon responded happily, as if pleased that his stupid disciple had finally deduced the answer.
I was being foolish.
Sun-woo’s expression shifted as he realized the truth. Until now, he had only been focused on the Tang Clan’s internal situation, completely failing to consider external factors.
It was true. On a personal level, the Tang Clan was Lee Jae-won’s maternal family. The existence of Lee Jae-won, the World’s Greatest Martial Artist, acted as a deterrent that even prestigious sects with a righteous cause could not easily ignore.
"He’s a piece of shit, but since he’s reached the Profound Realm, he’ll serve as a fine breakwater to keep the others from running wild."
The Yin-Yang Demon was right. The gap between the Transcendent Realm and the Profound Realm was so vast that it was incomparable. While they were technically only one stage apart, the difference in the enlightenment contained within those realms was beyond words. There was a reason the Profound Realm was called the Half-Immortal stage—a realm that transcended humanity.
"Then isn't there nothing to worry about?" Sun-woo asked, still puzzled.
If Lee Jae-won was backing the Tang Clan, what was the problem?
"You dim-witted disciple, think about it. Is the Tang Clan the only maternal family Lee Jae-won has?"
"Ah."
Sun-woo let out a small gasp of realization. It was true. Lee Jae-won had maternal ties not just with the Tang Clan, but with other families among the Five Great Clans as well.
"Because of Lee Jae-won, the Nine Sects won't be able to pressure the Tang Clan. But for the Five Great Clans, who share the same maternal ties, the story changes."
Sun-woo’s expression turned grim. Excluding the Nine Sects was a relief, but the Five Great Clans were a problem. Currently, the Tang Clan didn't even have the strength to handle them. If a war broke out, they would suffer a crushing defeat.
"Then what should we do?"
"It’s not like there’s no way."
The Yin-Yang Demon spoke with a thick smirk playing on his lips.
"In any case, the incident where that brat got carved up won't be made public. If it were, they’d be the ones getting pelted with insults. So, they’ll target the Tang Clan more covertly, working in the shadows."
"In what way?"
"Oh, there are many ways. Since the Tang Clan handles the distribution of weapons and herbs, they might make bulk purchases and then refuse to pay the balance. Or they could threaten local herb gatherers to disrupt your supply chain."
Sun-woo’s face darkened. If they pressured the clan like that, it would be disastrous.
"There are laws in the Murim. How could they possibly do that?"
"Pwahahaha! That’s a masterpiece, disciple."
The Yin-Yang Demon burst into laughter. Seeing someone who had spent so much time in the Murim acting so naive was genuinely hilarious to him.
"A 'justification' is something you create."
The Yin-Yang Demon wiped the smile from his face and continued.
"And they are specialized in creating justifications better than anyone else."
Sun-woo grew worried. The master’s words hit home. The people of the Orthodox Faction valued justification and face more than anything. Even if a situation was clearly beneficial, they wouldn't move unless they had a righteous pretext. Consequently, they were experts at manufacturing those pretexts. They would manipulate public opinion, distort information, and appeal to emotions to create a "Great Cause."
If they set their minds to it, the Tang Clan would be helpless.
"That’s why I’m telling you to crush their heads before they can establish a justification."
"How?"
"They’ll all start their operations at the same time anyway. So, use that as your excuse to ruthlessly trample the strongest among them. Make an example of him. If you do that, no one else in the Five Great Clans will dare touch the Tang Clan."
The Yin-Yang Demon continued in a voice full of conviction.
"Who is currently the greatest master among the Five Great Clans?"
Sun-woo fell into deep thought at the question. Originally, the greatest master of the Five Great Clans was the Poison King, Tang Jin-cheol. Excluding him, there was only one person who could claim that title.
"……Hwangbo Gang."
Indeed. The greatest master of the Five Great Clans was the head of the Hwangbo Clan, Hwangbo Gang, also known as the Heavenly King Divine Fist. Like the Poison King, he was one of the heroes who had been active during the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.
Standing over eight feet tall with a bear-like build and fists the size of human heads, he had a record of sending countless demons to the afterlife while roaming the battlefields during the war. Although public opinion generally held that he wasn't quite on the level of Tang Jin-cheol—who had annihilated the Black Armored Cavalry—he was still considered a powerhouse of comparable stature.
Sun-woo looked flustered.
"Martial artists are the type to crawl on their own once they feel the difference in power. So, you just need to slit Hwangbo Gang’s throat with overwhelming force to make them feel that gap."
"That will start a war!" Sun-woo shouted.
Slitting the throat of the head of the Hwangbo Clan? That was a signal for total war.
"No, there won't be a war," the Yin-Yang Demon stated flatly. "The influence of an absolute master is greater than you think. If Hwangbo Gang dies, the Hwangbo Clan will judge that they cannot handle the Tang Clan."
"Won't they seek revenge?" Sun-woo countered.
Martial artists valued honor more than life. How could they not choose revenge when their clan head had been killed?
"The Hwangbo Clan will choose survival over revenge. They also know that the Transcendent Realm isn't something that can be overturned by sheer numbers. Didn't the Tang Clan lose most of its strength to a single absolute master, the Poison Demon?"
It was true. Numerous Super-Peak masters, the core strength of the Tang Clan, had been wiped out by the Poison Demon, who had reached the Transcendent Realm. The gap between the Super-Peak and the Transcendent Realm was that immense. If they lost Hwangbo Gang, the Hwangbo Clan would likely choose to bow down without hesitation.
"Furthermore, since both the Tang Clan and the Hwangbo Clan are Lee Jae-won’s maternal relatives, the Cheonmu Alliance will turn a blind eye to the fight between the two families. In fact, if you kill Hwangbo Gang, there’s a high probability they’ll take the Tang Clan’s side."
The Yin-Yang Demon finished his explanation with a smirk.
"In the end, it leads to the conclusion that killing Hwangbo Gang will cleanly resolve all the shit you’ve stirred up."
The Yin-Yang Demon was confident. Since both were Lee Jae-won’s relatives, the Cheonmu Alliance wouldn't intervene, and it would serve as a perfect warning to keep the other Five Great Clans in check.
"Master, I have a question."
Sun-woo spoke to the triumphant-looking Yin-Yang Demon.
"Go ahead."
"But who is going to kill Hwangbo Gang?"
Sun-woo asked as if he were genuinely lost. Currently, there was no one in the Tang Clan capable of killing Hwangbo Gang. His realm was likely somewhere between the Mid and Upper Transcendent Realm. Who could kill someone like that?
Sun-woo, who had only just entered the Transcendent Realm, would find it difficult to handle him. And if the Yin-Yang Demon stepped forward personally, that would also be a problem. Even with a disguise, he wasn't a member of the Tang Clan, so the Cheonmu Alliance would surely try to restrain him.
The Yin-Yang Demon’s plan was persuasive, but it was built on the premise that Hwangbo Gang could be killed. In other words, if they couldn't kill him, the whole plan was useless.
"Who else? You have to kill him."
The Yin-Yang Demon looked at Sun-woo as if he were asking something obvious. Why was he even asking? It was only natural for the person who made the mess to clean it up.
"How am I supposed to kill Hwangbo Gang?!"
Sun-woo asked back in shock. He was only at the beginning of the Transcendent Realm. How could he face Hwangbo Gang, who had been in that realm for a long time?
"Didn't you kill the Sword Emperor and the Poison Demon? Compared to them, someone like Hwangbo Gang is a breeze."
The Yin-Yang Demon spoke as if it were no big deal. The Sword Emperor and the Poison Demon were at the very peak of the Transcendent Realm, standing right before the threshold of the Profound Realm. Compared to them, Hwangbo Gang was indeed a lesser opponent.
"That was the result of luck piled upon luck!"
Sun-woo protested against his master’s nonchalant attitude. The situations were completely different. In the Sword Emperor’s case, his internal energy had been more than half depleted from fighting Ok-ryeong, he was wounded all over, and his stamina was gone. In short, he was in terrible shape. Moreover, Sun-woo had only barely managed to defeat him with the unexpected help of the mystical artifact, the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor. It wasn't a victory won by Sun-woo’s own skill.
As for the Poison Demon, he had been fighting his equal, the Poison King, from the start, and more than half of his stamina and internal energy were gone. He had also suffered fatal injuries, with his body melting from the Poison King’s toxins. And in the end, the variable known as Yorang had allowed Sun-woo to barely manage the situation. Again, it wasn't an opponent he had defeated with his own strength alone.
Of course, Hwangbo Gang was a lower-tier opponent compared to those two, but for Sun-woo’s current level, defeating him was still a distant goal. Furthermore, when facing him, Sun-woo couldn't use the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor or the Dragon Tail Soft Sword. Both weapons were too distinctive; rumors would inevitably spread. And if those rumors reached Lee Jae-won’s ears, it was certain he would fly into a rage and invade the Tang Clan.
Ultimately, he was being told to face Hwangbo Gang alone, without the help of items or allies. It was impossible.
"Couldn't you just disguise yourself as the Tang Clan Head and kill Hwangbo Gang, Master?"
Sun-woo suggested to the Yin-Yang Demon in a subtle tone. He figured that even if the master didn't know the Zhu-Rong Art, he must at least have some skill in disguise. If he could just disguise himself as the Tang Clan Head, killing Hwangbo Gang would be easier than crushing an ant.
"Why should I?"
The Yin-Yang Demon replied casually to Sun-woo’s plea.
"……"
Sun-woo was speechless. Come to think of it, there was no reason for the Yin-Yang Demon to do that. He had already bestowed a boundless favor upon Sun-woo just by treating Ok-ryeong for three months.
"Well, it’s not like I couldn't do it, but..."
At the master’s sudden remark, Sun-woo’s eyes began to sparkle. Hope was visible.
"But I don't know Poison Arts. Who would believe a Tang Clan Head who doesn't use Poison Arts?"
Sun-woo’s disappointment returned at the following words. It was true. If he beat Hwangbo Gang to death without using Poison Arts, everyone would suspect the Yin-Yang Demon’s identity. In the worst-case scenario, even the Cheonmu Alliance would intervene.
In the end, the only person who could face him was Sun-woo, whose energy was a fusion of Yin-Yang Harmony Qi and Poisonous Qi. Of course, the Yin-Yang Demon could mimic the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art and temporarily imitate something similar to Poison Arts, but he didn't seem inclined to go to that much trouble.
"Master, do you have any intention of learning Poison Arts?" Sun-woo asked, just in case.
"Go suck a dick."
The master’s answer was firm. It was exactly what Sun-woo had expected. Sun-woo hung his head with a dejected face. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a way to kill Hwangbo Gang.
"What are you so worried about? You just have to be the one to kill him."
"I’ve only just reached the beginning of the Transcendent Realm. How can I face Hwangbo Gang, who is at least at the Mid-Transcendent Realm?"
Sun-woo asked as if demanding an answer. If he were a Profound Realm master like the Yin-Yang Demon, he wouldn't be worrying like this. But the power gap was clear; how was he supposed to overcome it?
"If your martial power is low, you just have to raise it, don't you?"
The Yin-Yang Demon asked as if wondering what the problem was.
"What?"
Sun-woo asked back in a bewildered voice.
"Don't worry. I’ll make you strong enough to look down on the likes of Hwangbo Gang."
The Yin-Yang Demon spoke with an air of absolute certainty. Sun-woo could only stare at him with a dazed expression.